I just wanted to quickly post about a new resource that I am supporting that I thought you might find useful and interesting. It is a site called Free Hypnosis and it is aiming to provide free hypnosis downloads and free hypnosis scripts to help people with any issues they might have and for any areas they may want to excel in.

The underlying assumption they are making is that hypnosis is a totally natural phenomenon and therefore everyone should be able to utilise hypnosis to further better themselves. This is something I couldn’t agree more on. To this end they are promoting a ‘Learn Hypnosis Free’ course that you can sign up to that will teach you how to apply these techniques to any situation. It is a 5 day email course and there are audios and documents to work through on each day.

All this and it is totally free. I recommend that you head on over and check it out and have some fun with free hypnosis.

A recent study regarding weight gain during pregnancy recently caught my eye as it identified that weight gain does increase the weight of a child independently of genetic factors.

The study, which involved over 500 thousand women and 1 million children showed a consistent association between pregnancy weight gain and birthweight. In summary, each kg gained by the mother in pregnancy increasing the baby's birthweight by 7.35 g. Infants of women who gained more than 24 kg during pregnancy were around 150g heavier at birth than were infants of women who gained 8-10 kg.

I do believe that much more can be done for pregnant mums during pregnancy to help ensure they have the healthiest pregnancy and baby possible. Although there’s a significant amount of monitoring of the baby, advice to help stop smoking, drinking and information regarding what to eat from a danger perspective, there seemed to be much less focus on weight gain.

From working with pregnant women, some who have found it easy to manage their weight and others who have struggled, I have noted down below the four key things which made a positive difference.

1) Only eat when you are hungry and stop before you are full
A Paul McKenna favourite, but this really worked both for me personally and many other mums. This is also an opportunity to practise listening to your body which is a wonderful skill you will be thankful for during your birth.

2) Make time for yourself so you can stay active
Whether this be seeing an osteopath to help with back problems (my osteopath Richard Skudder was a lifesaver - thanks Richard!), going to a pregnancy yoga class, or any other activities which make you feel good - the better you feel, the more active you’re likely to be. This will help both with you and your baby’s health as well as preparing you for your birth day. Remember to take advice from your care provider about what type of exercises you are able to take part in.

3) Consider what you will feed your baby once he/she is born
It’s likely that you wouldn’t knowingly feed your baby unhealthy food once they are born, so start considering their diet before their birth day. Babies tend to be de-humanised during pregnancy by being referred to as a foetus rather than baby, so reframe this for yourself and begin to be the mum you want to be, right from the start.

4) Break all of the above rules... occasionally
Remember to enjoy your pregnancy, celebrate each day, treat yourself occasionally and look forward to your birth day.

If you would like further information on exercises during pregnancy, then do check out my previous post where I recommended an e-book containing birth ball exercises. Purchasing the book will enable you to have access to a free exercise motivation during pregnancy hypnosis download which I created especially to go with the book.

For more information on the article, go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/196836.php

The Article, published Online First in The Lancet, is written by Dr David S Ludwig, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA, and Dr Janet Currie, Columbia University, New York, USA.

Photo credit: stuartwebster

Being in the birthing business means that you often build closer relationships to people you deal with than in other professions. This is the case for a couple and their beautiful baby I met up with recently. We met up to chat about the birth of their second child and how, even though they felt as though they had a good first birth experience, they thought this may not happen for the second. I think there are many people who go through this thought process, which often isn't helped by well meaning friends or relatives claiming that it wouldn’t be the same for the second child, or that it was just luck that it was ok for the first.

This led me to consider how we need to ensure that mums to be and their birth companions understand that although the physical birth outcome is changeable, the skills and resources you have to ensure you have a good birth experience are constant and, like any skill, will only improve with practise.

As I wrote in a previous blog post when I questioned "What Is a Natural Birth?", there are 4 key elements to ensuring mum comes away from her birth recognising that it was a good experience. These are:

• Did mum and birth companion feel in control of their birth?
• Was the birth as calm and gentle as possible?
• Was mum relaxed throughout the birth?
• Did mum feel empowered after the birth?

I know I contradict some of the well known antenatal classes who infer that the best birth experiences are completely 'natural' ones, however I passionately believe that a great birth experience includes those who choose to have gas and air, epidurals, caesarean sections, hospital births and the multpiple other options which are available to help support the arrival of a healthy and happy baby.

