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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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Virtual Reality to Reduce Labor Pain?

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In January 2007 Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone and changed the world. 10 years on no one could have predicted how reliant we would become on these palm sized devices that have become such a huge part of our lives. Apps followed and now there’s literally an App for everything! GentleBirth moved to a fully digital model in 2014 and we’ve been exploring the VR world for the last year for stress reduction, birth preparation and reducing labor pain. If you’ve been to one of my workshops I’ve been talking about VR and pain perception for years (remember Snow World and the penguin game)? I met Hunter Hoffman the creator of Snow World at a recent Stanford VR conference and VR applications for mental health is a huge area of research right now.

VR instead of Epidurals or Alongside for Anxious Mothers?

For some women VR may be extremely effective for labor and it looks like we may have more answers in the near future from the ongoing research. I started using it last year with my clients and they’ve found it very helpful in reducing pain and increasing relaxation in labor.

In 2016 Erin Martucci relaxed on a virtual tropical beach as she labored in a NY hospital supported by her OB with no medication. There is certainly a place for VR and reducing anxiety which will also impact pain perception. At a recent Stanford VR event I met a psychologist who has been using VR for several years to help patients overcome phobias and extreme anxiety. One hospital in Arizona ran a small study for pain management in labor - mom’s used less IV medication and had lower pain scores and the VRAIL study gave us even more insights. The VRAIL study was conducted in Michigan between November 2016 and April 2017 with pain scores being significantly reduced in moms using VR.

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Emerging research is showing impressive results for acute and chronic pain so it makes sense that trials are beginning for the use of VR for labor pain and anxiety (before or during labor). The brain has limited ‘bandwidth’ and can only focus intently on one stimulus at a time (despite what you might believe about multitasking) so combining relaxing imagery with positive suggestions and sounds of nature can significantly reduce pain perception (playing ‘natural sounds’ affects the bodily systems that control the flight-or-fright and rest-digest autonomic nervous systems, with associated effects in the resting activity of the brain). We know that stress and fear increases pain in labor (and even complications) - so why not use technology to change that for laboring moms?

At the Cedars-Sinai VR program in LA they are developing the role of the ‘Virtualist’ - a new professional who will ‘prescribe’ specific VR videos to use for specific issues.

As exciting as the technology is there’s a lot to consider when it comes to using VR in labor - the cost of the goggles (the more expensive VR headsets give you the fully immersive experience).

How about mobilsing with VR goggles in labor or will women have to be in bed? We know that a mom who is active in labor will usually cope better and have a shorter labor.

What about motion sickness?

Will hospitals support the use of VR in L&D? What training will staff need?

Will combining VR and epidurals reduce the amount of medication needed in the epidural? One recent Iranian study compared perineal repair after an episiotomy with or without VR and the women who used VR (along with Lidocaine) had significantly reduced pain levels).

Lots of questions and not too many answers yet but without a doubt childbirth education has never been more exciting for parents and childbirth educators.

Watch this space and new GentleBirth Podcast on this topic coming soon!

Virtual Reality Analgesia in Labor

Frey et al (2018) The VRAIL Pilot Study—A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial Suggesting Benefit of Immersive Virtual Reality Analgesia in Unmedicated Laboring Women

Jahani Shoorab N, Ebrahimzadeh Zagami S, Nahvi A, et al. The Effect of Virtual Reality on Pain in Primiparity Women during Episiotomy Repair: A Randomize Clinical Trial. Iranian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2015;40(3):219-224.

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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GentleBirth Brings Mindfulness to Mainstream Childbirth Education

Hypnosis is Not Mindfulness - Mindfulness is Not Hypnosis

In the last few years mindfulness has become a buzz word in the world of childbirth education with GentleBirth leading the way through our App.

I decided to write this piece with childbirth educators in mind, to take a deeper look at the cultivation of mindfulness as an important (but regularly missing) element of childbirth and parenting preparation. I also wanted to attempt to demystify the concept of mindfulness and propose that adding mindfulness cultivation to your classes can have significant health benefits for the parents you work with (as well as being beneficial to you as a birth professional). Hopefully this information will help you and your clients gain a better understanding of the differences between hypnotic birth preparation and the use of mindfulness for pregnancy, birth and beyond.

