This will be a pretty short blog post, but it is worth it: ) I just wanted to give testament to the amazing birth experiences that are possible through the use of hypnosis during childbirth. From researching, I am aware that there are multiple courses that use hypnosis as a part of their childbirth education curriculum, but I personally used the Hypnobabies program, so that is what I will be referencing in this article.
The home-study course was well worth the investment, but it left me wanting, so I joined a local class taught by an amazing Hypnobabies instructor. Being in the group setting just worked some magic for me, for some reason, but I can definitely recommend the home-study course alone if there is no instructor in your area or if you are financially unable to attend a class.
Hypnobabies' Childbirth Hypnosis Course is a *complete* childbirth education course. I say this as a doula, licensed midwife apprentice and student of the course...this program rocks! It really covers all the bases for the prenatal time, postpartum care, nutrition, etc. And to top it all off, the hypnosis actually helps to keep moms relaxed during their birthing time. (And as we know, relaxation = progress: )
I used this method for my fourth birth, and I felt blissful! I would honestly describe my contractions as "pressure" and "discomfort"...not "painful" or "overwhelming". This was not my shortest labor, by far. It was actually my 2nd longest (7 hours of "active" labor due to baby's size and position). My midwife (who aslo happened to be a Hypnobabies Certified Hypnosis Doula) was amazing in helping me remember to use the "tools" I had learned from the hypnosis cds while taking the course.
At this time, I'm not going to describe in full the Hypnobabies curriculum or cds, but you can visit their website www.hypnobabies.com and get most of your questions answered.
Again, I have personally used this method as well as attended 3 other births of mothers who took this course. Each mother was so relaxed and progressed so beautifully! It was truly AMAZING and much deserving of its own blog-review; )
Fertility Forward
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
The Placenta: What's in it for you?
I will be the first to admit that what I am about to discuss here definitely has a weird/gross factor. That being said, many of the things we put into our bodies have a wierd factor if you think about it, but most of them have become so commonplace that we just don't give it any thought. Now onto my story...
During my 3rd pregnancy I saw a video at the end of my "Belly Baby" prenatal belly dance DVD explaining some of the benefits a postpartum mother can obtain by consuming her placenta. The doula presenting this topic began to explain how the placenta stores nutrients and hormones during pregnancy and, if consumed after birth, would give these nutrients back to the mother helping her body restore balance more quickly postpartum. She also mentioned that it may prevent or lessen the severity of postpartum depression, and you could even find an herbalist to encapsulate it (put it into pill form) for you so you wouldn't have to taste it; yet, you would still recieve all the glorious benefits of it!
Well, I began doing my own research, as my interest had been peaked, and discovered that not only does the placenta contain mysterious combinations of nutrients and hormones, but it has been shown to increase breast milk supply, reduce the incidence and severity of postpartum depression, increase energy and reduce postpartum fatigue! I quickly began asking around the birth community seeking someone to perform this amazing task of encapsulation my placenta! Unfortunately, no one knew how (or wanted) to do it.
On the positive side, I came across a website called placentabenefits.info which, at the time, sold a "do it yourself" kit and was generally full of wonderfully helpful information on the benefits of placenta for the postpartum mother. Now, let me pause for a breif moment here and be clear. When I speak of consuming the placenta, I am referring to a woman taking capsules containing the placenta that originated from her own body, not anyone else's. That being said, after my son was born, my husband and I encapsulated our first placenta. After word got out that I had done this, requests began to come in from other moms in our local birth community to encapsulate for them. After doing a few encapsulations, I decided to enroll in the Placenta Encapsulation Specialist course offered by Pbi (placentabenefits.info) and the rest is history.
I continue to offer my services encapsulating placentas for postpartum moms. Currently, about half of my clients are mothers who birth in hospitals and half are mothers who birth at home. The talk of placenta benefits has spread by various forms of media over the past few years, so the topic is becoming more well known, and therefore less "weird", but I'd say there's still a ways to go before it becomes "mainstream". In my opinion, not being "mainstream" is a good thing...
So back to the point: Having experienced the benefits of consuming placenta postpartum personally as well as getting feedback from my clients, I can say with confidence that it really seems to be effective at making the postpartum period more enjoyable! I experienced a postpartum hemorrhage after the birth of my 4th child, and I attribute my swift recovery to the placenta capsules. I personally did not have a full supply of milk with my first two children, but with the third, which I took my placenta pills with, I had an abundant supply! Also, I had more energy and not even the slightest bit of postpartum blues (which I had experience during my 2nd postpartum).
All in all, what I'd like to convey the most is that this is worth looking into. If you are pregnant and want more information on how your placenta can benefit you postpartum, I encourage you to visit placentabenefits.info, or email me with any questions you may have at "FertilityForwardSC@gmail.com".
During my 3rd pregnancy I saw a video at the end of my "Belly Baby" prenatal belly dance DVD explaining some of the benefits a postpartum mother can obtain by consuming her placenta. The doula presenting this topic began to explain how the placenta stores nutrients and hormones during pregnancy and, if consumed after birth, would give these nutrients back to the mother helping her body restore balance more quickly postpartum. She also mentioned that it may prevent or lessen the severity of postpartum depression, and you could even find an herbalist to encapsulate it (put it into pill form) for you so you wouldn't have to taste it; yet, you would still recieve all the glorious benefits of it!
Well, I began doing my own research, as my interest had been peaked, and discovered that not only does the placenta contain mysterious combinations of nutrients and hormones, but it has been shown to increase breast milk supply, reduce the incidence and severity of postpartum depression, increase energy and reduce postpartum fatigue! I quickly began asking around the birth community seeking someone to perform this amazing task of encapsulation my placenta! Unfortunately, no one knew how (or wanted) to do it.
On the positive side, I came across a website called placentabenefits.info which, at the time, sold a "do it yourself" kit and was generally full of wonderfully helpful information on the benefits of placenta for the postpartum mother. Now, let me pause for a breif moment here and be clear. When I speak of consuming the placenta, I am referring to a woman taking capsules containing the placenta that originated from her own body, not anyone else's. That being said, after my son was born, my husband and I encapsulated our first placenta. After word got out that I had done this, requests began to come in from other moms in our local birth community to encapsulate for them. After doing a few encapsulations, I decided to enroll in the Placenta Encapsulation Specialist course offered by Pbi (placentabenefits.info) and the rest is history.
I continue to offer my services encapsulating placentas for postpartum moms. Currently, about half of my clients are mothers who birth in hospitals and half are mothers who birth at home. The talk of placenta benefits has spread by various forms of media over the past few years, so the topic is becoming more well known, and therefore less "weird", but I'd say there's still a ways to go before it becomes "mainstream". In my opinion, not being "mainstream" is a good thing...
So back to the point: Having experienced the benefits of consuming placenta postpartum personally as well as getting feedback from my clients, I can say with confidence that it really seems to be effective at making the postpartum period more enjoyable! I experienced a postpartum hemorrhage after the birth of my 4th child, and I attribute my swift recovery to the placenta capsules. I personally did not have a full supply of milk with my first two children, but with the third, which I took my placenta pills with, I had an abundant supply! Also, I had more energy and not even the slightest bit of postpartum blues (which I had experience during my 2nd postpartum).
All in all, what I'd like to convey the most is that this is worth looking into. If you are pregnant and want more information on how your placenta can benefit you postpartum, I encourage you to visit placentabenefits.info, or email me with any questions you may have at "FertilityForwardSC@gmail.com".
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