Is your mindset holding you back from a calm birth?

Are you pregnant and are freaking out about labour? Maybe it’s your first baby and all you’ve heard are horror stories. Or you’ve had a previous difficult delivery and are worried history might repeat itself. In this blogpost I am going to share how changing the way you think about birth can help you release your birth anxiety.

I’m going to be blunt here and tell you, it’s all in your head. Mindset is EVERYTHING when it comes to preparation. That’s where hypnobirthing comes in. Hypnobirthing helps you to challenge any existing limiting beliefs you may have about birth.

'Beliefs about childbirth are formed based on every piece of information you have ever known about birth'

A belief is the acceptance that something is true. Beliefs about childbirth are formed based on every piece of information you have ever known about birth. In today’s world, childbirth is generally perceived to be unsafe. For example, most movie scenes about birth will have you thinking the absolute worst! There is usually a lot of screaming and an over representation of complications, when in reality it doesn’t have to be like that. Or you might also have well-meaning friends and family telling you their birthing horror stories that leave traumatic images seared in your brain. The impact of this pattern is that: your mind becomes conditioned to believe that childbirth is inherently dangerous.

'For labour to work smoothly, your body needs to be calm and relaxed.'

The reality is that normal physiological labour is quite safe. But because of the perceived danger of childbirth, when labour begins the body responds by initiating the body’s safety system also known as the fight or flight response. The body sends stress hormones throughout the body that work to keep you in a state of panic. This helps you to be ready for any danger. But the thing is, for labour to work smoothly, your body needs to be calm and relaxed.

As mentioned before this is done through mindset work. This comes with doing the work to unlearn and let go of your limiting beliefs when it comes to childbirth. This is the premise of hypnobirthing. This is what the work involves. To get started why don’t you try this exercise in the coming days: every time you catch yourself thinking an unhelpful thought about your upcoming delivery, acknowledge the thought and then ask yourself “Is there is a way that I can reframe that thought to have a more balanced view of the situation?” You can also try listening to more positive birthing stories or watching some positive birthing videos. There are many on YouTube! Soon you will develop a new pattern of thinking that reflects your positive outlook on birth.

'Practicing these techniques gradually changes your thought pattern when it comes to childbirth.'

Other tools that are helpful for creating a new belief system are: visualization, writing affirmations, fear release exercise and hypnosis. Practicing these techniques gradually changes your thought pattern when it comes to childbirth. When you become conditioned to believe that your birth can be calm, peaceful and even EMPOWERING your body responds very differently when labour begins.

Instead of the stress response being activated, you will now be able to stay calm and think more clearly. You will be able to focus on your breath and stay connected with your baby throughout labour. You will allow your body to create the hormones that it needs for labour to progress. Your baby also benefits from hormones like oxytocin and endorphins which helps them to cope with labour.

'I will teach you step by step how to shift your focus from worrying about all the things that can go wrong to focusing on what is in your control'

That is just one part of hypnobirthing. Hypnobirthing offers you a wide range of techniques in order to get birth confident. For example, how to advocate for yourself, how to rotate your baby for a smoother delivery, creating the ideal birthing environment and so much more.

In my course, I will teach you step by step how to shift your focus from worrying about all the things that can go wrong to focusing on what is in your control. Click here to schedule a free connection call with me to get started on learning how to shift your mindset for a more empowering birthing experience.