hypnobirthing class santa rosa – Blue Lotus Fertility

The Masculine Role in Empowered Childbirth

August 7, 2015December 26, 2015Leave a comment

The Masculine Role in Empowered Childbirth

Protector, Guide, Pillar of Strength, Pillow of Comfort.

The celebration of the birth of a child is centered on baby, yet through all the celebrating it can be easy to forget that a mother, father and family are also being born in the birthing process. As a pregnant mother goes deeper into her pregnancy, her partner begins to embody the all the healthy aspects of the masculine as he births himself as father. This process also applies to same sex couples, if you are in a same sex relationship please replace father with partner in your mind as you read the article.

What does empowered childbirth mean? It means giving birth in a way that is mother directed and driven by her informed choices, giving her the feeling of having the amazing and successful birth she has always wanted. Be her birth unassisted at home, supported by midwives in a birth center, or a scheduled cesarean. At the end of the birth, when the baby is in their mother’s arms and the birthing mother has a strong sense of accomplishment and joy, that is what I mean by empowered childbirth.

I often hear from my pregnant mamas as they get close to their birthing date that they begin to feel vulnerable. I always smile and tell them that another word for vulnerable is open. Open is exactly where a birthing mother wants to be so she can fully give over to the birthing process, letting every sensation wash over her as she physically opens her cervix. This time of openness is also a time of suggestibility, anything that is said to her can and will go straight to her heart and mind so it is paramount that she only be around positive voices, stories, and messages of encouragement and strength. This is the point in time where I see most fathers step up and come into their healthy protector role. It is totally acceptable for papas to ask friends who are telling stories of challenging births to stop. It is powerful for papas to rephrase dialogue and comments made by health care providers that are phrased in fear instead of love. It is perfect for papas to turn off the television if a negative birthing scene is being portrayed. Papas get to hold the boundaries while mamas go through the natural transformation of ripe openness. Papas also get to hold the space for endless encouragement and belief that their partners can and will have an empowering birth; constantly reinforcing that desire brings a couple closer.

In the HypnoBirthing classes I teach, I tell a story about the scene of a father gorilla protecting a laboring gorilla. The laboring mother will sit on the forest floor while she is giving birth, and as she does so the male gorilla will pace around her in a circle. He is protecting her while providing her with company. All of my students chuckle at the image and then it clicks for the fathers in the room … they are the supposed to be the gorillas.

People ask how hypnosis can help them in their birthing experience. I tell them that openness, the time of suggestibility that every woman feels is ripe for old programs of fear to be plucked out of the subconscious while new seeds of truth, strength and encouragement are planted. While giving birth, the birthing mother is going deep into herself through relaxation techniques practiced in class. At the same time, birthing fathers are able to lean on all of the tools they were also equipped with in class. All tools given to fathers are centered on allowing them to be hands on in the birthing experience so they get to be present in the richness and feel like they are contributing. Light touch massage, affirmations, hypnosis scripts, assistance in birthing positions, rotating cool wash cloths on mamas forehead, and offering sips of water in-between each sensation help fathers feel useful and they get to experience the birth as a team.

At the end of every one of my class series I drive it home that fathers should never underestimate their power in assisting birthing mamas stay in their center. Fathers get to be awe struck by the power of their laboring partners while offering them the same magnetic love that helped pregnancy occur in the first place. It is a profound moment in a mans life and I hope that every man has the ability to embrace and enjoy every minute of it.

Franchesca Duval 2015

HypnoBirthing® How it serves our nervous system and birth experience

July 22, 2015December 26, 2015Leave a comment

HypnoBirthing®

How it serves our nervous system and birth experience.

We have all seen the disempowering scenes of a woman giving birth in a movie or on television. Often times the birthing mother looks terribly uncomfortable, she is screaming at her spouse who is utterly useless. Hospital staff is yelling and running about while machines are beeping and general chaos seems to swirl around the room.

It is no wonder so many women have feelings of discomfort around the idea of giving birth; all our subconscious is fed is negative images.

Birth can be a calm and beautiful event that a couple experiences as an empowered team, consciously brining their child into the world. Having the perfect birth you dream of is as easy as understanding how your nervous system operates and practicing how to work with it while in labor.

Our nervous system is the great controller of our overall state of wellbeing. We have two states that our nervous system takes on, parasympathetic (when you are relaxed in a comfortable environment) and sympathetic (your fight, flight or freeze state which is triggered by anxiety or fear). When we are in a parasympathetic state all body functions act normally and perfectly; our heart beats at a comfortable pace, our food is digested and we feel secure. When we are in the sympathetic state our body prepares to fight or run. All of our adrenalin is directed to the heart. The heart starts to race and send blood to our arms and legs so that we can flee. When blood is directed to our hearts arms and legs it is taken from the uterus, placenta and baby. If hooked up to a fetal monitor the babe would start to show signs of distress, causing further anxiety to the birthing mother and the cycle of medical intervention begins.

This scenario of mother and fetal distress in birth can be EASILY side stepped if the birthing mother can keep herself in a parasympathetic state of empowerment and calm. Doing this is simple with proper training in breathing techniques and understanding that fear needs to be completely out of the birthing mothers mindset.

In Hypnobirthing we spend a great deal of time dehypnotizing couples from all of the messages and ideas they have been given about birth. We dispel fear with knowledge of how our birthing bodies actually work and equip couples with practical relaxation techniques. A large part of the curriculum is geared towards giving tools to fathers and partners so they can be active participants in the experience.

