You Can & Should Want More From Birth

You absolutely can just walk into a hospital at the end of your pregnancy and give birth to your baby without learning anything about pregnancy, labor, or birth or setting any goals during your pregnancy for how you’d like it all to work out.

But if you then walk out of that hospital feeling negatively about your experience, like nothing went "the way it was supposed to", or with actual birth trauma, you should not be really surprised. 

Your OB, your midwife, your doula, your family, your friends - they all hopefully have your best interest in mind. However, they also have a lot of other things on their minds - their own interests, experiences, biases, hospital policies.

Ideally care providers are curious about YOU and what YOU want and why YOU want those things. Sadly, this is not always the case.

When you outsource all of your decisions surrounding pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to anyone else, your experience will likely drift away from what you truly want. 

You may think “But wait, I don’t even really know what I truly want!” 

This is why childbirth education (and not just through the hospital) is so important. Even if you know you want to give birth in the hospital, it is still critical for you to learn from other sources that can better break down your choices and bring up things you may not have thought of or been presented with. 

Knowledge literally is power. 

You can’t possibly know exactly how your birth will go or plan for any and every situation. But you can do a great deal to set goals, educate yourself, plan & prepare your mind, body, & partner for the birth you most desire. This will look different for everyone and things can change as birth progresses. 

Knowing your options before they are presented to you in the throes of labor will help you and your partner make better and more informed decisions that you will feel good about long term.

A healthy baby is an amazing goal to have when it comes to your birth. But it is okay and ultimately more beneficial for you, your family, and your baby to want and prepare for way more than just a healthy baby. 

You can book a free consultation to chat with me, have your questions about my services answered, and book doula, movement, and nutrition coaching services.  https://calendly.com/chelseyvmunnik/free-consultation

My goal is to help women and their support people prepare their minds and bodies for pregnancy, birth, and postpartum.