Making motherhood a labour of love

Stepping into the unknown without truly knowing what to expect can not only be intimidating, but also trigger stress. Just what every woman faces when pregnant with her first child or otherwise. This is where birthing classes come in.
Where morbid recounting of personal experiences or the clinical explanation of a doctor, or worse still, movies showing women baying in the throes of labour do nothing to help, these classes are aimed at empowering expectant parents, especially the mother-to-be, with the knowledge of what to expect during her pregnancy and labour.They, therefore, go a long way in dispelling fear and anxiety.
Birthing classes, whether based on yogic practices, physiotherapy, Lamaze or any of the umpteen other techniques available, are yet to catch up on the popularity front in both, Goa and India. Nevertheless, there is a growing awareness—mostly fuelled through word of mouth and glossies sharing celebrity experiences—of these classes that prepare women for birth in every way possible, something akin to a dry run of the actual thing.
“Such classes help women to know more about what to expect during pregnancy and labour and cope with it by learning how to prepare the body for childbirth,” physiotherapist specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Joyner Mesquita from Margao, says.
If this is throwing up images of a group of pregnant women squatting on floor mats with their husbands, learning how to puff and pant in preparation for a contraction, it is not entirely wrong. However, this is not all there is to it either.
An earlier version of such classes happened in the era when equipping women with knowledge of childbirth only meant teaching her about different stages of labour and how to deal with contractions through controlled breathing.
“Today, it is also about teaching the right physical exercises that ensure smoother delivery and minimise labour pain by helping relieve tension around the pelvic region and cervix and quicker recovery after delivery,” says yoga proponent Dr Hansaji Yogendra, whose institute has 45 years of experience in training women to deal with birthing.
Yogendra, whose institute now has presence in Goa as well, says, “While it is important to dispel fear and anxiety about painful labour, it is also important to address the general physiological and psychological well-being of the mother-to-be.”
Mesquita adds that such training comes in especially handy on the day of labour, because when the woman is already equipped with pain management techniques, she is more in control.
Kisha Jain, a businesswoman, says of her training in pregnancy yoga, “Since I had already made the training a part of my life, it was possible for me to manage my labour pains. Also, learning ‘garbh sanskar’ helped both, my body and baby, on the physical and emotional aspects associated with the entire pre and post pregnancy phase.”
Jain says that the training also broke all myth-based barriers that are built around expectant mothers. “I ate everything and exercised,” says the 29-year-old.
For now, the only limitation facing birthing classes is a lack of awareness of its benefits and the traditional mindset of the older generation that discourages any form of exercise during pregnancy.
“I feel that there is nothing like going through pregnancy knowing that there are strategies to reduce pain, knowing what is going on with the body and learning the options to keep it healthy and in shape, both pre- and post-delivery,” says Mesquita, adding that a little education can go a long way in dispelling myths.