3 Doulas

Why Taking Your Hypnobabies Childbirth Education Class Early Is A Smart Move

By: Mandy Schutt

 

Many times expecting moms begin researching their childbirth education options toward the beginning of their pregnancy expecting to enroll in a class that is close to their estimated due date (I like to call it a “guess date” since it’s a pretty general date. First time moms go an average of 8 days past their given due date!)

So, as a Hypnobabies instructor, I often receive calls and email from moms who are looking to enroll in a class that is in the almost distant future. This is a great plan for a lot of childbirth education courses but Hypnobabies is a little different.

 

Why? Well, there are several reasons why it might be best to take a Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis class earlier in one’s pregnancy but I’m going to address two of them here.

1. The Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis class consists of six wonderfully dense classes that are simply jam-packed with childbirth education. To name a few: pregnancy nutrition, cord-clamping issues, care provider choice, medications used in childbirth, partner support, doulas, newborn appearances, breastfeeding, skin to skin contact, and many, many more. For a more extensive list of topics covered, click here.

 

With all of this new information available for new moms and dads to further research and study, some parents actually discover that their birthing plan begins to change a little (or a lot!) and taking the class early allows them to arrange these changes in a timely, non-stressful manner.  For example, parents will learn in class about what a doula does and may be interested in hiring one for their birth. Taking the class early on would allow time to interview several doulas and choose the one that best fits their needs and personality. After learning about cord clamping parents may want to discuss this thoroughly with their care provider to see where she stands on the issues and then include their wishes on the birth plan. After learning about the importance of choosing a care provider that you feel comfortable with and who supports all your birthing wishes parents may choose a completely different care provider. Taking the class early and making changes early can eliminate a lot of hassle with medical institutions and insurance companies.

 

2. An important element of Hypnobabies that is not offered in many other childbirth education courses is that of hypnosis. When one begins to understand how hypnosis works and how well it works when practiced consistently, it’s easy to see why taking the class earlier in pregnancy can be extremely beneficial. Imagine knowing that you are going to run a marathon in six months. You wouldn’t wait until the very last minute to start training, you would start as early as possible to prepare for the big event knowing that the stronger your body is when you run the marathon, the easier it will be for you. This is similar to how hypnosis for birth works. The stronger the mind is, the easier it will be to use on your birthing day. Having time and dedication to practice hypnotic concepts after the six week Hypnobabies course has finishes is very beneficial indeed!

 

We've Come a Long Way Baby... The coping scale

By jenny Gillespie

 

This is the continuation of my last post:

Ok... so a lot of things have changed, some have not. 

 

 

Then: Nurse enters labor room with her trusted clipboard:" Hi sweetie, I am back..how's your pain level on a scale from 1 to 10?  1 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain ever?

Now: The nurse has been furiously typing on her computer for a while now and right after asking what you ate for lunch looks up with a concerned look and asks "how's your pain level on a scale from 1 to 10?  1 being no pain and 10 being the worst pain ever?"

Mom: (Both then and Now):  Looks up after a slow, measured breath: "Well, I don't really know. What do you mean?  Is it going to get worse? And what else is in that cute closet over there the one with the Chux pads and extra gowns (the nice, old, faded vintage ones)? Got any leather straps I could bite down on?"

Ok back to the pain scale.  On a scale from 1 to 10 how's the pain? etc etc..Every delivery room nurse asks that same question.  How arbitrary is that? 

Some delivery rooms actually have a cartoon-like poster attached to the wall with a cute lady's face.  The pain scale goes something like this:

1 her face is yellow and she's smiling

2 her face is orange and she's looking a little surprised

3 her face is greenish and she is looking blank

4 her face is blue-ish and she is frowning

etc..

10 her face is red, she is crying, and smoke is coming out of her ears

Nurse: goes back to her typing, after mom has had two back to back contractions that needed all of her concentration and support from her partner and her doula. She asks the same question again: "Your pain, sweetie... on a scale from 1 to 10?"  Mom asks:" Well how bad is it going to get?  If this is already painful, what's in store for me?"

Nurse: looks concerned and says:"Ok.  Let's say it's a 5.  Is that OK?" 

Mom: "Ok. Sure, why not.  It's a 5" and she takes a slow deep breath.

In my opinion it's not about the pain scale, it is about the coping scale.  On a scale from 1 to 10: 1 mom is coping well and 10 she is not coping at all. 

This is when labor support is crucial.  Women are much more able to cope with their contractions and with the challenges of labor if they have constant companionship.  A labor partner is there to ensure that mom takes each contraction one at a time, that she relaxes in between the surges and that her needs are met.  The fear-tension-pain cycle makes the labor more painful.  The more a woman is afraid, the more tense she is, the more painful the contractions feel.  With labor support, a woman is better able to cope.  As she copes, she will relax, as she relaxes, she will move and sway rhythmically, lessening the challenge of her labor.

By predicting the laboring woman's needs, protecting her space, and keeping the environment peaceful and quiet, a labor doula will help mom to cope.  The doula will ease mom's fear, mom will feel a lot less tense, and her pain will be more manageable.

 In short, it's all about coping!  I was at a birth just last week, and as mom was pushing with each surge, the nurse actually asked her: "So how's your pain level",  we (mom, her husband, her doctor and I) all gasped... and no one said anything.