There is a growing interest in mindfulness in the sports world, business world and also in the birth and parenting world. Repeated studies have demonstrated that meditation can rewire how the brain responds to stress. Compelling evidence reporting less depression, more emotional resilience as well improved confidence and psychological flexibility is leading birth professionals around the world to explore this simple but powerful tool in more depth. All GentleBirth Instructors are required to complete a 6 week mindfulness course as part of their certification process and having an ongoing practice is very much encouraged.

What is Mindfulness?

We should start off by clarifying that mindfulness is not a ‘technique’ or a birth ‘method’. It is so much more than just “being in the moment” during labor. It becomes a way of life, that with practice can infuse every aspect of your life and change your relationship with your inner and outer world. Mindfulness is often defined as being present on purpose without judgment. When you are being mindful you are fully engaged in the present moment using your breath, physical sensations and even challenging emotions to create more emotional balance in your life.

Parents can practice mindful breathing….walking…..eating…..brushing their teeth….even sitting at a red light is an opportunity to be present and mindful rather than being on autopilot (mindless). Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of feelings, thoughts, physical sensations, and the world around us. Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment (that includes believing that there is a “right” or “wrong” way to give birth. Acceptance says “ok so this is not what I wanted but the fact is this is what it is - so what decisions can I make from here?” Acceptance helps parents see things as they are, taking a pause…..going back to the breath and then making a rational choice about how to be with it". Mindfulness does not mean you are always in a state of calm “zen-ness” and labor can be tough work. We can be feeling angry and pay mindful attention to that experience - being angry is not “wrong”. Difficult emotions experienced in pregnancy, birth and parenting can be held in a way that is helpful rather than hurtful with an understanding of the human condition.

Mindfulness is paying attention to our experience in a way that allows us to respond rather than react. Responding is mindful….reacting is what we do on autopilot as a habit of thought. The breath is ‘home’….a place that is always available to us even when we feel things are out of our control. Mindfulness uses all five senses as well as our thoughts and emotions. Birth preparation courses that include mindfulness means parents are learning how to be mindful of sound, breath, movement, thoughts, emotions, and other things. These short periods of paying attention on purpose change the brain structure in positive ways within weeks.

Most mindfulness courses for birth/parenting include most of the following:

Awareness of breathing

Awareness of thoughts and feelings

Awareness of body sensations

Self-compassion and loving kindness practices

Mindful movement (prenatal yoga)

Mindful awareness during routine activities (washing the dishes, driving, cooking).

Mindful decision making and communication

The essential mindful awareness concepts focused on most frequently are:

Present moment focus

Acceptance based coping (instead of change coping strategies)

Beginners mind

Google and other high tech companies employ mindfulness experts to train their employees. Even the US military is taking notice and including mindfulness as well as their combat training. So as the interest and positive outcomes grow it’s wonderful to see the birth world taking notice – this is such a positive development for birth professionals as well as the families they serve.

Comparing Mindfulness and Hypnotic Childbirth

There are certainly some similarities between mindfulness practice and hypnotic childbirth classes but a number of differences that we’ll explore in this article.

In Hypnobirthing/Hypnobabies the goal is to help moms enter into the trance state of hypnosis so positive suggestions can be given for birth. Initially moms are guided into that state by narrowing their focus of attention and using a progressive relaxation with their class Instructor, followed by home practice with an Mp3. As mom enters the trance state (if she can be hypnotized) that initial state of focus is encouraged to drift to the background. In contrast, mindfulness training helps parents use their conscious awareness throughout – they stay in that focused state. As the conscious mind drifts to the concerns of the day once mom becomes aware that she is no longer focused she simply brings her attention gently back to her anchor (breath, sensation etc). It is the continued and repeated focused attention of mindfulness that brings about neurological changes in the brain. The same positive brain changes are not seen when the mind is daydreaming (Hypnobirthing/Hypnobabies). Mindfulness is not about sitting crosslegged in an incense filled room it’s about being human, living in the moment and realizing that we have more options than we may think in any moment, no matter what is happening and we can always choose how we respond.

