Many still hold the view that parenting begins once baby is born – or even later in childhood, but a baby in the womb is developing not just physically, but emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. Pregnancy is the beginning of very important parenting, laying down the foundations for baby’s future life. The influence a parent has over development, is at its peak in the womb, creating a connection between parent and child and emotional grounding for life.
Dr David Chamberlain (author of ‘Windows to the Womb’) states “a baby surrounded with anger, fear, and anxiety will be adjusting itself to that world and may carry those settings forward unless something changes. Patterns of fearful reaction already visible via ultrasound.”
There is much research today showing that babies in the womb have a range of experiences, they start to form patterns of interaction, they show appreciation for music and conversation and commit these to memory – all before they are born. It is womb school where they memorise both Mum’s and Dad’s voice and their native language and much more.

HAVE FUN AND ENJOY YOUR BABY

The more involved you are with your baby from conception, the deeper the connection you will develop. There are many activities to include in your baby’s vital education ‘inside’, which can continue on the outside:-
• PLAY MUSIC – and tell your baby what it is, who is the composer, and why you like it
• READ BOOKS – they don’t have to be specifically children’s books, it may be a book that you are enjoying reading (obviously not the crime novel!) Read it out loud and tell your baby the name of the book, the author and why you are enjoying it. Babies do enjoy children’s books, as most adults have a higher pitch voice when reading.
• READ POETRY – a baby in utero clearly responds to the rhyming nature of a poem
• TOUCH – this often happens quite spontaneously. How often have you seen a pregnant woman standing in a queue, swaying and rubbing her belly in a rhythmical, circular motion? Exactly as she will do when baby is born, and babies love this touch inside and outside the womb.
• TALK TO YOUR BABY – this is the most important. Pretend your baby is in the outside world and let him know exactly what you are doing. Say good morning and explain to baby what’s on the agenda for today. Maybe work, or exercise or visiting family, coffee with a friend – whatever is on your day’s agenda, share it with your baby. He will be alerted, interested but most of all love the connection you are sharing and this connection will continue to make him feel safe.
• MEDITATION and relaxation – every pregnant woman should ideally try and schedule this daily. A baby loves feeling and sensing his Mum’s total relaxation, stillness and deep presence.

OWN YOUR OWN STUFF

None of us can feel happy and positive all the time. It is not normal! Experiencing a range of emotions helps each and every one of us to grow and develop, making mistakes and learning from them. What is important is how a parent manages these emotions during pregnancy. If parent’s are having a disagreement or argument with a work colleague, simply touch baby (belly) and explain that whilst you do not agree on ‘the political situation’, or whatever, it has not got to do with him (baby). This is great practice for what you can continue when baby is born. All children are very easily frightened, especially when parents and family around them have raised voices and always believe it is their fault. Simply explain the disagreement and reassure baby, both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. Babies are very forgiving and accepting. This is the beginning of normalising a reality.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE FEELING SAD?

Talk to your baby and explain what you are feeling sad about, but always reassure him he is safe, you love him and it’s not got to do with him.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU ARE FEELING HAPPY?

Talk to your baby. Tell him what is making you happy and how you cannot wait to share this with him, on the outside. He will sense and feel your joy and appreciate the flood of oxytocin coming his way – the love hormone.

IMPACT ON BIRTHING

Developing a relationship with your baby, from conception, and sharing your daily life and thoughts with him will enhance your enjoyable birthing experience.
Imagine the power of developing that connection with your baby in utero, knowing his quiet and active times, understanding his responses to music and conversation, enjoying the wonderful emotions of love and protection you have developed. The laying down of all the positive emotions you have done during pregnancy, the education and the wishes and dreams you have for your baby. Tell him how you are looking forward to meeting him on the ‘outside’ (once he is fully grown), and encouraging his ongoing education, growth, development, confidence and love. Nobody knows or understands your baby better than you. Trust that!
During labour this beautiful connection will continue, with both Mum and baby, genuinely looking forward to meeting on the outside. This scenario makes labour and birth flow smoothly, easily and with pure joy.

Like to find out more about connection in the womb? then follow this link:

https://birthright.com.au/antenatal-classes/inside-birth-antenatal-classes/

Like to learn how to teach Inside Birth® classes?  then follow this link:

https://birthright.com.au/training/inside-birth-childbirth-educator-training/

Guest Blogger:  Therese Chamberlain

Continuing on from “How do I know what every child needs?”….

As I said last time, Circle of Security is based on the premise that for a child to grow into a relationally secure and interdependent adult, they need to be able to confidently explore their world knowing that they have the support of a parent or caregiver who will be there for them upon their return. An adult who will be a secure base and provide a safe haven. An adult who is bigger, wiser, stronger, and kind emotionally. An adult who is able to follow the child’s needs when possible and take charge when necessary:  http://www.circleofsecurity.net

A child who has a secure relationship with a parent or caregiver can move away from them and out onto the “circle” knowing that their exploration will be supported by that adult, who will watch over them, delight in them, help them when needed, and enjoy with them. When children are exploring they need us to be available to watch over them without interruption on our part. Our relaxed presence is what can make discovery and learning possible. Our children need to know we delight in them for no other reason than simply because they are who they are, not because of how well they have done something. Being delighted in, for who you are, creates a sense of being inherently valuable and lovable, and this foundation makes the joy of mastery and accomplishment possible. Sometimes our children need help when they are exploring, but just enough that they can learn to do new things by themselves. Enjoying with them is about being available and truly interested in what they are doing.

I remember watching my four-year-old follow his brother and climb one of those enormous spider webs to the very top, confident with each step, looking back at me every now and then for signs of encouragement. A smile, a thumbs up, a wave. He reached the top and beamed, delighted in himself and his achievement. He was developmentally, physically and emotionally ready for this task. Not all four year olds are. It’s important to know this about your child, they all develop at different times and comparisons can set them up for disappointment and a sense of failure.

When a child becomes tired, frightened, uncomfortable or their emotional cup is empty, they lose interest in exploring and have a new set of needs. On the Circle of Security this is the point at which the child is needing to return to the safe haven and reconnection with their parent. These are the moments a child needs the parent or caregiver to welcome the child coming to them. Their need may be about protection, comfort, to be delighted in, or to have their feelings organised.

Sometimes children come in to us because they’re frightened and need protection. Children need to be comforted and experience tenderness and soothing many times throughout the day. They need to be able to share their adventure and be delighted in for who they are. Often they need help to make sense of their feelings, so they can learn to trust and share their emotions without being overwhelmed by them.

When my boy climbed all the way down again, he came straight to me clearly thrilled and wanting to share his delight. He was very excited and had been a little frightened, and needed the calming comfort of his mother’s steady words and arms to help him re-organise his feelings and fill up his cup so he could venture out again.

Such is the Circle of Security. You can see it clearly in children from the very start, as babe’s, their desire and drive to venture out, but their need to return and be close and comforted by their parent. Our job as parents is to recognise where they are on the circle and what their needs are from the cues they are giving us.

My eldest boy is now nearly twenty and what I’ve learnt is he still needs that secure relationship with me and always will. All of us need to feel connected and secure in our relationships. All of us need a secure base and a safe haven to return to.

