1. Everything you eat should benefit your child. – Pay attention to your diet and nutrition. According to Dr. Tom Brewer, consuming 80 to 100 grams of protein a day won’t affect your child’s development, but it can also prevent pregnancy complications and help you achieve a healthier, safer delivery. Every developing cell is built from protein.

2. Do good for the baby while doing good for yourself! Give your baby a “brain boost”! – Exercising daily during pregnancy stimulates your baby’s brain and makes him a smarter baby! Canadian researchers found babies whose mothers exercised during pregnancy gave birth to babies with enhanced brain activity as newborns.

3. Look for a shorter and less painful labor – Practice yoga! It has been shown to shorten labor and decrease the perception of labor pain, while producing bigger, healthier babies and mothers with fewer complications during pregnancy. This from a study conducted at the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation in India.

4. Blessed are those who use BRAIN – Ask questions each time a test or procedure is recommended during pregnancy or childbirth. Always ask why you need it, how it will help you, how it could expose you and your baby to possible dangers. Then use your intuition and the information you learn to continue with the procedure or wait and do nothing.

5. Be careful NOT to take a working class! You and your birth partner will need to know about the labor and delivery process, relaxation techniques, and all about medical procedures.

6. Blessed is the one who helps “mother to mother”. A doula who is trained in the normal process of labor can help you work together with your birth partner to reassure both of you, help you find comfortable positions, relax, and not arrive at your birth site too soon.

7. Blessed is the one who stays at home as long as she can. When your contractions are 3 minutes apart and last 1 minute for an hour, it’s time to start getting ready to go, unless your doctor specifies otherwise for your situation.

8. Love yourself in labor – Do these 5 things – Eat, drink, sleep or nap, walk around, and take a bath or shower.

9. “O ye who believe” have faith in the process of normal birth -when you want to give up and want drugs, it means you are almost done and you are ready to give birth to your baby. Hang in there!

10 Believe in yourself and let your belief become your reality. Write down your intention to create the best delivery for you and your baby.