What is coached pushing?

Coached pushing is all too common in hospitals. It definitely happened to me with my first baby. I had done Hypnobirthing and had heard of ‘Coached pushing’ but never thought the private obstetrician I had chosen would do it to me. He knew I wanted an uninterrupted physiological birth. I had a vaginal exam done and I was told by my obstetrician that I was 10cm and could start ‘pushing’ and he would be back in 1 hour and he left the room.

I had no urge to push and struggled to know where exactly I should be pushing? I told the midwife I wanted to wait for the urge and breath my baby out. She said we could ‘try that’ but the obstetrician would be back in 1 hour and he would want to see progress. I was shocked but tired and vulnerable. I followed their instruction and pushed for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

I wish I had of followed my body’s lead. But I was lucky that I was so stubborn and pushed with everything I had on my own without intervention. When that urge finally came in the last 20 minutes it felt so much better, all my practice on ‘bearing down’ now felt effective.

Did I just waste energy where I didn’t need to? Absolutely! I also popped all the blood vessels in my face from pushing so hard. It completely unnatural pushing on demand. Imagine someone yelling at you to poo when you didn’t need to poo!

When it comes to this phase of birth there is so much pressure on time. Hospitals start pressuring for instrumental delivery once a woman has been pushing for an hour or two. Often commenting that mum and baby are becoming tired or distressed.

But what if we waited for the bear down instead, rather than prompting a woman to push involuntarily just because she is 10cms dilated? Just because you are fully dilated it does not mean the body is instantly ready to push, the contractions are not just opening the cervix but pushing the baby down further into the pelvis.

Avoiding cervical examinations is a great way to avoid coached pushing! It is also time to use your voice and stop them in their tracks if they start coach pushing!

If you would like to learn more about breathing and bearing down naturally and birthing on your own terms, click here to book into one of my upcoming classes in 2023

How to have a safe and successful VBAC

You’ve had a baby, and you’re pregnant with number two, three (or more).  You feel excited to welcome another child into your family, but you also feel apprehensive about going through birth again.  Maybe you had a healthy baby, but things didn’t go exactly ‘to plan’, and you missed out on the vaginal birth you really wanted. Now that you’re pregnant again, you’re wondering if it is possible to have a vaginal birth after a caesarean section.

Perhaps you are seeking that oxytocin high that people talk about after a vaginal birth. Or you want to avoid the 6 weeks recovery from another caesarean section?

Sound familiar? …. You deserve answers to your questions, to feel empowered to make your own decisions about what feels best for you, your baby and go into your VBAC feeling confident, prepared and excited for the big day?!

Is it safe to have a vaginal birth after a caesarean? 

It does depend on the reason you had a caesarean in the past, however VBAC’s are a safe option for most women. In fact, for women who have had one previous caesarean section (no previous vaginal birth) the VBAC rate is 72-75%. With one previous caesarean section (at least one previous vaginal birth) the VBAC rate is 85% – 90%!

What about the risk of uterine rupture that the care providers keep talking about? 

The risk of uterine rupture is 0.5% for those aiming for a VBAC and <0.02% for those who choose to have a subsequent caesarean section. Nothing is risk free and only you get to choose if you are comfortable with this small increase in risk, not your care provider.

Due to the marginally increased risk of uterine rupture, the hospitals will usually advocate for a repeat caesarean section, even though caesarean section does not guarantee you will not have a uterine rupture and the risk profile is very similar.

So when it comes to having a VBAC where do you start? 

The location (hospital/birth centre etc) you choose to give birth in and the care provider you choose as a support, will have a significant impact on the likelihood of achieving a positive VBAC.

It is critical to find a care provider that is a genuine advocate for the outcome you’re hoping for. Traditionally this is seen with midwifery lead care, as midwives are the experts in physiological birth. There are some obstetricians that genuinely support VBAC’s, but we need to remember that they are experts in surgery and many do not support VBAC’s. Often, they will only agree to support a VBAC if it is on their terms and these terms are not backed by evidence, such as induction of labour for VBACs.

As a Hypnobirthing Practitioner and Positive Birth Advocate for the past 4 years, I believe knowledge is power when it comes to you having the birth you desire, particularly when aiming for a VBAC.  The Positive Birth Program, where I help guide you to better understand the physiology of birth and the things that you can do to advocate for yourself and your baby, will give you the best opportunity for a VBAC. You will learn techniques to help prepare yourself mentally, and about how to move
your body to create space within your pelvis and to encourage baby to get into the optimal position for a vaginal birth.

