Childbirth and pregnancy are not a pleasant experience for many women!
When Shary was just beginning to consider teaching childbirth classes, a dear friend of ours, Betty Warren, called one night and asked Shary to come to the hospital, a friend of ours from church was having a really hard time in first stage labor and Betty thought Shary might be able to help. Betty was one of the OB nurses at Forest Grove Community Hospital, she had also been our childbirth instructor. So Shary headed right over to see what she could do. When Shary got there our friend was jumping out of bed with each contraction, grabbing the end of the hospital bed, start rocking and yelling. (By the way, this is not the best technique for first stage labor, we’ll talk more about that next week) While she was yelling in pain her husband sat reading the newspaper and her mother sat near her, saying, “This is just one of those things you just can’t get out of”.
So often, as we began to teach childbirth classes, we were told that many of the common problems with pregnancy were unavoidable. We were assured that you just have to suffer through these things. Often this advice came from doctors but it also came from family members, friends and even well-meaning clergy. But, over and over we found people who had discovered solutions to those problems. We would try the things they suggested, and more often than not, their ideas worked. We believe the Bible when it says, “God will remove all sickness from you.”(Exodus 23:25-27)That means that there is a solution to every disease, we just need to preserver and find out what that solution is.
Some of the common ailments associated with childbirth, we were told, have no cure. Toxemia, stretch marks, constant back pain, varicose veins, permanently damaged stomach muscles, permanently damaged kegal muscle, heartburn, high blood pressure, cesarean-section and seizures to name a few, were said to be normal. It is no wonder most women don’t want to have babies; who could blame them? But, over and over we found people who had discovered solutions to those problems and that is a big reason we, and many of our students, continued to have children when others have decided it just isn’t worth the trouble.
Genesis 1:27-28a
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”
Psalm 127:3-5a
“Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him.
4 Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior’s hands.
5 Happy is the man whose quiver is full of them!”
God wants us to have children, but all the “common” problems modern women have in childbirth make it almost crazy to consider.
So did God have a better plan? Sure he did, not only did he want us to be fruitful and multiply but he said that people who have many children are blessed and happy. He also said that if we would listen to his advice and follow his laws he would remove all disease from us, he would bless our wombs, none would miscarry and he would give us a full lifespan.
So what have we found that would help you have a relatively problem free birth?
First, in childbirth, what you eat is your main priority!
If you gave your home builder some straw and asked him to make you a house you would end up with a home like the one the big bad wolf blew down!
If you gave your home builder, good lumber, bricks and mortar, he could build you a house the big bad wolf couldn’t blow down.
The same thing is true when making a baby, if you give your body materials like what is pictured below; your body cannot build a healthy baby, nor can it keep you healthy while it is trying to create this new life. One of the reasons so many people miscarry, or give birth to babies with birth defects, is because their bodies simply didn’t have the raw materials necessary to do the job. Proverbs 23:1-3 says, “When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony, do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.”
Babies bodies are primarily made up of calcium and protein. Milk is a high-quality source of calcium and eggs are the best protein you can consume.
The basis for a great pregnancy diet is 1 quart of milk and two eggs each day. This gives your body the basics for building a healthy baby. For more detail check out this link. http://wellnessgospel.net/index.php/2017/02/18/childbirth-part-l/
Secondly, there are exercises that will make childbirth much more enjoyable and get you back into your pre-pregnant condition right after the birth.
Exercises for comfort, health and beauty.
1. Tailor sitting as often as possible, will help you limber up for birth. Shary actually took the legs off our dining room table with our first pregnancy. We ate tailor sitting on the floor, not my favorite position. Later, she let the rest of us sit on chairs while she ate sitting on a trunk, pulled up to the table.
2. Squatting. When you go to pick up your kids toys or maybe even your husband’s cloths, squat down instead of bending over. Women who are comfortable squatting, find birthing much easier and are less likely to tear during birth. It is also much better for your back, which means fewer problems later in life.
3. Pelvic rocks, 40, 40 and 80. Do 40 in the morning, 40 at noon, and 80 before you go to bed at night. This is truly the secret weapon of childbirth exercises. It solves many of the common problems associated with pregnancy, delivery and post-partum. Pelvic rock exercises, if done as prescribed, can eliminate back problems in pregnancy. They also help get the baby in the proper position for birth and will produce a flat stomach right after the birth. Pelvic rocks are done on your hands and knees by rotating your pelvis all the way down and then all the way up, for one pelvic rock. Speed is not the goal, rotating as far down as possible and as far up as possible is where the benefit comes. You are literally dropping the baby down and out of the birth canal and then pulling the baby back up tight. This strengthens the stomach muscles so that after the birth your stomach will be back to normal. When these muscles are strengthened, they take pressure off your back and the ligaments that hold the baby in place, making pregnancy much more enjoyable.
4. Sleep or nap in the side running position at least 8 hours a day. Your body needs rest in order to keep you healthy and make a healthy baby. Lay on your side with your bottom leg straight and your upper leg bent. This is the best position for you and your baby. Sleeping on your back actually constricts the blood flow to the baby and sleeping on your stomach is never advised. Sleeping on your stomach simply becomes less possible the more pregnant you get. One time at the beach Shary had me dig her a hole in the sand so she could put her stomach in it. Her plan was to get some sun on her back, as you might guess, it didn’t work very well.
