Preventing Tearing During Childbirth: The Importance of Hydration

What can you do to help prevent tearing?

🍉 A hydrating, nutrient rich diet will help increase blood flow, helping to nourish your pelvic tissues and help with elasticity.  Lots of fresh, hydrating fruits and vegetables are important. Watermelon is great! Check out the Watermelon Birth Prep Slushie recipe below. A cucumber a day is also fantastic!

🥒 Eating medjool dates daily from at least 37 weeks until labor can help things soften. Studies show that you are more likely to go into labor on your own and have less chance of postpartum hemorrhaging with the consumption of dates.

🥥 Healthy fats such as coconut oil, coconut milk, nuts, seeds, and avocados help increase skin elasticity.

🍊 Vitamin C helps retain your skin elasticity.  It can also help strengthen your bag of water, keep you healthy, and help with faster postpartum healing. Supplement with approximately 5,000- 10,000 mg daily

🍇 Copper nourishes the skin. It works with zinc and vitamin C for the production of elastin. Elastin allows the skin to be flexible and bounce back to its original shape. Copper is involved in the formation of collagen. 

🥑 Foods high in nutrients and copper are nut and nut butters.  Alfalfa, almonds, avocados, barley, beans, beets, black pepper, blackstrap molasses, brazil nuts, cashews, cacao, dandelion, garlic, grapes, green leafy vegetables, green olives, hazelnuts, lentils, mushrooms, oats, oranges, pecans, radishes, raisins, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts.

😮‍💨 The position you birth your baby in does matter in regards to prevent tearing; as well as having control while pushing by using specific breathing techniques. Avoid forced pushing on your back. 

Preparing for Labor Hydrating Slushie Recipe

Frozen watermelon chunks

Two medjool dates

Coconut water

Freshly squeezed lime juice

Cucumber (optional)

Fresh parsley (optional)

Frozen strawberries (optional)

Blend ingredients in blender

Hydration is always important but even more so as you are approaching your estimated due date. If you are having a lot of Braxton Hicks make sure to hydrate, it may help slow them down.

Going into labor and birth well hydrated:

🍉 can help with your tissues stretching to help prevent tearing

🍉 makes it easier for the nurse to access to your vein to put in the port if birthing at a hospital 

🍉 Reduce muscle cramping 

Staying hydrated throughout pregnancy helps:

🍉to dissolve nutrients and minerals to improve bioavailability and absorption 

🍉 Regulate your body temperature 

🍉 Carry nutrients and oxygen to cells 

🍉 Lubricate your joints 

🍉 promote your baby’s blood circulation 

🍉 form the amniotic fluid that surrounds and protects your baby

🍉 relieve constipation

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and this information is meant for educational purposes only. This information does not constitute medical or nutritional guidance or advice in terms of prescriptive advice. It is not a substitute for seeking advice from health professionals or doctors. It is not intended to diagnose or treat any disease. Anything you learn from this information or protocol is at your own risk.