Hope Smith is on the blog today and she’s here to give us all her tips for an all-natural birth.
Recently Hope turned on Skinny’s HIM & HER’s Secret Podcast discusses her natural birth journey, her experience with surrogacy, reality TV, and her time as Playmate.
If you are interested in natural childbirth, this post is for you. Hope is a wealth of knowledge about all natural births and we couldn’t be happier when she decided to share her tips and tricks with us.
Hope is not only a mother, an author, and a philanthropist, she is also the CEO of MUTHA™. Lauryn is a huge fan of body butter. More, Hope is an esthetician, former model, author and wife of Robert F. Smith. She also focuses on nonprofits that support women, mothers, and children, including Conscious child, International Medical Corps and Together we rise.
Anyway, let’s get started right away and welcome Hope Smith to the blog.
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My name is Hope Dworaczyk Smith and I am the Founder and CEO of the premium skincare brand MUTHA™. Beyond the present a businessman, charity house, and author; My greatest achievement is being a proud mother of four children. My two oldest children were born at home. After seeing how much my dedicated doula helped me throughout my pregnancy journey, I trained myself to be a doula in 2018 to broaden my knowledge about pregnancy and childbirth. As I had more to share about my pregnancy and delivery, I decided to Write a book! It’s important for all of us to talk about childbirth and raise awareness that every birth plan is unique.
The journey to motherhood can be difficult, but you don’t have to go it alone. When it comes to parenting, we talk about that “village,” but pregnancy and childbirth shouldn’t be a single task either. You should surround yourself with a team that brings with them all the skills you need to bring about a new life in the world. You can find that group in your OBGYN office to get started, but don’t end there. Whether you choose to give birth naturally or at home, the team is equally important. I have chosen many helpers to make my natural births the best experiences of my life. Hopefully, you can too! Here are a few tips I’ve learned that can help you on your journey to giving birth naturally.
Tips for a natural birth:
♡ Find the right midwife
Find an excellent midwife and doula the energy of someone you really feel comfortable with and connected with. A midwife is someone who provides medical support during pregnancy and delivery, while a doula is your emotional and physical guide throughout your pregnancy.
“For women with no history of birth complications or medical conditions, there was no difference in safety or outcomes when cared for by a professional midwife in the home versus the hospital, “
– “Your body is a miracle: Wellness strategies for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. “
♡ Take classes on hypnobirthing
Attend hypnosis classes or learn breathing techniques for pain relief and mental focus during childbirth. Hypnobirthing helps expectant mothers reduce potential fears and anxieties associated with childbirth with a combination of hypnosis, visualization, and deep relaxation techniques.
♡ Consider eating clean
Make sure you are incorporating foods that are good for you and clean eating into your diet and are taking supplements throughout your pregnancy. Unless you want a “basic” baby, don’t take a “basic” prenatal vitamin – your body needs more than that! Supplements can be great, but there is no universal solution to all of your vitamin needs. So talk to your care team to get a supplement regimen that works best for you.
♡ Be aware of chemicals in your home
Be aware of the chemicals you are using around the house and in your personal care products. If you want to give birth naturally, you should be aware of the chemicals and ingredients surrounding your daily lifestyle.
I created MUTHA ™ Body Butter because I couldn’t find any stretch mark cream that doesn’t contain fillers and synthetic ingredients that could harm my baby. Two pregnancies later, I got rid of stretch marks. Oh, and ours MUTHA ™ Body Butter also clinically tested.
♡ Rest and bond with your kids
Childbirth is not a spectator sport. Do not allow anyone to attend the birth if even 1% of you are unsure of their attendance. You can tell even your closest family that they can visit at a later date so you have time to rest and bond with your baby.
♡Exercise before and during pregnancy
Exercise during pregnancy is very important. Having a baby is a marathon, and you need to be physically strong enough to withstand whatever it might throw at you. Focusing on strengthening the pelvic floor is key to preparing for birth, but it’s also important after birth.
My friend Brooke Cates, an amazing pregnancy-focused exercise trainer, has created a series of exercises to empower women throughout their pregnancy. You can take her courses online or check out a series of important exercises to incorporate during all stages of pregnancy, as well as in those postpartum months, in my book, Your body is a miracle: Wellness strategies for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. These include pelvic floor strength exercises, core strength, breathing exercises, abdominal shakes, and squats. It’s intense! But it’s what you need to have enough strength (both mentally and physically) for the birth.
♡ Perform perineal massage
Soften the vagina and perineum by massaging the perineum starting at week 35. Perineal massage stretches the tissue between the vaginal opening and the anus. According to the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK (including data from US mothers), up to 85% of mothers who give birth for the first time vaginally will experience some kind of tear, muscle injury, or traumatic injury. or episiotomy.
An NHS study found that first-time mothers who had an episiotomy were less likely to tear, and even mothers who performed the massage had less discomfort in the weeks following childbirth. Talk to your care team, such as a doula or OBGYN, about perineal massage and methods that may work for your body. In general, doing a perineal massage for about five minutes a day is enough to get your body ready.
The tools you use are simple: thumbs and skin-healthy lubricants. My midwife let me use it Vitamin E over the vaginal opening and perineum to avoid tearing the tissues of this area during delivery.
Always Active
Keep it moving. During early labor, walk in the hallway, stand up straight, and move to speed things up.
“Make no mistake: Birth is a sporting event. One of the best ways to prepare for all the physiological changes that are about to come, and for the event itself – and to handle them with strength and grace – is to exercise. What’s more, exercise can help ease you through the mental and emotional changes that often accompany the transition to motherhood.”
– “Your body is a miracle: Wellness strategies for a healthy pregnancy and delivery. “
♡ Create affirmation for your partner or doula
Create positive affirmations to give birth that your partner or doula can refer you to during labor. This will help you keep the right mental space during this special time. Affirmations are the practice of making (verbally or non-verbally) positive statements to help you navigate stressful situations in your life. Some examples could be:
“I trust my body to know what to do.”
“I relax and my baby relaxes with me.”
“Every change in my body brings her closer to me.”
Affirmations can be very personal, almost like a mantra, so make sure to create affirmations that best fit your goals and mind space.
♡ Trust your body
Remember that women have given birth in the first place and trust that your body knows what it’s doing. We were conditioned to believe that our only option was to give birth in a hospital with drugs that prevent us from feeling the sensations that are part of life. Knowing that you have options and can fully control this experience to your own terms is important during this time.
♡ Last tip…you’ve got your homework
Do your research: there are tons of books, expert talks, and podcasts dedicated to educating around the natural birthing space. My book, Your body is magicfilled with wellness strategies and personal experiences from both of my beautiful natural births. My website Also includes tips on motherhood, skin care, and the women who have made a difference in the world.
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You can follow Hope on her Twitter, YouTubeand Instagram feed.
Also, be sure to pick up Hope’s books if you’re interested in learning how Your body is magic. So it is very helpful if you are pregnant or intend to get pregnant someday, natural birth or not.
x, Skinny’s Secret team
+ range Lauryn’s postpartum fashion choices.
++ check how she is lose weight during pregnancy here.
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