Preparing for Birth
Getting ready for the day you meet your baby
At some point during pregnancy, birth can start to feel a little more real.
Perhaps you've been thinking about it for months.
Perhaps you've tried not to think about it too much.
Perhaps you're excited.
Perhaps you're nervous.
Perhaps you're somewhere in between.
There is no single way to feel about giving birth.
Preparing for birth isn't about knowing exactly how it will happen.
It's about becoming familiar with your options, thinking about what matters to you and finding your own sense of preparation.
Understanding birth
Birth can bring a lot of new words, conversations and decisions.
You may hear about different places to give birth, different types of care and different ways labour can be supported.
You may also hear other women's birth stories.
Some may sound familiar.
Others may feel completely different from what you imagined.
CherisHer is here to help you understand some of the things you may encounter, so you can have more informed conversations with your maternity team.
Understanding doesn't mean having to choose everything in advance.
What matters to you?
Preparing for birth can be an opportunity to think about the experience you would like to have.
You might think about:
Who you would like with you
Where you would like to give birth
How you would like to feel supported
What helps you feel calm and comfortable
What you would like your maternity team to know about you
Your cultural or personal preferences
What is important to you during labour and birth
What matters to you immediately after your baby is born
Some things may feel very important to you.
Others may not.
And your thoughts can change.
Your birth preferences
You may choose to create a birth plan or birth preferences document.
This can be a way of sharing what matters to you and opening conversations with your maternity team.
It doesn't have to predict exactly what will happen.
Birth can be unpredictable, and your circumstances may mean that your care needs to change.
Your preferences can still be part of the conversation.
A birth plan isn't about controlling birth.
It's about having a voice within it.
Your support
Birth doesn't happen in isolation.
You may have a partner, friend, family member, doula or another person you would like to support you.
Think about who you would feel comfortable having around you and what kind of support you might want from them.
Support can mean different things to different women.
Sometimes it's practical.
Sometimes it's emotional.
Sometimes it's simply having someone familiar beside you.
Preparing in your own way
There are many ways women prepare for birth.
You might attend antenatal education.
You might learn about labour and birth.
You might practise breathing or relaxation.
You might listen to birth stories.
You might create a birth playlist.
You might prepare your hospital or birth bag.
You might talk through your preferences with your partner or support person.
You might do a little of everything.
Or you might keep things simple.
There isn't one correct way to prepare.
Find what helps you feel informed, grounded and ready for your own experience.
Your culture belongs here too
Birth preparation doesn't have to be separated from who you are.
Your culture, faith, family, food, music, language, traditions and personal values can all be part of how you experience pregnancy and prepare for becoming a mother.
You may have traditions that are important to you.
You may have things you want your maternity team to understand.
You may also be creating your own traditions.
You don't have to leave those parts of yourself at the maternity door.
If your plans change
Sometimes birth doesn't unfold in the way you imagined.
Your preferences may change.
Your circumstances may change.
Something unexpected may become part of your care.
That doesn't mean your preparation was wasted.
The things you've learned, the conversations you've had and the things you've identified as important to you can still help you navigate what comes next.
If your circumstances change, your maternity team can explain what this means for your care and the options available to you.
Preparing for the woman as well as the birth
It's easy for birth preparation to become a list of things to pack, plans to make and information to learn.
But you're preparing for something more than a birth.
You're preparing for a new chapter of your life.
You may be becoming a mother for the first time.
You may already be a mother and be welcoming another baby.
You may be becoming a mother in circumstances you never expected.
There may be excitement.
There may be uncertainty.
There may be practical things to organise alongside everything you're feeling.
Preparing for birth can also mean making space for the woman who is about to experience it.
CherisHer reminder
Birth is part of your story, but it isn't the whole of who you are.
Prepare in a way that feels meaningful to you.
Know your options. Know what matters to you. And let your voice be part of the conversation.
CherisHer resources
My Birth, My Voice — Practical Birth Plan
A culturally aware birth-planning resource to help you explore and express what matters to you.
Birth Plan Starter Pack
A simple starting point for thinking about your birth preferences.
Birth Rhythms
Music created to accompany different moments of the maternity journey.
CherisHer Conversations
Explore conversations about birth, maternity care and the experiences surrounding them.
What's next?
After birth, everything changes again.
Your baby is here.
And now there is another part of the journey to understand:
After Birth.