Women in the midst of a world in panic are choosing homebirth.

What we are experiencing right now in the world is unlike anything we have ever seen in our life time! And it is Freakin Scary! And yet here we have pregnant Mothers going beyond the fear, back home preparing for their homebirth.

My inbox has been flooded every day with stories from women whose plans have pivoted from hospital to homebirth, and then there are the women who already knew that this is what they wanted but something was holding them back until now! I have to honestly say that I have never been more PROUD of women before now!

Here are the things that these women all have in common that make them awesome in life and will also give them an amazing birth…

An Unstoppable Mindset

We have two options here, FEAR or LOVE!

Fear says the world is in crisis look around you things are out of control! Go home, be scared, spread fear!

Love says Yep, you’re right this is totally out of your control. Go home, be safe. Things are happening, plans are changing, the world is shifting. My Darling bring your attention inward. Don’t give your energy to things you can’t control. 

Go within, listen to that inner knowing, go home, be safe, be still and listen. Do you hear your baby asking for a gentle, peaceful entrance Earth-side?

That my Dear is your task. Let the rest of the world do their jobs and you do yours. Release that desire to control and just believe that this is happening for a reason. Isn’t it such a gift you are being given, this beautiful opening to invite your baby here with calm loving awareness, in the comfort and safety of home.

The Ability To Pivot

 

There are some people who are so fixed on the idea that things should be a certain way and then when change comes they just stand there yelling at a closed door.

Nope, not these women they look at a changing situation and adapt and adjust and pivot toward the opening! During birth this is the number one key to making it awesome! When a pressure wave comes on strong or the position they are in isn’t working for them they don’t give up or get mad they simply take a breath and adjust. Being able to take what comes and find the opening is when it all starts working for you!

Homebirth Mothers Believe That Things Are Happening For Them Not To Them

This is probably the thing I have most heard from these amazing women that are being called to homebirth. They have an unwavering trust that this is all a gift! Most of them knew that they wanted a homebirth but something was getting in their way of giving it their full YES. Now everything has aligned and they are finally able to be ALL IN. I have seriously cried tears of joy sharing their excitement and joy and the overall strength that they are accessing inside of them.

 

I said it before and it’s true! I am so PROUD of these women who in the craziest of times are still able to tune in to their own voice, strength and wisdom! They are giving their baby such a exquisitely loving entrance into the world that they won’t even have a clue as to the fear and jumble that is happening outside because they are safe at home.

 

 

The post The Women Who Are Choosing Homebirth During COVID-19 appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.

What is a Birthing Ball?

Very simply it’s an exercise ball that you can find at any department store. We call them birthing balls because we use them for birth, but you don’t have to go seek out any sort of specialty “birthing ball.” They’re pretty inexpensive and definitely invaluable.

1) Using the Birthing Ball During The Early Stages of Birth

When you first start to feel your rushes coming on using your birthing ball is a great way to ease into the process. The best way to use your birthing ball in the beginning is to simply sit on it and begin spiraling your hips in a circular motion. Having your birth partner standing in front of you holding your hands or being available for you to rest your head on between rushes can help you feel more supported.

Don’t think too much, don’t worry about the direction your going, or counting your spirals. You can just follow the natural flow and rhythm that you feel in your body. Remember to trust your body and allow it to lead you. This spiraling movement is one of those essential keys to moving the rushes through without allowing them to compound and become painful. The birthing ball makes it easy to move without  a ton of effort allowing you to just relax and merge that connection between the rhythm and movement of your body and the flow of the birth. While simultaneously it is opening up your pelvis creating space for your baby to move down.

Using Spirals on the Birthing Ball to Get into Active Labor

Now this one is similar to the first one but is used to get your birthing rushes started. Perhaps your water has broken but it’s taking a while to progress to the point of contractions yet, so to get things rolling you can sit on the ball and do smooth but active circles (perhaps to the same flow as salsa music)  for 20 minute alternating directions periodically during that time. This will bring your babies head right down onto your cervix and some nice juicy rushes (contractions) should start flowing.

