Psychopreventive preparation for childbirth: useful tips and recommendations from experts

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Practice shows that psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth is of great importance for absolutely all expectant mothers, regardless of their pregnancy. Today it is carried out in all perinatal centers and in private schools for expectant mothers. Consider its main features, as well as the main directions of implementation.

The essence of preparation

Before considering the main directions of this training, it is necessary to determine its essence.

Practice shows that no matter what the current pregnancy is, all women are anxiously waiting for the moment the baby is born. In this regard, they experience a lot of unrest, which sometimes develop into real fears and difficult experiences. This is especially true for primiparous women who have not previously experienced contractions and are waiting for the moment of their onset,mentally preparing for the hellish torments that their friends and acquaintances told about.

The main role of a midwife in psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth is to take a woman out of a state of fear and immerse her in complete relaxation. She should expect the upcoming process of the birth of a child only with positive emotions.

Classes at schools for expectant mothers

An integral element of psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth of pregnant women is attendance at classes held at schools for expectant mothers. Lectures are given at such classes, which will certainly help prepare for the process of the birth of a child. They talk about what kind of internal psychological state you need to develop in yourself, going to childbirth, and also describes how the process of childbirth takes place directly.

After passing the theoretical course, expectant mothers, as a rule, are divided into several groups, and then they begin to provide them with all the necessary information in a dosed manner and so that it is as well assimilated.

Let's consider further the features of the lessons taking place in such groups.

First lesson. Course Introduction

At the first lesson attended as part of the psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth, a woman gets acquainted with the structure of the genital organs, as well as the basics of the physiological development of the fetus. At the same time, as a rule,explanation of the nature of pain during contractions.

The learning objectives of the first session included setting the pregnant woman in the right mood for the upcoming birth, as well as explaining how to mobilize her own will. In order to achieve the set goals, special classes are held with the woman, which are called autogenic training.

During the first lesson, a pregnant woman is taught the intricacies of acupressure self-massage: she will have to apply these elements during the course of contractions in order to reduce the level of pain.

Second session. Explaining the process of childbirth

During the second lesson, the most detailed acquaintance with the mechanism of contractions takes place. At this time, as part of the psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth, a woman is taught to count the duration of spasmodic contractions and pauses observed between them.

At this stage, the main task of obstetricians is to convey to the expectant mother information that pain in contractions is characterized in all women in different ways, and in order to alleviate them, you can use different breathing techniques, as well as muscle control (they also teach).

Third lesson. Moral preparation

An integral part of the psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth is the study of such concepts as attempts and contractions. In accordance with the prescribed program, in the third lesson, expectant mothers are taught to control the process of attemptsthrough special breathing exercises. Also at this time, women are encouraged to learn relaxation techniques that will be appropriate between attempts.

It should be noted that during the attempts of women in labor, as a rule, such unpleasant moments as involuntary urination, passing gases or even feces await - they also mentally prepare for this.

In the third lesson, they also explain that it is during the attempts of the woman in labor to strictly follow all the recommendations of the obstetrician, and convey to the realization that the clear and correct execution of all commands is the key to a successful outcome of the entire process.

What happens on the eve of childbirth

An important element of psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth is the correct passage of the last stage of preparation for the upcoming process of childbirth. It should be noted that this period is the most difficult for the expectant mother. As practice shows, at this time, the future woman in labor goes into herself and is more involved in household chores. At this time, she has to listen to every movement inside her stomach, at the sensation of which she increasingly succumbs to fears about the upcoming process.

In most recommendations, obstetricians-gynecologists note that the day before the birth, the baby seems to freeze: you can’t hear him, he doesn’t push, and the pain disappears somewhere. They note that this moment is given to a woman by nature so that she can mentally and physically tune in to the upcoming delivery. It is noted that further sensationsare replaced by nausea, malaise and a complete lack of appetite, and before the onset of contractions, as a rule, there is a fever and active sweating.

Pre-delivery procedures

Immediately before the delivery process, a woman must undergo a mandatory examination by a gynecologist, and a conversation is carried out to create the right morale.

Psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth, carried out at this stage, includes the implementation of certain manipulations, which to some extent will be able to facilitate the process. The woman is reassured and attuned to the fact that if the doctor's instructions are followed, the process will go smoothly, less painfully and without complications.

Basic methods of psychoprophylactic preparation for childbirth

Modern practice shows that there are a number of methods for the implementation of preventive and psychological preparation for the upcoming process of birth into the light of a new life. These include:

• auto-training;
• communication with close friends, relatives or loved one;
• distraction for pleasant moments;
• learning techniques to deal with fears;
• doing what you love.

An important element at the stage of preparation for childbirth and in the process of giving birth is the support of a loved one. Many obstetricians recommend attending maternity schools with the future father of the baby: there he will also be able to master some techniques for dealing with fears in order toso that at the right moment not to lose self-control and be able to support a woman. The spouse can also learn a range of pain-relieving techniques in order to help with their implementation at the right time. Specialists in the field of gynecology often note that partner childbirth, which has become quite popular lately, sets the woman in labor in the right way, and also helps to distract from what is happening, drawing her attention to positive emotions.

From among the most popular modern methods of preparing for the upcoming birth, three main ones should be distinguished:

• The Lamaze method, which is based on meditation, in which the expectant mother must simulate the process of giving birth to a child;
• Nikolaev's method, which provides for the restructuring of the consciousness of a pregnant woman so that the process of giving birth to a child is perceived as the main physiological component;
• Velvovsky's method, based on a special way of communication between an obstetrician and a woman in labor, during which the correct interaction is created between the cerebral cortex and individual subcortical structures.