Comparing the Intention and Focus of Hypnosis and Mindfulness

Hypnobirthing/Hypnobabies has a specific future goal and intention (an unmedicated birth). It is focused on what you learned about birth through culture family and friends and a desire to change past ‘bad programming’ to reach the desired goal of an unmedicated birth (note there is no “good” or “bad” in mindfulness).

Mindfulness is focused on only the present moment and is accepting of where you are now. Parents have the opportunity to notice patterns of negative thinking that they can now choose to interrupt or simply notice without engaging with the thought or feeling (“I’ll be screaming for the epidural” “I won’t be able to breastfeed”). In the practice of mindfulness there is no need to change/heal any ‘bad programming’ parents just start from where they are in this moment. A specific birth experience is not the goal – but a way of being that is accepting of all ways of giving birth without judgment. Through mindfulness we become less attached to a particular birth experience and accept ‘what is’. When events out of mom’s control occur such as the need for medical intervention mindfulness really comes into it’s own. A mindful approach is about letting go of resistance or avoidance. Ironically the more we attempt to control what we think about, or our feelings results in more stress. So on top of the difficult feelings of induction etc mom now has to deal with the experience itself.

With mindfulness meditation parents are learning how to be both receptive – open, relaxed, alert; and active – with the intention to stay with experience (not to change it) as it arises and passes by. By training parents in the cultivation of mindfulness - their ability to direct their focus intentionally towards what is actually happening moment by moment, they develop more understanding, and compassionate insight as their pregnancy, birth and parenting experience unfolds. Mindfulness does not involve creating any kind of trance state or hypnosis – there is no goal of changing your beliefs but being ok with whatever is happening in this moment right now in your mind, body and the world around you. It is what it is.

Comparing Approaches to Pain and Pain Management

Mindfulness changes the mother’s relationship to the pain sensations so that the experience of the pain is less all-absorbing and less likely to trigger negative emotional responses that intensify pain (fear…feelings of being out of control). Physical pain is increased with emotional pain so by ‘uncoupling’ the sensations from accompanying emotions reduces pain perception. Mindfulness practice tells the fear centre of the brain (Amygdala) to ‘stand down’ and so reduces negative emotions that increase pain. But we are not trying to avoid pain.

The mindfulness ‘side effect’ of pain reduction occurs by turning down the ‘volume’ of pain sensations in the primary somatosensory cortex seen in MRI scans. Meditation increases activity in regions of the brain related to the processing of emotion and of cognitive control (the areas where the sensations of pain are actually interpreted). These brain areas regulate the sensations of pain and give it ‘meaning’ before it becomes part of your conscious awareness. Mindfulness does not promote the avoidance of pain (including painful emotions or physical sensations) or distract the mind from it. The goal of hypnotic childbirth programs is to change the sensations of labor. However many women will experience more than discomfort during birth as well as uncomfortable emotions in those first intense weeks of parenthood. Mindfulness requires acceptance of the present moment and the sensations - acceptance doesn’t mean we have to like what’s going on but we accept the reality that “it is what it is”. No trance state is required for mindfulness. When pain is present in labor mindfulness helps mums stay in the moment with those sensations and avoids pain catastrophizing which reduces the need for medication. When a woman is expecting labour to be painfree or without discomfort and that is not her reality having additional tools in her emotional coping toolkit is essential for the mother’s psychological wellbeing. Mindfulness helps mothers to experience the intense sensations of birth but not feeling judged or a failure if they choose pain relief to help them have a positive experience - this is an ongoing problem with childbirth preparation programs that only use hypnosis as their coping strategy.

Mindfulness is Not a Relaxation Technique or a Breathing Technique.

This is a very common misconception. Mindfulness helps parents to notice when they are experiencing emotions and feelings, to stop and watch how they feel in our mind and our body, and to react differently than we may have in the past especially when it comes to fear or anger. It allows parents to ‘pause’ between the emotion and choose a better response rather than a reaction. Like a train on a journey with all of the railcars connected…each thought in the 'train of thought’ leads to another….we can choose to get on the train and follow a particular memory/thought/plan or choose to get off the train at any point. With mindfulness we are teaching parents that they are NOT the train…but the landscape that the train is moving through. A recent RCT comparing relaxation techniques to mindfulness has shown brain changes in the fear center of the brain in those participants practicing mindfulness - not relaxation techniques.