If you’re interested in learning anymore about the Circle of Security; would like to enhance your relationship with your child; or are interested in joining a COS parenting
group you can find out more at: http://www.yourfriendship.com.au

Guest blogger:  Therese Chamberlain

From the moment I held my first son in my arms I was struck with not only the joy of meeting him face to face and the awe of my achievement in birthing him, but also the magnitude of the responsibility I immediately felt toward him. This surprised me. I sort of knew what I was in for. I’d taken care of my body for nine months, eaten all the right things, exercised, stopped smoking and drinking. I was very aware of the little being growing inside me. Everyone from family and friends, to people I hardly knew had told me it would change my life forever, I’d have interrupted sleep for years and be physically and financially ruined! Yeah, yeah, yeah, all the negative stuff…it’s a wonder anyone wants to breed if you believe all the bad stories.
Nevertheless, it was the enormity of the responsibility I felt toward this little dependent being that surprised me and made me feel both protective and scared.

What I quickly came to realise was that while my baby was totally dependent, he was not helpless. He knew who I was, he’d grown inside me. We were already inextricably connected. He was an active participant in our relationship and came with the cues to elicit a response from me to meet his needs. I just had to understand his cues!
So here I was with my little precious dependent being and my job as his parent was to provide for him, guide him, and keep him safe so that he could grow into a happy, wholesome, independent human being.
Wow! Is that all!
I quickly learnt that growing a child involves ‘letting go’, as well as protection. The two are not as contradictory as they may sound, letting go enough to allow your child to grow and conversely knowing when to pull them close and protect them.
It’s no surprise that all babies, all children, thrive when they feel safe and secure in their relationships, confident that their needs, not necessarily their wants, are meet quickly, without distress. So how can we become emotionally available for our children and better understand their cues and what they need at any given time?

When I discovered Circle of Security it was a light bulb moment both professionally in the work I did with struggling families and profoundly in my relationship with my own children. It made total sense, it conceptualised and validated what I already knew to be true.
Circle of Security is a framework, a road map which symbolises the relationship between a child and their primary caregiver. It was developed in the United States by Glen Cooper, Ken Hoffman, and Bert Powell as an early intervention programme designed to encourage attachment security between parents and children. It is backed up by decades of university based research which confirmed that children who are secure show increased empathy, greater self esteem, better relationships with their parents and peers, enhanced school readiness, and an increased capacity to handle emotions more effectively when compared with children who are not secure. www.circleofsecurity.net

It is based on the premise that for a child to grow into a relationally secure and interdependent adult, they need to be able to confidently explore their world knowing that they have the support of a parent or caregiver who will be there for them upon their return. An adult who will be a secure base and provide a safe haven. An adult who is bigger, wiser, stronger, and kind emotionally. An adult who is able to follow the child’s needs when possible and take charge when necessary.

Of course for all of us parenting enables us to reflect on our own experience of being parented. This is not an easy journey. Many of us have experienced at least some parenting practices that we don’t want to replicate with our children. We’ve become more nuclear and isolated as families and we often feel confused about parenting, carrying the memories of how we were raised, and often conflicting new information about how we should be raising our children. Sometimes we forget that we are parenting a person, who already thinks and feels and is worthy of kindness and respect, and at the same time needs someone who can keep them safe and secure.

In my next blog, “What Every Child Needs!”, I will describe how a child travels around the Circle of Security, the role of the secure adult and the cues given by a child as they explore their world and return to their safe haven.

If you’re interested in learning anymore about the Circle of Security; would like to enhance your relationship with your child; or are interested in joining a COS parenting
group you can find out more at:  http://www.yourfriendship.com.au

WHAT BABIES WANT

1. SECURITY – this is the most important and many would define this as meaning love. It does mean love, in all its forms and begins from conception. Your baby, in utero, is an aware being, and this is the perfect time for laying down (imprinting) all the ideas, thoughts and feelings, you have, about your little baby. Imagine his developing mind is like a perfect sponge and you have this unique opportunity to imprint what you want your baby to know. Education begins in utero.
Tell him how much you love him, play games (yes, you can play wonderful games in utero), sing, play music, read books, poems and most of all talk to baby. Talk to him about your world into which he will be born, baby loves to hear these stories from Mum and Dad. Probably the most important message is to make sure he knows how much you are looking forward to labour and birthing and welcoming him into the world, gently and peacefully.

2. CLOSENESS – just imagine spending 40 weeks in the world’s most perfect environment – your womb. Feeling safe, warm, nurtured and loved. The way you come into the world – matters! Ensuring your baby’s gentle entry into the world is a very important transition from Inside to Outside and will set the pattern for the remainder of his life.
So it is natural for baby to feel unsure about his strange new world, he is experiencing a different temperature, feeling the air on his skin, experiencing touch, sounds in a whole new way, than what it was like Inside. Your job, now, parenting on the Outside involves continuing the safe, secure closeness that he felt Inside.
Imagine what it must be like for a new baby to be placed in a plastic cot, on a hard, plastic covered mattress, wrapped in hospital smelling sheets, with a sense of space all around. They feel alone, frightened, and wonder where their Mum has gone? So they cry – this is their only way of expressing a ‘need’ and a ‘want’.
Closeness is essential for baby to remain feeling loved, nurtured and secure.
Hospitals impose extraordinary expectations on a new baby. There appears to be very little thought for the emotional welfare of the baby. They expect, and so do many parents, that the baby will somehow know about hospital policy and procedures and adapt, instantly, to lying quietly in a cot, being roughly handled by strange people, not reacting to strange smells, being poked and prodded as they insist on carrying out hospital rules of weighing, measuring, even painful injections or taking blood. And then everyone wonders why baby cries! And then they, of course, look for a problem/diagnoses and then for a medical solution. This, unfortunately, is a common scenario.
Closeness to Mum and Dad is what baby wants. It is at the very core of their awareness to be held close to their Mum – the person who has grown and nurtured them in the perfect environment for around 40 weeks.
There is much research to show the closer a baby and Mum are, physically and emotionally in the beginning of life, the more emotionally secure baby, child and adult they will become.
Acknowledge baby has feelings and continue to nurture his well-being for the rest of his life, but it is never more important than Inside nurturing and the transition to the Outside. Do this initially and you will be rewarded with a confident and secure child, down the track, who will be happy to separate from you, his Mum, when he is ready and feels safe.

3. BREASTFEEDING – this is the most amazing and beautiful connection. You will love and enjoy this experience. If the connection begins on the Inside and continues on the Outside, with love and closeness, breastfeeding will come easily and naturally.

RESPONSIBILITIES

When you, as an adult, choose to conceive, grow and birth a baby, you are accepting responsibility for nurturing this baby, from conception, for the rest of his life. The exciting thing is that this nurturing, changes as he grows and develops – which means we, as parents, also need to learn, change and grow, adapting to our baby/child’s needs. This includes into adulthood, where parenting becomes a different sort of ‘interesting’. My adult children are in their early thirties and I am still learning.

TRUST that this extraordinary journey is absolutely wonderful.
BELIEVE that you have all the necessary skills within you, to make the right decisions for your baby’s education, health and emotional well-being.