Natural childbirth is a powerful life changing experience. Our bodies are perfectly designed and if allowed to operate naturally our hormones beautifully carry us through each stage labor no matter how long or short our birth may be. Natural childbirth takes preparation, focus and work but the rewards are well worth the time. Getting to feel your baby move through you, working with you to come down and out of your body is beyond words. When in active labor we act as a bridge between heaven and earth, filling the birthing room with oxytoxin, inspiring and uplifting everyone who witnesses us. You deserve to feel that internal power and it is your birthright to birth on your own terms without regret.

Sign up for a class today and get the tools you have been looking for. Your beautiful birth awaits you!

Franchesca Duval 2015

Setting Yourself Up For Breastfeeding Success

June 22, 2013December 26, 2015Leave a comment

Setting Yourself up for Breastfeeding Success

Breastfeeding looks like a straightforward easy experience but it can be surprisingly challenging for the first time breastfeeding mother. Here are some resources, suggestions and tools to set yourself up for a sweet successful experience.

If you are reading this and are still pregnant try to sit topless in the sun for 10 minutes a day, exposing your nipples to direct sunlight helps gently toughen them up. Also, while showering or taking a bath you can use a washcloth and gently rub it over your nipple, don’t rub until you feel pain, rub to the point that you think “hmmm that could feel painful if I kept going” the washcloth will also get your nipples used to some extra stimulation and ease the beginning breastfeeding experience.

I recommend checking out the la leche league website on proper latch (babies connection to your breast) and feeding here. For diagrams on positioning of baby see this link.

It is important for your baby to have your breast deep inside their mouth with their lips flanged (like they are puckering up) around your nipple and some surrounding areola. If your baby is sucking on just your nipple and not the nipple and surrounding areola the latch will be painful.

It is common for first time breastfeeding mothers to experience soreness or some cracking of their nipples in the first 10 days of breastfeeding. If you see that your baby has an improper latch at your breast simply wet a clean finger with your saliva, slide it into your babies mouth alongside your breast and turn it to the side to break your babies suction so you both can try again. Calmly bring your babe back to your chest and stroke the side of their cheek or tickle their chin with your nipple to get them to open wide so you can angle your nipple towards the upper back of their palate for proper depth so there is a good latch.

In the beginning both the baby and mother are learning how to breastfeed and the mother is not used to having so much suction on her breasts. Never fear, you both will learn how feed and it will become a beautiful and enjoyable experience.

It is well worth your time to secure a few simple items before giving birth so you are prepared for a smooth and graceful transition into first time feeding. Here are some tools to help you through the first few weeks of feeding and beyond:

Tall Glasses of Water: Hydration is profoundly important during pregnancy, labor and breastfeeding. While feeding, your babe is not only getting food, they are getting hydration. It is important that the mamma stays juiced up so her milk supply is strong and her baby can receive what he/she needs. Drinking a tall glass of water (follow your thirst, if you are still thirsty keep drinking) just before or while feeding will help your milk flow easily and keep you from feeling parched.

Good Fats In Your Food: Nutrition is paramount while pregnant and continues to be while breastfeeding. Your child is literally being built off of your breast milk and everything that you choose to consume. Having healthy fats in your diet in the first few weeks will help your milk come in and create richer milk which helps your child’s growth and brain development. Good fats are fats that are organic, unprocessed and either from an animal or uncooked plant source. A good piece of steak or salmon is packed with nutrients needed to sustain mamma and babe, if mamma is vegetarian then turning towards raw, organic, cold pressed coconut oil (use it like butter on toast, in oatmeal, on potatoes – pretty much anything) as well as cold pressed, organic olive oil (don’t sauté with it, pour it over your food after it is cooked for maximum health benefit. Can be added to soups, salads, rice etc.) is wonderful. Eggs, avocados, and nut butters are also fabulous sources of healthy nourishing fats. The first few weeks after giving birth are all about maximum nourishment and rebuilding your body, not a time to worry about loosing weight. Your happy breastfeeding babe will nurse any extra fats or food you consume right off of you as they gain healthy weight.

Lanolin: Helps keep your nipples hydrated while first learning how to feed and prevents cracking and bleeding. Ideally the lanolin would be used in a situation where you are topless after feeding and alternating the breast which you are feeding from. For example, nurse your babe on your right breast until they are full then apply the lanolin to the right nipple to protect it. When your babe is hungry again they can nurse off of your left breast and after the second feeding the lanolin should be absorbed by the right nipple. Lanolin residue is not harmful to the baby, but large amounts of it should be gently wiped off before attempting to feed – this will prevent your child from slipping all over your breast and getting an improper latch. The best quality of natural lanolin I have found can be purchased here.

Proper Pillow or Prop For Shoulder Support: The first few weeks your babe will be feeding round the clock and it is important to have proper support for your upper body while you feed. Different pillows work for different stages, I personally have had the best experience with this pillow while my daughter was small (this pillow also doubles as a great way to prop babe up when they are wanting to see what is going on in the room). Once she was three months old we switched to this Sweet Pea Pillow which doubled as a fabulous maternity pillow while I needed support when sleeping with my pregnant belly. Having a pillow to rest your babe on takes the strain off of your body and allows you to fully relax which also helps your milk flow and the overall enjoyment of connecting to your child.

Happy Bonding and Nursing!