by Alanna Peters
As you probably know, I had a baby 9 months ago. She’s pretty awesome. She definitely knows what she wants, and she knows how to get it. She’s one determined little girl! She’s also a very mellow and happy baby and fills my days with tons of joy. I figured I’d take a little time to tell you about how she came into this world!
I’ve always felt strongly that birth should be a natural, peaceful experience but wasn’t quite sure how to make it a reality. With my first pregnancy I did LOTS of research on natural birth and ended up taking a class that taught a combination of birthing techniques. I handled labor really well for a long time, but that’s just it, it was LONG. I finally got an epidural after 31 hours and had my daughter 2 hours later. Everything went well but it just wasn’t quite what I had envisioned for my birthing experience. I was determined that I would have an unmedicated birth the second time around! After hearing several success stories from friends I decided to take HypnoBirthing® classes during my second pregnancy. I ended up having the most amazing, easy, and beautiful birth experience!
I’ll spare you the full birth story (though it’s available for reading if you’re interested) but here’s a quick synopsis: My labor was about 8-9 hours long but it was INCREDIBLY easy. In fact, I didn’t even think I was really in active labor until about 15 minutes before my daughter was born! I was so calm and relaxed that it just didn’t feel like I could really be about to give birth soon. It wasn’t until I got to that tough transition point that I felt like my surges were at all severe. And even that only lasted for a few minutes! Shortly after, my husband received our baby, born en caul, and she was peacefully born at home. It was such an emotional moment for us all – it was amazing to be so aware and so present for my baby’s birth. It was so impactful on all of us that I felt compelled to share these techniques with others! I am now certified by the HypnoBirthing Institute to teach these classes. I was so honored to meet and be trained by none other than Marie Mongan herself – the founder of HypnoBirthing! I am so excited to help others achieve the birth experience they are hoping for.
“HypnoBirthing – Taking the Birthing World By Calm”
I love the HypnoBirthing® philosophy because it just makes sense. I love all the scientific proof of how it works and I love how simple and instinctive it is. I’ve learned that many women have an unprecedented fear of giving birth. This fear causes their bodies to become tense which often prevents their bodies from doing what they are naturally intended to do. The result of this fear and tension is exactly what is expected – a long, painful birth.
Through simple self-hypnosis techniques, women are able to release their negative emotions and fears about birth and replace them with positive affirmations. They learn to see that birth is normal and they trust that their bodies know how to bring their babies into the world in the calm and gentle way that nature intended. When in self-hypnosis, you are not in a trance or asleep – you are aware and fully in control, but profoundly relaxed. (And let me tell you, that is a WONDERFUL place to be!)
HypnoBirthing® Advantages · Teaches deep levels of relaxation to eliminate the fear that causes tension and, thus, pain · Greatly reduces and often eliminates the need for chemical painkillers and drugs · Shortens the first phase of labor · Leaves mother alert, fresh, awake and with energy · Helps keep oxygen supplied to baby during birthing · Reduces the need for an episiotomy · Reduces and often eliminates fatigue during labor · Empowers parents with techniques to achieve a gentle, calm birth for themselves and their baby · Gives the birthing companion an integral role in the birthing · Embraces the concept of pre-birth parenting · Teaches breathing techniques that allow a woman to gently breathe her baby into the world without the violence of hard, physical pushing.If this sounds like something YOU desire for your birth experience, I highly recommend that you contact a HypnoBirthing practitioner near you. (There is a directory on the HypnoBirthing website.) And if you are in Southern California, I’d be more than happy to talk with you about preparing for your calmer, easier birth! You can find out more about me and my classes on my website, Color of Calm, or come say hi on Facebook!
“My dream is that every woman, everywhere, will know the joy of a safe, satisfying birth for both her baby and herself—one she’ll not need to forget.”
Marie F. Mongan, 1999
I was sick for several weeks with Darah in the beginning, which was my only clue that there was, in fact, a little peanut growing in there. I remember the second trimester being relatively easy, though my belly did start to grow quite a bit (I’m only 5 feet tall…nowhere for a baby to go but out!). But during the second trimester, my belly felt quite cute to me. I could feel the baby fluttering about, and I’m pretty sure I had that pregnancy glow.
While I was fortunate enough to not need a C-Section, my body still suffered, as most women’s bodies do, from the experience of carrying a baby and then getting her out of your body. The body I had before is not one I will be able to return to. This is yet another sacrifice that had to be made in order to bring her into the world.
And I’m really glad I didn’t know about it. I suppose it is possible that if I had been able to get a true understanding of the sacrifices required to have a baby, I might have rethought it. I say that because I didn’t know that I had it within me to give at this level. Growing a child and then caring for a child really does force you to be a greater person than you ever dreamed you could be.