TIPS TO ALLOW THIS TRANSITION TO FLOW EASILY AND CALMLY
• Enjoy your labour and birth, connecting with your baby
• Do not let anyone else touch your baby – only Mum and Dad’s hands on baby
• Minimise any other voices and sounds, if possible
• Keep baby with you at all times, Mum or Dad only
• Talk to baby, reassure him it is O.K. and you will do everything possible to ease him gently into his strange new world.
• Respect his feelings and you will be rewarded with a beautiful relationship and connection

Inside Birth® Antenatal Classes

MIND HEALTH FOR PREGNANCY AND BIRTHING

Each of us has a unique mind, with unique thoughts, feelings, memories, beliefs and attitudes, which form patterns which shape the flow of energy and information inside us.

The beliefs and attitudes each woman has about pregnancy and birthing is first shaped by how she was birthed. Throughout her childhood and into adulthood these beliefs are reinforced by what she hears around her in her immediate family, especially her Mum and Grandmother. Stepping outside the family and there is further reinforcement from books, whether novels or pregnancy books, media, in all its forms – TV, radio, movies, with a forced belief about how birthing should be represented.

The representation is almost always misguided. Pain and suffering is discussed and shown in graphic detail. Each time a young girl, teenager or adult woman sees and hears this it absolutely reinforces what she already knows to be true.

So it is understandable that many women are left with mixed feelings about the birth of their babies. Around a third of women feel traumatised after giving birth, with around 5% of women suffering post-traumatic stress disorder. And women who have had medical intervention, especially instrumental or caesarean section, at an increased risk.

Pain is what women fear most. The word pain has its roots in the Latin word, meaning punishment. Basically pain is simply your body sending some electrical signals which your brain interprets as pain. As we know form the use of general anaesthesia, if the brain doesn’t process the signals, there is no pain.

Just think about it – a woman who is pregnant has had approximately 30 years of negative thoughts and beliefs about birthing. These are deeply embedded and so it is understandable why we have such high medical intervention rates, in particular, caesareans.

HOW THOUGHTS CHANGE YOUR BRAIN, CELLS AND GENES

Every minute of every day your body is physically reacting, changing, in response to the thoughts that run through your mind.

There are many studies showing that just by thinking a thought, causes your brain to release neurotransmitters, which control virtually all of your body’s functions, from hormones to digestion to feeling happy or sad.
Due to neuroplasticity, which is the capacity of the brain to create new neural connections and grow new neurons in response to thoughts and experience, the brain can change the structure of the mind. Every thought you have causes neurochemical changes.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT BIRTHING

Firstly, birth is not meant to be painful. Simply learning to understand where your thoughts and beliefs have come from, goes a long way to changing your view about birth.
Secondly, birth is meant to be beautiful and wonderful. Think about this: your growing baby is picking up on and very aware of all your thoughts and feelings, especially about bringing him into the world. So, how wonderful would it be to think only positive thoughts about birthing, and be in harmony with your baby?

If you want to understand the power of changing your beliefs and thoughts about birth and how to have a magical connection with your unborn baby, then this is what we teach at Inside Birth® prenatal classes. It is simple, beautiful and a true life skill that you and baby will have forever. Enjoying your labour and birth and welcoming your baby into the world in a quiet and peaceful way is your birthright.

https://birthright.com.au/antenatal-classes/inside-birth-antenatal-classes/

The 5 Brain Waves and Birth

What are Brain Waves?

Brain waves are produced by synchronized electrical pulses from masses of neurons communicating with each other. The 5 brainwaves are Gamma, Beta, Alpha, Theta and Delta arranged from fastest to slowest brain waves. Brainwave speed is measured in Hertz (cycles per second). The first brain waves ever detected were the Alpha Brain Waves which was discovered by Hans Berger on year 1929.

Different brainwave frequencies are used for different types of activity. Whatever you are doing, one frequency will be more active than the others, even though they are all detectable at all times.

1. Gamma Waves (40 – 100 Hz)

Gamma Brain Waves are the fastest brainwaves (high frequency) and the most recently discovered brain wave state, relate to simultaneous processing of information from different brain areas. These are involved in higher processing tasks as well as cognitive functioning. This is important for learning, memory and information processing.
• Too much Gamma Waves result in: Anxiety, High Arousal, Stress
• Too little Gamma Waves result in: ADHD, Depression, Learning Disabilities
• Optimal Gamma Waves result in: Binding Senses, cognition, information processing, learning, perception, REM sleep
• Gamma Waves can be increased through: Meditation

2. Beta Waves (12 – 40 Hz)

Beta Brain Waves are associated with normal waking consciousness and a heightened state of alertness, logic and critical reasoning. Having the right amount of beta allows us to focus on our task whether at school, work or sports performance. However, exposing too much beta waves also results in too much stress. Stress produces stress chemicals like
• Too much Beta Waves result in: Anxiety, Adrenaline, High Arousal, Inability to Relax, Stress
• Too little Beta Waves result in: ADHD, daydreaming, depression, poor cognition
• Optimal Beta Waves result in: Conscious focus, memory, problem solving

3. Alpha Waves (8 – 12 Hz)

Alpha Brain Waves are dominant during quietly flowing thoughts, while you are in deep relaxation, or when you are slipping into a lovely daydream or during light meditation. Alpha is the frequency between our conscious thinking and subconscious mind
• Too much Alpha Waves result in: Daydreaming, inability to focus, too relaxed
• Too little Alpha Waves result in: Anxiety, High Stress, Insomnia, OCD
• Optimal Alpha Waves result in: Relaxation

4. Theta Waves (4 – 8 Hz)

Theta Brain Waves occur most often in sleep but are also dominant during deep meditation. In theta we are in a dream; vivid imagery, intuition and information beyond normal consciousness awareness. It helps us improve our intuition, creativity, and makes us feel more natural.
• Too much Theta Waves result in: ADHD, depression, hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattentiveness
• Too little Theta Waves result in: Anxiety, poor emotional awareness, stress
• Optimal Theta Waves result in: Creativity, emotional connection, intuition, relaxation

5. Delta Waves (0 – 4 Hz)

Delta Brain Waves are the slowest but loudest brainwaves (low frequency). They are experienced in a deep, dreamless sleep and in very deep, meditation. Commonly found in infants and young children. Deep sleep is important for deep healing and regeneration.
• Too much Delta Waves result in: Brain injuries, learning problems, inability to think, severe ADHD
• Too little Delta Waves result in: Inability to rejuvenate body, inability to revitalize the brain, poor sleep
• Optimal Delta Waves result in: Immune System, natural healing, restorative sleep / deep sleep

Birthing and Brainwaves

During pregnancy and birthing it is important to have the right balance, so you are alert, but in a very, very relaxed state and totally in control of keeping your baby calm and safe during labour and birthing. This is what you will learn during our Inside Birth® prenatal classes – how to take yourself to a very, very deep place of ultimate relaxation so you can birth just the way you want.

http://www.birthright.com.au/#

 

BIRTH DEBRIEFING FOR HEALING

Are you still thinking about how you gave birth and holding on to negative thoughts? Don’t let this hold you back because having a birth debrief is always hugely healing.

