A Mother’s HypnoBirthing Experience

http://www.naturalparenting.com.au 


From the first mild contractions that woke me around 12.40am on Sunday night, my labour progressed so smoothly and calmly. I used the HypnoBirthing tapes and techniques – relaxing and breathing into the surges, which gradually increased in intensity (however they always felt totally bearable). By 8am they were 4 – 5 minutes apart and much stronger, I was still relaxing, but knew it was time to get to the Birth Centre.

We arrived at the same time as my parent, whom we arranged to meet us there and we then met with the midwife on duty in the Birth Centre. My partner, Dean, seemed to be the only one aware that I was trying to cope with some strong surges during this time. He constantly talked me through them, reminding me to relax and open myself up for the birth. This helped me so much. The others chatted around me and were oblivious to how close I was to birthing – an indication of how calm and relaxed I was. We later learnt that the other midwife on duty thought I was nowhere near ready to birth and wondered if I should go home! Luckily our midwife said she really couldn’t gauge where I was at because I was so relaxed and gave us the benefit of the doubt.

I got into the bath for a while, then over to sit on the bed. In between surges I leaned against the pillows and relaxed – even drifted off to sleep. During surges I would either kneel on the bed or stand up and lean over the bed. Dean was so in tune with me and continued to help me relax and visualise opening up and allowing the baby to easily move down.

At about 10.30am the surges were closer than two minutes apart. I can’t believe the difference this time compared to my last birth when I couldn’t relax at any stage. No-one realised how close I was to birthing as apparently I still looked quite relaxed and was coping with the surges. They thought I still had quite a few hours to go. At one point during a surge my head told me I couldn’t cope any longer. So during the next surge I focused on Dean’s words and I told myself I could do this and it was easy. The difference was amazing. I could feel the next surge, but it was almost painless. Then my waters broke with a gush and I was breathing through the urge to push. I was hardly pushing. Just trying to let my body do it naturally. Our midwife said to herself, “I’ll just get a hot towel for her back………oops, no I won’t, I’ll just catch this baby!” We were all amazed that it was over after only 16 minutes from the first urge to push. Leah was born at 10.56am, less than 2 ½ hours after we arrived at the Birth Centre. Time seemed to go so quickly during the whole labour and I felt I had enough energy at every stage.

My mum, who had previously watched the HypnoBirthing video, admitted that she thought the video had been toned down and that there must have been footage erased of women displaying pain. She was blown away by how relaxed she thought I was and said she was now a ‘believer’ in HypnoBirthing.

Dean said that even though he was tuning into when I was surging and talking me through, he really didn’t realise how far along I was. He thought I would be going for hours longer. He was inspired by how relaxed and easy it all felt this time.

The important things for me were that my partner played an important role in the birth, which was a fantastic bonding experience for all of us. I knew my options and was able to make my own choices without anyone interfering. Our wonderful midwife and the Birth Centre allowed us the space to do ‘our thing’.

Birthing our child was an amazing and empowering experience and I now know first hand what is possible and what I am capable of.

Want the Best Baby Toys? Apply this Secret...

I just promised to reveal the secret of how to find the best baby toys. And I will fulfill that promise. OR DIE TRYING.

So what's it going to be, Mom?
brain-boosting toys? or mental cardboard?

(Okay, not really. But I will try really really hard.)

But first, I have to ask you a question.

Well, two questions.

What are the developmental skills your baby is working on right now?

What are the milestones you're looking for?

Those two questions are actually vital (VITAL I TELL YOU), in determining what the best baby toys are going to be for your baby.

I could show you some pretty awesome tummy-time toys (and I do), but that won't help if your baby is running around.

So the first step is to figure out what stage of development your baby is either currently in, or will be soon.

If I slapped all these milestones in a single article, you'd never get through it all before the end of naptime, so I've split it into ages.

This article is going to focus on those milestones babies ages 3 to 6 months are trying to master. If your baby is not in that age range, click on the age you need below for tips on how to shop smart for his developmental skill.