A great quote by Jimmy Dean comes to mind when I consider birth - "I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." A first time mum sails her maiden voyage for her first birth, having learned the skills but never having experienced the changing wind or power of the seas. A second time mum returns to the sea as an experienced sailor, she has the familiarity of the ocean and knows just how to work with that power and how to best harness the energy of nature.

Photo credit: wili_hybrid

When working with a pregnant mum it is incredibly important to understand the psychological impact you have on her and ultimately her birth. Regardless of whether you are a trainee midwife attending your first birth, an experienced birth professional of many years or even one of a multitude of other care providers who come into contact with pregnant mums, if you are involved in her journey then you can have an impact the birth outcome. By creating consistent positive messages for mum, between us we can help her to relax and trust in herself, her body and her baby. A positive birth experience does not necessarily mean a natural birth or home birth, it simply means that mum recognises that her birth experience was a positive one.

"There is power that comes to women when they give birth. They don't ask for it, it simply invades them. Accumulates like clouds on the horizon and passes through, carrying the child with it." Sheryl Feldman

Factor 1 - Generating and maintaining a trance state

When women are experiencing a calm and relaxed labour they find themselves going into a trance state, this is a completely natural state and is key to the outcome of the birth. The complete unfaltering focus of attention that mum has on what is happening inside her body needs to be maintained and protected in order for her to work with her body and baby successfully. In a similar way to the telephone ringing when you're reading a good book, an interruption to this trance state will distract mum and cause her to need to refocus her attention. Achieving and maintaining trance states during labour can be quite difficult when in an unfamiliar environment (eg hospital), where comings and goings are assumed to be out of the control of mum and birth companion, however it is key that either a birth professional or birth companion recognises the importance of the trance state and removes or reduces opportunities for this to be impacted. This can include:

• Enhancing how relaxed mum is by focusing on all of her sense e.g. favourite scent, soft blanket, relaxing sounds, favourite picture to focus on, visualisations incorporating all of her senses
• Reducing volume of people present and controlling who is able to enter the room
• Removing clocks (time distortion happens during a trance and recognition of how long you have been in labour can break a trance state)
• Reducing examinations as much as possible
• Reducing medical noises in the room which may increase anxiety
• Reduce monitoring as much as possible - listening to a machine means she's not listening to her body
• Allow mum to stay in her own comfortable clothes
• Birthing pool can be particularly good, not only for how relaxed they make mum feel, but also they act as a barrier to people entering her "zone"

If any external activities do impact mums trance state, then it's important to recognise the signs of this and to understand the impact of anxiety creeping in. To gain an understanding of this for yourself, please check out my video on Fight or Flight.

Factor 2 - Resolving key emotional issues

Harbouring emotional issues can cause labour to slow down or to stop and often conversations arise during labour which have been outstanding for some time, get resolved and then labour continues. For mum to be completely at ease and for her mind and body to recognise that it is a safe time and place to give birth, resolution of these issues should happen prior to labour. One technique I have found particularly useful is to talk through the key basic needs which give us good balance in our life, this is based on a Human Givens approach. In summary, the Human Givens include;

• Sense of security - This can be both in mind and body. Think for a moment about your home, work, or where you spend a lot of your time, does this feel like a physically safe environment? From a mind perspective, how safe and secure are you in your relationships, whether these are personal or work related.
• Sense of status - It may be that you do get a sense of status from a particular role you play at work, however this can be also achieved in the home, in relationships and when taking part in outside interests.
• Connected to something bigger than oneself - This can be anything from being part of a local club or collection of friends, to joining with others with similar beliefs, to a simple interest in the world and people around you.
• Goals and Purpose - It is important to have an element of purpose within your life and by recognising what that purpose is, it becomes easier to achieve and life becomes more satisfying.
• Mind and Body Connection - This is where you have an understanding of the impact of mind over body and vice versa. This can include understanding how certain foods can make you feel differently, how a lack of sleep can make you less able to deal with the day in the short term and in the long term can start to impact your health seriously, through experiencing not only physical health issues but also depression*.
• Novelty and Stimulation - Whether you are a sudoku whizz, a football fan or a trashy novel reader, we all need something which keeps our minds active.
• Sense of control - This can be control over your job, a particular role you have, control over people around you and really any general change happening in your life.
• Giving and Receiving Attention - Whether this be through contacting old friends, meeting up with your family, joining local interest groups or even doing volunteer work or even doing volunteer work. You can also see a truly positive impact in this area when people build that unique bond with a pet.
• Feeling Understood - Feeling understood will mean that you have been listened to and your thoughts, views, values, life style or choices you have made have been appreciated (not necessarily agreed with!).

