the energy to run or fi ght off the threat. Just thinking about something stressful or scary can cause the same reactions to happen. Take the example of the big presentation— just thinking about the event oſt en causes your heart rate to quicken, your stomach might get butterfl ies & your mouth might get dry. When the fi ght or fl ight hormones are released in our bodies, the rest of our bodily functions are impaired because they aren’t getting the ad- equate amount of blood & oxygen they need to perform eff ectively.
In the case of birth & being scared of the pain of labor, during labor, if you’re fearful & tense, your body will send blood & oxygen away from the uterine muscles causing them to constrict, tighten & become painful. When the uterine muscles constrict, the cervix will tighten up to keep the baby safe. Meanwhile, the baby is still ready to be born, so the baby will push its little head down on a tightly closed cervix & constricted muscles creating pain & causing labor to be prolonged. Oxygen to the baby is limited since blood & oxygen is getting sent to the defense system (heart, lungs, arms & legs), so the baby becomes distressed be- cause it is oxygen-deprived. T at’s when medical interventions are required to save the baby. Fear causes tension of the body which then causes pain and a prolonged labor. On the other hand, when you’re not scared & are able to relax, endorphins (relaxing “feel good” hormones) are released & your uterine muscles work eff ectively & effi ciently to help birth your baby in a more comfortable manner.
Jessica Alba is planning a hypnobirth for her 2nd baby. Here is what she had to say on the Elle Degeneres show!
which can take weeks & weeks of practice. Hypnosis helps to release the fear by teaching you to do self-hypnosis so you can get your body more in balance & more relaxed. T en it releases endorphins (those feel-good, relaxing hormones) rather than fi ght or fl ight hormones. Hypno- sis can help you regain trust in your body & its ability to do what it needs to do & what it is capable of doing by getting rid of the fears you have. Hyp- nosis doesn’t erase the fears or your thoughts. It helps give you a new way of thinking & living based on reality & positive, rational thoughts versus fear- based, negative, doubting thoughts. When your body & your mind are in alignment with the goals you want to achieve—birthing your baby comfort- ably & naturally without medication— AND your body is relaxed, the out- come you want will be achieved more easily & quickly.
“Basically my husband takes me through sort of a meditation. He’ll say, ‘you’re relaxed, and you’re fl oat- ing on clouds while you’re going through labor and your contractions. I’m just concentrating on breathing and staying relaxed because it’s when you get tense that makes the whole labor worse and more painful. That’sall it is. It’s not like a weird thing.”
HypnoBirthing, the Mongan Method, is one of the oldest childbirth educa- tion classes that incorporates hypno- sis. It is over 20 years old. HypnoBirth- ing is a 5 class course consisting of 2 ½ hours each class. T e classes give cou- ples knowledge so that they have true informed consent & know what their options are wherever they are birthing their baby. T ey learn the physiologi-
So, why would you want to be hypnotized during your labor? Hypnosis is a form of deep relaxation where your mind is utilizing 100% of its consciousness. It is power- ful! All hypnosis is self-hypnosis so if you don’t want to be hypnotized, you cannot be made to do so. When you are in a hypnotic state, you are always in control of your- self & aware of what is going on. You can accept the sug- gestions being given to you or reject them. If you accept them, those suggestions become fi rmly imprinted in your subconscious mind & start becoming reality in your body the more you think about them, so hypnosis is much more eff ective than just willpower alone or positive affi rmations
cal causes of pain in birth, the biological process of birth and how the body & the baby work together, how to write a birth preferences plan, but mostly how to get into a deep state of relaxation so that they body can do what it is natu- rally capable of doing. Each class allows the couples to see videos of couples birthing their babies in a calm, comfort- able manner and ends with a hypnosis session to practice the benefi ts of being in deep relaxation. T e couples also benefi t from fear release hypnosis sessions which help to get rid of any fears about their birth & the adjustments that they’ll have to make in their lifestyle aſt er the baby arrives. T is allows them to go into their birth confi dent & calm.
To learn more about HypnoBirthing classes in your area, please visit
www.HypnoBirthing.com to fi nd a Practi- tioner near you. T ere are HypnoBirthing practitioners worldwide.
AKA Mom | Summer 2011 | 47
Pregnancy A-Z
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96