Making Informed and Intuitive Decisions in Pregnancy and Birth
Let’s talk about how to make informed and intuitive decisions during pregnancy and birth, without second-guessing yourself.
It's time for you to get my exact blueprint for making autonomous decisions, so you feel empowered and confident throughout your pregnancy and birth journey. I’m so excited about this, this is seriously life-changing!
When I was pregnant with my first child, I vividly remember sitting in my doctor's office, feeling completely overwhelmed by the choices and decisions I had to make. I was totally overloaded with information and opinions from every direction. One day, my doctor suggested scheduling an induction, and I found myself nodding along, not because I understood or agreed, but because I felt pressured and had no idea what else to do! I didn’t know my options or my rights, and I just went with whatever they told me to do. Thankfully, I went into labor before my scheduled induction and if you want to hear all about that birth story, I told it in episode 2!
But anyways, looking back at that moment was a turning point for me. I realized that I needed a better way to navigate these decisions, a way that felt true to me and really empowered me. This led me to develop the system I'll be sharing with you today.
Let's start by reflecting on how you've made decisions in the past. Are you super type-A, gathering all the information beforehand and knowing exactly what you'll do in every situation? Or….. do you lean more towards type-B like me, knowing there's no way you can ever fully control things, so you don't even think about the situations that could pop up? Or maybe you fall somewhere in the middle?
When it comes to making big decisions, do you typically look to someone else to make those for you? Do you feel comfortable asking questions and being involved in the decision-making process? Or maybe you fully trust yourself to make decisions without relying on other people's input at all?
However you've made decisions in the past, I want you to almost forget all of that and start fresh with what I'm about to teach you today.
Birth is different. Birth is extra special. An empowering birth experience will change your life for the better, and it starts with the way you make decisions. There's a popular system for making decisions in birth called the BRAIN method, which stands for Benefits, Risks, Alternatives, Intuition, and Nothing. Most doulas and childbirth educators teach it, but I'm going to tell you why it's completely backwards. Then, I'll show you how to use my autonomous decision-making blueprint instead.
The BRAIN method suggests that when your care provider presents you with an intervention, you should first consider all the benefits of the intervention, then the risks or side effects, followed by the alternatives. Only afterall of this, should you consider what your intuition is telling you and finally, ask, "What if I do nothing?" So Brain is benefits, risks, alternatives, intuition, and nothing. okay?
I want to start by saying how backwards it is to consider the benefits first. This heavily leans the choice in favor of the intervention before even considering the other parts of the method. If anything, the process should start with "What if I do nothing?" and finish with the benefits.
By starting with the benefits, moms are more likely to accept unnecessary interventions, right?!
So, I threw the entire BRAIN method out the window and came up with a better system: RAINBOW. It's catchy, and this system has your best interest in mind. This is your blueprint for making informed, intuitive, and autonomous decisions.
R is for Risks and Research
Consider the risks of the intervention. Examine the scientific research, ask your provider, and do your own research. If you go through my childbirth education program, your birth prep will come in handy because you'll already know the risks associated with all the typical interventions. So Ask yourself, "What are the possible risks of this intervention, and am I willing to take that chance?"
A is for Alternatives
List all the alternatives to the recommended intervention. Ask yourself, "Is there anything else I could do instead to try and solve my problem?"
I is for Intuition
Really turn inward, and see what your intuition, your gut, is telling you. When we forget to tune into and respect our intuition, oftentimes we’re left regretting our decisions. So Ask yourself, "What does my intuition say about all of this?" what does my gut tell me right now? What am i FEELING?
N is for Nothing
Understand why something needs to be done in the first place. Ask yourself, "Is my situation just a variation of normal, or is this a complication truly needing intervention?" Doing nothing should always be the default. Ask, "What happens if I do nothing right now?" or "What happens if I just wait and see?"
B is for Benefits
Get clear on what the actual intervention is that your provider is presenting. Ask yourself, "What do they want to do to me, and why do they think it will help?"
O is for Obligation
Determine if there is any legal obligation or external pressure affecting your decision-making process. Ask yourself, "Who is really in charge here? What are my legal rights? Am i doing this because I truly want to and think it’s best, or am i just doing it because my doctor says so and wants me to?"
W is for What
So now Pull it all together and make your decision. Ask yourself, "What am I going to do?" and please please please Remember, you can change your mind at any time during your birth. You are the decision-maker.
So again, RAINBOW stands for risks and research, alternatives, intuition, nothing, benefits, obligation, and what.
So Let's run through a scenario together. You're 37 weeks pregnant, and you receive a single high blood pressure reading. Your provider recommends an induction.
First, look at the research and side effects of induction. There are many side effects that could negatively affect outcomes by inducing at 37 weeks. Next, consider the alternatives. You could wait it out, ask for a second test (which is what I would do before making any decisions), take medications, examine your urine for protein, or take it easy for the weekend and THEN re-test.
Now Tune into your intuition. If you decide to do nothing, you might be fine, but there's also a risk of missing signs of preeclampsia, right? so Weigh the risks and benefits, remembering they are subjective to you. Remember your legal rights and determine if there is any external pressure.
Finally, make your decision. Whatever it is, you are the one who needs to live with the outcomes here right? Remember, you can change your mind at any time. So even if you go with induction, guess what? You can walk out if you change your mind. And if you choose to do nothing or do one of the alternatives, you can still go back and ask your doctor for an induction!
Making decisions in pregnancy and birth can be really challenging, but with the RAINBOW method, you can feel confident and empowered. You hold the key to your birth experience. Your birth, your way!
Always remember, you have choices, and you can pivot at any point in pregnancy or labor.
Alright, Thank you for joining me today. If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, feel free to reach out to me on instagram! If you want to get even deeper into decision making, or even figure out what the heck your options ARE, sign up for the waitlist for my course and transform your birth story into a positive, empowering experience! You can go to www.wildflowerbirthservice.com/wildbeginnings or check out the link in the shownotes! I promise you will not regret it.
If you enjoyed this episode, please pass it along to pregnant friends and leave us a rating and review!
Until next time, trust yourself, your body, and your baby. 🌼
