Hypnobirthing: Reducing Labor Rage at a Birth Near You (this statement has not been evaluated by the FDA)

My sister Grace sent me a blogpost today that talked about hypnobirthing, so I thought I'd take a minute and reflect on my own experience.

 Like most people, I didn't understand the concept of hypnobirthing AT ALL when I heard about it. Don't you do crazy things like punch yourself in the face while under hypnosis? Is chanting and a ticking stopwatch involved? Will the hypnotherapist feel you you up while you're off in la-la land? Would my eyes have red peppermint swirls in place of pupils, like in Tom & Jerry? If I had a hypnobirth in the water, would I drown? 

Well, I heard rave reviews from those who had used the techniques, so I decided to give it a good ol' country whirl.

After all, I had an awful (and I do mean AWFUL) first birthing experience: 27 hours of labor, induction, medication-- even with an epidural it was the worst pain of my life. And not a smidgen of maternal bliss did I feel when my baby was placed in my arms. I felt only relief, and I believe I actually uttered the words, "I will never, ever do that again as long as I live, so help me God."

As for the sentiment: "As soon as you hold your baby, all the pain goes away..." PUH-LEEZE. I looked down at my dear son with an angry red stripe on his forehead where he'd been stuck in the birth canal for hours upon hours, lifted the blanket to ogle his sweet perfection, and discovered he'd already crapped black slimy goo all over me. Love at first sight, it was not.

So with the second one (yes, after 2 years the trauma faded sufficiently to take the leap again) I saw a certified hypnotherapist and we made a digital recording of the visualization/relaxation techniques. I had hypnotherapy training on a weekly basis and practiced the relaxation every day for the eight weeks before birth. I also used the Hypnobirthing CD's and affirmations by Marie Mongan in the evenings before I went to bed.

There's really no magic or voo-doo in hypnotherapy, contrary to what you might have seen on reality TV. My hypnotherapist and I talked about a visualization that I felt was very relaxing. I laid down on a {very comfy} couch and closed my eyes. I practiced deep, calm breathing and Sonya began to speak the visualization we'd created, starting with a countdown. After about 20 minutes she calmly brought me out of the state of relaxation with a simple count. Over the course of time, my brain learned to go into an almost instant state of deep relaxation as soon as I heard Sonya's voice.

Well, people, there's a reason childbirth is called "labor," and it is definitely WORK. No grinning stork hand-delivering a smiling, well-polished infant.  The real work for me was keeping the manic freak-out tendencies from sending me into an abyss of abject terror.  When labor began around 9pm, I was able to sleep through the night with the hypnotherapy recording right by my head. As soon as I heard Sonya's voice, I'd drift off to sleep. When it stopped, I'd wake up and play it again.

When the contractions got to 2-3 minutes apart, it was already 9 in the morning.  We arrived at the birth center and I was dilated 8cm. I'd labored all that time on my own at home-- what a gift! Natalia was born at 1:30pm and we were discharged from the birth center by 6. On the way home we grabbed a pizza and champagne, and I was able to sleep in my own bed that night.



The most critical thing I learned from hypnotherapy is to work with my body and not resist the pain. I mean, pushing an 8 lb. baby through a 10-centimeter space is  "hard labor," and its happening whether I like it or not. I was able to remain presenced and trust the process. It wasn't pain-free, but the pain was dulled-- it didn't have the same edge as the first time.

Being able to compare a medicated birth and a natural birth, I'd say the hypnobirth was far better in every respect than the medicated birth-- even with an epidural.



Having said that, there are many factors that go into an excellent birth experience. For starters, it was my second go-round. I'd had the experience of an airy-fairy birth plan that went down in flames when things got tough. This time I knew what was coming and my "Labor & Delivery Toolbox" was well-stocked. (We did Bradley the first time, and Hypnotherapy just layered neatly on top of that information.)

Second, I was able to have my daughter at a free-standing birth center. (The Women's Birth & Wellness Center ROCKS.) 

Third, I was able to labor and deliver her in the water. (Water birth ROCKS.) 

Fourth, I had the hypnobirth CD in the background and candles lit (Ambience ROCKS). 

Finally, I had an AMAZING birth team-- my partner (in the tub with me) my sister (an incredible coach) and my yoga/Shaklee  "sister" doing Thai massage, essential oil aromatherapy, and feeding me protein and hydration shakes all the while. (My significant other is pretty sure she was casting spells, but it worked so I didn't give a damn). Sergio, Chelsea and Amber all ROCK!



