An Email From Stranger

You know how in Facebook you can join all sorts of available groups kan? When I tested positive, I came across the International Mother and Baby Group Oslo (IMABAGO) and joined them shortly afterwards. I was a silent member but until recently, I decided to post this there:

I received lots of positive feedback from mothers who actually gone through successful natural birth - hypnobirth or not, at the hospital mentioned. None of them replied with any negative birth stories at all, which made me so relief (oh, you have no idea how relief I am actually). Most of them encouraged me to apply for ABC (Alternative Birth Care) section of the hospital where water birth and acupuncture or water for injection as pain relief are made possible but I just think that they're too fancy for me. I have nothing against it but it's just a matter of preference.

What almost send me to tears was, an email I received from a complete stranger who is also an advocate of hypnobirth that's so inspiring that I just have to share it here.

Hi M,

I hope all is well with you.

I am so passionate about hypnobirthing and so wish i had the time to give you the full course but i'll try to give you some of the main tips that i hope can help you and also tell you about my experiences and what i feel is important to know.

HypnoBirthing is all about conditioning your mind to having a positive birth experience. One of the most important things you can do for you and your baby right now is to disregard any of the horror stories that you hear surrounding birthing. If someone starts to say something negative please just say you are hypnobirthing and you would prefer not to hear any negative stories. It serves no purpose to you or your baby. Birth is completely natural and our bodies are so amazingly clever and have been made in such a way that we can give birth to our babies with little or no pain in a very relaxed and natural way. I have done it twice and so i absolutely assure you it is possible.

Can you get a copy of the hypnobirthing book and rainbow relaxation cd from emily on barneting? If not let me know and i'll try to get back the copies that i gave out to my first couple that i taught.

You need to read the book, in particular read about the function of the uterus and you need to read about the different breathing techniques. You have to practice the breathing techniques and you have to listen to the rainbow relaxation CD every single day. It's ok to go to bed with your earphones in listening to it, download it to your ipod it doens't matter if you fall asleep while listening to it. It will be going in to your subconcious and conditioning your mind in a VERY positive way. When i felt my first surge (surge is a contraction, hypnobirthing uses softer language when talking about birthing) i immediately went in to the slow breathing and kept this going the entire birth until i needed to change to birth breathing which is when you breath the baby down the last leg of the journey. i was completely relaxed and got more and more relaxed with each surge despite them getting stronger. It is because i practiced it so much that this type of relaxation became second nature to me.

Learn how to do the different breathing and when you are feeling stressed or have a pain try the slow breathing its amazing how the pain will disappear and you become so relaxed. When you go to the toilet to poo practice the birth breath or slanted j breath, they sometimes call it in the book because this is the breathing you switch to as the baby is about to emerge. Try it and you will see how the poo is naturally expelled using the bodies own natural expulsion reflex and this is the same as when the baby is breathed out (not pushed out) breathed out. The body will naturally expell the baby if it is allowed to do so in its own time.

In norway there are many midwives who are familiar with natural birth and i was very fortunate in my second birth to have such a midwife. She asked me what my preferences were and i said i wanted to be left alone as much as possibble in a dark room and for it to be very peaceful and she sat and observed me and only came to me to help ease the baby out in the last 10 minutes. She knew that i had switched to the birth breath and it was such a quiet subtle change but she knew and that was incredible for me and her.

My first experience was different as the hospital midwife told me when i was on a visit beforehand that she had been a midwife 25 years and there is no other way for a baby to come out unless you push it out - this is absolute nonsense and i wish i had the courage to stand up to that midwife becuase i truly believed it was possible to do it without forced pushing but because it was my first i thought what do i really know. This is where the birthing partner comes in, they have to keep negative influences away from you during hte birth. In my case i had my husband prepped to tell midwives to be quiet if they were disturbing me, i didnt want to hear loud chatting, i didnt want to be disturbed if i was in my zone of relaxation. they tried so many times and it was incredibly frustrating but luckily as the birth progressed my husband stopped them disturbing me more and more.

The course is given to both the mother and birthing partner. The birthing partner has a very important role to play. As i keep repeating birthing naturally is completely achievable but to do it in a relaxed way without feeling the pain takes a lot of practice but its so worth it. Studies show that calmer births do result in calmer babies, The baby is completely affected by their own birthing experience. There are some texts in the book that the birthing partner can use to get you in to a deeper state of relaxation. If you can practice with your partner and get your partner to read some of these to you, in a slow relaxing way (you'll fall about laughing the first time) but if you can do it seriously this is an invaluable tool that your partner can bring with in to the birth to use when needed. For example if you just have some niggling back pain, or you have been distrubed or if you need to go deeper in to relaxation the book gives the scripts that the partner can read to you.

During the birth you can have the rainbow relaxation CD playing. i used this for much of the time as i had conditioned my mind so well to it that as soon as i heard the music and voice i completely relaxed.

The main principal of hypnobirthing is if you are relaxed then your body can use its natural endorphin which are a million times more powerful than any medicated pain relief. Your uterine muscles are made to rotate in harmony with your slow breathing during birth. If you are tense then these muscles tighten and adrenalin kicks in which takes the much needed blood flow aaway from the uterine muscles and cause the flight or fight response. the muscles you need for birth tense up and everything works against you. So, keep calm, if you feel pain don't stress breath slower, deeper, relax more.

Water birthing is fabulous for relaxation and using in combination with hypnobirthing.youtube natural water births and hypnobirths and see for yourself how calm and relaxed these women are its empowering to see.

Wow, there is so much more to tell you, like i say i wish i could help more. if you have more questions please don't hesitate to drop me an email.

I guess the main thing is practice the relaxation!!!

Wishing you a wonderful happy calm hypnobirthing birth for you and your baby.

Sending all positive energy your way.

Best wishes Hannah

If you haven't give hypnobirthing a thought, maybe it's time you do. After all, it's how the nature intends the birth of a child should be.

Sending positive vibes, thoughts and affirmation to all new mothers to be. We can do this!