2) Rocking and Spiraling on Hands and Knees Over the Birthing  Ball

Great to use any time throughout your birth. It’s a good way to maintain that hands and knees position without putting any extra strain on your wrists. And the birthing ball is a fabulous support for your upper body allowing you to relax while your body does the work. In this position you can lean over the birthing ball and rock or sway your hips from side to side or from front to back. This movement feels really nice, and can be very soothing. Or even better spiral your hips in this position.

3) Using the Birthing Ball When Mama gets Tired and Needs A Little Extra Support

Another great reason to have a birthing ball on hand is because there may be times during your birth that you get really tired and movement may become challenging. This is when the birthing ball comes in handy. With the help of your birth partners you can sit on the ball and they can easily help to move rock and spiral your hips while your on the ball. Since balls move around easily it is a way to keep your body moving and flowing with the birth without exerting a lot of effort. Also if you’d like to lean over the birthing ball as in the previous position while your birth partners rub your back or apply warm compresses it can help you to relax and release your muscles.

4) Using Birthing Ball to Progress Labor or Get Baby into Favorable Position

This is a position to use if birth has slowed for some reason and you need to get it going again. Sometimes when birth has slowed it is because the baby has moved into an unfavorable position. This one will help to correct this and get your baby properly aligned. You sit and bend your knees touching the soles of your feet together. The birthing ball is placed in the space between your knees and you lean forward to hug the ball. Now you have two trusted people at either side of you.You vigorously rocks side to side as your support team holds your arms and shoulders to hold your weight when you lean towards them preventing you from falling. This is a vigorous movement that shifts the asynclitic  (the baby’s head is tipped as if listening). It may correct the angle of the baby’s head and allow it to descend if it was in an unfavorable position.

5) Deep Squatting with the Birthing Ball

Squatting is a great position to be in during birth, because you are upright and working with the pull of gravity to move the baby down, it also creates a wide opening in your pelvis. The arch of the ball can help to support your upper body while in this position. This is a great one to use during all phases of birth and may even be a good possiblity during the pushing phase.

So go out and get yourself a birthing ball! You can practice doing some of these moves while your pregnant such as leaning over the ball (which is awesome to help with back strain) or doing the comfortable spirals on the ball. I used my birthing ball through my whole pregnancy, which relieved a ton of the discomfort and pressure especially the further along I got, and I used it some during the birth. If you already have a birthing ball and have any tips that you’d like to share or if you have any questions please leave me a comment below

The post 5 Great Ways to Use a Birthing Ball For an Easier Childbirth appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.

~Peggy Vincent

If I could tell you the most important thing that you could know about natural childbirth it is that your birth will be what you imagine and allow it to be!  The physical act of natural childbirth is quite simple and natural; it is only when our minds get in the way that it becomes difficult. In this article I will share with you how you can shape your perception to allow the release of harmful thoughts and to embrace natural childbirth in a way that can open up the doorway to experiencing a truly amazing birth!

Go Beyond the Skewed Perception of Natural Childbirth

For most of us, before we got pregnant the thought of birth and what it’s going to be like rarely entered into our minds. Now suddenly it consumes our thoughts, and all we want to know is, “what is it going to be like?” Since most of us have never actually seen or experienced what a natural childbirth is really like and scince we have nothing to compare it to, this is a difficult question to answer. So we tend to draw from the only sources of reference we’ve had: Movies, TV shows and the chatty women at the office.

But little do we know that what they are telling us is not the truth. The picture of birth as a long scary and painful process is only a false idea that has been wrongfully passed along for too long!

“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us”

~Virginia Satir

 If we wish to reclaim birth, then we must break free from the restraints of fear and realize that it is us that makes the choice!  How we  experience natural childbirth will greatly depend on what we expect and allow ourselves to experience. If we continue to see birth as something undesirable that is happening to us and allow ourselves to be sucked into that fear then we are allowing our perception of birth to be fogged over and all we will be able to see and experience is pain and struggle.

