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http://www.learningtobirth.com/doula
Do not miss out on our birth doula training. Workshop dates are on our website for next year.
Online, face to face, full mentoring and lots of new learnings and fun.
Many consider a doctor (obstetrician) to be the ultimate expert in all things pregnancy and birth. Many others consider a midwife to be the ultimate expert in all things pregnancy and birth. Many others consider a doula to be the ultimate expert, albeit a different type of expert, in all things pregnancy and birth.
It is true that all of the above have a different role to play, and each have limited areas of expertise.
Here at the Birth Right Training Academy I want our doulas to know and understand the power of who is truly THE EXPERT – and that, of course is the Mum.
Pregnant women today are bombarded with information and feel so much pressure to conform to a pre-ordained set of rules and policies which health facilities impose. Most pregnant women say they feel overwhelmed about what to do, where to go, who to see, what is the ‘right’ thing to do? They have lost sight (understandably) of connection – connection to what they innately feel is the best choice for them and their baby.
Our doula training will show you the power of the mind, and how to look, listen and feel. You cannot do this online, on the phone, by text, or on social media, especially when a woman is in labour. This must be done face to face. I am passionate about teaching connection, how NOT to talk, give advice or direction but to look deep inside a woman’s mind and to understand how to ‘read’ her. A doula must develop her own intuition and trust this, not just during pregnancy but most importantly during labour and birth, because this is when women CANNOT talk or communicate so you must learn to be a mind-reader, tune in, and act appropriately. It is a unique skill. It is a skill that our Birth Right trained doulas learn and develop throughout our training. It is the most important sensitivity a doula can have.
If you want to learn about intuition, and be able to connect a woman with her own innate power, learning how to understand her unborn baby and what he/she wants, then this doula training is right for you. Below is the link for more info. and to book BUT I invite you to give me a call and let’s have a chat.
https://birthright.com.au/training/birth-post-natal-doula-training/
It is diagnosed as ‘unexplained infertility’! Just that – unexplained, and is no comfort for couples who desperately want a baby. Understanding how the mind influences a conception and releasing negative blocks and limiting beliefs can change everything.
Hormones released in the brain are directly influenced by a woman’s thoughts and emotions – this is the cycle that makes a pregnancy possible – and it starts in the brain.
Your body responds to your thoughts and with the right images in your mind, you can stimulate and enhance your fertility.
There are many ways to naturally increase your fertility with vitamins, chiropractic, acupuncture, diet and whilst these can all help, the most important tool for conceiving your baby is your MIND. The MIND is the most powerful healer, there are no pharmaceuticals that can match the mind power!
You can use the power of your mind to influence not only the quality of your eggs but to understand the blocks that have prevented you from having a baby.
We have both conscious and unconscious fears about pregnancy, birth, becoming a parent, financial, career and many more. These can block a conception from occurring. Hypnosis is a way of finding out where your beliefs have come from and asking ‘why am I choosing to believe this’? and ‘where has this belief come from?’
Hypnosis can show you how to take control of your thinking and discover and change any limiting beliefs you have about conceiving. Conception happens when you see it in your mind, you see the pictures in your imagination and you believe a baby is on its way to you. Wishing, hoping or trying is not good enough, you must believe. This explains why couples in the process of adoption often conceive and why many conceive naturally after a successful IVF baby because they see and accept themselves as parents in every way. They buy things for the baby they KNOW is on its way, rather than the baby they hope or wish would be on its way.
Scientists are just beginning to understand the extraordinary capabilities of the mind/body and one of their findings is that when the mind is stimulated by positive thoughts and images it sets off chemical changes in the body.
Hypnotherapy will eliminate the negative thoughts and blocks you may have – unconsciously about wanting a baby and replace this with a belief that you will make it happen.
Activate your healing power within: http://susanrosshypnotherapy.com/talk-to-me/
Babies are conscious and aware in utero. Babies remember birth. There is undeniable research to support this, including the writings of the eminent Dr. David Chamberlain, author of ‘Windows to the womb’ and many other publications. It is important therefore for a labour and birth not to be rushed so mother and baby can work together, in their own time and space, allowing for a quiet, gentle entry into the world for the baby.
