Holistic Ways to prepare your body for labor!
Red Raspberry leaf tea- strengthens the uterus and can possibly shorten the length of labor. It tastes great hot or chilled with ice. Begin around 32 weeks of pregnancy with 1 cup a day. If you would like to increase the number of cups, increase it gradually and later on in pregnancy.
Dates- There have been multiple benefits shown from eating 6 Medjool dates a day from 36 weeks on. Some of these benefits include, shortened labor, dates helping ripen your cervix and less need of medical intervention to induce labor.
Staying active- it's called labor for a reason! It is important to find a good balance of relaxing and allowing your body to rest as well as staying active with walks, stretches or any other exercise that feels good for you! Also staying active helps baby get into a good position. Recommended through all of pregnancy if possible :)
Birth ball- When you are sitting, your birth ball is the perfect place to stay active while resting! Simple bounces up and down help encourage the baby to be in a good position. Sitting on your birth ball helps resist the urge to sit slumped, distributes your weight to relieve spinal pressure, offers counter pressure to the perineum and thighs while supporting your knees and ankles and promotes blood flow!
Body therapy- Chiropractor, massage and acupuncture/acupressure are all great body therapies during pregnancy that can be helpful to prepare your body for labor.