But when we allow ourselves to see through that fog of misconception suddenly the doorway opens to realization that birth is the most amazing act that we will ever get a chance to be a part of. And that is when the potential for an amazing natural childbirth becomes limitless!

“If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear as it is – infinite”

~William Blake

Birth is the ultimate gift, the ultimate act of creation. It is the power of God manifesting itself through you to bring new life in existence. It is a bridge that finds you and your baby linked together straddling the gap between two worlds with the common purpose of life. It is a powerful, pure, and magnificent force!

Birth is a journey, birth is beautiful, birth will transform you, birth is work, birth is a reflection, birth is life, birth is LOVE!

How to Shift Your Perception to See How Amazing Natural Childbirth Really Is

You realize very quickly when you become pregnant that it suddenly seems that everyone has an opinion and is dying to share it whether you ask for it or not. Let me tell you there will be no shortage of bad information and negative stories flying your way!

I don’t think that these people truly realize how harmful fear can be or else they might think twice before saying some of the things they say. But despite all of their bad advice the most important thing to remember is that it is completely up to you what beliefs you choose to embrace! Do not allow negative ideas to have power over you. If it does not serve you let it go!

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

 ~ Albert Einstein

For a Positive Natural Childbirth Fill up with Positives

If you wish to have a great natural childbirth you must focus your thoughts and attention on experiencing a great birth! Here are some tips to help you.

Watch Positive Natural Childbirth Videos

If you wish to have a great birth you must take control of what images you allow to enter into your mind. Stop watching movies and TV shows that depict birth in a negative light and start replacing those images with positive images of natural childbirth.

No more TLC  birthing stories, no more Hollywood drama, instead start filling up with real live natural childbirth videos, the kind that shows birth in its full glory! Utube is a great source to watch natural childbirth videos, there are also a number of natural childbirth documentaries that show how inspiring and empowering natural childbirth can be when we allow it. Also my birth video is on this sight under the “my birth video” tab if you want to check it out

Practice Hypnobirthing

Hypnobirthing is a quite popular and effective way of getting rid of negatives and reprogramming birth into your mind as a positive and enjoyable experience. For more about hypnobirthing check out this video

Positive Natural Childbirth Affirmations

Another helpful tool is to practice natural childbirth affirmations. Take some time to think about and write down some affirmations that you can repeat to yourself everyday that remind you of how capable you are, and how much you trust birth. Tape them on your mirror and read them first thing upon waking up in the morning and last thing before going to bed.

Through affirming to yourself every day how powerful, capable, and amazing you are, how perfect your body’s knowledge of birth is, and how peaceful and loving your child’s birth will be you are actually recreating that reality inside of your head. You are actively filling your mind so full of positives that there is simply no more room for negatives to linger about. Birth then no longer becomes something that you fear but rather something that you look forward to embracing. With this mind-frame it will be much easier to relax and allow your body to do it’s work without interfering.

“Just as a women’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when and how to give birth.”

~Virginia Di Orio

How I Used My Perception to Create an Amazing Natural Childbirth

While I was pregnant I opened my mind to the significance of birth, not only for me but for my child. I saw in natural childbirth a chance to discover myself, a chance to discover my capabilities, my strength, my power. This was my time to reach beyond fear into the inner most depths of my soul to guide my baby into life with perfect love.

This was a rare opportunity for us to experience something amazing and powerful together, and one that I would not allow to be wasted. She was dependent on me to allow her the peaceful entrance into this world that she so rightfully deserved and I was not going to disappoint her!

“There is no way out of the experience except through it, because it is not really your experience at all but the baby’s. Your body is the child’s instrument of birth.”

~Penelope Leach

With no way out the only option left was to go into it, fully and completely, and so that’s what I did! When I did that my entire perspective shifted, and I began to view and experience birth not as pain but as an amazing and powerful act of energy. This is a picture that I drew when I was pregnant of  how I had imagined my birth would be.