Unfortunately hospitals do impose time frames for a labour and birth. They do this for a number of reasons:-
All pregnant women learn very quickly about the time frames hospitals impose. It is a source of great stress and anxiety for most women. They are worried about going in to hospital too early and being put ‘on the clock’.
Birth, ideally should take place in a space where a woman feels safe, comfortable and empowered in her ability to labour and birth, exactly how she chooses. Labour will unfold differently for each woman, depending on her prenatal education her beliefs about birth and the ‘support’ she has. It should never be rushed and a woman should never feel pressured to ‘perform’ to an imposed time frame.
How a woman labours and births should be spontaneous, intuitive and in a space of stillness and respect.
The unborn baby absorbs all of his mother’s emotions, including stress, anxiety but also responds favourably when she is calm and happy. When a woman feels safe, connected with her unborn baby, is looking forward to meeting baby on the outside, then birthing will flow smoothly and without the need for intervention.
This should NOT be rushed.
There should be NO instructions given on ‘how to birth’
A baby does NOT need to be ‘delivered’!
A woman will birth her baby – without interference
There should be peace and quiet and total respect shown
No noise, no voices, no harsh lights
Allow Mum to ease baby down and out gently and quietly in her own time – this process should be slow
AND most importantly, when baby does emerge: NO noise, NO voices (only Mum & Dad’s), NO harsh lights and give Mum space and time to scoop baby into her arms when she is ready. A woman needs time to look, touch, listen and absorb this new little person she has created.
My aim here at Birth Right is to offer training for doulas to think outside the box. Becoming a doula is so much more than ‘supporting’ a woman physically during labour and birth. In fact, rarely is physical support needed!
You may have heard, seen, read about doulas learning massage techniques, aromatherapy oils, different positions for labour and birthing, massage temples to relieve stress, apply hot packs to lower back, cold compress to forehead and the list goes on and on.
You may also have heard about the importance of empowering a pregnant/birthing woman but what does that mean and is there a danger of doing the opposite and rescuing?
A rescuer is a person who saves someone from a dangerous or difficult situation.
This is a state of mind in which an individual holds a belief that they are destined to become a saviour. The term can also refer to a state of mind in which an individual believes that she is responsible for saving or assisting others.
Many women gravitate to the teaching, nursing, healing professions, where there is a large component of ‘rescuing’. Those who are mothers and grandmothers know all too well how easy it is to slip into the rescuing model of parenting. No sooner has your child said “help me”! than the ‘mother’ call for ‘rescuer’ steps up. It arouses all of the stress hormones combined with a strong need to connect. That overwhelming deep, deep love for our children just seems to get in the way sometimes of stopping the rescue and taking a step back to truly empower. It is no different for a doula – a simple definition being “mothering the mother” but ‘rescuing’ a pregnant/birthing woman is never going to empower her.
To make someone stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.
The word ‘empower’ may feel like an overused 21st century word but it’s been around since the 17th century.
Empower means ‘give power or authority to’.
Empowering pregnant/birthing women is to educate them so they can make wise choices for themselves and their babies, instead of laying down ‘methods’ and providing ‘props’ for birthing.
To be self-empowered is for a woman to take control of her own pregnancy, setting intentions and making positive choices. This must come with an understanding of one’s own strengths and a powerful self-belief.
A Birth Right doula will learn how thoughts, words and setting the ‘energy’ for birthing, will elevate you to a deeper understanding and take you to greater heights. Knowing how to empower a woman is to give her the means to achieve what she wants. The aim is to make her stronger and more confident, and to take control and advocate for her and her baby.
An empowered woman is someone who knows her strengths and isn’t afraid to embrace them.
The truth is that being empowered as a woman, especially when pregnant, is one of the most important things that can happen in our society right now, because women are carriers of the culture and predominantly the primary caregivers. How we give birth and teach our babies and children, is reflected in the society in which we exist.
At Birth Right a doula will learn how to be an articulate communicator.
She will learn how to create an environment in which the pregnant and birthing woman can relax and appreciate the quiet stillness in her mind and body, with confidence and trust to allow her baby to enter the world undisturbed. This requires a unique skill set to learn how to just be without interference.
If you want to learn how to be a hands-off doula and truly empower, then click the link below.