Just as a seed contains the blueprint for the life of a plant, the creation story of a human has a profound influence on their life. According to the father of Transpersonal Psychology, Stanislav Grof, you are probably more affected by your birth experience than you realise. On a biological level, it is amazing to consider that the egg which became you was literally carried by your grandmother, since your mother developed her eggs while she was a foetus inside her mother’s womb. Coping mechanisms, stress patterns, family system patterns, as well as social and economic environments through those generations have left imprints on us that we are still sorting through.
These imprints, along with many other factors, do influence the way you birth. The beautiful thing about birth debriefing is that healing this experience will not only enhance your relationship with your baby/child but also your greater network of relationships and any future pregnancies and birthing.

Our emotional brains are developed long before our rational, language-brains, so many patterns of behaviour have roots that go back to being in the womb, and the birth experience. It is never too late to do a birth debrief.

If you are feeling like a failure (unfortunately a common emotion following birth), or are re-living the birth and asking all the ‘if only’???, then a birth debrief can bring healing to these underlying feelings. Some women feel angry or just flat. Being able to accept and understand the experience will help toward a positive healing for you and your baby.

If this resonates with you and you are wondering what you can do to bring healing or resolve to these underlying feelings, you are not alone. Birth debriefing can help to change the pattern of imprinting, already passed down through your family.
This birth debriefing session can lead to a deepened sense of connection with you, your baby and your partner.
Allow 1.5-2hrs for this session with Susan. One session is usually all that is required, but if a follow-up time is needed, allow 1-1.5 hrs.

There is nothing more powerful than education and nothing more important than childbirth education.  Our next Inside Birth® childbirth educator training takes place from 1st-4th April, 2016 – all day face to face training, in the beautiful Blue Mountains, N.S.W.  This training will give you amazing tools for educating pregnant couples, empowering them to truly connect with their unborn baby and begin parenting from conception.

What you will learn at Inside Birth®

• Mind/body connection in pregnancy, labour and birthing
• Baby connection in pregnancy, labour and birthing
• How to teach relaxation
• How to teach deep hypnosis techniques
• Benefits of Inside Birth® hypnosis – a life skill for Mum, Dad and baby
• Inside the ‘system’, that is hospital, private, public or homebirth – a unique understanding direct from someone who has worked in it
• Inside the pregnant and birthing mind
• Inside baby’s developing mind and body
• How to remove all fears from the sub-conscious mind
• Learning about imprinting
• How to empower pregnant women to take control of their pregnancy, birthing and baby
• How to parent from conception

Benefits of teaching Inside Birth® childbirth education classes

Education comes in many forms.  We have all experienced great teachers and not so great, from our own childhood or our children’s experiences.  I still remember my year 4 teacher and, for the very first time, feeling excited and stimulated by learning.  Teachers or educators throughout life, impact hugely on how we grow and develop, and none more important than prenatal education.

Inside Birth® will teach the profound change you can make for pregnant women and their partners.  Everyone benefits, in particular the unborn baby, who will thrive on this Inside connection and education from Mum and Dad.  These techniques set parents up for life giving them the confidence they need to nurture baby from birth onwards.

Teaching this program will bring rewards that you have not experienced before.  This teaching has a ripple effect on a global scale, knowing that each woman is empowered, confident and happy during her pregnancy, enjoys her labour and birth and welcoming baby into the world, is our aim.

We are offering our April Inside Birth® Training at 2015 prices!  Do not miss out if you want to make a difference.

https://birthright.com.au/training/inside-birth-childbirth-educator-training/

 

You may hear the word ‘brainwaves’ frequently used, but exactly what are they, why do we have them, and what do they do?

WHY DO WE HAVE DIFFERENT BRAINWAVES?

Different brainwave frequencies are used for different activities.  All brainwaves are detectable at all times, but depending on what you are doing, one frequency will be more active than others.

BETA  –   this is the main frequency in adults when you are awake, alert and cognitive.  This frequency is important for problem solving, logic and focussed mental activity.

ALPHA  –   this frequency is dominant in adults when you are relaxed, e.g. following a massage, warm bath or meditation.  Teenagers show more Alpha than adults because it also helps with learning, memory and imagination.

THETA this beautiful frequency is what you experience when drifting off to sleep or daydreaming.  Your senses are withdrawn from the outside world and you start to dream with vivid imagery.

DELTA –  these waves are the slowest and are generated in very deep, dreamless sleep. When your brain is in Delta, your body is working on healing and restoration, which is why deep sleep is so important for overall health and well-being.

CAN YOU CONTROL BRAINWAVES?

Your dominant brainwave frequency will change naturally throughout the day but meditation is very successful at moving you into a more relaxed state Alpha state.
Teenagers spend more time in Alpha than adults because they are forming their subconscious beliefs about life and absorbing a lot of new information.
As an adult, you can choose to dip into Alpha in order to relax or make your subconscious mind more receptive to new information.
HOW?  By using affirmations and visualisations during the Alpha state can effectively ‘reprogram’ something you want to change consciously.

PREGNANCY AND BIRTHING

Learning these techniques during pregnancy is vital to achieving a beautifully relaxed environment (the womb) for baby to grow and develop, physically, mentally and emotionally.  Baby will be happy and content in the womb, free of stress.
During labour and birthing these techniques will work like magic.  These women not only look like they are enjoying moving through their labour, but they are blissed out in a very relaxed state and loving every minute of labour.  This allows a Mum and baby to work together, truly connected and both enjoying the journey of meeting on the outside.

DO YOU WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?  Then book an Inside Birth prenatal class with Susan today.

Fear is at the heart of all anxieties surrounding birth.  In my experience 90-95% women have fears.
The main reason women fear birth is from what they have heard from immediate family, in particular their Mum.  These fears are reinforced throughout their life from media, television, radio, magazines, movies and many books all portraying negative, fearful stories about birthing.
It is important how we conceive, grow and birth our babies. During pregnancy the unborn baby is being imprinted with all of his mother’s emotions and feelings, and this sets the pattern for life.   Research also shows that if a woman/baby experience a painful or violent birth, this is imprinted, and is what the baby will grow up believing and knowing about birth.

SOME COMMON FEARS

1.  What if I poo?

Many women do not have a bowel movement but it is a common concern and should be discussed.  Hopefully nobody ever says that no-one cares, because the woman certainly does!  It’s one of the many discussions doulas have with women, exploring their feelings and anxieties.  It’s important to reassure those women who are very anxious, that her doula is there to make sure she labours and births with dignity.  Enema’s in labour have not been used for many decades.  Most women naturally have loose bowel motions in pre-labour period.

2.  Will my partner ever see me as sexy if he looks ‘down there’?

This is a very important question and is different for each couple.  How does she feel?  How does he feel?  It can be confronting for many men and have a lasting imprint.  I supported Emma and her partner recently.  Emma insisted she did not want him to see her ‘bits’.  He was amazed that even with her eyes firmly closed during labour, she knew if he was looking ‘down there’.  She was constantly telling him to stop looking, especially when baby was emerging.  It was important for Emma to keep her ‘sexy bits’ remaining her ‘sexy bits’.

3. What if I can’t go through with it?

The more horror stories women hear and read about, the more deeply embedded this idea becomes.  Surround yourself with positive, like-minded women and make sure that you pre-empt any negative stories by letting everyone know that you and your unborn baby only want to hear positive and beautiful stories.

