Spring is classically the time to detox your life. I really believe toxins are to the body what fears are to a pregnant mind. You may not be aware of them or their effects, but left to breed and run rampant, they can cause problems in the long run.
Mental pollution comes in many forms. Hollywood images, the media or our collective emergency mindset that has turned a natural miracle into a medical event in our own minds and then makes that come true.
Stop feeding the fears. Turn off the box, put away the bad news, and please I beg you, stop listening to horror stories!!
Ask politely, is it a positive story? Let them know, “Shhhh…baby is listening!” Perhaps you can agree to swap notes after the birth so they don’t impact on your experience.
You are the protector of your mental space and baby’s home. Nobody has the right to disturb your peace of mind. This is where motherhood begins.
Research shows labour is not just a mechanical process but an intricate interplay between mind and body. A hormonal orchestra that is easily disturbed. By what, you may ask? By your own mind and emotions.
This is where other mammals have the advantage. They just rely on instincts and don’t let their heads get in the way. Fortunately for them, they don’t read newspapers and so they don’t know they should be afraid. It turns out being primitive serves us better than being sophisticated.
Want a pain free birth? A fascinating theory I talk about in my new book { A Modern Woman’s Guide to a Natural Empowering Birth} is Dr Read’s Fear-Tension- Pain Syndrome. Dr Read says, “pain in an otherwise uncomplicated labour arises from the sympathetic nervous system fuelled by the emotion of fear.” By removing fear, tension is reduced and pain is eliminated or minimised. Put simply, cure the fear and pain is taken care of.
Do you hold the belief that contractions equal pain? If so, you will make that a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Give it a different name. I never used the word contractions, nor pain. All I spoke of were waves and intense pressure and therefore that is all I had during my birthing experiences.
Learn the art of total body relaxation. Get yourself to such a state of inner calm that you no longer hold any fears regarding your birth and are only filled with anticipation of meeting your baby and becoming a mother.
Affirmation of the day: “I am EXCITED about birthing my baby.” Your mind is the most powerful ally you have – USE it!
Katrina Zaslavsky
Birth Goddess
As first seen in Holistic Bliss Magazine by Katrina Zaslavsky (Birth Goddess) as a former birth columnist.
What others are saying about “Detox Your Fears” (feedback from the weekly blog series, “Birth Goddess in the Making“)
Hi Katrina, Thank you for the article, exactly what I needed to hear today. Wishing you a good day! Minna
The article totally resonates with me. I was born myself traumatically (doctor even warned my mum that I might not be able to make it, but I did), an experience my mum has shared with me hundreds of times. But when I became older, like in my early 20s and started to feel my own biological clock (which never occurred to my mum, giving birth to me near her 40s cause she felt she had to ‘get those kids now’) I refused to believe the idea that I would inherit her experience with the motivation that I have inherited her body. Today, 30 years old, I’m a clinical hypnotherapist and took a training in HypnoBirthing the Mongan method last spring. I’m soon 7 months pregnant with my first baby and I’m totally convinced to have an easy beautiful birth. I can sense some residues from the past still influencing me, but reading stories like your own keeps me motivated to trust what I instinctively know. Thank you so much, Marica
Hi Katrina! I couldn’t agree more. I love what you are doing. I’m doing it too 🙂
Hugs,
Amy
CD(DONA), Dip HB