Hypnosis is the opposite to mindful attention and focus and is the state that women are told to expect through hypnosis. The mind wanders – it’s been doing that for as long as we’ve been living. As parents cultivate the practice of mindfulness the mind will wander too but we are consciously bringing our attention back to the breath, sensation or emotion….not away from it to distracting colors or visualizations. Mindfulness retrains the brain not to chase after the dramatic stories and thoughts that pass through the mind from the moment we awake until we sleep each night….. “I can’t believe she said that.” ….what if I have to be induced?”

Although breathing techniques are taught as part of Hypnobirthing/Hypnobabies and most childbirth prep courses mindfulness is not in itself a breathing ‘technique’. In mindfulness training, breathing is used as an anchor – a safe place that you can retreat to anytime by simply taking your attention to your breathing and noticing it just the way it is – without changing it. The chief executives of some of the largest most dynamic organizations in the world such as Google run mindfulness courses for all of their employees – not to induce relaxation but to increase productivity and creativity in their employees – to give them a mental edge in a digital world. Author and mindfulness expert John Kabat Zinn takes this approach to mindful breathing - “So see if you can just feel yourself breathing… . Sit in an elevated and erect position that embodies dignity to meet this moment in its fullness with alertness… . Let’s see if we can feel the breath, not think about the breath … moving in and out of the body as if we were approaching a shy animal sunning itself on a tree stump in a clearing in a forest. We want to approach it gently.”

Making mindfulness an integral part of birth preparation gives parents the tools to mindfully acknowledge that each moment will pass (especially difficult experiences in pregnancy, birth and parenting). It can provide birth professionals with an opportunity to promote parent and infant health and wellbeing through childbirth education – a goal we all wish to achieve.

As the demand for mindful birth preparation and parenting increases so will the opportunities for birth professionals to provide these kinds of classes to families in their communities. GentleBirth is available as both an App and workshop format and combines mindfulness, hypnotic childbirth, sports psychology and CBT.

To Recap:

Repeated studies have demonstrated that meditation can rewire how the brain responds to stress. Mindfulness increases emotional stability and psychological flexibility. About 30 percent of women who have struggled with depression in the past relapse during pregnancy. A 2014 study reported that pregnant women with histories of depression who participated in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy had a relapse rate of just 18 percent.

Mindfulness takes advantage of the increased maternal neuroplasticity of the brain in pregnancy.

Mindfulness includes mindful awareness of more than the breath, it includes mindful awareness of thoughts, emotions, sensations, sounds, movements etc.

Acceptance based coping (instead of 'change’ coping strategies).

Beginners mind with compassion and loving kindness meditation

Research is showing its potential for dealing with labour pain, fear of childbirth and for enhancing attachment between parents and infants.

Parents who practice mindful parenting for a year were more satisfied with their parenting skills and their interactions with their children—though no new parenting practices beyond just being mindful had been taught to them.

Mindfulness training gives parents a mental edge as they become parents and cope with the new challenges that come along with having a newborn and can improve parent’s relationship with each other.

Mindfulness cultivation is not part of HypnoBirthing (Hypnobabies just began to add mindfulness to their curriculum in August 2015) but is a core part of the GentleBirth program combining hypnotic birth techniques, mindfulness training, sports psychology and mindset interventions. All GentleBirth Instructors are required to complete a 6 week Mindfulness for Birth Professionals training as part of their certification. At the time of writing no other childbirth preparation class that includes mindfulness as part of their curriculum requires Instructors to take any training in mindfulness.

***I’ve been having some wonderful ongoing discussions with midwives and hypnotherapists about this article where 'guided’ meditations are likened to hypnosis due to the trance state experienced by the volunteer.

