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Fresh Fit N Healthy

Helping women in their 20a-40s optimize their hormones & overall health

My Birth Plan as a First Time Mom & Prep List {homebirth edition}

As a gal planning (God willing) for a homebirth, here is my birth plan as a first time mom (& prep essentials!) , even though obviously I’m no pro šŸ™‚ If you missed my nontoxic baby product must haves — click here to read that post!

birth plan

I’ve always tried to transparently share my life with you all, and this pregnancy journey is no different! By no means am I trying to come off as a “pro” in this area, as obviously this is my first go around at labor and delivery! But as a first time mom, I realized most of the “success stories” and homebirth tips I see are from those on 2/3/4 births, sharing how they now know this because their first didn’t go as they desired/they didn’t feel educated at all on their first and now know better. And so, I share this for other first time moms out there, hoping to help you believe that yes, YOU can do this too. YOU can be a success story even though it’s your first. YOU can have the birth you want. YOU can feel empowered and educated on all the things before going into it — whether desiring a hospital or home birth! So with that, and my disclaimer that this is my first go around, and I’m not a pro at this, let’s get into this!

First all, the most important thing I’ve realized about a birth plan, is to be FLEXIBLE with it. I think the reason why birth plans are so helpful, is NOT because your birth goes 100% according to that plan, but because it helps you RESEARCH and EDUCATE yourself into knowing what you want and how everything goes and what a physiological birth COULD (and probably should) look like! You begin to feel empowered, feel ABLE, and begin believing your body was MADE TO DO THIS. Because mama, it WAS! Your body CAN do this – it’s amazing, and I hope you believe that!

Podcast on my birth plan as a first time mom below, or keep scrolling for spark notes and links!

PS:
Miss 1st trimester recap?! Click here!
See my 2nd Trimester Favorites and Recap Here
See My Birth Plan and Birth Prep List HERE
See How I Prepared for Labor in my 3rd Tri HERE
See My Less Toxic Registry HERE
See my Less Toxic Baby Boy Nursery HERE
UPDATE:
See my Birth Story HERE.

 

pps: grab these two little new bonuses since my second pregnancy now:

1. my FREE PREGNANCY MEAL PLAN right here!!
2. my Beginner’s Checklist & Guide to a More Natural Pregnancy!

Listen to the Podcast above, or listen onĀ itunes HERE,Ā or onĀ Spotify HERE!

& if youā€™ve been loving my podcasts or specifically love this one ā€”Ā Iā€™d so greatly appreciate if you popped on over here for just 1 minute and left a review on my podcast!

 

My (flexible) Birth Plan & Prep List as a First Time Mom

First things first… I see SO many mamas plan out every little detail for their pregnancy and birth and showers, etc… but totally forget about that 4th trimester — when we need the MOST support. So one of the biggest things I want to emphasize is the short list I’ll be doing in those weeks postpartum:

  • REST whenever possible and not leave my bedroom for the first few days, home for first 2 weeks, and then only slowly go from there. DO NOT TRY TO BOUNCE BACK. Our only goal in those first 12 weeks should be rest and nourishment for our bodies to replete & heal, and create nourishing breast milk to nourish our baby + simply love on baby – our only jobs
  • GET HELP and be ok with letting balls drop. It’s ok if laundry piles up. Ask and accept help. Rest mama.
  • Our bodies experience the quickest, deepest hormone drop in our entire lives post birth… that’s why we feel so crazy at first emotionally and physically! I’ll be using my very own SIMPLE SYSTEM back to hormone balance (yes, even while breastfeeding), Hormone Healing Academy, for the nutrition and lifestyle steps back to balance. Come join me!! This will be amazing even before you can get back into any movement. And for months and months to come after!

Miss these?

I’ve decided on a home birth! (see THIS post as to why I decided on that, and see my labor prep podcast/post for what I did/am doing in the entire 3rd trimester to prepare this body as I head towards the laboring time!)

