by Linette Landa of the Shanti Yoga Center for Harmony
When bringing a child into the world, taking care of ourselves is our joy and our duty. We must learn, and put into practice, good breathing, exercise, diet, relaxation and positive thinking. These are the necessary foundations for our bodies and minds to be healthy and to work in harmony for a positive pregnancy, birthing and parenting. Yoga, a comprehensive, holistic, self-care system, offers guidance and methods in all of these areas. HypnoBirthing® complements yoga beautifully. It tells us very convincingly why and how to rid ourselves of the notion that birth is a dangerous, painful process to be feared, and teaches relaxation and natural breathing techniques to bring the baby into the world in the calm and gentle way that nature intended.
“Nothing disturbs the course of natural labor more than fear. That is a known and well-proved scientific fact,” wrote Dr. Grantly Dick-Read in Childbirth Without Fear, 1944. Dick-Read is the father of natural childbirth according to Marie Mongan who developed the HypnoBirthing Program in 1989 based on his work. Eliminating fear is the first step in the program, because couples learn where the fear of childbirth comes from and its effect on labor and the baby. “Tense woman, tense cervix; relaxed woman, relaxed cervix,” said Dick-Read. Fear releases catecholamines – constrictor hormones – as part of the fight/flight response of the body. That not only prolongs labor and causes pain while the uterus tries to pull open tight muscles, but can lead to fetal distress as the oxygen supply to the uterus is reduced, contractions become more violent and labor drags on.
HypnoBirthing mothers learn to be calm and confident during labor and birthing, and they learn skills in physical and mental relaxation. Not in a trance, they are very present, keen observers of the process that is taking place in their bodies. The hours of practice with breathing, relaxation and visualizations induce the release of endorphins (our body’s natural anesthesia), creating the conditions that allow the mother to open up first and then to quietly breath the baby down to crowning and into her waiting arms.
Yoga and HypnoBirthing practices “teach” relaxation to the baby by circulating endorphins and reducing stress during the pregnancy. Also, parents are encouraged to connect with their unborn baby so there is a strong bond of love even before the birth. There are plenty of ways to do this according to prenatal psychology experts. Singing, talking, playing music, reading, stroking, etc., all help mothers, fathers and siblings know that the baby is real and already part of the family. Imagining what it is like to be your baby in the womb is also very effective. For example, if you have had an argument or see a violent scene on the news and then realize your baby heard that, too, your best motherly instincts come forth to try to prevent future exposure to negative stimulation and to assure your baby that it has nothing to do with him/her. When this kind of connection is made, parents realize more profoundly how important this stage of life is, and become advocates for a positive environment for the pregnancy and birth of their child.
[...] read the full article at hypnobirthingutah.com