A sitting meditation can certainly evolve into a trance like state especially if it’s guided (just look at the yogis in India) but 'regular’ day to day mindfulness (awareness) is not a trance state. It’s the opposite. It’s a conscious awareness…an ongoing return to the breath, a return to the sensations of the body….or awareness of emotion…that’s the moment of mindfulness….when we attach to a thought or feeling and chase after that thought the recognition that 'oh there I go again’ is the moment of mindfulness. The mind is a wonderful time traveller….we spend so much of our lives in the past ruminating on what we 'should’ have done….said etc….and in the future…worrying about finances etc….most of our stress can be found in those places - but not in the present moment. The definition that makes the most sense to me is

“Mindfulness is paying attention, on purpose to the present moment experience, with open curiosity and a willingness to be with what is (whatever life brings us)”. Very different to trance.

Let’s continue the discussions - there’s so much to consider!

References:

Duncan, L. G., Coatsworth, J. D., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). A model of mindful parenting: Implications for parent–child relationships and prevention research. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 12, 255–270.

Duncan LG, Bardacke N (2010) Mindfulness-based childbirth and parenting education: Promoting mindfulness to reduce stress during the perinatal period. J Child Fam Stud 19(2): 190–202

N.N. Singh, Lanconi, G.E., Winton, A.S.W., Singh, J., Curtis, W.J., Wahler, R.G., McAleavey, K.M.,“Mindful Parenting Decreases Aggression and Increases Social Behavior in Children with Developmental Disabilities”, Behavior Modification 31, no. 6 (2007).

C. Vieten. Mindful Motherhood: Practical Tools for Staying Sane During Pregnancy and Your Child’s First Year. (Berkeley: New Harbinger, 2009)

Vieten, C., & Astin, J. (2008). Effects of a mindfulness-based intervention during pregnancy on prenatal stress and mood: Results of a pilot study. Archives of Women’s Mental Health, 11, 67–74.

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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You asked and we made it happen! The GentleBirth book is now available as an audio book on Audible!

US followers get your audio book here - https://www.audible.com/pd/B07KX6WT6Q/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-134940&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_134940_rh_us

European followers get your audio book here - https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/B07KX75PH3/?source_code=AUKFrDlWS02231890H6-BK-ACX0-134940&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_134940_rh_uk

#gentlebirth #pregnancy meditation #tracy donegan #positive birth #audio book

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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I’m so excited for these moms! Stack the odds in your favor of having a positive birth with the GentleBirth Online Positive Birth Class.

#gentlebirth #tracydonegan #pregnancymeditation #gentlebirthonline

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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Join me online this holiday season for the most comprehensive and affordable positive birth prep class available today.

http://www.GentleBirthOnline.com

#gentlebirth #positivebirth #pregnancymeditation

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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Online classes are HERE! Only $49.95 through December 31 2018.

For more information visit http://www.GentleBirthOnline.com

#positivebirth #gentlebirth #hypnobabies #hypnobirthing #onlineclasses #pregnancymeditation #tracydonegan #pregnancyapp

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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Why Dads Need GentleBirth

1. Playing the game, not watching from the sidelines

Is there anything worse than watching a game from the sidelines when all you want is be out there on the pitch, giving it all you’ve got for the team? The problem is men often use this description when talking about their own presence at their baby’s birth. They felt helpless and disempowered, and sometimes side-lined and pushed out of the way. Supporting your partner and advocating for her during labor requires planning, preparation and knowledge. If you want to be in the game, you need the knowledge, the skills and the practice to get the result everyone’s looking for – a positive, calm and confident experience for mum, baby and you. By taking our online training, you will learn how to support your partner emotionally and physically on the big day. You’ll also learn how to advocate for her so that she can get on with the business of having your baby. No marathon runner rocks up to the start line five minutes before the race without any preparation done. Neither should you.

2. Team work

Your partner is having a baby. She’s about to go through the most amazing, life transforming, physically and emotionally challenging experience of her life. She needs you. She needs you to know her birth preferences. She needs you to understand why they are her birth preferences. She needs you to sit down with her and plan this out together so you’re both on the same page and confident about it too. She needs you to know what to do when she feels that first twinge, or when her waters release, or when things aren’t going to plan and decisions need to be made. She needs you to rub her back – in the right place, at the right time. She needs you to hang off, like literally hang her body off yours so you’re taking all of her weight. She needs you to know when she needs a sip of water when she can’t speak. She needs you to be working together, as the perfect birthing team. You’ll learn this and more with GentleBirth.