4.  I don’t want everyone seeing my lady bits! 

This is so common.  So important to raise this during pregnancy to understand her feelings.  Doulas are very good at maintaining respect and dignity throughout labour and making sure the staff follow.  If a woman is naked, then a sheet can be draped over her.  Making sure Dad is at the ‘right’ end, especially if there is medical interference.

5. What if I groan and scream? 

The reality of this depends on the degree of fear and what prenatal education a woman had.  Women scream because they are frightened and in pain.  With Inside Birth® techniques, women learn about how their body functions when there is no fear, and how they can breathe their way through birth and enjoy it, without pain, working with their baby.

6. Other common concerns include:

fear of pain, fear of baby dying, fear of partner not coping, fear of long labour, fear of what they will look like during labour, fear of how they will look after giving birth, fear of medical intervention especially emergency caesarean, fear of forceps/ventouse, fear of blood, fear of not coping, fear of being too loud, fear of not being listened to, fear of vaginal examinations, fear of not making it to the hospital and birthing in the car, fear of having family members wanting to come to the birth, fear of not being able to love the baby.  These are just a few that are common.

4 TIPS TO AVOID THESE FEARS AND ENJOY YOUR BIRTH

1.  Shop around as early in pregnancy as possible for the ‘right’ caregiver and place to birth.
2. Hire a Birth Right doula.  Women need ongoing, continuity of support from an independent woman (i.e. one outside the hospital system)  A BIRTH RIGHT DOULA
3. Book an Inside Birth® prenatal course and learn about your amazing birthing body and how your thoughts and beliefs profoundly influence your labour, birth and baby.  You will learn how to  create positive images of birthing.

It is difficult for a woman to develop a positive mindset on her own.  It seems we live in a culture in Australia that almost embraces the horror stories about birth, with some pride.  Research shows that having a doula (the right doula) reduces the need for medical interventions by 70% (in my experience it is much higher than that!)  Women are designed to give birth and give birth beautifully.

MY GOLD NUGGET OF ADVICE 

Trust and believe in your ability to conceive, grow and birth magnificently and question everything that anyone wants to do during pregnancy, every test, every consent form, every ultrasound.  Always ask why?  How does this benefit me and my baby?  You are making every decision on behalf of your baby.  It is the beginning of parenting and as parents we never stop questioning.

“I am open to natural birth” said the Obstetrician to Lisa who was discussing what she wanted for her birth.

MIND THE LANGUAGE

Look at this language –  “I am open”, there are many different interpretations. Firstly the use of the word “I” so who owns this birth? Surely the birth belongs to Lisa and her baby. “I” would also suggest an intention to be in control, in charge of the birthing. Surely it’s Lisa and her baby who are in control of the birth. “I am open” also indicates the possibility of hearing what you want, therefore I am prepared to listen (maybe) but I, the Doctor have my own agenda, so I will indulge you, whilst you tell me what you think is going to happen, not that you, the woman, would know, because I am the expert here. And what does “natural birth” mean? Does this mean a normal birth, without interference, or is there a hidden agenda. Because for him, the Doctor, a natural birth, without interference, is not very exciting. Is this what he has trained all these years for? To be just hanging around, not using any of his skills, to watch a baby being born normally? People study medicine and become Doctors because they love the drama, and adrenaline rush of a medical emergency. They have trained for many years to perfect these skills. So it’s understandable that an Obstetrician, would prefer some type of emergency, or at the very least something abnormal, where he has the opportunity to use his skills. The ventouse or forceps birth, the emergency Caesarean section. He has also undertaken a medical degree because on some level his personality dictates rescuer or saviour. A Doctor gets satisfaction from saving the day! Or rather saving the mother and baby.

It is understandable that some women find the above statement reassuring, not knowing that as birth becomes imminent there will most likely be some battles that are inevitable with this model of care. A woman, who has not done any shopping around for caregivers or places to birth has nothing to compare. These women, are often the most fearful, unsure and hesitant because they don’t really feel totally supported in having a normal birthing experience, but often can’t articulate that feeling, because they are not quite sure why.

At her next visit at 32wks of pregnancy Lisa’s Obstetrician did an ultrasound why? No reason was given. The Obstetrician then told Lisa that it was very disappointing because her baby appeared to be in a posterior position and he would recommend booking a Caesarean Section! for 37wks so she could avoid a long, painful labour with a baby who was already in the ‘wrong’ position and would not have any chance of turning in labour. (Rescuer, saviour!)

Is their another agenda here? absolutely! And it is not Lisa’s and her baby.

5 ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS YOU MUST ASK OF YOUR CAREGIVER

1. What is your personal intervention rate?
2. What is the hospital intervention rate? Research shows private hospitals have much higher medical intervention rates than public hospitals. Some have 70-80% epidural rates and around a 50% Caesarean section rate. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that for a country like Australia, our Caesarean Section rate should be around 10%!   Women are not so flawed to warrant this level of intervention.
3. What reasons do you have for induction of labour?  This will give you a good indication of a doctors view on due date, in particular.
4. What do you find is the most common position for a woman to give birth?  This will give you a good indication of how ‘open’ a doctor is about flexible birthing positions.
5. What would be a reason for an episiotomy.  There are many doctors who do routine episiotomies.  Important to know this before birth.
So if you want to be assured of a normal birth, do your shopping around and don’t have faith in statements like “I am open to a natural birth”.
Lisa changed her care to a midwifery model at a public hospital and employed a doula. She feels much more relaxed and confident in her choices and really looking forward to her birth. She says for the first time in her pregnancy she feels safe and reassured that her choices will be respected.

Waterbirth

Probably because we begin our lives surrounded by water, most people find great repose with water. For thousands of years women have been using water for labour and birthing, they have used it ritually, and find great comfort in being immersed during labour. If there is a birthing pool or bath available to a woman in labour, it is very common, at some stage during labour, for her to gravitate to the water. It works its magic, especially for a woman who is anxious and physically very tense. This is no different than using water at other times in our lives. There is nothing more relaxing at the end of a stressful work day, or if you feel unwell or anxious, to relax, either in a shower or a bath. You can feel your tense body becoming more relaxed as it is bathed in warm water.

Known benefits of waterbirth:-

Can speed up labour
The effect of buoyancy allows spontaneous movement
Free from gravity
Reduces blood pressure
Can relieve anxiety
Many women report that water takes away 50-60% of uncomfortable sensations
Promotes relaxation
Conserves energy
Reduces the need for medical intervention, including drugs
Many women feel it is a private and protected space
Reduces perineal trauma and the need for an episiotomy
Encourages an easier birth
Provides a gentle entry into the world for the baby

If this is what triggers a labouring woman to relax, with sensory stimulation reduced, your body is less likely to secrete stimulating related hormones. This allows your body to produce the pain inhibitors that complement labour. A relaxed body equals a relaxed mind. Many women doulas and Midwives acknowledge the analgesic effect of water in labour.

Who Can Have a Waterbirth?

