10 things Every pregnant woman should do...

OK, I have been thinking to do this for quite some time… I just wanted to share my list of the 10 things I think pregnant women need to do, as a midwifery student and as a three time mom.

10 things EVERY pregnant woman should do

1. Thank Allah (swt) even if you weren’t planning this baby. Remember all the women out there trying to conceive.
2. Start thinking about what you eat, the medications you take. Get a nutrition book if you need to! Eating Expectantly is good.
3. Read Henci Goer’s book, The Thinking Woman’s Guide To A Better Birth.
4. Read Ina May Gaskins’s Guide To Childbirth or Rahima Baldwin’s Special Delivery.
5. Don’t listen to horror stories about birth. Think positive and try to face your fears about childbirth with your friend/midwife/doula.
6. Watch a good video of a natural birth (not Maternity Ward or Special Delivery on TLC or Discovery Health channel!!!!).Birth Day is a good choice.
7. REALLY consider your birth attendant choice and how it will impact your delivery.
8. Read The Womanly Art Of Breastfeeding and attend a La Leche League Meeting.
9. Stay active, and if you plan to use different positions during your birth practice them so they are comfortable. I recommend squatting daily for short stretches. We don’t squat much, but since it is an ideal birth position you may want to get used to it.
10. Enjoy your pregnancy! Take photos, do a belly cast, keep a journal… Make a way to remember it.