Nothing beats 40+ years of experience which I will share with you.
https://birthright.com.au/product/total-birth-doula-training-modules-1-2/
There is nothing more important than advocating on behalf of your unborn baby. Parenting begins at conception and never ends, which is one of the many exciting things about becoming a parent. There is no other time in your life when more personal growth occurs, than parenting.
Many subscribe to ‘tribal’ thinking or following the crowd, or the thinking of the masses, and this is very evident in pregnancy. There seems to be never ending rules and policies and opinions about HOW to be pregnant and give birth. It can be very difficult to break from this type of thinking or rather non-thinking. It is a huge barrier to many as they believe what social, political, religious and other authority figures have told them is ‘true’.
Most people don’t know HOW to think because they have been told WHAT to think for so long, they no longer know HOW to think.
To experience true freedom you must learn HOW to think for yourself.
To achieve this you must be capable of critical thinking, which the ‘masses’ cannot do. Most importantly you must learn to question.
We are FED so much authoritarian political correctness in all areas of life with SALES messages that are deliberately targeting the brain to believe in a mass mentality, without question.
All the focus is on the pregnancy, often without any consideration for the unborn baby and his rights. From conception the focus must be on what is right for the unborn baby, how and what, would he like to experience in the womb, what would he like to know and how would he like to enter the world. Everything that happens to a woman during pregnancy, all her emotions and feelings and experiences, impacts on her unborn baby. So every time a decision is to be made regarding the myriad of testing ‘on offer’, priority must be given to the impact on the baby. Your parenting role and responsibility is to question, question and question – on behalf of your baby. Learn to think outside the box to get the very best results for your baby. It is called parenting and it begins from conception and never ends.
A pregnant woman deserves quality unbiased information and education. She must feel safe and well protected and be encouraged to ‘listen’ to what she knows is best for her baby.
If you would like more information on how to question – everything and everyone during pregnancy so you can make the very best decisions on behalf of your baby then employ one of our Birth Right trained doulas, who will walk you through the political maze of pregnancy and birthing, supporting you to connect and parent your unborn baby.
https://birthright.com.au/doulas/find-a-birth-right-doula/
WOMEN EMPOWERING WOMEN is what every pregnant woman deserves. And they need this, ideally from the very beginning of their pregnancy. What is available and how to source the best care during pregnancy and birthing is an absolute minefield to navigate and with no previous experience, professional guidance with unbiased support is essential.
I had a pregnant woman say to me recently that she was horrified to learn there was a male midwife working in the birthing suite of the hospital she had booked. She stated she only wanted a woman to look after her, a female midwife – and yet – she had a male obstetrician!?? When I pointed this out she was quite confused!
Of course there are mainly women who are midwives, mainly men who are obstetricians, and 99.9% of doulas who are women.
No matter which hospital, public or private, it is the luck of the draw as to who looks after you during labour. Yes there are continuity models of midwifery care (case-loading) but still no guarantee on the day.
A doula guarantees that woman you will be there throughout her pregnancy and birthing journey.
You are providing information, teaching about the hospital system, her rights and choices and most importantly you are providing all important advocacy.
I am passionate about making sure our doulas understand the hospital system, understand how obstetricians and midwives think, and you will learn how to negotiate in a very respectful way, whilst making sure that woman and her baby have the experience they want and deserve. These advocacy skills you will learn are unique to Birth Right training.
Let’s start with a telephone conversation so we can connect and make sure this is the right training for you.
This training is only for women who are passionate about empowering pregnant and birthing women. An opportunity to change the way babies enter the world, by making women feel safe, supported and treated with dignity and respect.
More info. here: https://birthright.com.au/training/birth-post-natal-doula-training/
To book: https://birthright.com.au/product/total-birth-doula-training-modules-1-2/
Payment plan option available.
“I FORGET WHAT I WAS TAUGHT. I ONLY REMEMBER WHAT I HAVE
LEARNED” Patrick White (Nobel Prize Winning Author)
I have a program that teaches, HOW TO BE AN EDUCATOR.
Is that something you are interested in hearing about?
Ask yourself:
If you are feeling frustrated in your current job but have a passion for really making change happen, then you are the person I am looking for.
Take the next step in your life and become an Educator teaching Inside Birth® techniques for pregnancy, labour, birth and parenting. Yes, it covers all 4!