3. Feeling the fear – and knowing what to do about it

Having a baby is scary. It’s scary if it’s your first baby and the only births you’ve ever seen have been on TV or at the cinema. It’s scary if you’ve already had a baby and things didn’t go to plan and both you and your partner have fears about the same thing happening again. It’s scary if you’ve been waiting a long time for this baby or if you have lost a baby at any stage of pregnancy before. Becoming a Dad full stop is scary. We’re here to help you, identify your fears, challenge them and give yourself coping skills to not only manage them, but also turn that fear and anxiety into positivity and confidence. I’m talking about you now, not your partner. She’ll learn the same thing, but it’s important that we take care of your fears too.

4. Energy in the room

One of the things you’re going to learn is how big a role hormones play in birth. You’ll learn how important the “love hormone” oxytocin is, and how it can help your partner have a positive birth experience. You’ll also learn what switches oxytocin on and, just as importantly, what switches oxytocin off. A big factor in getting oxytocin flowing is the energy in the room and you, the birth partner, have a huge role to play here. Your energy and the energy of other people in the birth room all have an impact on your laboring partner, and you will be the gatekeeper of ensuring that energy is positive. We show you how.

5. Forewarned is forearmed

All hospitals have their policies. They’re in the business of delivering lots of babies as quickly as possible because there’s lots of women on their way in to have a lot more babies! We’ll help you figure out the policies in the unit you are attending. You’ll also learn how to navigate these policies to get the best birth experience for your partner, your baby and you. The reason you need to know them is that you might need to make important decisions on the day. When your partner is in labor is probably not the best time for you to be learning new information which you’ll have to act immediately on. You’ll also learn how to ask important questions to help you make those decisions with confidence.

6. If it’s good enough for Michael Phelps, Wayne Rooney, Pele, Muhammad Ali and Conor McGregor, it’s good enough for you.

Brain-training, mindfulness and sports psychology play a huge part in GentleBirth. We use tried and tested techniques that leading sports celebrities have used for success the world over. Sports preparation and birth preparation have more similarities than you’d think and we’ll teach you the skills and exercises you need to feel and perform like the winning birth partner you are!

7. Time Out Together

To some people a weekend workshop sounds like a lot of time! But really it’s a lot of fun. The beauty of a weekend session is:

you’re immersed for 24 hours so you’re in the zone

everything you need is covered over the weekend so you’re not trying to schedule an hour in your diary over a few weeks

you might be arriving with trepidation on Saturday afternoon, but I guarantee you you’ll be bounding out of there with confidence on Sunday.

you can make a romantic weekend of it. Many couples squeeze in a sneaky date night – maybe dinner out or a movie in – while they’re spending a weekend’s quality time together. And we all know we need to take those opportunities while we can!

there’s lots of laughing, relaxation and socialising with other couples over the weekend and, trust me, you’ll sleep like you haven’t slept in ages!

If you can’t get to a live workshop you can take our online video course together at a time that suits your schedule.

So you probably haven’t read the print outs she left beside the bed, or the chapter in the pregnancy book where she bent the corners of the pages down for you. And that’s okay because maybe you consume information and prepare for things in a different way to her. But give some serious thought taking a live or online class . It’s not an ordinary birth class. No one is going to tell you to go get yourself a cup of tea or sit there and let us take care of things, like a good man. If you want to be in, oh you’ll be in. And you’ll be on fire!

* Some women choose to have a birth partner who isn’t their baby’s father for myriad reasons that are the right ones for them. Even though the vast majority of women have male partners with them, many will have a female birth partner. All seven points above are just as relevant to women as they are to men, including the quality time in number 7. Being a birth partner is a serious job. You need to give it all you’ve got!

#gentlebirth #mindfulness #sportpsychology #birthpreparation #positivebirth #tracydonegan #doula #midwife #pregnancyapp #braintrainingforbirth

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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I came across this beautiful description of labor recently by a US midwife describing that in between stage some of our GentleBirth moms experience between full dilation and having that irresistible, uncontrollable urge to bear down as the fetal ejection reflex kicks in..…UK Midwife Mary Cronk calls it the “rest and be thankful stage”. All a mom needs at this point is support and reassurance that she will be meeting her baby soon.