It was turning out just as I had imagined it! With every pressure wave I imagined pure white energy spiraling through the universe and traveling amazingly through my body expanding me in every sense of the word, opening up a beautiful pathway for the energy to pour out of me bringing my baby right down with it and out into the world.

It was a very powerful feeling, and I knew that if I allowed myself to fall victim to fear for even one moment those magnificently powerful sensation would very quickly and easily turn to pain. So I kept it in my mind as the ultimate act of love and a gift that I was giving my child. I embraced it and it was Amazing!

“There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”

~Albert Einstein

 Remember that what you focus on with your thought and feelings is what you attract into your experience. Learn to become still and take your attention away from what you don’t want, and place your attention on what you wish to experience. Set a goal so big that if you achieved it, it would blow your mind! Imagine yourself experiencing an amazing natural childbirth and then make that your reality! Happy Birthing Mommas!

The post Natural Childbirth- Secret #5 Your Perception Matters appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.

~ Sheryl Feldman

Mothers throughout the ages have shared a very primal connection to creating sounds during natural childbirth.

The act of natural childbirth calls to a sacred and powerful place inside of us that we may not have even known existed before. When we embrace this we begin to witness ourselves acting within our full source of power. Without any thought or preparation sounds begin to permeate from inside of us releasing in an intrinsic expression of hums, moans, chants, song and even animal noises. These sounds create a certain harmonic within our body that helps to release pain, keep us focused, and in general makes birth easier and more manageable.

What most of us aren’t aware of is just how significant these sounds are, or the enormous effect they have on us, our babies and the birth as a whole.

Through the right kind of vocalization a wonderful doorway opens up that can connect us with the harmony of birth and life in a profound way!

In this article I will share with you just how significant vocalization is during natural childbirth, and give you tips and techniques that will help you to use your voice to bring forth your personal power and create an amazing natural childbirth for you and your baby!

The Vibration of Natural Childbirth

“In the beginning was the word… or in Sanskrit, “Nada Brahma,” the world is sound”…

During natural childbirth a dramatically increased charge of vibration travels through your body. Not only is the individual vibration of our bodies at work, but we also have the vibration of our baby’s body at work, as well as the power and vibration of birth.

This magnificent harmony of increased vibration is what brings life over the threshold and into the world. How we choose to work with this energy can be the difference between whether birth will be a struggle or an act of magnificence!

In order to have an amazing natural childbirth you must open to this energy and allow it to not only enter into you but to flow out of you.  If this influx of energy is not given a path to release itself it will build inside of us and turn into pain. Vocalizing is one of the body’s most primal ways of providing an outlet for this energy to flow through so that it can maintain balance.

How Vocalizing Effects You and Your Baby During Natural Childbirth

“In the germ, when the first trace of life begins to stir, music is the nurse of the soul; it murmurs in the ear, and the child sleeps; the tones are companions of his dreams- they are the world in which he lives”
~Bettina Skrzypczak

The sounds that are created during birth cause very real physical and molecular change within our bodies.When vocalizing  during birth, remember that your baby is living in a world comprised of those sounds. Do not allow yourself to loose control and get caught up in sounds of fear such as screaming or yelling that frighten the child and can cause physical changes in the baby’s heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. Avoid harmful sounds that can trigger pain such as saying OW, instead remain focused and tuned in to your body. Use sounds that encourage calmness, peace and opening.

Using sensual sounds as we do when making love encourages us to release into the intense energy flow of the birth; and sounds like OM, AH, or WOW that require us to open our mouths wide encourage the opening of our bodies.

There is no set way to vocalize during natural childbirth and every woman will have her own unique birth song. The important thing to remember is to try and tune in to the energy and harmony of the birth and match your harmony in accordance. Listen to your body and do what feels good!

For an Amazing Natural Childbirth- Release Your Fear, Step Outside of Your Comfort Zone and Free Your Voice!