In just 4 days of face to face training you will become and Inside Birth® Educator. This training will take you to places you never imagined possible. You will go on a journey to your inner mind and discover how beliefs are formed and how to change a negative belief into a positive. You will discover the role of learning by absorption when gaining practical skills. It is challenging and fun!
INSIDE BIRTH® teaches parenting from conception, conscious awareness of the power of words, thoughts and our relationship to creation and birth. The Inside Birth® Educator will develop a deep regard for the power of your soul and all that you are capable of influencing by thoughts, action and words.
The best part? You will receive ongoing mentoring, all materials to teach and join a team of dedicated, passionate advocates for women and their babies.
Our next training is 2nd-5th August at the Blue Labyrinth Bush Retreat – we will be discovering and walking the labyrinth’s. SAVE on Early Bird and book here:
https://birthright.com.au/product/inside-birth-educator-training/
It starts from conception, pregnancy, birth and through the first year of life. This is the time in which vital foundations are established at every level of being: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and relational.
Experiences during this primary period form the blueprint of our core perceptions, belief structures and ways of being in the world with ourselves and others. They profoundly shape our being in life-enhancing or life-diminishing directions.
Optimal foundations for growth, including brain development, emotional intelligence and self-regulation are reliant upon optimal conditions during the period of conception, pregnancy, birth and the first year of life.
Optimal foundations for secure attachment and healthy relationships are reliant upon optimal relationships during the conception period, during pregnancy, the birth experience and the first year of life.
From the very beginning, in the womb, baby experiences and internalises what his mother experiences and feels. Dad’s relationship with Mum and baby are integral to optimising primary foundations for baby. Supportive, loving and healthy relationships are essential for optimising primary foundations for baby.
Babies are continuously communicating and seeking connection, in the womb and on the outside. Relating and responding honours their need for communication and supports optimal development.
Birth and bonding is a key developmental process for Mum, baby and Dad,that form core patterns with life-long implications.
The very best baby/mother outcomes occur when Mum feels empowered and supported and when the normal process of birthing is allowed to unfold with no interventions and no interruption in Mum/baby connection and physical contact. If any separation of baby from Mum occurs, continuity of Dad’s contact and connection with baby is vital.
Baby responds and thrives best when communicated with directly by Mum and Dad only, when left undisturbed with Mum, and when the process of birthing supports baby’s ability to orient and process the series of events.
When there are unresolved issues or less than optimal experiences during conception, pregnancy, birth and the first postnatal year, life diminishing patterns often underlie health issues, stress behaviours, difficulty in self-regulation, learning, attachment and other disorders that appear throughout life.
The very best way to have support and learning throughout this period is to employ a doula and enrol in Inside Birth® prenatal classes, which teaches communication and connection with baby in the womb and beyond. Learn these techniques for an optimal pregnancy and birthing experience.
https://birthright.com.au/inside-birth-delivering-antenatal-classes-differently/
Understanding how your mind works and applying some simple techniques will allow you to achieve lasting transformational change in your life.
The dialogue you have with your mind is very important. That’s the little voice you hear and feel telling you work is too hard, I’m scared about that exam or test, I’m worried I will fail, It’s too risky, I can’t, I will try but probably won’t succeed, I want to lose weight but can’t stop eating chocolate, I should exercise but can’t be bothered, life is a struggle. This is negative language which the subconscious mind cannot compute.
Your mind does what it really thinks you want to do and responds to two things only:
The mind loves familiarity because it is safe and resists what is unfamiliar.
Your mind is always listening and your words and thoughts are powerful. Every word you say and thought you think becomes a blueprint that your mind and body turns into reality.
Your mind’s job is to act on the words you tell it. Your job is to give your mind much more powerful, descriptive and positive words and pictures.
The most powerful potential comes from your mind. What happens in hypnosis is your mind is more willing to change. When you understand how and why the mind operates then you can work with it, instead of against it, to get all the changes you want. Hypnosis excites the imagination which is easily accessed due to the very deep relaxed trance like state you are in.
Hypnotherapy is by far the easiest way to make the changes in your life you really want.
