Psychological Processes of Preparing for Labor

???????Psychological and physical preparation steps occupy an essential place in labor. Some professionals argue that preparing for labor should be done during pregnancy or even in the near-birth. Sometimes, the psychological state of the pregnant person can negatively affect even the physical and mental steps. For this reason, psychological preparation is crucial and should be done before pregnancy.

 

 

 

 

 

Some studies claim that, Kegel exercises started at puberty can be helpful for orgasmic births It is better for a young person not to hear or witness bad, negative birth stories at these ages.

Pregnancy and childbirth methods bear vital importance because they have an impact on:

• Postpartum Depression
• Mother-Baby Bond
• First Primary Trust Relationship
• Childhood and Adolescence Period
• Behavioral and Emotional Processes in Adulthood
• Personality
• The Way of Dealing with Life and Problems
• Relationships
• Human History

Below you can find psychological preparation advices for pregnant people and their partners:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Desire, Time and Psychology of Becoming a Parent: The motivation of being a parent should be formed with an inner desire regardless of factors like the couple’s environment and age. External factors should not be repressive.

The parent’s knowledge about their own birth stories has a crucial part in labor because these stories are still hidden in their bodies and should be resolved during pregnancy. It is essential for the pregnant person to work on traumatic childbirth stories transferred from older generations like their mother, grandmother, aunt, sister.

 The pregnant person also questions the emotinal bond with her mother during pregnancy. Their relationship should be built on trust; and old experiences, unspoken words, pent up emotions should be found and resolved.

 The relationship of the parents ,as a couple, includes respect and love for each other. The quality of sexuality is important.

The pregnant people should be in harmony with her own body, sexuality and genitals.

If there are concerns about birth and postpartum, they should be expressed before turning into a chronic fear.

 It is important to get used to the fact that her life and roles will change.

Birth preferences, life philosophy should be considered and the goal of the journey should be rearranged according to these.

Personal development continues throughout life. Nevertheless, pregnancy is the time to clarify this process in detail.

Expectations from the child (including gender) should be clarified and the acceptance point should be increased based on these factors.

The parents should work on the previous experiences such as abortion, even if it was optional.  Grievings and farewells should be lived freely.

During pregnancy, anything that disrupts the harmony can produce stress. Mental ups and downs are normal, but if it gets too intense, psychological support should be provided to the pregnant person and their partner.

The loss or illness of a family member is one of the most important traumas during this period. Pregnant person should not repress or deny this pain.

 The psychological preparation of partners is not very common in our culture. But the positive effects to the pregnant person’s psychological state has been proven.

The partner should give confidence and psychological support to the pregnant person.

All these preparations can be done before or during pregnancy. The expectant mother who is trying to stay strong can distract herself and postpone, ignore these basic psychological processes with practical, concrete preparations. For these reasons, pregnancy is the most important time for getting support even if the problems seem temporary. Support should be obtained from the experts who have knowledge in both physiological and psychological fields of pregnancy and birth.