1.  First question to ask when shopping around for a place to give birth is does the facility provide for waterbirth. Not all hospitals have a deep bath suitable for a waterbirth. It is generally only available in a Birth Centre setting or at home, where you can hire a birthing pool. Some Delivery suites have a ‘token gesture’ bath, which is often a normal size bath and not suitable for a waterbirth. The bath needs to be deep enough for a pregnant belly to be fully immersed, to be able to enjoy the benefits of floating. Do not just assume if there is a bath in the room that waterbirth is a service that is provided.
2. Second question to ask is are all Midwives skilled and trained in waterbirths if that’s what you decide to do on the day. There are some facilities that provide the bath, and then on the day of birth, don’t have a Midwife who is skilled at waterbirth. This can be hugely disappointing for a woman who has chosen a place to give birth, based on the fact that waterbirth is an option, only to discover that the Midwife or obstetrician on the day, asks you to get out of the bath to birth. This is not an issue if you are birthing at home.

How will the Baby Breathe?

Babies do not drown if they are born underwater! The baby is receiving oxygen from the placenta through the cord which continues to provide oxygenated blood while he responds to the new stimuli and fills his lungs with air for the first time. They live in water (amniotic fluid) until labour begins their transition from the uterus to the air-filled world outside. It is a common policy in most hospitals that when baby is born that they are lifted onto their Mum, so head out of the water and body still floating in the warm water. They generally don’t cry and appear very calm and alert, especially if the environment is dark and quiet.

Common Myths about Labouring in Water

• Ruptured Membranes (broken waters) – there are still hospitals that will not ‘allow’ women with ruptured membranes to labour in water. There are no studies, to date, that indicate any associated risk. If the membranes have been ruptured for longer than 18 hrs., there is a slight risk of infection, whether a woman is labouring in or out of water.
• If a woman is not in good established labour then being in water may be so relaxing that labour either slows or stops and the opposite can also be true
• Drink plenty of fluids as dehydration is more common if labouring for a long time in water.
• It is time to get out of the bath if labour slows or stops

There are other ways to use water if the place where you are birthing does not provide waterbirth. Using the shower, straddling a chair with running water is using both gravity and water. The use of hot/cold packs can also be beneficial.
Once a woman has experienced a waterbirth, there is overwhelming evidence that she will want to have all her babies in water.

All hospitals should be providing this option for women.
If you are in a situation where your local hospital does not provide this option then CHANGE will only occur if women demand this choice be provided. All women should have the option of birthing in water. You won’t know, until you are in labour, where you want to give birth, or in what position., but you should have the choice.

Educators are very important people in our community.  Our Government spends many millions on all levels of education but not much focus on antenatal education, apart from the inadequate hospital based classes offered in most public hospitals.

What is a childbirth educator?

A childbirth educator teaches, in a variety of ways, invaluable knowledge to pregnant couples.  She may be referred to as an ante-natal, pre-natal, birthing or parenting educator.  It all means the same.
Both public and private hospitals offer various classes.  If couples want independent and objective information then they should source a business who offers classes privately.
There is no doubt that this is the most important knowledge a pregnant woman and her partner will ever receive.

6 essentials to become a childbirth educator – Is This You?

1. Must have sound knowledge about pregnancy, labour and birth
2. Must have a positive attitude about birthing
3. Must have an open mind
4. Must be a good listener
5. Must believe in a woman’s innate ability to birth
6. Must be creative in teaching and empowering pregnant women
You may already be a midwife or doula OR a physiotherapist, chiropractor, naturopath, acupuncturist, mother and have an interest in changing lives through powerful education.

What are the rewards when teaching Inside Birth® classes?

• Imagine meeting a group of pregnant couples on the first night of classes and hearing and seeing all their fears and anxieties, listening to all the horror stories they have read about and heard and knowing by the end of the course you will have a group before you who are confident, empowered and looking forward to birthing and meeting their baby.

• Observing couples do a full 360 degree turnaround is a massive reward for the educator.

• Imagine having the power to change their thinking and eliminate all fears and anxieties.

• Enjoy running your own business with full support and mentoring from Birth Right

• And YES you will make money!

Different types of childbirth educator training

There are many different ‘styles’ or ‘methods’ of childbirth educator training.  Over the last 30 years I have known, observed and/or taught many different ‘methods’ from Bradley method, Lamaze, Active Birth, hypnobirth, calm, and the list goes on.  Most ‘methods’ are very prescriptive, as evident from the name, e.g. you will have an Active Birth or a hypnobirth or a calm and peaceful birth.  Many hospital based classes instruct women with techniques to manage labour and birth.  The effect on women is totally disempowering.

INSIDE BIRTH® TRAINING

Women do not need to be told how they should give birth. What women want is to be respected, supported and empowered.

Inside Birth® Practitioner Training what you will learn

• how to change a woman’s thinking about her birthing body and baby
• how to teach the all-important connection with baby, including lots of fun games to play with baby in utero
• how to tap into her feminine power and re-connect with her true source of primal grounding
• how to feel safe in her beautiful birthing place
• doulas and Dad’s
• Inside Birth® deep hypnosis this powerful tool is unique to Inside Birth®
• how to set up your own Inside Birth® business

Courses are conducted over 4 days all face to face training.  For those who have no previous birthing experience, then completion of an online birthing module is essential, prior to the 4 day training.

Do you want a career where you will truly make a difference, be stimulated, passionate about working at the beginning of life, then check out our next training in January, 2016, in the beautiful Blue Mountains.

HOW TO BECOME A BIRTH DOULA

Not everyone is suited to birth doula training. At Birth Right I have trained women from all walks of life, from chiropractors, stay at home Mum’s, naturopaths, actors, musicians, IT specialist, yoga practitioners, massage therapists, midwives and many ‘others’. How to become a Birth Doula is easy just check out our online/face to face training and get started on this wonderful path. But what qualities should you have to be a successful doula:

6 secret qualities to becoming a birth doula

1. Book a birth debrief for your own births essential! I have great success using hypnotherapy for birth debriefing.
2. Understand that this is not about you and how you gave birth
3. Know how to truly listen
4. Be confident with normal birthing
5. Believe and trust in a woman’s ability to birth without interference
6. Be Fearless
At Birth Right we offer two theory modules online, followed up by a face to face weekend workshop. You will be supported throughout this training, via phone and email. Our online modules will challenge your thinking, offering real life scenarios to walk you through face to face situations with pregnant women and their partners. Once these two online modules have been completed you will attend a face to face weekend workshop, which brings it all together in a very supportive environment. Birth Right is located in the beautiful Blue Mountains, in N.S.W., however if it is impossible to attend physically, we can organise skype sessions.

HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT BIRTH DOULA TRAINING FOR YOU

1. Shop around. Do your due diligence. This is exactly what I show pregnant women how to do.
2. Ask what is the qualifications and experience of the person running the training? At Birth Right you will be trained by me, with my almost 40 years experience with birthing. Our Birth Doula Training has a strong focus on making sure the trainee doula has a unique understanding of the hospital system and how to negotiate with staff, in a respectful manner.
3. What support and resources are offered whilst training?
4. Is the training online only? I recommend steering away from online only, which is why I have developed a combined online/face to face.

WHAT NEXT

What happens once you have graduated? Does the training place offer any support or ongoing inservice? How will you find clients? What if I find challenges that I don’t know how to manage? At Birth Right you have the opportunity to join the Birth Right doula mentoring team. This includes a profile on our website, where you will advertise what you are about and what areas you will work and travel to. Birth Right does all the admin with clients, agreements, negotiating the right doula and many other questions. This offers smooth sailing for the doula, without having to worry about all the necessary admin. You will be offered to join our private facebook group, where you will receive ongoing info and support from like-minded doulas. We also offer one birth debriefing/ inservice support day per year all face to face. This can also be done via skype.

