Birthing Body and Soul & Hypnosis for Birth

Birthing Body & Soul (featuring Hypnosis for Birth) is a synthesis of the best childbirth classes available. I bring in a wide range of perspectives, tools, comfort measures and practical tips. I show inspiring and instructive movies, share articles, resources and web-sites. We explore feelings about birth and have lively discussions.

Hypnosis for Birth sometimes called HypnoBirthing teaches deep relaxation techniques to be used during labor and childbirth. Use of relaxation during labor helps to reduce anxiety which, in turn, decreases the degree of discomfort a woman may experience. Learning how to enter a hypnotic state pulls the laboring woman into the alpha and theta brain waves where she is in tune with her body. All laboring women are pulled into a natural trance due to the flow of endorphins. Hypnosis creates a natural bridge into the trance of labor where a woman can leave her cognitive mind behind and surrender to the experience.

Additional techniques will be taught including touch, sound, and visualization as further avenues to relaxation. Partners are instructed in numerous hands on support measures so they can be a fully involved participant in the birth. All of these mind-body medicine techniques help the mother; baby and father achieve a positive birthing experience.

Below is the syllabus:

Introductions:

Names, EDD, sex if known, where deliver

Me and my background

Business of Being Born---seen? Impressions?

Overview of Class:

  1. Go through the diagrams: 4 perspectives of Birth: Mother, Father, Baby, Culture

  2. We will go through all four of these perspectives.

  3. The Mother and the Baby are IN the experience.

  4. Preparation takes in cognitive explanations and interior reflections

  5. Psychological preparation

  6. Practical skills---load up your psycho-spiritual tool belt

  7. Dad learn support

Invitation to Reflection:

  1. Importance of taking time

  2. Styles of reflection your own

  3. Read out quotes

Why Natural Birth:

  1. Discussion, why desired.

  2. Review Sarah Buckley MD article: Ecstatic Birth… Hormonal foundation for labor and birth

  3. Movie: It's my Body, My Baby, My Birth

  4. Feed-back/impression

Images and Impressions of Birth:

  1. Our culture, movies, TV, jokes, medical emergency, fears, imminent death, men in white coats save

  2. Movie: Birth Day

Physical Preparation:

  1. Diet---exercise---lots of SLEEP and down time--dream time

  2. Kegals

  3. Perineal massage

  4. Optimal Fetal Positioning---review article. Exercise

Hypnosis:

  1. Discussion of experiences---hypnosis, meditation, visualizations

  2. Do Garden hypnosis

  3. Go step by step through How-to--Mind-Body Key

  4. Practice regimen

Labyrinth:

  1. Explain

  2. Grace Cathedral

  3. Exercise

  4. Movie: Noa was Born

Baby's Experience:

  1. Research--Thomas Verney 1980s

  2. Imprinting

  3. Review brochure

  4. Movie: What Babies Want

Hypnosis Practice:

  1. Review the steps

  2. Discuss experiences

  3. Class practice time

  4. Do Empowerment for Birth hypnosis

Comfort measures:

  1. Breathing ---importance--different kinds

  2. Massage

  3. Water

  4. Positions

  5. Vocalization

  6. Dad support, where, when, how---hands on practice

  7. Review Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome Chart

  8. Movie: The Three R's, Rhythm, Relaxation, Ritual

  9. Discussion about the differences between a natural labor and an augmented Labor

  10. Doula support

Ice Test:

  1. Ice without hypnosis and with hypnosis

  2. Other comfort measures with ice and without ice

Fear:

  1. Two types: immediate and circumstantial and deeper life issues

  2. Exercises to uncover: Journaling and Birth Art

  3. Discussion between each exercise

  4. How to release fear

  5. Ina May labor stop story

Importance of Stories:

  1. Stories speak to the soul--not superfluous and why

  2. Places to find good natural birth stores

Practice Hypnosis:

  1. Review the steps

  2. Do hypnosis

  3. Introduce Scent---use lavender in the class--link between early and active labor.

Running Interference with the Hospital:

  1. The difference between midwifery care and obstetrical care--different paradigms of birth

  2. Birth Plans

  3. Doula support

  4. Natural birth friendly nurses

  5. Own your own birth---it is yours!!!

Spiritual Perspective:

  1. Energy field as found in acupuncture, yoga, martial arts, etc.

  2. Discussion of experiences of class with this world-view

  3. Riding the Waves of Labor

  4. Alex Gray pictures

  5. Let Go-Surrender

  6. Hero's Journey

  7. The power of prayer

  8. Movie: Amber's Birth

  9. Discuss spiraling as seen in the movie

  10. Sexual dimension of birth

Hypnosis:

  1. Creating a plan to practice

  2. Blocking out your calendar

  3. If not practice won't be there for you

  4. Hump between early and active labor---endorphins: bring in the scent

Recap of comfort measures:

  1. Music, positions, vocalizing, rocking, swaying, spiraling, movement, massage, praying, chanting, communication with baby.

Review Hand-outs:

  1. Birth tub rentals, contraction timer web-site, Informed Consent Qs, Postpartum support services, visualization scripts, music recommendations, reading recommendations, A Tale of Two Births, A How to Guide, Power of Stories, physical sources of pain in childbirth, Your Amazing Newborn, hypnosis joke

  2. Raffi and A Covenant for Honoring Children