A question that I was asked by an expecting mom recently was "How can I make a birth plan?" Don't think of what you are doing as planning, but make sure you are educated about all the possibilites and have an open mind. A fellow momma said it best, "flexibility is the key". Some mommas are planners and need that to help ease the anxiety and I totally understand that. I am the same way, I like to have a plan and know the unknown. The reality is, there is no way to know what is going to happen with childbirth.
Throughout the pregnancy there is a great deal of anxiety and prelabor nerves because it is so unknown what will happen. I sent myself into a tizzy over not knowing what was going to happen. The best way to prepare is say to yourself what will be, will be and at that point it is truly in God's hands. The best advice I was given was to go with the flow. This is extremely difficult for me because I need to control the situtaion, I have a very strong personality, but if you think you are going to go into childbirth with any control you are sadly mistaken. The baby makes the rules and dictates what will be. We can only help ourselves by dealing with the things we can control, which are very few through pregnancy and delivery.
Do your research and keep an open mind.
You want to really explore everything and anything that can happen so you are aware of all the possibilities. If you educate yourself it will make the experience a bit easier so when something does happen you may not have planned on you are prepared. Make sure you keep an open mind that anything can happen.
For mommas like me who have to have a plan in order to feel confident going into childbirth, trust me, this works. Oh yea, and it definitely won't hurt to make your partner give you a back rub or two. Hope this helps a bit! Keep the questions coming, I am thrilled to answer any and all!
Center Yourself.
Here are some ways I centered myself and helped deal with the anxiety and fear leading to childbirth.
I found centering myself everyday made a huge difference.