What is happening for your unborn baby cocooned in a warm bubble, floating gently and listening, listening, listening….absorbing all that is going on in the outside world, particularly with his Mum and immediate family – his Dad, siblings and Grandparents. What is he hearing? What is he learning? What is he understanding?
It is not that long ago the medical consensus was, the ‘foetus’ was simply in an ongoing state of multiplying and dividing cells, forming organs, blood vessels etc. and at birth was a virtual blank slate, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually. THIS IS NOT TRUE. He is definitely NOT a blank slate. There is much research to show that the unborn baby is a cognizant and emotionally aware soul laying down his blueprint for life based on what he hears, feels and learns from his parents during pregnancy. Babies are conscious while in the womb. They can hear sounds, they are learning, forming memories, and responding to your stress.
Womb life is the first interactive environment and the experience is one of a continuous relationship. Bonding between baby and parents is as essential before birth as after.
The limbic system of the brain is responsible for our emotions and feelings. Research by the pioneers of prenatal psychology, doctors Thomas Verny and David Chamberlain, among others, show that behavioural disorders in adulthood, are the direct result of traumatic gestational (during pregnancy) experiences and interventions during pregnancy and birthing.
Dr. Verny presents evidence that the attitude of the mother toward the pregnancy and the unborn baby, as well as toward her partner have a profound effect on the psychological development of the child and on the birth experience. The mother’s pattern of feelings and behaviour is the main source of stimuli which shape the unborn baby.
Focus on laying down a beautiful imprint by connecting and bonding with singing and dancing and reading and including him in all your conversations and be aware that we all come into this world with an open heart to receive love. This is the first primal experience that is registered in our nervous system. Every baby has the right to know and feel love and enjoy a positive emotional imprint in utero and experience a beautiful connected birth feeling welcomed into the outside, being touched and held by his mother only, breastfeeding and seeing the wonderful smile and love on his father’s face. This simply sets the pattern for the rest of his life.
Learn how to enjoy your pregnancy, labour, birth and baby with Inside Birth® prenatal classes. Your baby will love these classes! https://birthright.com.au/inside-birth-delivering-antenatal-classes-differently/
Pregnancy brings with it much joy and excitement and then very quickly, feelings of being overwhelmed with all the choices that need to be made – together with the pressure of needing to make them immediately!
Finding a caregiver, place to birth, doula and booking a prenatal class are all important choices that do need to be made early on in the pregnancy.
The most important question and conversation a couple must have is: what role does Dad want to have in the birth? Obviously there are discussions that must be had about parenting and different roles, given work plans etc. but the immediate conversation about Dad’s role during labour and birth is one that does not generally take place.
It’s not that long ago that it was an accepted fact that men did not enter the birthing room. When I did midwifery in the early 1970’s, there was the beginning of an awareness around ‘maybe’ men had a place in the birthing room, although we were a long way off appreciating men’s rights! In fact, men required written permission from their wife’s doctor to be present at the birth! Imagine! But I can assure you that was correct. Finally by the early eighties it was taken for granted that men would be in the birthing room AND provide ‘support’ for their partner during labour.
Fast forward to now and it is a ‘given’ that men will be at the birth. – no questions asked!
Is this a good thing? Is this right?
Of course, becoming a parent is the most amazing event in a woman and a man’s life. Many, many women want their partner to share every aspect of pregnancy and birthing but I wonder what would happen if we asked men what they want?
I have observed, more recently, that when men have the opportunity to open up (not in front of their partner) they express a very different view.
Case study: Tom (not his real name) said he definitely did not want to be in the birthing room. He did not want to see his wife in labour and felt that it was very much women’s business. He was looking forward to being a very involved Dad but not at the birth.
Case study: Daniel had sat through some private prenatal classes and was openly supportive of his partner. When she went to the bathroom he whispered he could NOT be in the birthing room and didn’t know how to tell her. Turns out he was very traumatised by a birth video shown to him in a private catholic boys school in yr. 8!
Case study: It’s not just men voicing their feelings but increasingly some women are adamant they do not want their partner in the birthing room. Talia wanted a doula – it was her 4th baby and her last. Her partner had not attended any of the births. She stated it was women’s business and there was no role for him. Interestingly he wanted to be there but she had the final say.
There are many, many more examples I could give.
