Home birth methods. Water birth can help a woman have a natural childbirth at home by providing pain relief without an epidural. I think the most important work a woman can do in preparing for natural birth...
I think the most important work a woman can do in preparing for natural birth at home is to sit down and really explore her expectations. By my finding out what her preconceived ideas are about birth and exploring her fears, I will be better able to help her handle the pain. There are some women who think, "Oh! Yeah, I think I can totally do this," and then comes a point in the birth where it helps them to have support. People will tell them that they should just get an epidural. I have to tell them that I know it's hard, but that this is a short-term thing. It's different for every woman. I don't think every woman should have a home birth. She has to feel safe and comfortable.
I highly recommend the use of water in labor. Total submergence of the uterus in very warm water seems to reduce the intensity of labor by almost half. I usually recommend waiting until the transition stage, because transition is the time when you start to doubt whether you can deliver naturally or not. You start feeling like the pain is too intense. Some women use it just for pain relief while some choose to have their baby born under water. A water birth is not a big deal as long as baby sounds good and everything is going normally.
A lot of women who are having their first baby might need the help of gravity to push their baby out. I tell moms to be very open to different positions of pushing because sometimes you have to push in a squatting position. I usually have the mom push for a little while in a certain position and then change to another position.
