THE POWER OF HYPNOBIRTHING: CONNECT THE MIND AND BODY

The crux of hypnobirthing is about becoming more mindful about your body and your baby. Look at the journey you have been on so far in your pregnancy. How many amazing things – miracles really – have happened up until this point? It’s mind blowing!
 
Your body intuitively knows how to grow that little person within you. A tiny human being is developing and growing each day. Whilst you go about your day, nature knows the exact order and process in which to allow your baby to develop. For women who go into labour spontaneously, this happens at the right time – when your body and baby are ready for the next chapter. Your cervix will ripen, soften and open. For nine months, these muscles have remained tightly closed - to keep your baby protected in the uterus. In early labour, they will dilate to make way for your baby to gently make his way down into your pelvis and birth canal.
 
The muscles around the top of the uterus, which have gently expanded as your baby has grown, will contract and tighten to help your baby nudge his way down. This will happen gently to start with but may grow in intensity as the body works to move your baby down into the birth canal. These are commonly known as ‘contractions’ - what hypnobirthing teachers may also call ‘surges’ or ‘waves’.
 
A hypnobirthing course teaches you the skills and techniques to trust in the ability of your body. Relax, nature already knows what to do. You simply need to embrace that journey with calm confidence and let your body do the rest.
 
Hypnobirthing techniques will help the mum feel calm and focused. She understands that any tension in her body may make the feelings during a contraction more intense. Tense muscles can’t work as efficiently. When a uterus is contracting, any tension in the body could mean:

• feeling the contractions more intensely
• being more uncomfortable during labour
• tiring more quickly
• asking for pain-relief sooner and/or more often than she would otherwise

 
Invariably labour could last longer, as the tension and tightness slow down or delay the baby’s descent.

How do the hormones oxytocin and adrenalin affect labour?

A mother naturally produces oxytocin to help labour start and to maintain regular contractions. It is sometimes known as the ‘happy hormone’. Our body also produces oxytocin on other occasions, such as: when we laugh, when we are happy and when we make love.
 
The opposing hormone to oxytocin is adrenalin. It is also known as the fight-or-flight hormone (or, in the case of labour, the fight-flight-or-freeze hormone). You don’t want adrenalin and its associated hormones to be present during labour and birth. This is not a good place to be mentally or physically when you are about to birth your baby. It is not good for your baby either. They can pick up on your emotions, which could potentially make labour more difficult for them as well. If the midwife detects a baby in distress, they will be concerned. If this persists, alternative care may need to be considered, maybe even a C-section.
 
As you can see, the links between the mind and the body are strong. You can influence how you feel one way or another. Hypnobirthing scripts, visualisations and positive birth affirmations are all techniques used by mothers to help them remain calm, reassured and focused. All these techniques can make the labour more comfortable (often with reduced, or sometimes no, pain-relief and fewer medical interventions), which tends to result in a shorter labour. How appealing does that sound?
 
A hypnobirthing course will teach you and your birth partner a variety of techniques that will enable you to connect your body, your mind and your spirit with your baby, in a positive way. so that you can have a calm pregnancy and a positive birth experience.
 
Prepare yourself and your birth partner for a birth experience that feels right for you. Use hypnobirthing techniques to calmly connect with your body, your mind and your baby. It can help you achieve the birth you want.

If you want to know more about what a hypnobirthing course can offer you, buy The Power of Hypnobirthing: 10 reasons why its for you. It's available on Amazon and Kindle.

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