What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts especially if you are or about to be a Dad. I also want to hear from women. Have you had the discussion with your partner?
One of the very important roles a doula has, is to facilitate such a discussion. It is important, for a couple, to acknowledge and respect each other’s views. Of course, opinions may well change throughout the pregnancy, with good education,
BUT LET’S GIVE MEN A VOICE!
When your first birth ends in an unplanned caesarean section there is deep disappointment and confusion but most of all there is a lot of grief. You have a new baby to get to know and there is recovery from major surgery. It is a lot to deal with, and understandably, the baby’s immediate needs is what comes first, and is all consuming. As you slowly recover physically and try to come to terms with your birth experience there is a lot of mixed emotions and a lot of unanswered questions.
Why did this happen? What went wrong? What could I have done differently? Why did the hospital staff do this and that??? Understanding all of this is essential for you to have a healthy relationship with your baby, yourself and your partner. Many women start to think about what will they do next pregnancy? Some even give up and resign themselves to a repeat caesarean. BUT there are very few medical reasons for a repeat caesarean. It is absolutely possible for your next pregnancy and birth to be a beautiful experience for you, your baby and your partner.
Four of the major hormonal systems are active during labour and birth.
OXYTOCIN the hormone of love, and probably the most recognised hormone as it is secreted during love making, male and female orgasm, birth and breastfeeding. It produces feelings of love and altruism.
ENDORPHINS – hormones of pleasure and transcendence. Like addictive opiates it induces feelings of euphoria. High levels during labour enable pain to be transmuted so the woman can enter the altered state of consciousness that characterises an undisturbed birth.
ADRENALINE AND NORADRENALINE or commonly known as fight or flight – hormones in response to anxiety, fright, hunger, cold as well as excitement, which is appropriate in the animal world where the mother often has to flee to safety. However, for humans, when the moment of birth is imminent these hormones act in a different way. The woman experiences a sudden rush of energy, she becomes very ‘present’ and alert, birthing her baby with ease.
PROLACTIN – the mothering hormone and the main hormone in breastfeeding. Prolactin is a hormone of surrender, helping a Mum put her baby’s needs first.
These systems are common to all mammals and originate deep in our mammalian or middle brain.
For birth to proceed optimally, this part of the brain must take precedence over the neocortex, or rational brain. This shift requires an atmosphere of quiet and privacy with dim lighting and little conversation, and no expectation of rationality from the labouring woman. Under such conditions a woman will intuitively choose the movements, sounds, breathing and positions that will birth her baby most easily. This is her genetic and hormonal blueprint.
UNDISTURBED BIRTHING
What does this mean? It is extremely rare in our culture for women to truly experience an undisturbed birth. The two main factors that disturb birth in all mammals are firstly being in an unfamiliar place and secondly the presence of an observer. Feelings of safety and privacy, respect and dignity are vital to allow the normal flow of amazing hormones.
All these systems are adversely affected by current birth practices. Hospital environments, unfamiliar staff, routines and policies are not conducive to the shift in consciousness that giving birth naturally requires. A woman’s hormonal physiology is further disturbed by practices such as induction, the use of painkillers and epidurals, caesarean section, and separation of mother and baby after birth.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DOULA MAKES
Most women are choosing to birth in a hospital, probably because it has become a cultural norm. They are presenting with so many fears, anxieties and trepidation. Having a doula however can turn these attitudes into happiness, joy, confidence and empowerment. A doula will hold a protective bubble around you, so you can birth with dignity, privacy, respect and pure joy, even in the hospital environment, and your hormones will flow as your genetic blueprint dictates.
Every pregnant woman deserves a doula!
Check out our wonderful Birth Right doulas here:
CONCEPTION – was it planned? Were you wanted? Imprints from conception include your parents’ energy and the kind of relationship they were having.
PRENATAL IMPRINTS – come from the womb environment and your experiences during your time in the womb. Was the womb a healthy or toxic environment? Did you experience stressful events, e.g. arguing parents, divorce/separation, losing a twin, death of a family member causing grief, abuse, neglect or an ongoing stressful situation. Our prenatal experiences affect the way we experience our birth and our birth affects the way we give birth later on as an adult.