Once my daughter was out, I remember only euphoria-- an incredible, primal, female force of nature-- I could have gone out and climbed Mt. Everest. That is the most priceless experience I took away from natural childbirth. I don't remember the second birth and think about pain. I still get chills when I ponder the power and beauty and the sacred task that my body accomplished. 

In short-- I recommend hypnobirthing to everyone. There are so many styles and flavors out there, you're sure to find someone as clinical, professional, fruity or crunchy as you want. I think fewer women would be so terrified of childbirth if they were prepared with hypnotherapy.

AND I still use a lot of the relaxation and breathing techniques in my daily life-- after all, I've got two young children, a business, full-time homemaking responsibilities, I lead a holistic moms group and pinch-hit in my hunny's business too. If I didn't have hypnotherapy training I'd probably be punching myself in the face anyway.

Sonya Montgomery is a Nurse Practitioner & Certified Hypnotherapist at NC Neuropsychiatry in Chapel Hill, NC.


The Womens Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, NC, is the only free-standing birth center in the state. 


Marie Mongan founded The Hypnobirth Institute and authored the book Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method. A natural approach to a safe, easier, more comfortable birthing.

If nobody thinks it's broken...how we gonna fix it?

This is a post from a health blogger Tony Findlay at Human E.C.O. System. It's a bit long, but I well worth your time...

Ok so over the last week I have seen quite a few news articles on various health stories, ranging from complaints in a lot of countries about their health care systems and a lack of possible solutions, to young school age children eating badly with poor food options from their school canteens, to the availability of "stimulant drinks" now becoming the basic form of low quality nutrient intake in mornings and-- of course-- obesity numbers rising.

It got me to thinking. Do people really care about their own lives?

Contrary to the best intentions of fitness and health professionals, who are trying to restore the health of their populations, it would appear that no, they don't care. You see, to make positive health changes means taking action which would then require people to take personal responsibility.

This seems to be an unlikely result-- and more importantly, a sad reality for the future. The number of overweight / obese members of the global population continues to increase, and this is not exclusive to adults. The number of children around the world has not decreased, meaning a future of overweight adults filled with preventable diseases.

 These "weight" situations brought about by too much body fat lead to other health conditions which, sadly, can be fatal. So I guess there is no disputing from the research that is currently available, that the root cause of a lot of "preventable deaths" could be changed if only the majority didn't have an "over-eating disorder".

Why would someone willingly choose a life that is fraught with pain through disease to then further exacerbate that discomfort by indulging in supposed "comfort food?" Now that is a roller coaster ride that only has one outcome-- bad. Talk about food being a short term "fix" with long term consequences.


In reply to an article in TIME magazine on another professional networking site, one of the groups I am a member of, there was debate about the pros and cons of exercise being used as a way to get thin. I think that a lot of people believe this to be possible.

  This was part of my response: "For the record, exercise doesn't make you thin-- nor should we care. Rather let's learn how to show exercise as a human benefit then we can stop worrying about how we look, and focus on how we better perform in the human race called life."

If we take time to focus on the exercise aspect, then we should equally also address how food plays a role in our lives. It began as a source of nourishment while we avoided dinosaurs-- or so I hear. Then over time and through "marketing," it seems to have evolved through the ages to the point we're at now. Multi-billion dollar weight loss companies overlook the nutrient value and only stress calories to validate using weight values from standing on scales as the net sum of who we are as people. And don't even get me started about TV shows that use "edited emotional footage" to supposedly inspire others.
 

Compounding this is the marketing by food and drink companies who only "push the good times" in adverts in these shows, but, while it is true they provide low quality versions that appeal to the masses, there is no one pushing each of us to purchase these products.

So we have now come full circle in this blog-- back to personal responsibility.
If no one believes that they are at risk, as being fat isn't an issue until the Doctor says that it is and with Diabetes II on the increase (oh yeah, that is the preventable and if caught early, the reversible one), how we can stimulate people to focus on this simple fact:

Eat less and Move more.

 We the fitness industry members seem to have been unsuccessful in our efforts so far, but if we don't begin to have more luck then it seems that there is nothing but pain on the way for the health systems of every country all over the world. It certainly has inspired medical options as the alternative source of creating a healthy change, but sadly none of these have been proven to beat the original concept of using calories through movement and only eating what we need to survive.
Start today -- be responsible for your own "weight" and lower your fat levels.

