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Dear Friend of Joy In Birthing,
We are nearly ready to launch our new website and there is a great big surprise coming... stay tuned.
For those of you who have had your baby here is an excerpt from my upcoming book BABY RIGHT, on the cues your newborn gives you to communicate his desires.
What is your baby telling you?.
Below we continue our discussion on labor and what stands in the way of a painless, awesome birth. Today we explore fear, past present and projected.
Happy Back to School Day!
Fondly,
Giuditta |
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FEAR AND
ITS EFFECTS ON LABOR
Excerpt from:
Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Birth
"We need to always remember that mothers who are afraid tend to secrete
the hormones that delay or inhibit birth. This is true of all mammals and is
part of nature's design. Those who are not terrified are more likely to secrete
in abundance the hormones that make labor and birth easier and less
painful-sometimes even pleasurable."
Ina May Gaskin, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
The most common fear we all experience is fear of the unknown, and of course if
this is your first time labor and delivery your fear falls into that category.
You have heard that labor is painful, and that it will hurt a lot. You have
seen it on TV, friends have told you, and there is an exorbitant amount of
confirmation out there that you are in for the most painful experience of your
life. People even stop you in the streets to share their experience with
you, warning you: "get your epidural as soon as possible," they say,
"I had a cesarean could not stand the thought of going through with
it." they proudly exclaim. And that is not only what you expect but what
you fear, and focus on. Managing the hurtful labor becomes all
encompassing, you take classes on how to breathe during labor, you learn about
the drugs that are available if you cannot manage it, you take classes to learn
how to deal with the waves, focusing on being brave and taking it, or screaming
for an epidural in the parking lot. But fear is not only a future projection of
what you can expect during labor, some of your fears have nothing to do with
labor per se, you might mask them that way, but the fears that often stand in
the way of a painless childbirth are fears that come from your past. Those fears
are the ones you need to deal with in order to manifest a painless childbirth.
For instance: the fear to go against the norm, to be different, to stand on
your own and have that rare but possible experience of a painless childbirth.
It's important to recognize that
past fears, which have yet to be dealt with, can affect the quality and length
of your labor and delivery
Scientific studies indicate that certain hormonal changes take place in the
presence of fear, stress, and anxiety. "The adrenaline released
while in fear or stress has been referred to as the antithesis of oxytocin, the
naturally produced hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. Another
category of hormones called catecholamines (which include epinephrine,
norepinephrine, and dopamine) is indicated by other studies as one of the
causative factors in fetal distress and problematic labor. Catecholamines
circulate when the pregnant mother is anxious or afraid, and they pass through
the placenta to the baby, affecting his environment."
When we are afraid,we tend go into an automatic fight-or-flight reaction:we
tense every muscle of our body in order to prepare for a defensive
action. Consequently, fear can be a deciding factor affecting our overall
experiences.
- In labor: fear creates tension and tension creates
pain.
- In postpartum: fear creates confusion, anxiety, the feeling
of helplessness and of being lost and alone.
- In life: fear is the very obstacle to our self-confidence
and, ultimately, to our success.
Often our
deepest fears are reenacted in our dreams, and many of us have very vivid
dreams during our pregnancy. Be grateful when that happens as your dreams help
you discover was is deeply embedded in your unconscious and give you a chance to
face it. Babies can and will accrue memories while in the womb and will
feel and embrace the mother and father's emotions. If fear and low
self-esteem are what you feel most of the time, so will your child.
Another way to explore our fears is through hypnotherapy. During a
hypnotherapy session I help my clients bring to the surface a memory from
the past that seems to still influencing their present. Once they are in the
midst of the memory, not only intellectually but with their entire sensory engaged,
we slowly modify the memory, by adding a rescuing element, a positive image
that shatters the past and reconstructs a new memory of the event. In a sense
the mother-to-be learns how to embrace her fears by changing her memory to one
of success and safety. Embracing your is fears is ideal because trying to
erased them will only make them fight harder to survive.
Even if you had a difficult first
birth your fear can be still strong, especially if the first birth was
difficult, and that fear needs healing through reenactment.
Imagine a small child frightened and shaky, screaming under the covers at the
monster she believes lives in the closet. Mom runs to the room, "What's
the matter? Don't be silly! There are no monsters in the closet." This
answer won't appease the child. In fact, when dismissed and ridiculed the
fear will hide deep within the child's unconscious. The child resolves to not
share her fears with Mom to avoid being belittled and ridiculed. Ideally
the scene could go as follows:
Mom walks in and hugs the child
as she saying, "So, my little one, tell me more about the monster under
the bed." The little girl might respond, "It's big and scary! Make
him go away, Mommy!" Then Mom responds by taking her daughter's
words seriously, "Do you want me to go and look in the closet and tell him
to leave you alone?" "Can you do that?" says the little girl,
still frightened. "Sure. In fact, I'm going to leave my angel with you,
and together with your angel they'll watch over you." Then Mom shines
a light into the closet and speaks these words: "I know you are there
monster, and I want you to know that you are frightening my girl. From now on,
my angel and her angel will stand guard over her so you may not come back here
and frighten her."
Simply denying ours or our children's fears and negative feelings will only
make them stronger. Through the lesson learned in the second chakra associated
with our right to feel, we have learned that we need to acknowledge our
feelings, even those that seem unjustified or fantastic, like the fear of the
monster in the room.
In this book, we are learning to parent ourselves so that we may learn how to
parent our child. Using our dreams as a tool for knowledge will bring us closer
to the realization that we have within us Divine Powers to heal ourselves and
others and to love unconditionally all that was, is, and will be.
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Painless Childbirth - Workbook
If you have enjoyed the book you
want to get the Nine Basic Human Rights e-work book which summarizes the exercises
that can help you get at the root of your fears regarding your future birthing
experience
Learn what decisions (pacts) you've made as a
baby during your own birth and delivery and how those decisions color much of
your everyday actions. Learn how you can change the outcome of
your labor, by becoming aware of the past decision, discarding what no longer
serves you, and redesigning not only your present and future, but also your
past.
Filled with useful exercises, the
workbook will guide you step by step through the Nine Basic Human Rights, and
show you what is still lingering
in your subconscious that stands in the way of your serenity.
Learn how to discover the meaning
of your reactions through the Feeling Inventory Exercise
Journal on each basic right and heal
the past and prepare for your birth.
Read more stories relevant to the
rights
This is a great tool to use with
your clients too an easy step-by-step tool.
Available for immediate download
Find out more
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