Making Decisions - Preparing For Birth Manual

As soon as women announce they are pregnant, they are bombarded with information. From well-meaning friends, relatives and people in the supermarket to a plethora of books, apps, social media and of course, courses like this one. It seems everyone has an opinion when it comes to matters relating to pregnancy, birth and parenthood. It can all be a bit overwhelming - not to mention confusing, when much of this advice can be conflicting.

Our ethos at LushTums ultimately supports the fact that you and your baby are on your own journey, unique to you. This course, alongside all our LushTums classes, is designed is to give you all the information about your body, birth, babies and current medical advances and protocols, so that you are fully informed and feel confident to make your own decisions; understanding what choices are best for you and your baby (and partner and/or the rest of your family if you already have older children).

This feeling of confidence; of trusting your own instincts, is incredibly empowering. Not only during pregnancy, labour and birth, but in your life as a new parent. If you have asked all the right questions and done your research you can feel confident in the choices you make and stand firm in the face of a barrage of information and advice. This is especially important when it comes to how to prepare for birth.

During this course we will present a range of options that are available to you as a pregnant woman - from pain relief and medical interventions, to where and how you give birth. When we are birthing our bodies take over and our mind takes a back seat - meaning being able to process new information in that moment can be really difficult.

So now is absolutely the time to sit back and consider all the possibilities and options in advance. To familiarise yourself with the terminology, the pros and cons, the procedures and have a think about you feel about it all, and what your preferences are. A useful tool to apply to all the content presented to you during this course or any research you undertake personally, and crucially when you need to make any choices during birth is B.R.A.I.N:

B = What are the BENEFITS?

R = What are the RISKS?

A = What are the ALTERNATIVES?

I = What does your INTUITION tell you to do?

N = What are the outcomes or possibilities if we do NOTHING?

When faced with a decision, or when at a cross-roads, take a moment to ask yourself and/or your midwife/doctor questions based on the above, to help you make informed choices.