Just finishing up the January series and ready to announce our next group Hypnobabies Class!
BlossomBelly Hypnobabies and Birth Doula Services will be teaching a group class in Santa Cruz, CA
starting March 18th, 1:30 – 4:30pm.
Please contact me to reserve your spot!
Hypnobabies allows our moms to be self- empowered: Hypno-Moms find that preparing for childbirth using the power of their own minds, tuning in to their bodies and babies, and trusting the birth process, allows giving birth to be an empowering, life-affirming journey.
– Hypnobabies
Announcing our next group Hypnobabies Class!
BlossomBelly Hypnobabies and Birth Doula Services will be teaching a group class in Santa Cruz, CA
Starting January 15th, 1:30 – 4:30pm.
Please contact me to reserve your spot!
Private classes are always available too.
Announcing our next group Hypnobabies Class!
BlossomBelly Hypnobabies and Birth Doula Services will be teaching a group class in Santa Cruz, CA
Starting October 30th 1:30 – 4:30pm.
Please contact me to reserve your spot!
Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth – part 2
Many Hypno-mothers have shorter labors since hypnosis training can minimize discomfort and fear, and create less resistance between the birthing muscles. Using deep hypnosis, muscles in the body remain very deeply relaxed, which allows the uterus to work more effectively.
- From Hypnobabies
I’ve completed all the training and requirements and I’m just waiting for my certification to come through now! I will soon be offering Hypnobabies Childbirth Education classes right here in Santa Cruz. Check back for more information soon, or contact me to inquire…
UPDATE: Certified! Can’t wait to begin teaching….
Healthy Birth Practice #2: Walk, Move Around, and Change Positions Throughout Labor
excerpted from Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices, lamaze.org
Walking, moving around, and changing positions throughout labor make the birth of your baby easier. It is the best way for you to use gravity to help your baby move down and to increase the size and shape of your pelvis to make it easier for your baby to fit and rotate as necessary. Movement helps you respond to pain in an active way and shortens the length of the first stage of labor (Lawrence, Lewis, Hofmeyr, Dowswell, & Styles, 2009).
In contrast to what you see on popular television shows in the United States, pictures throughout history and across cultures show women in many different positions for labor. Many hospitals today provide birth balls, rocking chairs, tubs/showers, and safe places to walk in order to encourage women to stay out of bed during labor. A pilot study was recently conducted at two Canadian hospitals where women in labor were randomly assigned to a regular labor room or to an “ambient room.” In the ambient room, the standard hospital labor bed was removed, and additional equipment was added to promote relaxation, mobility, and a calm atmosphere. The evaluations from women assigned to the ambient room were positive; they spent 50% or less time laboring in bed and reduced the need for artificial oxytocic infusions (Hodnett, Stremler, Weston, & McKeever, 2009).
Activity during labor may distract you from discomfort, gives you a sense of greater personal freedom, and provides a way to release muscle tension. In fact, women who use movement in labor report that it is an effective method of relieving pain (Storton, 2007). Restricting women’s movement may result in worse birth outcomes and may decrease women’s satisfaction with their birth experiences (Storton, 2007).
Interested in the whole article? Read on here
I finished the Hypnosis class and am one step closer to completing my requirements and training!
At this point, truly, I almost feel like a fool for not practicing self-hypnosis to enhance my own life before now. I’ve meditated for years and have reaped many benefits from spending time in a hypnotic state. Yet I haven’t used specific suggestions to change my habits, or my behavioral and emotional patterns. Why wouldn’t I want to be more at peace with my decisions? Why wouldn’t I want to feel more confident in my corporate work and in my birth work? Why wouldn’t I want stronger healthier relationships? Why wouldn’t I want to be free of negative thinking and the pain that comes from it? One thing I learned from this course is that hypnosis does all this and more. It works, there are scientific reasons it works, and I really am a fool if I don’t taking advantage of the power of my own imagination right now to create an even more amazing life for myself.
I am loving all this hypnosis! I can hardly wait for my next practice sessions, it’s so much fun. After years of meditation and putting myself into a relaxed trance state, I’m really enjoying leading my practice clients through the scripts and into hypnosis. Even my most stressed out family members tell me they feel good upon awakening. I’m realizing more and more just how much I am going to enjoy being a Hypnobabies childbirth instructor. I’m already a hypno-doula, qualified to support any mothers using hypnosis during childbirth. I can’t wait to add these childbirth classes to my list of services, and to help moms and families enjoy greater relaxation at their births using hypnosis.
What if you were pregnant, but didn’t even know how you got that way? What if you were giving birth, but didn’t know where the baby came out?
Imagine going to the hospital to have your baby, but having no idea what lay ahead, and having no loving friend or family member to help you through.
Most of us do have the basic information about pregnancy and childbirth. We know how the baby got there, and how it will make his/her way out. We live in a culture where women are open about their bodies, share their birthing stories, and pass on the latest information and advice. But what if you come from a different culture, that does not talk openly about sex, pregnancy, or birth?
I recently spoke to a woman who came from such a background and went through her first pregnancy and birth just as I described, having no idea how she got pregnant or how a woman gave birth. Her partner wasn’t allowed in the hospital room, and the whole experience was extremely traumatic for her. She is now doing things differently with her daughters, hoping to create an atmosphere of openness and respect.
Not everyone has access to much needed information or a network of support. Many don’t know that doulas are available to provide information, navigate the many childbirth options, and provide physical and emotional support during labor and birth.
For those just beginning your pregnancy journeys, whatever your background and culture, here are my top 3 ways to enhance your experience:
Most importantly… don’t forget to stop and marvel… a baby comes out there!
Get educated!
The more information you have, the more likely you will be able to have the birth experience you want. Know your options for childbirth, and then you can make the best decisions for you and your baby. A good way to gain the information you need is to hire a doula. Doulas are trained labor companions who can help inform you of your birth options while also offering nurturing support. Every pregnant woman deserves to have a clear understanding of her childbirth options and to have a doula who honors the choices she makes for the birth of her baby.