A different vision of birth and infants.
In October 2010 our daughter Evelyn was born. My mother in-law says that each child arrives with a piece of bread under their arm. In other words they arrive bearing gifts.
One of the gifts she bought to us is the discovery of HypnoBirthing. After receiving the book as a gift we (my husband and I) took the course with Ilona Fritsch and we are very happy that we did. The predominant story about birth in our society is one of pain and labor for the mother and a sense of helplessness for the father. We rarely think about what the infant is going through but when we do we see birth as a harrowing terrible experience where we must have doctors who monitor every minute to make sure that nothing goes wrong.
And when we think about infants and children we have this story that makes them out to be helpless, just a digestive tube or some kind of incomplete adult. The HypnoBirthing course offered us a different vision.
It gave us tools so that the birth was way less painful than we expected. Relaxing the muscles, light touch massage, effective use of breathing and various relaxation, visualization and fear reducing exercises as well as a clear message to ignore time were all very helpful during the birth. Also my husband felt wonderful that he could take part in the process rather than just stand by and watch.
The powerful emphasis on the intelligence and capacities of infants was very meaningful for us. The encouragement to recognize that the child is already present even before birth and the importance of starting the relationship before birth was essential. The reflections on what babies need after having worked hard and showing so much competence during the birth process helped us to feel empowered as parents.
Another benefit that is not negligible is that the tools that helped us stay calm and focused during birth also help us to maintain that state in the sometimes difficult post birth period. We are very pleased that we have options that we can try when our daughter (who suffers from colic) is uncomfortable.
If we can reduce the fear and recognize our innate abilities to bring a child into this world and then parent those children effectively we have gone a long way towards offering our children a very precious gift which is parents who are calm and less stressed. Working with families I see so many people who no longer listen to themselves and don’t trust their instincts. The HypnoBirthing course is one step in the process of reclaiming our power as parents. I sincerely hope that if you are expecting a child and reading this that you will take the next step of picking up the phone and calling to sign up for this course.
How you treat yourself during pregnancy and birth will set the tone for your child’s and your family’s entire life. Birth can be a beautiful and peaceful experience and so can being a parent. HypnoBirthing can help you make this vision into a reality.