Beautiful Hypnobabies Birth Story! This mama went from “Why would anyone want natural childbirth?” …to…” I just had a natural pain free birth!”
Posted on a fellow Hypnobabies Instructor blog site, read the story here: http://prenatalcoach.com/inspiration-beautiful-hypnobabies-birth-story/
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
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
A few days ago we “sprang forward” into Daylight Saving Time. Only I haven’t been springing anywhere since. I’m tired. I swear at the alarm clock in the morning. I crawl out of bed complaining and grumbling that I should be allowed another hour (or more) of sleep. Why doesn’t work just start an hour later? Why should I be punished this way?
This morning, 2 days after the time change, I somehow dragged myself out of bed at the usual time. Once I’d spent a few minutes freshening up and allowed my thoughts to turn to something other than my misery, I got to thinking about ……. babies.
What is their birth day like for our sweet little babies? Birth has got to be the ultimate time change. Do they feel punished? Would they swear at us if they could? Some babies cry a bit, a few a lot, but most are immediately quieted by their mamas and papas, embraced, fed, loved, cooed at. And they respond by quieting, watching, taking it all in so openly. It’s remarkable really. The zen-like quality that babies possess, the acceptance to all that is so new. What a huge leap these babies make, and how beautifully they take it, all things considered.
I then considered that maybe there is a lesson in these thoughts for me, remembering how I angrily fumbled for the snooze on the alarm just a few minutes before. But no, I didn’t want to go there. So instead I thought about what we can all do to help our babies’ births be as beautiful as possible – for them. Surely their transition from inside the womb to the great big world can be less unpleasant than my transition to DST. I am convinced that the steps we take to create a calm, comfortable and peaceful environment for our babies’ births can make a huge difference in their transition. So, whenever possible, let’s take those steps. Lower the lights, quiet the voices, put on soft music if you like it and your baby is used to hearing it from the womb, and lots of skin-to-skin contact after birth.
What a beautiful transition it can be. Now that has me thinking that tonight I could take a warm bath, with candles and music. And then get to bed an hour earlier. Bring it on, DST!
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.
We’ve all heard the horror stories about childbirth from well meaning friends and family. Perhaps you’ve even experienced a difficult or painful labor yourself. Watching some of the popular cable TV shows about birth is enough to scare most of us! If you are pregnant now and worrying about the pain you may feel in labor, take some time to learn what you can do to have a less stressful birth.
Hire a doula!
Studies have shown that the presence and support of a professional labor assistant (doula) can:
You may find yourself less frightened if you know you will not be alone during labor. Choose caregivers and attendants who will remain with you throughout the birth process, and will provide you with the information you need and the nurturing support you desire.
Turn off the TV – and your friends and relatives.
I am not a fan of most of the cable TV birthing shows. They do not depict what I know as “normal” birth. Most feature a c/section or induction every episode, often making women feel that being strapped to a bed with no choice or control during their birth experience is “safest.” Know your childbirth options, choose the ones that work for you, and then tune out the friends, relatives, and television shows that do not support your views. Make sure everyone invited to your labor is supportive of the choices you have made, and surround yourself with people who provide emotional support and encouragement.
Hypnosis!
Using hypnosis techniques during labor has proven benefits that can lead to an easier and more comfortable birth. Consider taking Hypnobabies or HypnoBirthing classes and hiring a hypno-doula to assist you. The body’s natural response to stress, anxiety and fear can cause the uterine muscle to work to constrict the cervix, which can then cause unproductive contractions and increasing pain. Prevent the release of stress hormones by being prepared for labor and using relaxation techniques such as those used in hypnosis to stay calm and relaxed.
Overcoming the fear of labor is the first step towards a natural birth. Remember that childbirth is a natural and beautiful process! I hope you can look back on the day your baby was born and feel both fierce and strong, as well as nurtured and protected.