(Or are you wondering what on Earth I am talking about- you’ve got your birth bag,
but a birth bucket!?)…
Before I was pregnant mine was filled with what I had watched on Tv- one born
every minute- or what I had seen in films. (All edited and dramatised to increase
viewings because the majority of births when left undisturbed are actually quite
boring to watch- unless you’re a bit of a birth geek like me!)
And then when I was pregnant people went out of their way to ‘warn me’ or to
‘prepare me’ with what to expect. Not just mothers, a Science teacher at school
talked in great details about his wife’s experience of birth. All with good intentions I am sure, but not helpful- especially when I was already quite petrified! (That changed after doing a course!)
And then my cousin shared her birth story with me, and I had never heard anyone
talk that way about birth before. She spoke so positively- she had done a
hypnobirthing course- so that’s where my journey with hypnobirthing started!
I like to refer to the part of our sub-conscious mind that stores all of the stories and
beliefs that we hold about birth as a bucket. What’s in yours? Because what you are
filling your bucket with matters- think of the mind-body connection- when you’re
embarrassed- you blush… when you’re nervous- you may get butterflies or do
nervous poos… what’s in your birth bucket- could have a physiological effect on your
birth.
In hypnobirthing we want to empty out negativity and refill our bucket with positive
ideas about birth… and two examples of the ways in which we do this is through the
use of birth stories and positive birth affirmations.
This takes time, and it takes practise. If you think of how long you have been filling
your bucket for….. So what is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing provides us with a toolbox of coping tools and techniques for birth.
These tools and techniques are grounded within hypnotherapy, and support us in
birth on both a physical and psychological level. They consist of breathing
techniques, massage, along with others to support us to stay calm or relaxed. And
we have already discussed why we want our ‘calm’ mode to be activated in birth,
instead of the ‘stressed’ one. And if you haven’t watched that video, do go back and
watch it because it gives us an insight into the some of the science behind why
hypnobirthing works.
So our toolbox of coping mechanisms can support us physically in birth, helping to
activate or trigger the ‘calm’ mode of our nervous system. Supporting us to be able
to work with our birthing muscles and hormones, instead of against them. But they
may also support us mentally as well with the unpredictability of birth, enabling us to
feel more positive about our birthing experience.
These tools and techniques can be used in all types of birth. If you have an
induction, it is still beneficial to know how to work with your birthing muscles and
hormones, alongside how to work with the synthetic hormones that the hospital will
use. And again, if you have a caesarean, because even though you may not go into
labour you will still want to encourage your body to produce these hormones, as they
are the same hormones that play a really important role in both bonding with your
baby, and in feeding your baby. And the mode that we want our nervous system to
be in, to encourage the production of these hormones, is again the ‘calm’ mode.
One of the things that I felt I most benefited from with hypnobirthing was learning the
difference between what I could and couldn’t control in birth, as I think the idea of
being out of control was what I feared the most. By being more informed about what
was within my control, I really felt allowed me to let go off the things that I couldn’t.
If you’d like to read some positive birth stories please there are some on my website
Or if you’d like to share your positive birth story with others, please get in touch!
Michelle
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