Online hypnobirthing sessions
A couple of weeks ago, I had a power hour hypnobirthing session with Lauren, the founder of Create Calm Hypnobirthing. Lauren studied trained in hypnobirthing after having such a positive experience with it after the birth of her second child. She trained with the Katharine Graves School, which is actually the hypnobirthing book and CDs that I listened to during my pregnancy with Lucas.
Lauren does hypnobirthing courses in person in the West Yorkshire area and also online through Zoom sessions.
Hypnobirthing is a way of removing your fears about birth and increasing your relaxation and comfort in labour. On a hypnobirthing course, Lauren puts together this knowledge of the biology of birth, what helps and what hinders it, and combines it with the psychology of how your mind works. She offers ways of reducing those subconscious fears (borrowing some self-hypnosis techniques to do this – hence the ‘hypno’ part), as well as giving you practical tools and techniques to use in labour to help keep you calm and relaxed – increasing your likelihood of a comfortable and ‘straight-forward’ birth.
The power hour covered a lot and Lauren discussed with me what my perceptions of birth are, my experience when I was in labour with Lucas and my feelings towards the upcoming labour with Morgana. We talked about the effect of fear on birth, how it can make me tenser, hence my muscles tensing up and it being more painful as well as the adrenaline impacting on the production of oxytocin. You need to feel calm, safe and relaxed to produce lots of oxytocin. And we want to avoid the fear response to limit the production of adrenaline.
We talked about changing the language I use around birth to make it more welcoming and friendly. i.e. replace contraction with wave or surge, powerful rather than painful etc. That I should try to see it as a physical challenge, like a marathon, rather than a painful thing that is happening to me outside of my control.
We went through some hypnobirthing techniques I can use such as positive daily affirmations, listening to relaxation MP3s, using positive and calm visualisations and breathing techniques to use during labour and birth. We also discussed the type of environment I would be in and how I can make it a more positive and calm space, even if I am on a hospital ward. We went through what my husband can do throughout labour to assist me and talked about optimal birth positions.
I found the session really helpful and would highly recommend Lauren. She was very friendly and using the techniques she has taught me, has made me feel more confident and relaxed about the labour.
Positive birth affirmation cards
As well as hypnobirthing, Lauren also sells positive affirmation cards and bracelets. The hypnobirthing affirmation cards are beautiful, the colours, the feel and the words are all so calming! They are perfect for hanging around the house to see the affirmations on a daily basis and say to yourself as you pass them. I will also be packing them in my hospital bag when I go into labour to take them with me.
Crystal birth bracelet
Lauren creates crystal bracelets for during pregnancy, during labour and for new Mums. I am so pleased with my bracelet, it is stunning. The gemstone bead stretch bracelet has been specially designed to incorporate crystal beads with properties that are said to be beneficial for pregnancy and birth, as well as a delicate sterling silver bead to accent the gemstones.
This bracelet is made using:
- Black Onyx: said to give stamina to the wearer
- Green Moss Agate: is a birthing crystal said to lessen the pain to ensure a good birth
- Unakite: worn in childbirth to keep calm and centred
- Tigers Eye: said to give courage and overcome concerns about giving birth
- Amethyst: is said to be a natural pain reliever, as well as being calming and protective during childbirth
- Moonstone: is said to promote ease during childbirth
- Rose Quartz: is said to be protective during childbirth and also promote physical healing after birth
