Working Towards a Healthy and Positive Birth Experience

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors. All opinions are 100% mine.

With less than a month until this baby’s arrival, I’ve started thinking more about what I can do to encourage a healthy labour and delivery. After the scare we had when Lucy was born, I want to do everything I can to help this birth go as smoothly as possible.

As I started to look into ways to improve my labour experience this time around, I’ve been reading more about naturopathic medicine. Using the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors website, www.FindMyND.ca I was able to find a great naturopathic doctor nearby. Their members are qualified health care professionals who have completed post-graduate level naturopathic medical programs and cover a large variety of focuses. I was able to narrow my search to professionals who specialize in maternal care and find one that was the right fit.

What I really appreciated was that the naturopathic doctor had the same philosophy as I do – treating the underlying causes and using preventative practices instead of just treating symptoms. I try to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to my health.

I spoke with my naturopathic doctor about how I’ve been feeling this pregnancy and what my concerns are surrounding labour and delivery. She was able to suggest a treatment plan to prepare me for the remainder of my pregnancy, through birth and post-partum.

We discussed diet and supplementation (including what I am already doing and what more I could do), herbal medicines to try and acupuncture treatments as well. I have had acupuncture before for other reasons and I look forward to trying it again to see how it helps prepare my body for what’s to come.

When I looked into it, many of my naturopathic doctor’s services are covered by my extended benefits plan. As we start to near the end of the year, it’s a great time to try something new like this before your benefits restart in January.

I’ve still got plenty of preparations before the baby gets here but I’m happy to have a game plan in place. Having a healthy and positive labour experience is important to me. Visiting the naturopathic doctor has helped me realize I have remnant anxiety from Lucy’s birth and to work towards having a positive, healthy birth this time. It’s helped me to relax these last few weeks, wait patiently for the baby, focus on nesting and give Lucy lots of one-on-one time before her little sister gets here.