*Recite Surah Maryam (for a safe delivery), Surah Yusuf (for a beautiful child), Surah Luqman (for a smart child) and Surah Muhammad (for a pious child). In my case, while I have khatam the Quran once during this pregnancy (in Ramadhan), I mostly 'cheat' by listening to online Quran recitation rather than reading it myself... bad bad A.Z...
*Recite lots of zikr and make a lot of do’a continuosly.
*Ask for forgiveness from dear hubby and parents.
*Drink lots of water. Drink plenty of soy milk or just plain milk.
*Birds nest is said to help improve immune functions of the fetus and enable the mother to recover easily after giving birth. A pity I forgot to stock up when I went back to Malaysia last summer though. Duh!
*Olive oil is said to be good too – not just for the stretch mark, but also to be taken orally, a teaspoonful a day. It could work as a 'selusuh' of some sort. So, it's no wonder one of hubby's uncles is fond of giving away olive oil to his pregnant nieces...
*Eat a lot of vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones (including seaweed). Nori - mmm yummy!
*Eat a lot of other iron-rich food to prevent anaemia - meat, poultry, fish, legumes, whole-grain, but note that iron from animal products is better absorbed by the body than that from plant sources. Taking Vitamin C can help the body absorb more iron too.
*Eat a lot of dates – this is supposed to help with the birthing as well as promoting a plentiful milk supply for the baby. Eating a lot of white radish (daikon) might help breast milk production too. Tried eating a lot of daikon when I was breastfeeding Huzaifah, and alhamdulllah, it worked well as claimed by my mak bidan.
*Exercise! Pelvic exercise (Kegel), swimming, prenatal yoga and walking all are said to be good for pregnant mommies. Guess climbing 5 flight of stairs could count as good exercise too, but I must admit that I do not do it daily though, heh.
*Doctor's order (seriously!) - making love - including just cuddling, kissing and hugging - can help in many ways - relaxes the pelvic muscles, ripens the cervix, relieves tension, produces helpful hormones etc. Due to the release of oxytocin, making love is a common way overdue pregnant mommies try to bring on labor.
*Walk about, even as the contraction starts, because gravity helps the baby to move down, easing baby lower and deeper into the birth canal, pressing on the cervix and shortening the labor. Last time, I walked about at home for a few hours as it made the contraction pain more bearable than laying on the bed. By the time I reached the hospital, Huzaifah was apparently ready to say hello to the world with less than 30 minutes in final labor.
*Never tried this one, but a friend shared a tip inherited from her late mother - from the 7th month onward, a pregnant mother might want to drink a little bit of the last rinse every time she washes her hair while reciting the selawat and making do’a for an easy labor.
*Recite surah Abasa, verse 20 (summas sabil la yassarah) as labor begins. Some swear by reading Nabi Yunus’s doa (la ila ha illa anta, subhanaka inni kuntum minazzolimin), but personally I found it to be too long in the crucial moment when breathing becomes more labored and pain becomes more acute.
*Don't be afraid - it's painful, yes, but women are built tough enough to handle this. I've heard of fathers who fainted in the labor room just from looking at all the blood... but since hubby missed Huzaifah's delivery, we thought this time around it could be a bonding experience for him to be present while I give birth...
*Again, make a lot of do'a - a quick, easy, safe delivery is after all a gift from Allah...
Additional tips are most welcomed :-)
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