WILL I BECOME A MILLIONAIRE AS A BIRTH DOULA?

NO! What value can be put on this service? It is beyond monetary. So if you are not going to get rich quick in this business, why would you choose to become a Birth Doula?

YOU SHOULD ONLY CHOOSE THIS TRAINING IF:

• you want unbelievable job satisfaction
• you want rewards that are truly immeasurable
• you enjoy working with young women and their partners
• you understand the importance of how a baby enters the world
• you want to be a part of the beginning of life

you want to make a difference to high medical intervention rates in Australia (research shows that having a Birth Doula reduces the need for intervention by up to 70%)

8 key elements for every pregnant woman to consider

1. ARE YOU ANXIOUS OR FEARFUL ABOUT YOUR BIRTH?
A Doula will eliminate anxiety and fears by providing a safe, supportive environment.

2. ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT WHO WILL BE LOOKING AFTER YOU IN THE BIRTHING ROOM?
A doula will provide continuity of care throughout your pregnancy, labour and birthing. That is, emotional, physical, spiritual, nurturing and advocacy for you and your partner.

3. ARE YOU CONCERNED THAT NO-ONE WILL LISTEN TO WHAT YOU WANT IN LABOUR?
A doula represents ONLY you and your partner. She will be your advocate. She knows what you want and has the skills to work with the staff in a respectful way

4. ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT TIME FRAMES AND BEING RUSHED INTO MEDICAL INTERVENTION DECISIONS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY IMPACT YOU AND YOUR BABY?

Research shows that by having a doula it reduces the need for medical intervention by 70-80%

5. ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF YOUR BABY?
A doula will provide a protective bubble around you in labour so that you can relax and enjoy your labour and birthing.

6. ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT YOUR PARTNER? WILL HE COPE? WILL HE FAINT? DOES HE REALLY WANT TO BE THERE?
Having a doula allows your partner to relax, and enjoy becoming a Dad, whatever that looks like for him on the day. Tag teaming with coffee, food breaks, sleeps or just time out. Also making sure he understands that this labouring (which he has never seen before) is looking very normal.

7. ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT HAVING TO FIT INTO THE HOSPITALS AGENDA AND FOLLOW THEIR POLICIES ABOUT BIRTHING?
Our Birth Right doulas are highly trained in knowing and understanding hospital policies and procedures. This is essential in being able to explain and normalise all hospital procedures for you and your partner.

8. ARE YOU WORRIED YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO NEGOTIATE, IN THE MIDDLE OF LABOUR?
To labour in a relaxed and mindful way, a woman in not using her critical thinking part of the brain. The doula has got to know you very well during your pregnancy, and will absolutely have the skills to respectfully steer any negotiating.
If you answered YES to any or maybe all of the above questions, then you certainly need and deserve a doula.
Some women and their partners are concerned that having a doula will somehow take away their private and intimate experience of birthing. This is understandable BUT having a doula has the opposite effect. A doula will create the very environment, which is unique for each couple, to allow you both to feel protected, safe and private. She essentially takes all the above worries out of the equation, by being your personal representative.

DO NOT’S
1. DO NOT assume you have the skills to fulfil the role of a doula. It is common for partners who are maybe in a management role at work, to believe they can also manage a birth. Doulas are trained to have a unique understanding of the hospital system and those who work in it.
2. DO NOT choose a friend or family member for support. They are too emotionally connected and don’t have doula skills.
3. DO NOT leave it to the last minute to choose a doula. Ideally employ a doula as early in pregnancy as possible, so you can get to know each other and she is on your birthing page.
4. DO NOT choose a ‘random’ doula. Shop around for the right doula for you. Most importantly ask about the qualifications of the organisation who trained them. There are any number of training organisations. Birth Right guarantees our doulas are well educated in all aspects of doulaing as I have shared my 40 years birthing experience, with each and everyone who comes through our training school. All Birth Right doulas receive ongoing support and mentoring.
For further information contact Susan on 0419 606 171 so I can have a discussion about which doula will best suit your needs.

ALTERNATIVE THERAPIES NOW MAINSTREAM

We are all very familiar with this term and many people have first hand experience of some kind of ‘alternative therapy’.  The dictionary definition is:

Complementary therapies (‘alternative’, ‘traditional’ or ‘holistic ‘therapies’) often claim to treat the whole person, rather than the symptom of the disease. These include homeopathy, naturopathy, yoga and acupuncture, and are sometimes used alongside conventional medicine in a belief they can ‘complement’ treatments.

But are all these ‘alternative’ therapies really ‘alternative’?  or have they become very mainstream?

Alternative medicine is any practice that can have the same healing effects of medicine, but does not originate from scientific evidence. It consists of a wide range of practices, products and therapies, ranging from being biologically plausible but not well tested, to being directly contradicted by evidence and science.
Examples include homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurvedic medicine.

Complementary medicine is alternative medicine used together with conventional medical treatment in a belief not established using the scientific method, that it “complements” (improves the efficacy of) the treatment. CAM is the abbreviation for complementary and alternative medicine.
“Alternative medicine”, “complementary medicine”, “holistic medicine”, “natural medicine”, “unorthodox medicine”, “fringe medicine”, “unconventional medicine”, and “new age medicine” may be used interchangeably as having the same meaning but may have different meanings in other contexts.

Homeopathy is a system developed in a belief that a substance that causes the symptoms of a disease in healthy people will cure similar symptoms in sick people.  It was developed before knowledge of atoms and molecules, and of basic chemistry, which shows that repeated dilution as practiced in homeopathy produces only water and that homeopathy is scientifically implausible. Homeopathy is considered quackery in the medical community.

Traditional Chinese medicine is a combination of many different traditional practices and beliefs developed over thousands of years in China.  Among them is herbal medicine, acupuncture and the use of Chinese herbs.

Ayurvedic medicine is a traditional medicine of India. Ayurveda stresses the use of plant-based medicines and treatments, with some animal products, and added minerals, including sulphur, arsenic, lead, copper sulphate.

Chiropractic was developed in the belief that manipulating the spine affects the flow of a supernatural vital energy and thereby affects health and disease.
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Alternative therapies are so popular and so accepted that many of them are now more mainstream, than traditional mainstream medicine.

PROBLEMS:

1. We have created a culture that believes for every little ailment, there is a solution in a pill, herb, vitamin or prescription from a general practitioner.
2. There is a belief that SOMETHING must be taken in order to heal even a minor ailment.
3. This has lead to an acceptance in our community that you need help to heal.
Whilst this is obviously true if there is a real need, e.g. a broken leg needs medical help.  An inflamed appendix needs to be removed, and many other obvious examples.

BUT WHAT IS THIS TEACHING OUR CHILDREN?

1. You cannot heal yourself
2. You must take SOMETHING in order to ‘get better’
3. So-called ‘natural’ remedies are better than doctor prescribed or vice versa

So what is the difference between taking a medicine from the doctor/pharmacist or the naturopath or herbalist?  NOTHING!  it all leads to encouraging people to think that their own body and immune system is so dysfunctional it is not possible to heal itself.

