A positive birth means different things to different people. A positive birth to one person, might be a negative birth to another person. A positive birth does not have to be a natural birth, it just has to be a birth that is free from fear.
What is a Positive Birth?
Birth doesn't always go to plan and not having the birth that you plan for, does not always mean it was a negative experience. A positive birth can be a birth where you feel in control of the decisions that you are making and that those decisions are informed decisions. A positive birth can be a birth where you feel calm, relaxed and comfortable and where you don't feel anxious, scared or worried. There are loads of positive birth stories where women have had:
Planned c-sections
Unplanned c-sections
Induction births
Epidurals
Long labours
Quick labours
Planned home births
Unplanned home births
Waterbirths
Land births
IVF pregnancies
Intervention, such as forceps or ventouse
Births that have involved tearing or episiotomies
Natural vaginal births
Sometimes these positive birth experiences were never part of the woman's birth plan, but because she did her birth preparation during pregnancy, she was prepared for every type of birth scenario and could make informed decisions that were right for her and her baby, making her feel empowered and in control. A great place to read some positive birth stories is at Tell me a good birth story.
Hypnobirthing Courses Prepare you for Birth
Many people do Hypnobirthing courses during pregnancy, to help them to prepare their mind and body for birth. Hypnobirthing is the best way to remove any fears you might have about birth and help you to approach birth with positivity and feel calm, relaxed and comfortable during birth. "A positive mindset increase a positive outcome." There is no secret recipe for a positive birth, but if there was, Hypnobirthing would definitely make up a big part of the ingredients.
Why is birth preparation so important?
I often get asked why birth preparation is so important? It's only one day and if it doesn't go to plan, a healthy baby is all that matters, right? Well, it's actually more than one day and a healthy baby is important, but a healthy Mother is also really important too. A famous Midwife called Ina May Gaskin once said:
"Whenever and however you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body, and your spirit for the rest of your life."
Having a positive birth experience can really impact how you feel post birth and aid healing. A positive birth can reduce postnatal depression and improve the success of breastfeeding and bonding with baby. Preparing for birth can help you to feel empowered, in control and calm. Knowing how to navigate the complicated maternity system, being able to make informed decisions that are right for you and being able to advocate for yourself or your partner are key to feeling like you've had a positive experience. Many Hospital Trusts support the use of hypnobirthing during labour, because they know how powerful hypnobirthing is. Midwives at hospital Trusts in Leeds, West Yorkshire and other local Yorkshire Hospital Trusts, will actively encourage women to use Hypnobirthing techniques during labour and birth.
On a hypnobirthing course, you will learn all of these things, plus so much more. You will learn how to reduce fear, feel calm, confident and comfortable. You will learn how to advocate for yourself/partner. You will be taught hypnobirthing tools and techniques that will help you during labour and birth, regardless of what type of birth you have or are planning for. Feeling calm is an important element of having a positive experience. If you feel calm, you'll feel relaxed and if you feel relaxed, you'll feel comfortable. When the body is relaxed, it is more likely to produce endorphins, which are the body's natural pain relief. A study in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, showed that women who produced high levels of endorphins during labour, had less pain and quicker labours. It also showed that women who were stressed and anxious during labour, produced higher levels of stress hormones, such as adrenaline. When the body is scared or anxious, it becomes tense and this creates pain and a heightened sense of discomfort. When the body produces high levels of adrenaline during labour, it will slow labour down, because the brain will think there is a threat. The flight-fight-freeze response takes over and this will make labour harder and longer. The body will not birth a baby where it thinks there could be a potential threat. Unfortunately our primal brain hasn't adapted to modern day and doesn't know the difference between a real threat and imagined threats in our mind.
If you would like to feel less anxious and more excited about your birth, learn how to prepare for your birth and interested in doing a hypnobirthing course with me, please visit my website or drop me an email. I offer private 1-1 hypnobirthing courses, in person and online and I also offer group hypnobirthing courses in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Please do get in touch with me, if you'd like to know more.
Hope to hear from you soon.
Julia xx