For me the days/weeks leading up to labor {birth plan as a first time mom}

  • Oily/Nontoxic Products from Young Living: (you can shop them all here where I have all my pregnancy favorites!)
    • for sleep: YL calm CBD roll-on, lavender essential oil, and peace & calming roll-on
    • aches/pains: YL CDB muscle rub as needed
    • tummy/stretch mark oil roller: made a DIY roller with gentle baby, lavender and frank + carrier oil
    • Claraderm! spray down there 2x/day post bathroom leading up to birth: claraderm spray (pricey spray but I’ve heard from other mamas it’s TOTALLY worth it before to prep perineum more and especially after in the healing time!). Then postpartum will be using every time after I go to the bathroom for healing!
    • DIY roller of geranium + lavender at 36 weeks (8 drops + 5 drops + 1 oz carrier)
    • Jasmine essential oil – just inhaling not using topically – can encourage labor
    • Can use peppermint at top of tummy if baby is breech to encourage him/her to flip
  • The Course that helped me prepare earlier on:
  • Other Steps I’m Taking/ Products I’m using:
    • GBS specific probiotics: these probiotics have the 2 strains of bacteria in them proven in research to lower chances of testing positive for GBS, so will consistently using these from 32 weeks and on until test at 36 weeks (and continue them until labor!). I use my young living one’s up until this point that you can find here!
    • Gentle birth w/o blue cohosh: my midwife said don’t use the one with blue cohosh, as there are mixed reviews/research on that — but I started this at 35 weeks pregnant per the instructions!
    • Red Raspberry Leaf Tea: I’ve been drinking a cup of this once a day all of 3rd trimester! Will increase to stronger tea and 2-3 cups in the week leading up to due date. I buy the bulk here so I can batch make and keep in fridge
    • Dates: 6ish neglet or 3 medjool dates/day can help with ripening the cervix 4-5 weeks before labor
      • By no means do I love dates, and even though it’s easy to get them in through smoothies and stuffing with nut butter/some chocolate… I will say it’s not my favorite so far šŸ˜› See, they are high in sugar, so when having this many, you want to lower your other sources of sugar/carb intake. But personally, I rather be having the sugar I genuinely love then these dates… I’ll suck it up for 5 weeks though haha.
    • Evening primrose oil starting at 36/37 weeks
    • Stretches/walking/cycling: see stretches in this post
    • Sit on an exercise ball vs chair/couch
    • Weekly chiropractor now that I’m at 35 weeks (was every other week all of 3rd tri, and before that, it was every 3-4 weeks)
    • Saw pelvic floor therapist at week 34 just to see! It was interesting but also helpful! She taught me how to relax everything down there to “breathe baby down” instead of just forceful pushing + showed me the perineal massage (still not sure I’ll be doing that myself haha)
    • Starting at 37 weeks — lots of sex. It’s a bit uncomfortable and there is only a couple positions you can do at this point — but the semen can help soften the cervix + the oxytocin you get from an orgasm can be helpful too — so time to get it on!
    • Birth Classes (in person and online)
      • private in person class with a doula for my hubby and I
      • Pain Free birth Course – was amazing and after buying it and asking for a discount code for y’all, she gave me the code Sarah10 for 10% off for you all! Was SUPER helpful as a first time mom who didn’t really know how “birth worked” or even “how the baby fits” šŸ™‚
    • SELF CARE: getting my hair done one last time, going to find a prenatal massage place, get my nails done… and REST as much as I can!
    • GET LABOR PREP LIST TOGETHER (see below)

Supplies I need to have on me by 36 weeks for myself/midwife (because you never know if they will come early!): all homebirth musts here

favorite products for labor and delivery

For During LABOR {birth plan as a first time mom}

For me during all of labor:

  • Oily Products
  • Using birth pool, exercise ball, shower, etc as desired in later stages of labor
  • Counter Pressure + Robozo + switching positions often — the birth doula who did our birth class showed my husband how to do help with it all/use the robozo on me!
  • Arnica montana 200ck homeopathic remedy for pain relief
  • A way to play christian hypnobirthing tracks plus my spotify playlist
  • Camera
  • Phone tripod
    • Long phone charger: I’ve heard this is especially good if in hospital since outlet may be far away from bed

 

EARLY LABOR PLAN

  • Try to sleep or do typical daily tasks (don’t try to count contractions or stay awake if it’s time to sleep)
  • Consider making a groan cake or meals for postpartum during this time if not tired, to keep your mind off of labor
  • Move (walking, curb walking, sideways up stairs, warm shower)
  • Hydrate, eat, rest
  • Use 4:1:1 rule as a loose guide for having midwife come (but more so, just let her feel it out on the phone with you)

 

ACTIVE LABOR PLAN

  • Time to have midwife and my friend/pseudo doula come over
  • Have dim lights, play spotify playlist and hypnobirthing tracks, read birth affirmations
  • whisper/keep voices soft
  • have hubby make me laugh and be loving towards me ā€” maybe get some oxytocin going? šŸ˜‰
  • Positions to try: hands & knees, birth pool as it gets really hard, forward leaning, walking, warm shower, squats, toilet

 

Latent Phase: (sometimes you get this calm before the storm apparently)

  • Time to get in water
  • Speak to body and to baby
  • Visualize laboring baby down and out but DO NOT PUSH
  • Continue relaxation breath work until body starts involuntarily pushing // you feel super ā€œpushyā€ / lots of pressure / needing to poop
  • Positions to try: Squatting, toilet, hands and knees, pulling down on sheet, runnerā€™s pose

 

