One of the main reasons why women feel extreme trepidation during their pregnancy is because they don’t have sufficient information about the process and the aftermath. While anxiety is common, we aim to familiarise you with some of the essentials of giving birth. Maternity packages in Dubai are also at your service for your special day, to ensure a comfortable, personalised experience for you and your family.

None of the things in this article are meant to constitute medical advice, only general information to help assuage some of your anxieties.

As the third trimester looms, keep the following in mind;

1. What You Want Matters

The typical way for a woman to give birth is in a sterile maternity ward with hospital staff taking care of her. However, it is perfectly alright if you want to choose an unconventional route or follow the more traditional home-birth route. If you have a low-risk pregnancy, you can make your own birthing unit or birthing pool at home. You can also have your partner, your mother, sister or your friend by your side-make sure to discuss this with the hospital (if you’re giving birth in a hospital) in advance to avoid last minute discomfort.

The best Gynecologists in Dubai are well-versed in advising you as to what can ensure the most comfortable and safe birthing experience for you. Midwives, doulahs and nurses carry licenses and are highly-trained professionals who can help bring your plans to fruition.

Maternity wards and hospitals in Dubai are top-tier, and you should put your mind at ease and let the professionals do their best in taking care of you.

2. Nobody Can Predict the Future

Childbirth is a beautiful and fulfilling experience, but it is also multifaceted and complicated. While pregnancy stressors are common, overthinking or micromanaging can be bad for your health and for the baby.

This doesn’t mean you don’t plan ahead-you should consult doctors, gynecologists and mothers you know and trust. Plan whatever is within your means to plan, and leave the rest up to God.

Some things you can plan in advance are pain management, by consulting your midwife or NCT, visiting the maternity ward, and packing a hospital bag way in advance of your due date.

3. Labour

Many women are afraid that they’ll give birth in a supermarket aisle because they wouldn’t know when their labour begins. It has been known to happen- but you will know when you’re going into labour.

Perpetual exhaustion, the unsealing of the mucus plug, and water breaking may all indicate the beginning of labour. However, it is a common myth that the water had to break for labour to have begun-this is not true. Consistent contractions, cramps and throbbing pain in the lower back are all signs of labour.  If you feel like you have begun labour, call your midwife or doctor even if it is not your due date

4. Always Keep it Moving

Modern science has painted the picture of a woman lying on her back as the prototype of giving birth. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Most women move around when they’re giving birth, including sitting on their knees, squatting and kneeling to assist the baby coming out. Exercise balls, running water, labour exercises and the like all enable mobility and greatly ease the birthing experience.

Further, a lovely thing called gravity exerts gentle and compelling pressure on the baby to come out, and so staying upright is actually a better option than lying flat on your back during childbirth.

5. The Good, the Bad, the Mortifying

Movies and shows don’t relate the complete childbirth experience-yes, it is beautiful and surreal, but it also involves a copious number of biological fluids. Many women feel embarrassed at the prospect of showing so much of their body during childbirth, or are afraid of pooping themselves. A good hospital in Dubai will provide trained staff who will discreetly clean you up, so your attention is focused on yourself and your baby.

These shouldn’t be causes to be embarrassed- pushing out a human child is not an easy job, and the doctors overseeing your labour aren’t concerned with what your body looks like or what excrement is leaving your body. They’ve likely been part of hundreds of births and seen everything under the sun. It is a hard job and nobody looks like an airbrushed Hollywood heroine pushing a human out of them, so you needn’t worry.