Cake for my baby

This weekend my neighbor had an outdoor party-- a festive affair with white tents, people milling about, and lots of yummy looking food.

My 4-year old spent most of the afternoon with his nose pressed against the windowpane-- yes, the one that looks over at the neighbor's house. (If he was older he'd run the risk of being arrested as a Peeping Tom.)

He was being so good, wanting to go to the party SO bad, and being the most graceful 4 year old I've ever seen about not being invited (it was a 60th wedding anniversary-- not exactly his demographic). When he asked if he could run over and say hi to the neighbor he adores, I told him yes. I admonished him to stay on our side of the lawn and wait until he saw her, then wave and say hi and come running right back.

AND HE DID IT.

The neighbor said he stood there as serious as a little sentinel, hands behind his back, until he saw her and waved her over.

My little guy came back with the biggest, most luscious piece of carrot cake I've ever seen.

We wolfed that baby down in about 15 seconds flat.

And then?

I didn't.

Oh yes, I did.

I sent him back for seconds.

Rehearsed with him to ask for a piece of cake for his baby sister.

If you'd tasted that cake, you'd have done the same thing!

Where's the beef....from?

Oh, dear. 

Yes, I've seen Food Inc, and King Corn, and Fresh....

And still, there's something inherently horrifying when I see the way modern meat is "grown."

I'm not going to climb onto my soapbox...for now. Summarized here in a few quotes are the BEST reason why we should be eating locally grown, pasture fed beef (from farmers we know by name):

"Sick dairy cows are given medications to help them recover, but if it appears an animal will die, it's often sold to a slaughterhouse as quickly as possible, in time to kill it before it dies.”

"In 2008, Mexico refused a shipment of U.S. beef. The meat exceeded Mexico's regulatory upper limit for copper. The meat was returned to the United States -- where it was sold and eaten." 

"Based on our [FDA] review, we found that the national residue program is not accomplishing its mission of monitoring the food supply for harmful residues. Together, Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), FDA, and EPA have not established thresholds for many dangerous substances (e.g., copper or dioxin3), which has resulted in meat with these substances being distributed in commerce."

 (The reason these photos are so small and grainy is because they are take from the air, which is about as close as you can get to being let into an industrial beef lot these days.)

Additionally, FSIS does not attempt to recall meat, even when its tests have confirmed the excessive presence of veterinary drugs.”

“We also found that FSIS does not recall meat adulterated with harmful residue, even when it is aware that the meat has failed its laboratory tests. Between July 12, 2007, and March 11, 2008, FSIS found that four carcasses were adulterated with violative levels of veterinary drugs8 and that the plants involved had released the meat into the food supply. Although the drugs involved could result in stomach, nerve, or skin problems for consumers, FSIS requested no recall."

Well, there is good news left in the world, and happy cows too! 

Numerous communities across the U.S. are riding the wave of local food movements promoting sustainability, local agriculture, natural food and farm co-ops and CSA's. Here is an excellent link of dozens of sites where you can get more information.

Promoting Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.mercola.com/article/agriculture.htm

Sources:

Why US Meats Are Horrendous: The Vulgar Truth About What You Eat with that Steak or Burger: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/18/american-meat-is-even-more-disgusting-than-you-thought.aspx

The Burger that Shattered Her Life: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/04/health/04meat.html?_r=2&partner=rss&emc=rss


Michael Pollan: Discover How Your Beef is Really Raised: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/04/17/cattle1.aspx

AlterNet May 1, 2010

FSIS National Residue Program for Cattle (PDF) 

This just made a rainy day better...

I really like this.

Maybe because I've been drinking tea all day.

Maybe because the day is gray and rainy.

Maybe because it's wistful and sweet.

Maybe I don't need a reason.

One of those weeks....

Not a lot of action last week. So many things I "should" do...so many things I didn't want to.

Really just wanted to check out of life for a while and watch all 28 episodes of DVR'd "Friends." (Don't those people ever work?)

I've got writer's block.

Blogger's block.

Work block.

Workout block. 

Housework block.  (Ok, that's not uncommon.)

If I could have mommy's block I would, but it's a little hard because my kids are too dang cute.

 (And it could also be interpreted as neglect by Social Services. No thanks!)

I'm sure it will pass quickly!

(I did find some funky-cool graphics to go along with this post, though...)