Preparing for Birth 

Properly preparing for birth will not only improve your birth experience but can also improve your long term health and reduce your chances of having a difficult postpartum recovery

In Labour
Newborn

Through my Prepare for Birth classes or 1:1 physiotherapy services, you will learn:

  • Evidence-based information about all aspects of labour and birth

    • To be better prepared for a variety of labour and birth scenarios

    • To make better and more informed decisions about your birth preferences 

    • To make better and more informed decisions throughout your labour and birth

  • How to prepare your mind and body for birth:

    • Mobility exercises and strategies to help position your baby for birth​

    • How to RELAX your pelvic floor for birth

    • Pernieal massage techniques 

    • Mindset strategies to calm your mind and body and have a more comfortable labour and birth

  • ​Relaxation and pain management strategies to make your birth as comfortable as possible

  • Labour and birth positions and strategies to assist your baby's movement through the different parts of your birth canal 

  • Strategies to progress labour and reduce your chances of requiring an epidural (if unwanted), forceps or vacuum assisted vaginal birth, and cesarian birth

  • Strategies to prevent tearing and other common postpartum conditions such as incontinence, pelvic organ prolapse (POP), and pelvic pain

  • Strategies if you have an epidural or are confined to a bed for medical reasons

Water Birth
Newborn

Preparing for birth faqs

When is the best time to start preparing for birth?

Earlier is better. Many people wait until the third trimester to start preparing for birth but I recommend starting during your second trimester so that you have plenty of time to:

  • Properly prepare your mind and body for birth
  • Think about, research, and decide on your birth preferences with your partner
  • Have conversations with your health care provider(s) about your birth preferences so that you can go into birth feeling confident that you are on the same page



What will you teach me that isn't covered in standard prenatal classes?

I created my Prepare for Birth Classes to fill the gaps in standard prenatal classes. Labour and birth can be a beautiful and wonderful experience. There are, however, certain things associated with labour and birth that can increase a birther's risk for tearing and experiencing common postpartum conditions such as incontinence and pelvic organ prolpase. Although some of these risk factors may be out of a birther's control, others are not. This workshop was created to give birthers and their partners the tools and information they need to reduce these risk factors, improve birther's short and long term health outcomes and improve birth experiences overall. Birth experiences can be improved by:

  • Being better mentally and physically prepared for labour and birth
  • Having more knowledge going into birth so birthers and their partners can make better and more informed decisions along the way
  • Feeling more empowered and in control during a somewhat uncontrollable experience
  • Having better relaxation and pain management strategies to be more comfortable during labour and birth
  • Having information and strategies to help prevent tearing, forceps or vacuum assisted vaginal births, cesarean births and difficult pospartum recoveries



I cannot attend your Prepare for Birth classes. How else can I learn the information?

The information provided in my Prepare for Birth classes can also be taught during private 1:1 physiotherapy sessions.