HealthPartners - Preparing for childbirth

WELCOME!

Preparing to go through labor and birth can be a challenge. There’s so much to do — and so many decisions to make. You may feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster. These are all normal responses when you’re pregnant. Here’s another perspective: The more you learn about your body and what happens at every stage of labor and birth, the easier it will be to manage your responses and make good decisions. Simply put, the more you know, the more confident you will feel about your ability to go through labor and birth calmly and confidently.

This book can help.

To make it easier for you to find information about what happens before, during, and after the birth of your baby, we’ve divided the book into three convenient sections:

• Before You Give Birth – Includes making arrangements, taking care of yourself, learning how to manage pain, and more. • What Happens During Childbirth – Includes understanding labor, medical interventions, types of births, and more. • After You Give Birth – Includes caring for your newborn, postpartum changes and self-care, breastfeeding, and more.

Here’s a suggestion: Think about sharing this book with another very important person, your designated labor partner. There’s a lot of information in this book that will help your partner learn how to help you, especially near the end of labor when your baby is almost here. We hope this book will answer many of your questions, make it easier to talk with your health provider, and help you move forward with knowledge and confidence. We wish you a very happy, healthy labor and birth experience.

See a word in purple text ? You’ll find it defined in the Glossary at the back of the book.

6 Your Guide to Labor and Birth