Joy in Birthing

“We need to always remember that mothers who are afraid tend to secrete the hormones that delay or inhibit birth. This is true of all mammals and is part of nature’s design. Those who are not terrified are more likely to secrete in abundance the hormones that make labor and birth easier and less painful—sometimes even pleasurable.”

Ina May Gaskin, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth

-Excerpt from Painless Childbirth

The feeling of fear is the most common feeling that comes up in dreams during pregnancy. It’s important to recognize the fact that fear which has yet to be dealt with can affect the quality and length of your labor and delivery.

Scientific studies indicate that certain hormonal changes take place in the presence of fear, stress, and anxiety. “The adrenaline released while in fear or stress has been referred to as the antithesis of oxytocin, the naturally produced hormone that stimulates uterine contractions. Another category of hormones called catecholamines (which include epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) is indicated by other studies as one of the causative factors in fetal distress and problematic labor. Catecholamines circulate when the pregnant mother is anxious or afraid, and they pass through the placenta to the baby, affecting his environment.”

We know that we tend go into an automatic fight-or-flight reaction. Where we tense every muscle of our body in order to prepare for a defensive action. Consequently, fear can be a deciding factor affecting our overall experiences.

• In labor: fear creates tension and tension creates pain.
• In postpartum: fear creates confusion, anxiety, the feeling of helplessness and of being lost and alone.
• In life: fear is the very obstacle to our self-confidence and, ultimately, to our success.

Be grateful, your dreams help you discover hidden fears and give you a chance to face them. Babies can and will accrue memories while in the womb and will feel and embrace the mother and father’s emotions. If fear and low self-esteem are what you feel most of the time, so will your child.

Learn to embrace your fears because trying to erased them will only make them fight harder to survive. Imagine a small child frightened and shaky, screaming under the covers at the monster she believes lives in the closet. Mom runs to the room, “What’s the matter? Don’t be silly! There are no monsters in the closet.” This answer won’t appease the child. In fact, when dismissed and ridiculed the fear will hide deep within the child’s unconscious. The child resolves to not share her fears with Mom to avoid being belittled and ridiculed. Ideally the scene could go as follows:

Mom walks in and hugs the child as she saying, “So, my little one, tell me more about the monster under the bed.” The little girl might respond, “It’s big and scary! Make him go away, Mommy!” Then Mom responds by taking her daughter’s words seriously, “Do you want me to go and look in the closet and tell him to leave you alone?” “Can you do that?” says the little girl, still frightened. “Sure. In fact, I’m going to leave my angel with you, and together with your angel they’ll watch over you.” Then Mom shines a light into the closet and speaks these words: “I know you are there monster, and I want you to know that you are frightening my girl. From now on, my angel and her angel will stand guard over her so you may not come back here and frighten her.”

Simply denying ours or our children’s fears and negative feelings will only make them stronger. Through the lesson learned in the second chakra associated with our right to feel, we have learned that we need to acknowledge our feelings, even those that seem unjustified or fantastic, like the fear of the monster in the room.

In this book, we are learning to parent ourselves so that we may learn how to parent our child. Using our dreams as a tool for knowledge will bring us closer to the realization that we have within us Divine powers to heal ourselves and others and to love unconditionally all that was, is, and will be.

 

 

Painless Childbirth is a Scientific Reality *

We have been helping women achieve the birthing experience they deserve and desire for fifteen years, bringing hope, courage, inspiration and love to thousands of families around the world. We hope our books and products touch your life in a similar way. Give the gift of one of our books or products to a family member, a friend, or yourself. Always a great value, they are a reminder of your love.

Millions of women all over the world experience a natural, drug-free, and painless childbirth. You can too. If you would like to join this growing number, this is what you have to do.  Find out more

*A study conducted by CL Pasero and R Britt (August 1998). Managing Pain During Labor, published in the American Journal of Nursing 98:10-11, reports that indeed a painless childbirth is a reality for as many as 45,000 WOMEN EACH YEAR IN AMERICA. One of the universal laws states: if one person can do it, it can be done by others.