Birth can be traumatic, especially with medical intervention in a hospital. Even if it is not traumatic it is a profound transition from the inside to the outside, which affects us all. This transition must be understood so both Mum and baby can birth with dignity and respect.
Unresolved womb, birth and other traumas can come up in pregnancy and affect the opening up and letting go necessary to give birth naturally. Past traumatic imprints can manifest in the present and distort your perception of what is happening in the moment.
Healing before birthing helps clear the way for baby and creates the space for a joyful, positive and empowering birth experience.
When a baby gets upset or stressed they become tense and draw up their knees, arch their back and appear to be straining.
This is very stressful for parents who ‘diagnose’ their baby as suffering from wind.
After birth a baby swallows a lot of air which passes to the stomach, and a newborn does not yet have a developed enough gut to trap an air bubble (or a feed), which is why they burp and posset/vomit.
Babies do not need burping. However a crying baby likes to be held in an upright position and enjoys patting and rocking. They enjoy this because it is comforting, not to help them burp.
A crying baby swallows even more air, so if you pick them up they may burp but baby is not crying because he needs burping – he’s burping because he’s crying.
It is normal for a baby to reflux, i.e. refluxing the contents of the stomach up into the oesophagus, as often as 20 times/day. That’s a lot!
The large bowel ferments the lactose to produce a hydrogen gas as a by-product, which fills the lower bowel. So it is perfectly normal for babies to pass a lot of wind with loose poo’s as often as 20 times/day. That’s a lot!
All babies are ‘windy’! Parents seem to suffer but the baby does not.
Know this is normal
Answer your baby’s cry immediately. This is his only way of communicating and it is your job as a parent to pick him up and let him know you hear him, you love him, you are there for him, and you will do your best to work out what he wants.
Remember your baby has come from the world’s most perfect environment (the womb), and has entered a brand new, very strange environment with different sounds, smells, temperature, air quality. Baby mainly cries because he has lost his Mum. After-all he has been attached to his Mum for 40 weeks and now he does not know where she is. So keep baby very close, so he can hear, see, smell and ‘feel’ you very near to him AND don’t worry about the wind!
INSIDE BIRTH® teaches parenting from conception, conscious awareness of the power of words, thoughts and our relationship to creation and birth. The Inside Birth® Educator will develop a deep regard for the power of your soul and all that you are capable of influencing by thoughts, action and trust.
THINK ABOUT THIS: We do not become a person when we are born, as we have already had a world of experience, and life, before our birth. Our experiences in the womb have a huge impact on both how our birth unfolds and on how we perceive our birth – two different things. There is growing acknowledgement of birth trauma, but think about this – birth only lasts a few hours – we are in the womb for 9 months! We are absorbing everything around us! We are learning how to survive AND growing our body; learning more about life than at any other time. Everything that happens to us in the womb is imprinted into our body-system at a pre-verbal level and has a profound influence on our lives, and on our ability to connect and have fulfilling relationships.
We are conscious, sentient beings long before birth, and we benefit a great deal from loving, welcoming contact and secure attachment from the very beginning of life. Some people have a connection with their baby before conception, seeing visions of them, or having dreams of their physical characteristics, and receiving communications.
delivering antenatal classes differentlyBe a part of the Inside Birth® movement NOW and make change happen.
If we want the world to be a happier, healthier place, then we must begin with how our babies are grown, birthed and parented.
Book for next available training: https://birthright.com.au/training/inside-birth-childbirth-educator-training/
About one quarter of women develop some symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome during pregnancy. Whilst the symptoms can appear at any time, they are most common in the second and third trimesters when there may be greater fluid retention. The symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome include pain and numbness in the hands and fingers which may occur in one or both hands. It may just manifest in the form of mild hand weakness through to severe pain that disturbs sleep during pregnancy.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome occurs when the median nerve is compressed as it passes through the Carpal Tunnel, a tunnel formed by the carpal wrist bones and a band of connective tissue encircling the wrist, preventing the nerve from functioning properly.
The ‘tunnel’ contains nine tendons as well as the median nerve and so is a narrow place. The swelling and fluid retention of pregnancy can increase the pressure inside the Carpal Tunnel.
