Finding the Right Birthing Method

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I’ve mentioned that the professionals present at Gv’s birth all thought that I was a Hypnobirthing mom, but I wasn’t.  Hypnobirthing wasn’t for me.  My first thought was, “Hypnosis?  That’s for wackadoos.”  During a checkup, however, my midwife asked me what I had in mind for my labor strategy and so I told her that I’d read about all types of them, but that I didn’t really know what would be best for me.  She asked how I handled pain in the past and when I told her, she suggested I look into Hypnobirthing.  She said it wasn’t what I thought it was and I might be surprised that it was right up my alley.

So of course that meant I immediately checked out every book I could from the library on the topic and that G scoured the internet for his amazing $0-2 deals on books.  I read them all and my midwife was right, hypnobirthing wasn’t the wackadoo thing I’d expected, but I still didn’t think it was for me.

I even came across a local news personality who tried it herself and reported on it here.  This video series got me excited and made me explore the topic further.  It even led me to contact a local Hypnobirthing Coach, one I wound up using as my doula.

What ended up happening, though, was that in investigating all these strategies, I was better able to judge what was and wasn't in the realm of my comfort zone.  I was able to figure out how to form my own strategy and what would work best for me.

And you know what?  It worked.  I’d read in Dr. Amen’s book, The Birth That's Right For You: A Doctor and a Doula Help You Choose and Customize the Best Birth Option to Fit Your Needsthat you need to trust yourself and not try to learn something new for your labor.  He mentioned that you should consider how you’ve dealt with intense pain in the past and follow that method, since that’s what’s natural to you.

That was probably some of the best advice I read.  You need to do what fits you.  So, if you are reading this and giving birth for the first time, I encourage you to think of how you deal with pain regularly.  What do you do when you have a horrible headache?  Or intense menstrual cramps?  What do you do to make yourself feel better when you’re sick?  Cuddle up with a blanket and some hot tea?  Take a warm bath?

Make a list of how you deal with things now and keep those in mind to share with your birth support team.

And don’t feel guilty for not doing things a certain way.  Just because I was birthing differently than most didn’t mean that I also had to sign on to some newfangled labor method simply because it fit the “alternative birth” mold.

I'd love to read your input, whether you've birthed a whole slew of babies or are gearing up for your first one.  Either comment here or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.

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