5. Aerobics, 2 mile walk, 5-6 days a week. Any exercise that elevates your heart rate and increases your breathing, is a benefit to pregnancy and childbirth. But, we have found that walking is almost a fool-proof way to assure a quick easy birth. Whenever we hear about a very easy and quick birth we ask what kind of exercise the mother did, almost every time we are told they walked outdoors a lot. So if you want an easy, no complications birth, this is a must.
6. Kegel, 10 times each urination or at least 100 times a day. There are several reasons why it is important to exercise this muscle. First, you need to have control of the muscle during the actual birth. When you relax the muscle, the baby is able to come more quickly. This exercise helps you to become aware of the muscle when it is relaxed, and when it is tense. If this muscle has been exercised and is in good tone at birth, it will stretch as the baby’s head comes through, like a rubber band. If it is in poor shape, it will be drug down the birth canal with the baby, and in the case of an episiotomy, it may be cut. Second, it improves the ability of the muscle to return to normal bladder and rectal control after the birth. Third, it makes intercourse more comfortable and improves a mother’s ability to achieve vaginal orgasm after giving birth. This muscle also keeps the bladder in the proper position. Many women complain that their bladder has dropped after birthing and has never returned to it’s normal condition, causing life long problems. The design of the western style toilet makes this even worse. Most other cultures squat when they go to the bathroom. The modern invention of the Squatty Potty was developed to solve this problem.
Directions for Kegel exercises;
a. Practice when you are urinating by spreading your legs and tightening the vagina, stopping the flow of urine so that you are letting out only a teaspoon at a time.
b. Try squeezing the sides of the vagina together: squeeze from the bottom up, rather than starting with the abdomen which is at the top.
c. The rectum will squeeze together as you are squeezing the vagina. This is perfectly normal and, in fact, cannot be avoided.
d. Squeeze the vagina together slowly, and when you are squeezing full strength, hold to a count of three. Give a final short squeeze before relaxing, even though you may already think you are squeezing full strength. It is alright to use the abdomen during this “last effort”.
e. Relax the muscle, count to three, and relax again. The idea is to be able to get as much movement in the muscle as possible, hence the maximum contraction and the maximum relaxation. This builds the muscle strength quickly.
f. It is important to do the exercises throughout the day rather than all at tone time. Good times are morning, prior to arising, evening at bedtime, and times in between when you go to the bathroom. Other than those done while urination, the exercises should be done either lying flat or while standing.
Thirdly, miscellaneous tips!
a. To combat stretch marks, varicose veins or hemorrhoids, take 4 mg copper each day.
b. To specifically combat varicose veins, increase pelvic rocking, elevate legs at ten minute intervals, do foot circles, leg stretches and take Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopheral is the only type that works).
c. For leg cramps, point your heel till it stops and increase your calcium intake.
d. For heartburn, do not take antacids or baking soda, they destroy your B vitamins (energy vitamins). Eat slower, frequent, small meals throughout the day; sugar makes it worse. Place your hands on your ribs and take deep breaths to separate your ribs.
e. If you are having some problems in pregnancy that we did not cover or you have a friend or loved one who is having pregnancy issues, send us a comment and we will do our best to get you an answer.
This series on childbirth and pregnancy includes the following topics:
Part l Nutrition
Part ll Nutrition and exercises for a more comfortable pregnancy and birth
Part lll First stage, husband coached Childbirth. What you believe about birth will determine how it goes.
Part llll Transition
Part V Second stage and post-partum
Part VI Nursing, sleeping and circumcision,
Part VII The V approach to raising kids.
Our purpose for writing each week is to obey Matthew 5:19, providing you with biblical advice on the care and feeding of your body. We do it because this advice is rare. We also do it, because we see thousands of good Christians who are miserable, or whose lives have been cut short, simply because they were never taught what the Word of God and the Law of God had to say about health and wellness.
If you believe God knows best, join us and the Wellness Gospel team; register for our weekly newsletter, then spread the word by sharing this with your friends on social media and may God bless you richly.
If you want to keep improving your health, and enjoy this kind of biblical scientific information, then I would like to recommend three must-read books;
1. “God’s Guide to Biblical Health and Healing” by Rev. Chris and Shary Schauermann
http://tinyurl.com/zvkbfau
2. “Let’s Play Doctor” by Dr. Joel Wallach http://tinyurl.com/j8ybt8r
3. “None of These Diseases” by S.I. McMillen, M.D. and David E. Stern, M. D.
http://tinyurl.com/hh7ezs2
You can get all these books at Amazon.com or simply click on the URL under each book title.
References
1. The Bradley Method of Childbirth http://www.bradleybirth.com/
2. Purchase Squatty Potty https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/squatty-potty-reg-ecco-toilet-stool/3250796skuId=42494126&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_baby_&product_id=42494126&adpos=1o1&creative=43742625109&device=c&matchtype=&network=s&gclid=CMvBgaTcqdICFQmNaQodUQYMFw
3. Why Squatty Potty http://heavy.com/entertainment/2014/11/squatty-potty-poop-toilet-stool-shark-tank-products-season-6-100th-episode/