Relaxation might sound like the boring part of birth prep, but it’s actually the secret weapon nobody takes seriously until they’re mid-contraction wishing they’d practiced. 😅
In this episode I walk you through the exact relaxation practice I did with my own husband before my babies, step by step, so you can literally start tonight.
We get into why relaxation is a skill you train (not something you’re just born good at), how to use your senses to teach your body to let go on command, the “strokes of three” massage trick that’ll save your birth partner from getting the “stop touching me” glare 😂, and the breathing that takes the edge off — whether you’re going unmedicated or getting the epidural.
Here’s What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
[2:30] How 15 minutes a night now pays off big later.
[4:30] The plot twist: you’re not bad at relaxing, you’ve just never trained it. How to build it like muscle memory. 💪
[6:30] What’s ACTUALLY happening inside your body during a contraction, and why it’s nothing like what the movies sold you.
[9:00] Your one job in early labor. It’s simpler than you think and harder than it sounds.
[10:30] Team epidural? Don’t skip this. Why you still have work to do, and how it lowers your odds of a cesarean.
[12:00] Setting the mood with your senses and the ONE sense we leave out on purpose (you’ll never guess why).
[13:30] The scent hack that flips your body into “time to relax” mode — plus why lavender is the one oil I’d never skip.
[15:30] How to pull your partner in with their voice — the sweet stuff, the affirmations, the cues. Trust me, dads, this one’s for you too.
[17:30] “Strokes of three, down and out.” The one massage move that keeps your birth partner from accidentally driving you up a wall. 😂
[21:00] Deep belly breaths + a loose jaw — and the wild connection between your jaw and your pelvic floor that you'll be so grateful you know!
[23:00] My all-time favorite head-to-toe technique — plus the word you should NEVER say in labor (because it does the exact opposite 🙃).
[24:30] Two more to try tonight: the dreamy movie-theater meditation my husband made up, and “riding the waves” for contractions. 🌊
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