“I like to imagine this shift in labor as “the still pool.” Labor is like paddling in a one-person kayak; at first, your midwife and family run in the river up to their knees in water with you. Then, you reach a bend where the river narrows; you hear the rapids and a waterfall and you think, “Oooh no, I’m not going there.”

No one can go there with you, but you realize that the waterfall is going to whoosh you over to where your baby is, and as scared as you are, you really want to go. So, you do and it’s confusing and then, then you find yourself in that beautiful still pool at the base of the waterfall. You see your people all around the shores and it’s so lush and otherworldly. When you are ready, you grab your oar and paddle over to receive your baby, who is coming to the surface to meet you.”

Alison Bastien - Midwife

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gentlebirthofficial · 6 years ago

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Do NOT miss Monday’s podcast for more inspirational birth stories. In Monday’s episode you’ll meet Dr Crystal Frazee and hear about her decision to break up with her OB at 36 weeks!

#GentleBirthApp #Gentlebirth #tracy donegan #positive birth #Mindfulness #gentlebirth podcast midwife positivebirth empoweredbirth

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gentlebirthofficial · 7 years ago

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The world is hungry for positive birth stories! Won’t you share yours and inspire other moms around the world!

Get in touch and share your positive birth story with the world.

https://goo.gl/forms/iHuTvrNp2gUym86T2

Tracy

#gentlebirth podcast midwife positivebirth empoweredbirth

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gentlebirthofficial · 7 years ago

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What You Need to Know About Gestational Diabetes and Induction of Labor

Why are so many women with Gestational Diabetes being advised that they HAVE to be induced at 39 weeks?

Parents just don’t seem to be getting all of the information to make an informed decision about induction of labor for GD.

If you’re confused about your options and whether induction is necessary FOR YOU be sure to read the following articles from ACOG and Dr Rachel Reed and talk to your careprovider about your individual circumstances rather than the hospital's policy.

https://midwifethinking.com/…/gestational-diabetes-beyond-…/

WHO

Recommend that induction of labor should not be offered for GD unless there is evidence of other abnormalities occurring, such as abnormal blood glucose levels

ACOG - Practice Bulletin No. 180: Gestational Diabetes

For women who have well controlled GD with exercise and diet care providers can take the reasonable approach of expectant management approach and NOT offer induction until 40 +6 days.

For women using medication to manage GD ACOG recommends induction between 39 and 39+6 (those 6 extra days can mean a very different birth experience for you and your baby).

Learn more here

http://www.saludinfantil.org/…/Diabe…/Diabetes.Acog.2017.pdf

Queensland Health (Australia) recommend that if blood glucose is well managed, there is no indication for induction for gestational diabetes.

Be sure to check out Lily Nichols - Pilates Nutritionist brilliant books for meal plans and common sense dietary advice that won’t leave you starving!

Keep in mind too that stress raises your blood glucose levels too so be sure you're practicing with the GentleBirth App daily and definitely the day of testing (if you decide to have it).

#gentlebirth gestationaldiabetes pregnancy induction positivebirth diabetes midwife doula empoweredbirth evidencebased

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gentlebirthofficial · 7 years ago

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Strike a Pose - For an Empowered Birth

Power Pose in Labor

Every so often I’ll come across a non ‘birthy’ book that is incredibly relevant for birth - Presence by Amy Cuddy is one of them.

If you’ve been to a comprehensive class such as GentleBirth or have being reading about positions in labor know that laboring in an upright position has significant benefits for you and your baby.

Benefits cited in research include:

Shorter labors

Less need for medication

Less fetal distress

From my own observations (and I’m sure other midwives and doulas will agree) Moms who adopt upright positions in labor feel more in control, more confident and act more empowered - but this blog is about so much more than that.

For years I’ve been saying that what your brain is doing in labor is just as important as what your body and baby are doing. Feeling powerful impacts our thoughts, feelings behavior and even our physiology.

Is it possible that the way you move in labor can make your hormones work for you – or against you? Yes!

Is it possible that intentionally adopting a ‘power pose’ in labor can influence your mind and body in positive or negative ways? Yes!

