Tips to prepare for natural birth in a high-risk pregnancy
Electing to have a natural birth in a high-risk pregnancy may sound risky, perhaps impossible. And that might be the case for certain pregnancies. However, some high-risk pregnancy situations will still allow you a natural birth if that is your preference.
In this post, learn tips, tools, and resources for how to prepare for a natural birth in high-risk pregnancy. Both physical and mental preparation can make all the difference.
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DISCLAIMER: The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered as professional advice. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions and treatment changes you are considering.
Retaining some control in a high-risk pregnancy
Feeling out of control is not uncommon in a high-risk pregnancy. Having options and being able to do and not do certain things may seem fruitless in a high-risk pregnancy.
Even though there may be very few things you can control, you still have some options. To ensure you have the best possible pregnancy and birthing experience you can, especially despite high-risk factors, it’s important to advocate for what you do want.
For me, having a positive pregnancy experience meant continuing with midwifery despite being high-risk. And having a positive birth experience for me meant aiming for a natural (spontaneous labor, drug-free and vaginal delivery) birth.
Why did I want a natural hospital birth in my high-risk pregnancy?
Why preparing for a natural birth in high-risk pregnancy is important
My second birth was spontaneously natural, with zero drugs. This was NOT my plan. I was too terrified to attempt to plan a birth this way. However, after experiencing it, I knew that I wanted to go natural for any subsequent births.
Going natural is not easy. It tests your mental and physical strength to their breaking points. So if you truly want to go this route, preparation is key to having a positive experience.
High-risk pregnancy factors make birth preparation even more important. Having proper prenatal care, clear expectations and good communication between your whole team is essential.
Tools and resources to prepare for a natural birth in high-risk pregnancy
In order to prepare for my natural birth, I used a variety of tools and resources. Nothing fit my situation exactly. I took in what I could use and let the other things go. Every birth is different anyway.
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1. Practice meditation
Meditation has immense benefits for our mental and thereby physical well-being. Modern life is stressful, and we don’t always have control of certain aspects. We have to find a way to manage the stress, and practicing meditation can help. You can find guided meditation practices, where they’ll walk you through what to do, on Spotify, Headspace, and Calm.
2. GentleBirth Pregnancy App
The app offers support for getting your mind and body ready for a gentle birthing experience. Find meditations, techniques, exercises, playlists, and more.
3. Read The Calm Birth Method book
Hypnobirthing expert Suzy Ashworth helps you to build confidence in your body and its abilities, and shares practical techniques to support you so that, no matter what happens, you feel prepared. This book walks you and your birth partner through the whole process of birth preparation.
4. Read the Hypnobirthing book
In this book, Siobhan debunks common myths about hypnobirthing and explains why she believes it can make every type of birth a better experience—from a water birth at home to an unplanned caesarean in theatre. Hypnobirthing teaches you how your body works on a muscular and hormonal level when in labour and how you can use various relaxation techniques to ensure you are working with your body (rather than against it), making birth more efficient and comfortable. I appreciated this book’s inclusivity in offering a range of applications to the wide array of births, including higher-risk births.
5. Follow Evidenced Based Birth @ebbirth and The Naked Doula @thenakeddoulaofficial on Instagram
Unfollow or hide any accounts that negatively impact your positive mindset on your natural birth. Instead, follow accounts like these two that provide support, advice, and encouragement to have the positive birth experience that you want.
6. Reading positive birth stories on Mama Natural
The Mama Natural website has a section spotlighting various positive natural birth stories. Try to read these to get inspired and remain positive, avoid the birth horror stories.
7. Read positive birth stories and experiences in Facebook groups related to your high-risk factors
You can likely find Facebook support groups for any specialized risk flag or circumstance related to your pregnancy, birth, or baby. I joined some for my Velamentous Cord Insertion and several related to my baby’s congenital heart defects. Search these groups for positive birth stories, and maybe even reach out to others who were in your situation for additional support.
How my high-risk pregnancy natural hospital birth went
My waters released spontaneously and slowly at home. I knew I wasn’t so far along yet, but due to the high-risk factors, we went to the hospital only about an hour later.
For the last few weeks, months even, I felt like I had to tip-toe on eggshells. My risk flags could result in a catastrophic ending. So I was relieved to now be at the hospital on monitors and surrounded by medical professionals who could intervene in an instant.
While I welcomed the support, I was now grappling with the undeniable reality of what we were about to face. The stress did not help my labor.
Thankfully, I had been preparing for this moment. I brought flameless tealights for a calming room ambiance. We played gentle music on the TV. The lights were dimmable. And the nurses left me alone as much as possible. It was as serene an environment as possible considering the circumstances.
Early labor was slow to advance and I had a few moments of worry about how I would last. But I leaned into what I knew to be true and possible, and the excitement of soon getting to meet my baby. I relied heavily on breathing techniques and was glad I had practiced.
There was a period where they made me stay in bed due to the baby’s heart rate dropping. This was terrible for me and I genuinely questioned my ability to birth naturally if I had to stay put.
It was so counterintuitive to what my body wanted to do. I did best standing and moving through my contractions. After a couple of hours and additional checks though, they were okay to proceed with me standing again. I spent most of the time pacing my room, some time on the ball, and lots of swaying.
I felt this labor differently than my second natural birth and it challenged me more. It also lasted longer. I couldn’t quite contort myself enough for a dose of relief.
Contractions were intense. Toward the end, I needed my husband and midwife to intensely squeeze my hips to manage through. I stayed upright almost the entire time.
When baby was crowning my midwife called the NICU team in the room (they had to be present due to my baby’s medical condition), and I went hands and knees on the bed. I gave birth in front of a big audience, which I knew would happen, and I couldn’t care less at that point. We were so close to the end and I growled through the final pushes.
It was exhausting and empowering, and so very emotional. Despite all our high-risk flags, I did it. I brought her earth side as I had intended to do.
In a high-risk pregnancy, trying to have a natural birth in a hospital was not easy. But I’m so glad I advocated for what I wanted and still managed to have a positive birth experience.