The best way to become comfortable with vocalizing during natural childbirth is to practice it often while you are still pregnant. In the local community classes that I teach we do chanting, which is pretty much universally awkward and uncomfortable at first, but once we get into it and we feel ourselves breaking out of our shells we start to realize what an amazing and powerful force we truly are! And then the awkwardness fades and we become very tuned in to that primal force that exist within us, it is then that we become empowered and ready for natural childbirth.

The magnificence of sound brings forth life, and will  bring forth our babies in perfect harmony! If we can allow ourselves to connect with birth on this very primal level allowing the strong vibrations to flow through us then natural childbirth will happen like a powerful song!

The post Natural Childbirth- Secret #4 The Power of Vocalizing appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.

For many women I think that they end up having painful childbirths simply because they didn’t know better. There was no one there to educate them, to tell them, “Hey it doesn’t have to be this way, natural childbirth does not have to be painful!”

I was fortunate to come from a line of  women who have given natural childbirth and so this information was readily passed down to me, but for many of you who may be the pioneers of natural childbirth in your family this may be new to you.

So let me be the one to tell you that there are very simple steps and techniques to eliminating labor pain. And that you directly affect how much, if any pain you experience during natural childbirth by the choices that you make.

If you adopt these easy tips it will make giving birth a whole heck of a lot easier for you!

Redefine Pain and Release it from Your Natural Childbirth

You will experience what you expect to experience, so if you expect pain then that is what you’ll get. I know we’ve been told our whole lives that it is going to hurt so changing this in our minds may be a little tricky, but it can be done! Part of the problem with the belief that natural childbirth is filled with pain really just comes from our lack of a better word for it. Our language is too narrow; we have simply one word (pain) to describe virtually anything that we deem as unpleasant. However the word pain is not appropriate in all situations.

Definition of Pain:

“An unpleasant feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli, such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting alcohol on a cut, and bumping the “funny bone.” ^[2]The International Association for the Study of Pain’s widely used definition states, “Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. ^[3]Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations, to protect a damaged body part while it heals, and to avoid similar experiences in the future.”

So there it is, pain is our body’s way of communicating with us. When our body experiences something that is not a natural part of its healthy process it sends us a signal that tells us, “Hey don’t do that again or it is going to cause damage!”

This definition of pain does not apply to natural childbirth. It is not an injury, an illness or a disease. It is not something your body has to protect itself from. It is not your body going wrong! It is actually quite the contrary; it is your body working perfectly to do the job that it is supposed to be doing. It is birthing your baby.

The Difference between Pain and Pressure in Natural Childbirth

During natural childbirth your body will work harder than it ever has before, all systems are Go! Every part of your body will become fully activated.  And this will create sensations that are all new to you, that you have never experienced before. But it is not neccesarily pain unless you chose to turn it into pain.

It’s important to understand what is happening in your body during birth. Your uterus is going to be rhythmically contracting and then releasing, contracting and then releasing. This will build in strength and intensity until your baby is born. While it is firmly contracting inwards your baby is little by little being pushed downward. Now this is not something that you actively do, it is something that your body does perfectly all on its own. And as long as you can relax enough not to get in its way, then it will continue to do its job, and you will continue to experience it as a very strong sturdy pressure.

But if you react to those new sensations by tensing up, then your body is going to try to help you by communicating with you in the only way it knows how to. It will send you a signal of pain to tell you, “Hey stop doing that, don’t clinch up! I can’t do my job well if you’re gonna be fighting against me.”

So if you do feel pain it is because your muscles are clinched, and your body is trying to tell you to release and relax.

Now I know that it can be a challenge to relax when all of that pressure is going on inside of you. But here are some easy tips that are designed to help you stay relaxed so that your body can do its work.

An Open Mouth = an Open Vagina

This one is easy. Open your mouth. Let it hang wide open. It doesn’t matter if you feel foolish; when you are giving birth looking foolish should be the last thing from your mind. There are two big reasons for keeping an open mouth during natural childbirth.