Other symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome include
For pregnant women, the symptoms are most frequent at night or on waking. Shifting sleeping position and propping the arm up with pillows may help. Consult your GP or midwife if the pain and numbness interferes with your sleep or daily routine.
There is a lack of research into self-help treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome so you may need to find out what helps by trial and error. If in doubt, see a physiotherapist who may give you wrist splints, which can help take pressure off the nerves. The splints keep your wrists in a position which maximises the space in the carpal tunnel and has proved useful to many with carpal tunnel syndrome.
Therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, naturopathy, yoga and massage have also been beneficial to some patients. Please ensure if you are seeking alternative therapies, that your consultant has experience in pregnancy.
THE GOOD NEWS! symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome disappear after the birth.
If pain persists after baby is born, then consult a Physiotherapist or GP. Occasionally simple surgery is needed to relieve the pressure on the median nerve, which runs down the arm into the hand.
Pregnancy and birthing are normal events in a woman’s life. Why then do so many pregnant women hand over their power.
It is almost universally accepted that a woman needs a ‘person in authority’, to tell them how to be pregnant, how to give birth and how to parent.
Many women don’t think too much about this until after the baby is born and there is time for reflection, the anger about what went wrong rises to the surface very quickly. The anger stems not from what actually happened but why didn’t I know I had a choice and why didn’t I speak up.
Many women say they feel ‘stupid’ and strongly resent that all their power was taken away. Women say things like:
‘my life was in the doctors hands, so there was really nothing I can do’
‘ I just left it up to fate’
‘I didn’t know I was allowed’ (this is a very common statement)
‘They won’t let me……”
‘What’s the use of trying? The odds are clearly stacked against me’
Subconsciously, hospitals are associated with pain, fear, death. And yet we have an accepted culture of having our babies in a hospital. There is an immediate disconnect here, given that pregnancy and birth are normal life events. Hospitals are very intimidating places. They are foreign environments to most couples. Many women have never been inside a hospital until they are pregnant.
If you choose to birth in a hospital then you must respect the institution, the staff and all the policies and procedures. BUT understand you are NOT sick and nor is your unborn baby, so it is important to make 4 wise initial decisions:
https://birthright.com.au/inside-birth-delivering-antenatal-classes-differently/
The only way to make ‘informed’ decisions is to shop around and research your options. A doula can help with these resources. Start pregnancy by making confident choices and you will be on the way to maintaining your power.
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When I studied midwifery in the early 1970’s, men were just being ‘allowed’ in the labour ward. This was certainly considered to be a progressive move. They did however, need written permission from their ‘wife’s’ doctor, to be present at the birth (of their baby!) It seemed to me, as a lowly student at the time, that most senior midwives did not ‘approve’ or like this idea. Nor did most doctors. It was thought that Dad would most likely faint, be sick, or just be a nuisance and get in the way. It was routine for men to gather in the smoke filled (Yes, you are reading correctly), Dad’s waiting room, usually close to the labour ward, and wait for a midwife to announce the arrival and sex of their baby.
I see many women in my Hypnotherapy practice for a birth debrief and healing. They are often extremely traumatised. They are angry, questioning, and have very little understanding of the why, what, how and when. They often come with their medical records, which can be very helpful in putting some decisions into context – according to the records. However it is the very deep and painful emotional trauma where hypnosis and Time Line® Therapy works brilliantly and quickly.
I am seeing more and more men who recognise how traumatic the birth of their baby has been for them. All the attention and resources are focused on Mum and baby but men experience the birth in a very different way. They often have nobody to talk to, or don’t know how to find the words to describe what it was like for them. Many men are ‘observers’ of birth – even those that are closely involved – but birth is not happening to them. They worry about the safety of their partner AND their baby. Through hypnotherapy men can heal and it often only takes 1 session. I always do separate session with a Mum and Dad.
A couple will learn how important it is to heal the birth experience for their baby and will leave the session with lots of ideas about how they can do this together. Through hypnosis the ‘blueprint’ of the birth experience for the baby, can be changed.
This healing gives invaluable insights into what they would do differently for the next pregnancy and empowers them with knowledge in future choices.
It is essential for the future emotional stability and well-being of Mum, Dad and baby to debrief and heal, so all three DO NOT live the trauma for the remainder of their life. All three must be connected as one.