*If the mum is suffering from depression, it is key to ensure she is receiving the appropriate professional help, particularly as there will be significant changes in her life which she may need support in dealing with.

Factor 3 - Being in Control of the Birth

Regardless of the birth outcome a key factor in a mum defining her birth as positive is the amount of control she felt throughout the experience. Birth is often an unpredictable journey, so maintaining a sense of control for mum can be quite challenging for birth professionals but it is key nonetheless. In particular, here are the main areas which can really make a difference:

• Making sure mum has walked through her birth experience and considered all possible decision points
• Should unpredictable eventualities occur during labour allowing time for the Birth Companion and mum to consider all of the options
• Removing obstacles so mum can have the birth environment she wants - e.g birth pool, music, duvet/sheets/pillows from home, dimmed lighting etc
• Having people there who mum wants to be there
• To have considered the above and documented it, revisited it a few times and walked it through with the birth professionals who will be involved on the day

The key to a lot of this working is that mum should have a strong Birth Companion - whether this be her partner, a doula, friend or other birth professional. It should be someone who she can trust to help make sure that the decision she made are represented in the labour room.

Factor 4 - Believing that birth can be positive

This isn't just mums belief system, this is yours too. In order to help mum truly believe that birth can be positive, you too need to be consistent with that thinking. People (and especially pregnant mums) are both consciously and subconsciously aware of differences between what someone says they believe and what they actually believe. So the first task is to manage your own belief system by reframing your own view of birth. Re-read Ina May Gaskin, watch Birth Day, check out some of the positive posts on this blog and get yourself into the right space for creating a positive impact. Once you feel comfortable with this, then here are some ways helping mums belief system;

• Making sure mum knows how her body helps her during labour
• Making sure mum knows how her baby helps her during labour
• Build good rapport with mum and her birth companion so they trust that what you are saying
• Provide real life stories and footage of great births
• Help mum control the negative influences e.g. well-meaning but unhelpful comments from friends, limiting dramatised TV programmes which cover birth, baby magazines with sensationalised stories
• Helping mum maintain her belief system by helping her with positive affirmations

“The euphoria that follows an unmedicated labor is a very special time for anyone who is privileged to witness it. It's even better for those who get to experience it” Ina May Gaskin

However you are involved in the amazing journey of birth, I hope the above gives you extra ideas and thoughts on how to continue to positively impact birth from for mums, birth companions and of course baby too.

If you are pregnant and looking for more information as to how you can help enable a positive birth experience, or if you are a birth professional interested in more resources then please check out The Psychology of Giving Birth Programme which contains more information on all of the above topics as well as practical exercises, examples and hypnosis downloads.

Yours for calmer births, more often,

Photo credit: teddylambec

When you become pregnant, there can be a desire to learn as much as you can about birth, this includes the process of birth as well as how it feels, what emotions you may have and advice. Unfortunately, due to families being much farther apart than they used to be and it not being quite as common for women to talk openly about their birth experiences and be involved with each others birth, this knowledge can be difficult to track down.

In all of my blog posts my aim is to provide you with knowledge and information and if you are concerned about your birth day, then I aim to reframe your view of how calm and gentle birth can be. Since helping people with their births, one of my biggest concerns has been the accessibility of some of the natural birth footage which may cause someones anxiety about birth to increase rather than decrease. A perfect birth can never be promised by anyone, but you are so much more likely to have a calm and gentle birth if your exepctation of birth is positive, rather than negative. As these videos can result in a birth experience which is not what mum or baby would have wanted, this story or video is then replayed and the cycle continues, resulting in less positive birth experiences and greater opportunity for intervention.

This is why I have been trawling Youtube and other similar video sites for natural birth footage which will embed a positive expectation and decrease your anxiety about birth. Some of these video's are collections of photos and others contain footage of actual natural births. All of them are wonderful to watch and incredible examples of inner power, strength and the amazing ability of a mum and baby to work together so intuitively. So pop to the loo, grab yourself some refreshments and sit back and join these women on the most amazing journeys of their lives.

Yours for calmer births, more often,

Photo credit: benmcleod