One: Your jaw is a control valve for all of the sphincters in your body. (This is important because your vagina is a sphincter, it is a muscle that opens and closes.) When your jaw is clinched tight so are your sphincters, when your jaw is nice and relaxed and open so are your sphincters. An open mouth = an open vagina.

Two: When your mouth is closed it is too easy to clinch your teeth and jaw together when you feel the pressure from your contractions. This clinching of your jaw subsequently clinches and tightens your whole body which will result in your body sending you that pain signal to tell you to stop doing that. Your body needs to be able to freely move, expand, contract and make space for your baby to come down. To allow this to happen without pain you need to stay nice and relaxed, soft and pliable. Let your mouth hang loose and open. An open mouth = an open vagina.

Vocalize to Release Pressure and Let it Out

As your uterus contracts and the pressure and energy begins to build inside of you, do not hold it all in. It helps to find a way to move it through and let it out. Vocalizing is a great way to move the energy through, and to prevent it from compounding! Again get over looking foolish, none of that matters. Just release and let go!

Do Not Underestimate the Power of Your Breath

You can actually control the amount of intensity that is experienced through learning how to move it through with your breathing. If you make the mistake of holding or breath or not breathing fully then your body has a hard time continuing on with it’s job because it is being restricted and deprived of essential oxygen. And that is when pain comes in to the picture, because again your body is telling you, “don’t do that.” Don’t constrict your breath, just let it flow.  Here is a video with some tips on how to breathe effectively. It starts out a little rocky so I recommend starting around 4:00

Learn Spiraling: The Best Natural Childbirth Technique Out There

First of all you’ll want to always stay upright when giving natural childbirth, the hospitals version of birth with the Mother lying on her back is the worst possible position you can be in, and the most painful. While you are upright the physical act of spiraling may be the biggest and most valuable natural childbirth technique of them all! Actual movement in your body is the best way to move the energy through without allowing it to compound.

Only Use Positive Self Talk and Visualization

Natural childbirth is experienced on two levels, a physical level and a mental level. Your thoughts are as real as anything during birth and what you think will become your reality.

Whatever you do, do not say a single negative thing to yourself during birth.

Do not ever say, “this hurts,” I can’t do this,” or anything that will place doubt or fear into your mind.  The only thing those negative thoughts will do is cause you to tense up. And as we already know tensing up will cause your body to send you pain in an attempt to communicate with you, “stop doing that!”

Instead trust birth, and trust your body. Always tell yourself that it feels good. Repeat to yourself over and over and over again with every pressure wave, “aaah this feels GREAT!” Imagine yourself in the midst of a very enjoyable experience and it will be enjoyable. Imagine and tell yourself open, open, open and you will easily open.

Get in the Water It Feels Great!

Water is an ancient secret to birth, woman have been entering into the water to birth their babies since time began. They have gone into lagoons, the sea and other bodies of water to birth their babies simply because it feels good. Nowadays since most of us birth inside we use water birth tubs. I suggest getting one that allows for you to stay upright while you are in it, they can be rented online, or you can buy a big kiddie pool, or even use your bath tub.

Water is so effective at easing labor pain that it is often referred to as natures epidural. And I can attest to how wonderfully it works! It immediately reverses the effects of gravity, so the pressure becomes much less, and much more tolerable. The minute you step into the water your body is able to relax much easier. Also water gives you that feeling of weightlessness so it is much easier to move flow and sway into positions that feel comfortable to you which is a huge help! And in no way are you committed to staying in the water, you can always get in and out at any time.

None of these techniques are new, they are ancient secrets that have been passed down through generations of Mothers and Grandmothers who have been giving natural childbirth since the beginning of time. They sure did work amazingly for me! My birth was the furthest thing from the painful births that we are accustomed to seeing in the movies. If you have never seen the video of my birth I welcome you to watch it. Just click on my birth video on the top of the page. I look forward to hearing how these natural childbirth techniques work for you, and if you have any tips to share that helped you to eliminate labor pain I would love to hear about them!

The post Natural Childbirth: 7 Simple Secrets to Eliminate Labor Pain appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.