Our guest blogger, Laurie Braswell, is a certified nurse-midwife delivering babies with Roswell OB/GYN since 1999. As a part of our caring and dedicated midwife practice, Laurie shares her insights into a successful delivery with working with our Alpharetta high-risk obstetrics. The most important thing is to know that you can do this. Every woman has doubts about if she has the ability and strength to actually deliver her baby. Just know that you are no different than all the women who came before you and that you have the power in you to deliver this baby. It is important however to be prepared. One of the most important things is for you to be as healthy as you can be during your pregnancy. This includes taking your prenatal vitamin daily to ensure that you are getting the vitamins that your baby needs. Make sure you have a healthy diet including a variety of fruits and vegetables. It is important to get the recommended amount of protein. Drinking milk is an easy way to ensure this. You also want to focus on foods that are high in iron. You will feel better and have more energy for labor and delivery as well as feel more up to taking care of a newborn if the iron level in your blood is not low. Gaining too much weight during your pregnancy may also lead to more difficult labor and delivery so try and limit empty calories such as sweets and junk foods. Exercise and stretching are important throughout your pregnancy. It will give you more endurance to tackle long labor. Don’t worry if you are unaware of how much your Alpharetta OB/GYN suggests you should be exercising during your pregnancy. Just a few minutes of walking daily will help. Prenatal yoga is also very helpful. Stay hydrated. You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in ounces each day. Your uterus will contract more effectively if you are well hydrated. You should also be taking prenatal but make sure they are the right gummy prenatal vitamins according to your Alpharetta OB/GYNs. Create a positive environment. Evaluate your fears about childbirth and discuss them with your partner and your provider. Do not listen to negative birth experiences. This only increases your anxiety. Focus on things you can control instead of things you can’t. Create a supportive network by having people around you that are positive and confident. Knowledge is power so get as much information as you can. Our office offers a prenatal class each month to prepare you for what to expect. Northside Hospital also offers a variety of classes. Understanding what is happening during each stage of labor and what you should be doing to positively affect it will help alleviate some of your fear which in turn will help your labor to progress normally. It is important to have complete trust in your provider so you can focus on relaxing and letting your body do the work. Know that all of our providers are highly skilled and committed to bringing your baby into the world safely. We respect your desires for your birth experience so please discuss them at your prenatal visits. We trust in the natural process of birth and pride ourselves on our low c-section rate. We feel strongly that a positive birth experience is a good beginning for you as a mother and a woman. Please contact our office at 770 751 3600 to schedule an appointment or online using our patient portal.
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