Hypnobirthing!

Yes that's right people, Hypnobirthing. We had our first class last Tuesday. The doula who teaches it reminds me of Rosie O'Donnell. (But not like the went all crazy Rosie O'Donnell. The cute, funny Rosie O'Donnell like when she used to host her talk show.) Check out her website at www.yourbirthconnection.com

Anyhoo, I'm super psyched about this whole hypnobirthing thing. Here's the premise. Women's body's are made to give birth. It is is natural, healthy and beautiful and a woman has all that she needs within in her to birth her own baby. The medical community treats moms like patients and birth like surgery or a major medical issue when it is not. The medical community also rushes births. Society has created fear surrounding birth. Fear leads to tension, tension leads to your muscles and body not working the way they need to and leads to pain.

So, you begin the classes sooner than regular birthing classes in order to reprogram and prepare your mind and body. Through hypnosis, deep relaxation and visualization, you reprogram your subconcious mind to believe all of the things you want for your birth which will allow it to physically happen. By the time you birth your child you are a pro and going into deep relaxation and using the techniques that you labor in this state. You aren't zoned out, you don't cluck like a chicken, you are present through the whole thing.

And man alive! You should see the women who have used this in labor. We watched videos. They look like they're taking a bubble bath or something. No moaning, yelling, screaming. Just breathing and relaxing. It's indescribable. I want THAT!

It may seem very new agey but I'm loving it! They have all these terms that they use instead of the medical model. Contractions, no uterine surges yes. Pushing no, breathing the baby down yes. Etc. Etc. (And I'm not frickin' kidding you, these women are not pushing in the typical way that you think of pushing, they are very much more breathing the baby down.)

Also, from this point on, I am only to think of and focus on what I WANT for my birth. I'm not to think about what I don't want and I'm not to listen to other's horrific birth experiences. So no more bad stories and all you skeptics out there...I don't want to hear it! I feel very fortunate that most of the birth experiences I've heard have been positive. My mother, my co-worker, and three of my friends have had all positive ALL NATURAL births with multiple children. So anyhoo. I'm very excited!

Now I will go listen to my birth affirmations, look at the picture of my baby perfectly positioned to come down through the birth path and envision it, and fall asleep to my hypnosis CD! :)