Four months after giving birth, actress Joyce Pring shared in her vlog helpful tips for those who want to pursue an unmedicated birth. She gave birth to Agnes Eleanor, her second child with actor Juancho Trivino in April.
The new mom of two-under-two, Joyce said that this was their plan from the beginning.
With their firstborn Eliam, Joyce was induced eventually. This time, she’s excited to share her learnings about her birth journey, and what made it possible to achieve her birth plan.
RELATED: Joyce Pring Gives Natural Birth To Baby #2, Juancho Trivino Gets 'Exhausted' By Watching
8 tips on giving birth naturally, from Joyce Pring
Here are some of Joyce’s helpful tips for expecting moms who would choose to give birth naturally:
1. Choose your healthcare provider wisely.
One of the crucial factors in achieving a successful birth plan is to choose the best healthcare provider. Joyce said, “Find an OB-Gyne who will be supportive of your natural birth plan. An OB who is practicing with the mindset that women’s bodies are designed to give birth naturally.”
She added that you can ask the OB about their rates for Caesarean deliveries, just in case. She also mentioned that her hospital requires a report of the possible reasons if ever she will be endorsed for a Caesarean delivery, “I mean, may confidence ka na hindi ka lang basta basta i-CS. My OB was very supportive of it.”
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2. Get a birthing doula.
Another thing Joyce did was to get a birthing doula. A birthing doula is a specialized ‘partner’ who helps the expecting mom prepare before giving birth. Her doula coached and trained her from birthing to breathing exercises, and she was also present during the birth itself. Joyce also said that she was already asked for an epidural in the last phase of her labor, but it was her doula who encouraged her that she can endure it.
Joyce’s Doula: Irina @birthing_gently
3. Attend childbirth classes.
Joyce shared that she attended childbirth classes both online and actual, so she can prepare herself on what to expect. She learned about the stages of labor, how to breathe properly, and how to calm herself.
4. Create a birth plan.
Another thing that helped Joyce was creating a birth plan. A birth plan is essentially an outline of what you envision your birth to be. Joyce said, “Ano yung mga requests mo sa birth mo, ano yung ayaw mo, kasi pwede pala yun. Pwedeng less monitoring or IV, or gusto mo nakakagalaw ka during labor, kung ayaw mo na nakahiga ka lang. Basically, just your birthing preferences.”
5. Practice breathing exercises.
"This was the most powerful thing that I utilized during the active labor process,” Joyce said. As she underwent precipitous labor, her contractions went from 10-15mins apart to 7-5mins within an hour. She said, “Imagine, I was in the car and the contractions were 3 minutes apart, but I was able to concentrate and focus on my breathing, and it relaxed my body.”
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6. Stay active.
Though staying active is recommended before labor and delivery, it is crucial to the process itself. “Giving birth is a huge physical experience for women. You have to be able to prepare your body,” Joyce shared.
Even at 38 weeks, Joyce said that she continued walking for 5 kilometers just to make sure her body is ready for delivery. She also had a high-protein diet, which includes sipping bone broth.
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7. Have a birth partner.
Whether with a doula or your spouse, having a birth partner was helpful for Joyce. Birth partners also need to be educated about the childbirth process so they won’t panic. They will also do counter pressures, and assist the expecting mom in changing positions. Joyce, with the help of her birth partner, experimented with different positions during her active labor to ease the pain. She was walking, swaying, and sitting over a birthing ball.
8. Stay focused.
The last tip, Joyce said, is to stay focused. Since it was her plan from the beginning, she already visualized herself doing it. “Have good visualization. I visualized that I’m going to have a natural birth. I focused on the fact that God created my body to give birth naturally.”
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In the end, Joyce said that the most important thing in giving birth is having a positive birthing experience—whether unmedicated, with an epidural, or through Caesarean. What matters most is having a healthy mom and baby.
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