Active pushing phase

  • be in the birth pool / have someone use warm compress on perineum during pushing if not
    • UPDATE: I ended up not being able to grasp enough in this and got out and onto birthing stool – and baby was out in no time then!
  • active counter pressure by friend or hubby during contractions, using oils and massage between them
  • positions that are usually good: hands and knees, on toilet, runnerā€™s pose
  • affirmations playing
  • have people remind me to SLOW DOWN, donā€™t hold breathe or tense up, and breathe baby down, especially when/if “ring of fire” comes
  • deep vocalizations like ohhhhh and hmmmmmm, not ahhhhh
  • when crowning, use slow gentle grunty pushes to avoid tearing
  • push in two different contractions, one for head and then WAIT for next one for pushing out rest of body to give body time to expand more
  • Possible fetal ejection reflex: something I learned that was interesting —Ā  women have given birth when asleep and in comas! Your body WILL have involuntary contractions to move baby down and out without ā€œbearing downā€ or pushing super hard. What is NOT natural/physiological even though we’re told to do this in hospitals all the time? Holding your breath, tensing up your body and pushing super hard.
    • When we have the strong urge to push, that is our uterus’ already contracting and pushing baby down. We donā€™t have to push with our whole body while holding our breath. This actually reduces oxygen to us and baby, and tenses our muscles instead of relaxing them.
    • Someone told me this and I thought it was really good: Your baby needs to come out, not be held in. Breathing down with your contractions allows baby to descend SLOWLY and with less trauma to pelvic floor
    • I’m sure this is easier said than done, so we shall see how things really go šŸ™‚
      • UPDATE: I deffffinitely had to actively push that 9lb baby out with his hand by his head… maybe next time I’ll experience this whole concept that sounds super nice!

 

GOLDEN HOUR / PLACENTA DELIVERY

  • Make it a point to tell midwife/doctor that you don’t want any pulling on cord /Ā  let placenta come out naturally (and if needed, use pitocin for too much blood loss)
  • skin to skin with baby on my chest right away for first hour
  • wait for cord to be cut until white/done pulsing (cut by hubby)
  • dad to do skin to skin if Iā€™m needing to birth placenta or need other attention
  • anointing baby with oil roller (2 drops frank + myrrh + carrier oil in 10mL roller)

Husband’s Job (haha what I told him I’d like for him to do):

  • love on me, support me, encourage me when I want to give up, make me laugh, remind me to relax jaw/total body, remind me to slow down breathing, not to push but breathe down baby
  • He was also shown during our birth class how to do counter pressure, help me with the 3 sisters exercises, and use the robozo with me — so he may do some of that as I feel I need!

 

If there IS a need to transfer to hospital:

I’m not at all fearing this or claiming this will happen over me, but I did want to share the things I have quickly written down in case that happens because I probably won’t be too with it if that were to happen in the moment

  • Vaginal birth:
    • no IV if possible, allow me to eat and drink, dim lights, only intermittent monitoring, natural rupture of waters, free movement, no meds, limited cervical exams, no episiotomy or other interventions like forceps
    • skin to skin with baby right after delivery (or with my husband if I can’t), no bathing baby, wait for cord cutting until it is done pulsing, no cord traction, no eye ointment, delayed exams/weighing until after golden hour, no cord traction, no vK shot (will being doing drops that after research, has shown works just as good if done right yet doesn’t have the risks)/ no vaccines, breastfeeding right away
  • If necessary C-section:
    • gentle c-section — partner to be present the whole time and be skin to skin with baby right after if I can’t, local/regional anesthesia, vaginal swab for baby, no extra drugs, monitoring devices to be placed in forearm or unobtrusive place, clear drape; do not exteriorize uterus to examine/ repair — use double-layering suturing

Things I’m having ready for me post delivery/postpartum:

Have this rolling storage cart in our bedroom and one in the nursery upstairs so I can have all my supplies no matter where I am for both baby and me. I’ll be putting snacks and water for me on it + all nursing/diaper needs + PP care products for me!

Things to have ready for baby boy (see our nontoxic baby products/registry musts here for everything we have for baby!):

Amazon List for 0-12mo Baby

  • frankincense / myrrh DIY roller for anointing and for cord care
  • organic swaddles
  • lots of organic burp cloths/muslin blankets
  • outfits/onesies – love the burts bees organic ones!
  • ink pad for foot print
  • vK drops (we’re going this route vs shot)
  • all seedlings nontoxic line of bath/skin products from young living for baby care
  • diapers: we’re trying a few brands out + were gifted some, so here is what we have!
    • Honest brand
    • Millie and Moon
    • Earth and Eden
    • And then were gifted some pampers too
    • UPDATE:
      • We used millie moon for the first year and loved, but they changed their ingredients and will no longer be using.
      • We have since found that honest overnight and Joonya are best for him in this 1yo stage, but I will say we tried the regular honest ones as a newborn when poops are liquidy, and didn’t hold them in well at all.
      • Next baby we will probably try joonya in the earlier stages and see if that works for him/her!
      • REEL ON AMAZON DIAPER RUN DOWN
  • our bassinet by bed
    • UPDATE: we returned the snoo because it didn’t work for him and also had controversial things about it that gave a lot of red flags.
    • We ended up loving THIS BD bassinet and then putting him in crib around 12-16 weeks old once sleeping through night and being in his own room.
  • nursery ready (even though honestly not needed haha)
  • our car seat installed!
    • I bought the trio bundle with the stroller, but it’s also sold as just a carseat!
  • and allll of these products we already bought for baby/were gifted! click here to read that post!

 

Whew! That was a longgggg list and podcast! I hope you enjoyed hearing my birth plan as a first time mom and products I’ll be using throughout it! Like I said, I’m no pro, so we will see how things actually go — and you KNOW I’ll be updating y’all transparently over on instagram <3Ā  Come say hi over there!

 

Did you miss these posts on my pregnancy?

birth plan

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