Top 5 Reasons Why Childbirth Prep Is Needed
Top 5 Reasons Why Childbirth Prep Is Needed
“Top 5 Reasons Why Childbirth Prep Is Needed” was written by Dr. Michaela Lupo. Dr. Lupo is a
Physical Therapist at Empower Your Pelvis, based in south Kansas City.
Happy Baby Stretch to relax pelvic floor muscles
What is Childbirth Prep?
Childbirth prep is the work done before baby is born. As a pelvic floor physical therapist (PT),
preparing for the event that is labor and childbirth is a no brainer. However, this isn’t always a
common thought.
There are plenty of reasons that preparing for childbirth can help the birthing person and her
partner in the delivery room.
Top 5 Reasons to Childbirth Prep
Here are my top 5 reasons why childbirth prep is needed, according to a pelvic floor PT.
1) Labor and childbirth is a marathon.
Labor and childbirth is hard work both mentally and physically.
Like a marathon, it is not something that you can just power through without a little preparation
of the mind and body. This can be overwhelming without support.
There are apps that help with mindfulness, and there are certain exercises and stretches that
can help prepare your body for the event.
A childbirth prep course can provide many avenues for preparation and give you a community to
hold you accountable.
2) Expectation of childbirth does not equal reality.
At some point during your pregnancy, you might hear people asking about your birth plan. This
is something you can bring to the birth that helps all the people in the room be on the same
page about what you would like to happen in an ideal scenario.
Butterfly stretch to target inner thighs and pelvic floor muscles.
These things include your choice of medications (if any), who cuts the cord, if the baby comes
directly to your chest, if you will nurse, etc.
It is helpful to know more about what happens during the labor and delivery process, both with
you and your baby’s body to help you make these decisions. These plans help at the moment
as you may not have the capacity to reinforce what you would like to happen.
However, it is equally as important that you mentally prepare for the unexpected. There are
many things that happen between both mom and baby during the labor and delivery process
that can change plans in order to keep you both safe.
Taking a childbirth prep course can help you and your partner mentally prepare for the
unexpected and learn more about what your options are if things take an unexpected turn.
3) You can reduce your chances of tearing.
You can reduce your chances of tearing by prepping your tissue with perineal massage and
exercise. Evidence shows that seeing a physical therapist for “prehab” prior to a surgical
procedure can improve outcomes.
Essentially, you are preparing muscles by making them stronger, bringing blood flow to the
area, and improving the brain-muscle connection that is needed for a good muscular contraction
Child’s Pose Stretch with knees apart to relax pelvic floor.
before any changes happen to the tissue.
You can think of childbirth prep the same way. Whether you have a vaginal delivery or
cesarean; whether it is planned or unplanned, tissue prep can do wonders on the postpartum
healing process.
Just as we said above, labor and childbirth are a marathon, so stretching and strengthening
muscles in and around the pelvic floor can help with positions and pushing during delivery.
Likewise, prepping your tissue down there for the exit of the baby can help minimize the risk of
tearing. This is called perineal massage, and it is something a pelvic floor PT, childbirth prep
course, midwife or doula can acquaint you with.
4) Childbirth prep helps your partner too.
Most partners want to be there for their significant others, but they just don’t know what to do
with their hands!
With a little bit of childbirth prep, partners are more mentally and physically prepared, too. They
are more aware of what actually happens in the labor and delivery room, and how to help!
5) You don’t know what you don’t know
A good childbirth prep course introduces you to what happens to mom and baby during labor
Dr. Michaela with Empower Your Pelvis
and delivery as well as what to expect in the hospitals and birthing centers.
Many new moms do not know that they have choices in the birthing process, and a birth prep
course can help prepare you to ask the right questions, and give you a voice to opt out of things
that might be standard, but not something that you want for you or your little one(s).
Childbirth Prep Resource
As a shameless plug, my colleague Dr. Erica is doing an online birth prep course starting
September 19, 2022. If you are unsure of where to access childbirth prep support in your area,
this would be a great option!
Sign up for weekly live zoom calls, 4 weeks of exercise to prep for labor, 24/7 chat access with
Dr. Erica, expert interviews about breastfeeding, mental health, c-sections and vaginal delivery