Well for me HypnoBirthing; The Mongan Method was definitely "to be". I can say that it didn’t go without scepticism. In all honesty what brought
me to HypnoBirthing was a very scary bleed at 24weeks+2 and a very burning desire to spend time in my pregnancy. Having 3 children, a job, a husband and a home to function was making life very busy for me. I felt extremely well during my pregnancy as I have in all my pregnancies and the sheer stress of managing these things and people as well as other life stresses was enough for my body to go, wowah mama you’re a little busy here lets slow down a little. That was when I realised my pregnancy was passing me by and I wasn’t giving myself time to think, prepare and explore my beautiful baby bump, as well as my birth. I mean who does….we know labour and birth are going to happen and we expect it to happen to us…..we don’t realise our body, mind and heart set the stage, we have the main part…. and you wouldn’t dare go onto centre stage at performance time without preparing your costume, props, or not knowing your lines and what they mean, understanding your character, what your character wants….would you?
The concept of relaxation was enough for me, spending time visualising and practising my breathing was amazing, time for myself and baby to connect. Learning about how my body actually works during birth and the choices I had, made me think about what I had missed out on with my other births. Although as with anything when your told that if you practice, practice and practice some more the chances are you could have a pain free birth as most women do……I came away from the sessions thinking ok……but if I need to go on the gas and air I will because you never know what’s going to happen, I then put this to the back of my head because the sessions and home practice were at the forefront of my mind….not the what ifs.
Being part of a group was really helpful, because we could talk about things, share and learn new positive birth experiences, as well as all being genuinely interested in each others journey. There was so much more to group than just doing it alone with a book and relaxation cd, there was support, the inspiration of other birthing women desiring this positive HypnoBirth, being round pregnant women is so powerful especially in preparation classes for birth and amazing communication. The things I didn’t realise about birth were unbelievable, things that aren’t covered by your community antenatal care; to mention a few
Delayed cord clamping
Oral Vitamin K
4th Trimester and Baby Moon
HypnoBirthing Language
Hormones
Birth Preferences in detail
I absolutely could not believe how much I had missed out on with my 3 previous births. I had ultimate belief in my body and my baby. Through the power and knowledge I gained I had control and confidence to challenge when I needed to and birth my way. Fear and tension was not present….it had gone, I was excited, patient and looking forward to birthing my baby in joy because I realised I am an individual not just another pregnant woman to be treated like the masses and adhere to protocol. I am birthing my baby, not the system….me. My hubby was part of the classes and at home practice too, this is so important for HypnoBirthing because your companion (whether it is your partner, mother/father, friend, sister or doula ) has a role, has responsibility and will protect you within the birthing space and support your informed decisions and preferences. It is as much education for them as it is you.
Practice, read, practice, read and practice more………..I practiced the Rainbow relaxation and listen to affirmations of an evening because they literally zonked me into my deep relaxation, my place of calmness, the place I was to go when my surges were in motion.
When my birthing time came, I laboured for 2 hours and 25 minutes in complete harmony, relaxed and yes pain free labour. Just reaching the hospital in time I birthed my beautiful 10lb 13oz baby completely naturally with no intervention. I was in my element, I was on top of the world and no one could reach me there. The midwife believed in me……do you know how powerful that is in the birthing room, for your midwife to step back, observe and allow you total control? I do, it is so empowering
When I had birthed my baby, I felt even more amazing, strong and powerful. It wasn’t just about the way I birthed it is about the strength and knowledge I gained as a woman, the total trust I had in myself. This is why I believe HypnoBirthing can work for you if you decide to labour with induction, intervention or C-section because HypnoBirthing is very much about how you feel in your approach to birth other than just in birth. Women make good instinctive decisions when they are informed and HypnoBirthing prepares you for this, something which many women of today including myself didn’t know or had forgotten.
For some women HypnoBirthing will be a “not to be” and there are many reasons for this, maybe they lean on the maternity care providers to guide them too much, maybe they believe childbirth is supposed to hurt so I’ll just grin and bear it and ultimately many women don’t believe or trust their body and their baby that is made to do this. For some women they may never be able to overcome the sheer anxiety and panic, a lot of it depends on how you open up your mind to this wonderful birth preparation technique as well as recognising that preparing for birth is importnat. I loved it so much and believe in it and believe in women that I am now a certified HypnoBirthing Educator as I said to myself if this works I want to teach and empower other women to take responsibility and invest time in themselves and their baby for birth. Amaze yourself….be amazed…Your Birth Matters.
