Exploring your birth options can feel overwhelming. In a matter of months, you’ll need to sift through options and opinions and come to your own conclusions—no easy feat.
Start by learning the basics: the different types of birth methods, intervention techniques, providers, and philosophies that are available to you. Speak with other parents about what worked or didn’t. As you start exploring your options, you’ll find that planning your experience isn’t black and white. Most women fall somewhere in between a totally natural birth and a completely medical one. There are many different ways to give birth, and no experience is quite like the last.
Ask yourself questions like, “What’s my birth philosophy?” and listen carefully to your answers. Address questions and anxieties with a partner, doula, counselor, or care provider, and discuss how your choices impact and shape your plan.
To learn more, sign up for a workshop or find childbirth educators and doulas on the CiC Provider Network.