• If you're looking for the best baby toys for newborns (0-3 months),

• If you need the best baby toys for crawlers (6-9 months),

• Or if your baby is starting to waddle around the house (9 months & up) and you need the best baby toys to keep him occupied,

Brain Health for children

Anne Arsenault

A healthy brain should be a top priority, yet many people take the brain for granted. The more studies done, the more amazing and complex the brain becomes. The health of a child"s growing brain should be of utmost importance to parents. An unhealthy brain causes problems with concentration, focus, memory and learning in general. Conditions such as: ADD, Depression, Anxiety and mood swings can be helped by providing the proper foods, nutrients and a healthy lifestyle.

To protect the health of a child"s brain:

?? Monitor blood sugar levels
?? Watch intake of chemicals, bad fats and sugars
?? Limit use of TV and computers
?? Ensure children eat good fats and other brain foods
?? Make sure children get enough sleep and exercise.

The brain needs a constant, even supply of blood sugar to keep it running properly. If blood sugar levels get too low, children will tend to become spacey, forgetful, irritable and shaky.

If a child is happy one minute and angry and irritable the next, it could be related to blood sugar. When children consume a lot of sweets (pop, juice and white flour products), this sets them up for conditions like Diabetes and Hypoglycemia. Blood sugar problems in time cause brain damage. Children will have difficulty learning and retaining school work, emotions will be all over the place and they have even linked certain cancers and Alzheimer"s to diabetes.

To maintain a healthy blood sugar level, you must make sure your children eat every 3-4 hours. Include a good quality protein and fiber in every meal. Cut back on sugar (do not substitute Aspartame), white flour products, hydrogenated fats and Trans fats.

The brain is 40-60% fat, so provide good brain building fats and limit the unhealthy fats. Cut back on hydrogenated fats, trans fats and fried fats.

Good fats include:

?? Fish oils,
?? Flax oil,
?? Hemp oil,
?? Tree nuts such as almonds or walnuts
?? Avocadoes

When you include good fats in your child"s diet, their cravings for the bad fats will start to diminish. Put the liquid oil into a protein smoothie drink, or get flavored fish oil capsules. These good fats will help calm the brain and nervous system, while helping decrease symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Make sure children get lots of colorful fruits and vegetables. Blueberries, cherries, almonds, walnuts, whole grains and good quality proteins are essential. Avoid sugars and artificial foods that contain chemicals such as Aspartame, MSG, Artificial Colours, Artificial Flavours and Sucrolose. Sugars and simple carbohydrates (donuts, white bread, candy), can increase the chance of Diabetes, which in turn affects the brain health. Certain chemicals act as Excitotoxins, which damage the brain cells.

Give children foods high in B Vitamins. These help alleviate stress, depression and anxiety. Whole Grains, nuts, beans, brown rice, eggs, leafy greens, peas, poultry, wheat germ, organic raisins and blackstrap molasses, all contain B Vitamins.

Breakfast is an important meal to keep the brain working properly, so feed children a well-rounded breakfast.

Studies show that children should spend a maximum of two hours watching TV a day. This also includes computer and video games. For children ages one to three, less than two hours is recommended. TV overloads the developing brain with information and it can cause permanent damage in a baby"s developing neural pathways. Children will become bored more often. ADD has increased with the introduction of children"s Television in the 1950"s (Jean Lotus, ??It"s Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit??)

Sleep is also important for overall brain health. Research proves that sleep improves memory, mood and brain function. Lack of sleep increases the stress hormone, corticosterone; it also decreases concentration and brain cell production. Sleep deprivation also causes children to eat more junk food, usually simple carbohydrates. This in turn will create a blood sugar problem and obesity.

Exercise is needed to keep children fit. Exercise is not just good for bodies but it"s also good for the brain. Exercise increases circulation, including to the brain. This creates extra endorphins and helps prevent obesity. Increased circulation brings nutrients to the brain and pushes waste products out. This increases the level of brain chemicals and encourages nerve cell growth. Memory, concentration and attention are all increased with exercise.

Do not take the brain for granted. Make sure children are getting the proper nutrition, amount of TV, sleep and exercise needed for healthy brain development.

by. http://www.naturalparenting.com.au