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.
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
Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth – part 1
Expectant moms are “deprogrammed” from the typically negative childbirth stories and scenarios they’ve heard by participating in Birth Hypnosis classes and listening to audio CDs that actually re-train the inner mind in a very positive way. This allows them to remain relaxed and confident during pregnancy and to enjoy preparing for childbirth.
- From Hypnobabies
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.
excerpted from Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices, lamaze.org
Healthy Birth Practice #1: Let Labor Begin on Its Own
Induction of labor—starting labor artificially—is one of the most controversial issues in maternity care today. In many hospitals, labor is induced only for medical reasons, and care providers follow strict guidelines. Yet, in other hospitals, women have elective inductions—those done for convenience rather than for medical reasons. Many women are confused about when induction is truly necessary. Are there problems with induction? What are the benefits of letting labor begin on its own? When does it make sense to induce, and when is it better to wait? What is safest for you and your baby?
Your body is perfectly designed to birth your baby. During the last weeks of pregnancy, your body and your baby prepare for birth. For a first-time mother, the baby often “drops down” into the pelvis in the weeks before birth. The cervix tilts forward and gradually begins to soften. Over a period lasting from a few days to a few weeks, you may (or may not) feel irregular contractions that help your cervix gradually thin and, perhaps, even dilate a few centimeters.
During the last part of your pregnancy, your baby’s lungs mature, and he puts on a protective layer of fat, taking on the characteristic chubbiness of a newborn. Critical brain development continues through 41 weeks of gestation. Scientists estimate that there is a five-fold increase in the volume of white matter in the fetal brain from 35 to 41 weeks gestation. Researchers are still investigating how the brain continues to grow after the baby is born, compared to how the brain grows when the baby is still inside his mother (Kinney, 2006).
When the baby’s organs are fully mature and he is ready for life outside his mother’s uterus, scientists believe the baby’s body releases a tiny amount of a substance that signals the mother’s hormones to begin labor (Condon, Pancharatnam, Faust, & Mendelson, 2004). The surge of maternal hormones that accompanies full-term gestation and spontaneous vaginal birth appears to help the baby prepare for the transition from life inside the womb to outside and, especially, for breathing with his lungs for the first time (Jain & Eaton, 2006). Even if you know ahead of time that your baby needs to be delivered by cesarean surgery, the best way to tell that your baby is healthy enough to be born is to let labor begin on its own.
Interested in the whole article? Read on here
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!
Yes! I’m going to become a Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor.
I’m already a hypno-doula, or Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Doula. If you are pregnant, I highly recommend you check out Hypnobabies – a beautiful way to easily and naturally prepare for childbirth.
My first step towards becoming a Hypnobabies Instructor is to take a class in hypnosis. I’ve started my studies and plan to update here regularly on my progress.
First up, I had to read a book on hypnosis, other than the text-book I’ve been given for my course. The book I chose had lots of scripts for using hypnosis to help us in our every day lives. So my first hypnosis client? My daughter. Why not? Lean back in your chair honey, you are going to LOVE this.
I read the script out loud, trying to keep my voice fairly monotone. I tend to speak really fast so I worked hard at slowing down. “Relax your knees, your legs, your toes.” But my daughter kept giggling. And then I did too.
This is definitely going to take some practice.
Thoughtful Reminders
Try to sleep when your baby sleeps.
Accept and/or ask for help with housework and meals from your partner, family and friends.
Invite visitors only when you feel ready.
Eat healthy and drink when you feel thirsty. You’ll find you may be extra thirsty, so have a glass of water, milk or juice every time the baby nurses.
While you are breastfeeding, you may gradually lose some of the extra weight gained during pregnancy as it provides part of the energy needed to produce breast milk.
Remember that cigarette smoke is harmful, especially to babies. If you smoke, it is still important to breastfeed but look for ways to decrease your baby’s exposure to cigarette and second hand smoke.
Alcohol and other drugs can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. Check with your doctor, nurse, midwife, lactation consultant if in doubt about any medications or other substances you are using that might affect your breast milk.
-excerpted from Public Health Agency
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.