Choose your method of preparation for childbirth

Is the preparation for childbirth reimbursed?

Preparation for childbirth includes a cycle of 8 sessions paid for by Health Insurance. The first appointment, which takes place around the 4th month of pregnancy, is an early prenatal interview. It has been mandatory since May 2020 and allows you to define your support needs. It is also an opportunity to plan the 7 birth preparation sessions. These are also 100% covered provided they are carried out by a doctor or a midwife. Check with your healthcare professional to choose one of the methods presented below.

The classic method of preparing for childbirth

We are rather the type to have need to be reassured and get clear answers to our questions? Painful contractions, expulsion of the baby, breathing to adopt, etc. The classic preparation is therefore made for us! A midwife will indeed answer precisely all our questions, our doubts, and reassure us about the progress of childbirth. Long called “painless childbirth”, it is now called “obstetric prophylaxis” (OPP). A large part of the preparation is theoretical: understanding your anatomy, discovering the different stages of pregnancy and childbirth, breastfeeding advice, following diapers … Something to reassure all worried mothers-to-be! On the practical side, the midwife will teach us to breathe deeply during the contractions in order to better manage them as well as during the expulsion. She will also show us the positions to adopt to relieve back and lumbar pain, learn to tilt the pelvis forward, become aware and strengthen the perineum. Little more, future dads are often invited to certain sessionss, like that of the visit to the maternity ward. Something to reassure everyone if we arrive in panic on D-Day …

Sophrology to gain self-confidence

Its goal ? Make the mother-to-be aware of her childbirth by visualizing in advance in a positive way and imagining its course until the baby is expelled. So, on the day of delivery, you will feel like you have already lived through this moment and will be less anxious. Dramatize childbirth while relaxing physically and mentally, the midwives will therefore teach you to do it gradually over the course of the sessions. Regular sophrology exercises will then give you confidence for the big day. You will be able to overcome your fears and the pain of contractions by visualizing positive images. 

Prenatal yoga to prepare for childbirth

If you want to maintain gentle physical activity during your pregnancy, choose yoga. You will then know how to relax mentally and physically, but also how to exercise the muscles gently. Listening to your body, you will learn exercises to stretch and relax your back and pelvis without making a significant physical effort. The postures are by no means complicated and breathing is of course essential. Breathe properly to relax and better support the contractions, recognize and feel the perineum, place your pelvis well… Without becoming a professional yogi, this method will in any case allow you to apprehend your childbirth in a more serene way.

Preparation for childbirth in a swimming pool

Ideal for all future mothers who love water and who wish to continue a physical activity during their pregnancy… Preparation in the swimming pool provokes a more than pleasant feeling of well-being and lightness. The body relaxes instantly in contact with water. The midwife will show you gentle and flexible exercises to work in particular on the breath, the position of the pelvis, alleviate back pain and lower back pain and develop the abdominal strap. For those whose blood circulation is not very good and who have rather heavy legs, the pressure of the water exerted on the body will provide relief.

Prenatal singing for the fun side

To live fully your childbirth, and not only from a medical point of view, such is the vocation of the prenatal song which aims to create an impact of sounds on the body. The vocalizations performed actually make it possible to work and relax the muscles used during childbirth (abdominal belt, diaphragm, perineum, etc.). Some are also effective to control the breath. Low-pitched sounds, in particular, allow the pelvis and perineum to relax, making it easier to dilate the cervix. Each sound emitted thus resonates in a specific part of the body. Even your baby will participate as he is very sensitive to outside noise and music. Singing will also allow you to relax in joy and good humor while working your breathing and your breath. And even if you sing out of tune, it doesn’t matter, this is the perfect opportunity to get started! Note that the song is not contracted, it is often chosen as complement of a preparation during childbirth.

Haptonomy to involve the dad

This science of affectivity therefore aims to establish a tactile relationship before birth and give the baby a sense of security that will help him, once born, to flourish and become independent. The baby responds little by little to the stimuli and a emotional relationship is established gradually between mother, father and baby in utero. Haptonomy usually begins from the fifth month of pregnancy, when the future mother feels the baby’s movements well. During childbirth, the future dad will have learned to relieve you and relax you by applying gentle pressure on certain areas of the body. For some haptonomists, the mother would also be able, during childbirth, to guide her baby thanks to the contact established during pregnancy. After childbirth, the parents and the infant can come back for a three-way session and find the right gestures that will reassure the newborn.