Is it possible that what you wear in labor can influence how you feel in labor? Hospital gown or athletic wear? Yes!

Feelings of empowerment or disempowerment are influenced unconsciously and can be turned on or off without you even knowing. Take a moment and bring to mind a time in your life when you felt powerful. Soak in those feelings of triumph and achievement for a few minutes and notice how different you feel. You’ve just switched your psychological state by simply remembering a time you felt powerful (those memories come back even quicker the more expansive the position).

Why is feeling powerful in labor important?

When you feel powerless your brain acts very differently and works against you in the following ways:

Anxiety increases reducing executive functioning of the brain (the ability to make decisions and focus).

Pain increases

Working memory is impaired making it more difficult to remember what you learned in class.

Your focus is more external and you’re less self conscious.

BUT feeling empowered acts as a buffer against negative emotions and you’re less worried about what others think.

Your focus is widened and your thinking becomes more positive.

According to expert Adam Galinksy power incites you to take action (you’re more proactive).

You feel more connected to others.

You feel more in control

Pain is reduced.

But feeling empowered doesn’t just expand our minds – it expands our body too. Wide expansive open body posture is linked to dominance in the animal kingdom and in humans it related to higher levels of testosterone (the confidence hormone). When we feel powerful we make ourselves look bigger. Look at how players react to a World Cup goal…or an athlete who has just won a race. Their arms go into the air, their chests are puffed out and chin is up (this expansive body posture is also seen in blind athletes on crossing the finish line…it’s an innate expression of triumph). When we feel powerless (upset…anxious) we tend to make ourselves smaller and that body language makes us seem less powerful by those around us.

Feeling powerful or powerless also influences how we walk and talk. Research suggests that we speak slower and pause more when we feel confident and the pitch of our voice deepens (to make us seem bigger). The muscles of the larynx expand rather than tighten. If you’re a birth professional no doubt you’ve worked with women who use low deep sounds when they are coping well (empowered) and high pitch sounds when they are distressed and not coping. In other fascinating research we’re learning that the body language of others also impacts our feelings of power or powerlessness as we mimic body language of others. If your partner or even your nurse is stressed or uninterested it can impact your physiology. Our expectations of others is reflected in our body language – a good reason to ask for a nurse/midwife who is on the same page as you for the kind of birth you’re hoping for.

iPosture

Limit time on small devices such as your Smarphone – new research strongly suggests that the smaller the device the more we hunch over it (contractive) and the less assertive we become (hunching is a disempowered position).

Strike a Pose (physically or mentally)

A power pose is any upright, expansive position you adopt (sitting or standing). Think WonderWoman. The key word here is expansive. Interestingly the opposite pose is constrictive – the body contracts in on itself to make you seem smaller…to blend in and not attract attention (the ‘avoid’ system of the brain has been triggered). Think of how anxious or depressed people sit. Looking down, arms close to the body, chin down and shoulders hunched.

Look at these images and see which ones you think are power postions.

https://www.gynzone.net/shop/illustrations-photos/birth-positions-drawings

How about this position?

Or this?

Research also suggests that adopting a power pose mentally (imagine that pose and the feelings) also activates the brain. (Something to consider if you are on bedrest for long periods in pregnancy or if you have an epidural in labor and have important decisions to make on the day).

How to Pose for Power in Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond

These suggestions are helpful before any potentially stressful encounter and most can be used during an interaction also.

At your prenatal appointments don’t sit hunched over your phone. Sit upright if you’re using the GentleBirth App or stand (take up lots of space) or walk around. This is very helpful if hospitals make you anxious.

Breathe slowly and deeply – slow breathing triggers the relaxation response.

Adopt a power pose for 2 mins - (if you feel weird doing it in public go to the bathroom).

If you can’t physically power pose then do it mentally and bring up a memory in your life when you felt powerful.

Smile

Notice your posture today. What tiny adjustments can you make right now to prime your mindset for power.

Interested in learning more - watch this great TED Talk and check out the book Presence by Amy Cuddy.

https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

#childbirth #pregnancy #powerpose #focus #gentlebirth #pregnancyapp #midwife #empower #CUB #mindset #tracydonegan #epidural #positivebirth

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