ATTITUDINAL CHANGE

It is disturbing to think that our nation’s people are so sick they must take SOMETHING the multi-million dollar vitamin industry loves it, and the sales pitch a powerful one.

3 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR CHANGE – Teaching our children from the very beginning of life the importance of:-

1.  Being happy teach your children the power of relaxation, of just being in the moment.  Children respond beautifully to relaxation and visualisation imagery.
2. Fun exercise teach your children fun ways of moving their body daily.
3. Exciting foods to make you strong get them involved in the kitchen.  Introduce ‘treats’ as healthy indulgences, e.g. blueberries (especially when they are out of season and expensive), rather than ‘sugar treats’.  ‘Sugar’ and ‘treat’ should not be in the same sentence.

As parents we must be good role models of this lifestyle and lead by example. And if we teach our children that it is a last resort to reach for any kind of vitamin, tablet, pill or whatever we may well find that later in life they will have a different attitude to taking any substance.

A STRONG, HAPPY MIND MAKES A STRONG, HAPPY BODY
Teaching our children to use their mind for healing is a powerful tool for life and an important imprint in their subconscious mind.
I have a strong mind and body that are connected and through my own ‘thinking’ I can heal most things.

HOSPITAL AND DOCTOR FOR YOUR BIRTH CRAZY CONCEPT?

We have a culture in this country (and many others) where women go to a place called a hospital to have a baby.  Is this a crazy concept?

What are hospitals?

Some dictionary definitions include:
‘an institution in which sick or injured persons are given medical or surgical treatment’
‘a facility that provides emergency, inpatient, and usually outpatient care for sick or injured people’
‘a building designed to diagnose and treat the sick, injured or dying.  Usually has a staff of doctors and nurses to aid in the treatment of patients’

Definition of a doctor?

‘a person who is qualified to treat people who are ill’
‘a person who is skilled in the science of medicine:  a person who is trained and licensed to treat sick and injured people’

So if hospitals and doctors are there to diagnose and treat the sick, ill and dying ‘patient’, why is it that this NORMAL event called having a baby, generally happens in a hospital and often with a doctor?
It is understandable that women/couples don’t ‘think’ about their choices, because the doctor/hospital option is ‘sold’ on a national scale, as being the norm.  The majority of women know someone, a friend or family member, who went to a doctor for their pregnancy, labour and birth.  A minority, know someone who has been cared for by a midwife and birthed in a birthing centre or at home.

What is a midwife?

Some dictionary definitions include:
‘a person qualified to deliver babies and to care for women before, during and after childbirth’
‘a midwife is a professional in midwifery.  In addition to providing care to women during pregnancy and birth, midwives may also provide primary care related to reproductive health, including annual gynaecological exams, family planning and menopausal care’
‘midwives are specialists in childbirth, postpartum, and well-woman care’
It is perhaps surprising that many in the community are not aware that a midwife is trained, and indeed does, look after women for their pregnancy, labour, birth, baby and post-natally.

I met a couple, recently, who were pregnant with their first baby, well educated and had chosen a public hospital and midwifery care.  I became aware that whilst she understood the role of a midwife, he clearly, did not.  He was quite horrified to discover that it was unlikely that a doctor would be present during the birth of his baby.  I asked him what he understood a midwife to be?  His answer was quite shocking:  ‘she hands the doctor all the instruments during birth’!!  His partner was in disbelief.  Now we did all have a laugh after a lengthy discussion about pregnancy and birthing being a ‘normal’ event, but sadly, this is not an isolated story.  Many obstetricians find it very uncomfortable when a woman says she wants a normal birth.  Afterall, what are they going to do?  How will they earn their fee if they don’t use some medical intervention often presented as necessary to save mother and baby.  A doctor is trained to cure the disease, fix the medical problem, diagnose and treat.  This is what they specialise in, trained in, and what they go into medicine to do.  So this position of being in the background (just in case), or sitting on their hands and not touching, fixing, doing, treating, is a foreign concept and perhaps an unrealistic expectation.

Changing our Culture

It is never easy to change ‘thinking’ in a culture where something has been in place for a very long time.  Many women simply don’t think about shopping around for a caregiver or place to birth as they just assume that doctor/hospital is the right thing to do.
There is nothing that needs diagnosing, treating or fixing about growing and birthing a baby.  Pregnancy and birthing are what women are designed to do, without medical interference.  So shop around and TRUST in your amazing birthing body.

BIRTH HORMONES LET THEM FLOW

When our ancestors were in labour and giving birth, they had other women in attendance.  Young girls and women grew up knowing and seeing birthing as a very normal event.  They were exposed to this normality from an early age.  As birth has become more medicalised, the only exposure for most ‘modern’ women is what they see in movies and on television.

Women have been brainwashed into believing that birth is something to be feared, that it is painful, and must be treated as a medical event, rather than a normal event.  As a result many have lost sight of the fact that, as women, we are designed to become pregnant, give birth and mother.
To experience a beautiful and enjoyable pregnancy, labour and birthing, there are just a few basics.  Most people would do their due diligence when buying a car or house, for example.  This is way more important.

4 must-do’s –  shop around

• Find the right caregiver for you, midwife or obstetrician
• Find the right place to give birth, for you, birth centre, hospital delivery suite, home
• Find the right doula support, for you
• Find the right prenatal course, for you

A woman makes all these decisions on behalf of her baby, allowing them the best opportunity to enter the world in a loving, caring and peaceful way.

BUT the most important, and sometimes the most challenging is to change the way your mind thinks about birth.

ENERGY FLOWS WHERE YOUR ATTENTION GOES  –   the more concentration on fear about birthing, the more focus on listening and absorbing all the horror birth stories and movie and television images, the more this interrupts the flow of birth hormones.
Birth is a sensual experience, sometimes orgasmic, as the same hormones responsible for birthing, are the very ones present during lovemaking.  Birth must be respected as intimate and sacred.

Birthing Hormones –  a brief overview

• Oxytocin the hormone of love, responsible for feelings of loving, trust and mother-infant bonding.  Released from the pituitary gland, it helps with the cervix dilating and birthing baby and placenta.  This is the hormone which plays an important role in orgasm, for both men and women.  Also responsible for the overwhelming ‘in love’ feeling a woman has towards her baby, immediately upon meeting for the first time, on the outside.
• Endorphins  –  these hormones work as a natural analgesic.  Also responsible for providing that incredible feeling of pleasure following exercise and orgasm.  It is not uncommon for women to talk about being on another planet, or having an out of body experience.
• Adrenaline the fight or flight response this can be a protection hormone in labour.  An animal, who is in labour, but senses imminent danger, secretes adrenalin, stopping labour, allowing her to find a safe place.  This hormone release is responsible for many women experiencing slow labours, which inevitably end up with medical intervention.  They can feel unsafe, simply by birthing in a medicalised environment, without appropriate support.
• Prolactin  –  is the breastfeeding or mothering hormone, and begins during pregnancy.  It helps with nesting and bonding in the first few months of life.

The fears and medicalised way of birthing is the main contribution to interference of the hormonal flow during labour and birthing.  We must get back to and provide women with an opportunity to connect and trust their innate birthing power.