You and your birth partner will also learn what questions to ask to get the information that you need from your care providers to make a fully informed decision. When women come from a place of being fully informed and educated and they feel like they have been a part of the decision-making process, they can reflect on their birth positively, no matter the outcome.

We cannot 100% control the outcome of our birthing experience, but we can make educated decisions throughout pregnancy and labour to help reduce the potential of unnecessary interventions. Preparing for a VBAC is like training for a marathon, firstly you need to believe you can do it, educate yourself how to do it, train and fuel your body for the big day and pace yourself through labour as it is an endurance event like no other.

There is no better feeling then knowing you have given your baby the best start to life and be able to look back at your birthing experience in a positive way.

VBAC Mama Alicia : I DID IT!!! 💪 💕 I manifested this moment for so long! With the help & education from Danielle @your.sacred.spae I totally smashed my physiological VBAC birth. The hypnobirthing classes gave my partner and I the knowledge, tools and confidence to have the birth I wanted, not what the hospital wanted for me !!!

The Positive Birth Program is run monthly at Bodyfit & Flex in Birkdale, Brisbane. 

The ideal time to start The positive birth class is from 20 to 30 weeks.  However, I believe that there are benefits to doing the program at all phases of pregnancy no matter what your individual fears and concerns are.

 Click here to find out more

Does your birth partner think Hypnobirthing is too woo-woo ?

So you told your partner that you want to do Hypnobirthing and they looked at you with a confused look of shock and fear. Were they pretty quick to suggest it isn’t necessary? Without any idea what Hypnobirthing is?

The main question I get asked from mums is booking a Hypnobirthing class is ‘does my partner come?’, which is typically followed by the explanation that they aren’t very keen to attend anyway. It’s normal to feel frustrated and disheartened by their partners lack of interest. You’ve carried their baby for months and just want your partner to attend a two-day class to learn how to support you on the most important day of your pregnancy – the birth!

Truth be told, most birth partners attending the class start the day the same way, acting as if they have been dragged kicking and screaming! Over the years I have been teaching hypnobirthing, getting the partners engaged in the class has become one of my favourite parts of the program. Regardless of how sceptical they are, I always see the ‘lightbulb moment’ when they suddenly realise how important their role is in helping bring THEIR baby into the world.

I place a big emphasis on their role, as a calm, confident and knowledgeable birth partner, they can make ALL the difference to your birthing experience. It is likely that you will reach a point that you start to doubt your ability and turn to them for strength and guidance. You want them to be your voice of reason, that tells you that you can do it, you are doing it and you’re FREAKIN amazing!

Your birth partner needs to understand the birthing process just as much as you do, they need to know what to expect, how to provide better support if interventions are needing to be discussed during labour. It’s helpful to understand the benefits and risks of common interventions so together you can discuss what is best for mother and baby in a calm way. This in depth class, will give you and your birth partner the skills you need to make informed choices about your birth.

Attending hypnobirthing classes with your partner will also allow you and your partner to take some much-needed time out to prepare yourselves and to reconnect before your family grows. Life is busy preparing for a new addition and it is easy to get caught up in every day life. Partners really do want to support you, but often have no idea how to do that during labour, as this is all new to them too.

Your birth partner can actively assist by keeping your birth space calm and relaxed which can help maintain the flow of oxytocin. I will teach you massage, acupressure, breathing, rebozzo and important positions for labour. It is important to practice the techniques regularly at home, so that your partner feels confident supporting you on your birthing day.

Your birth partner will feel educated and empowered because they’ve been so involved in the process. What could be better than having your birth partner there by your side for one of the most amazing, transformative experiences of your life?

Are Hypnobirthing Classes Worth it?

 

is hypnobirthing worth itHypnobirthing classes may seem like another unnecessary expense when you are expected a baby.

I know what you may be thinking, Is hypnobirthing worth it? And I get it, with all the things you need to buy and prepare for when you’re about to give birth. Hypnobirthing may seem like another unnecessary expense on top of the pram, the carrier, cot and swing.

Yes, the baby will need all of these things once they are here, but when it comes to birthing this beautiful human into the world – what do you need?

How important is a positive birth experience to you and your baby?

As you’re preparing for the big day you may attend the free antenatal classes at the hospital, which will provide you with options on pain relief, have an overview of potential instruments that might be used for intervention, how to swaddle your baby and a tour of the hospital. However, if you are hoping for a natural birth, they do not provide you with skills to help you prepare for natural labour – unlike our antenatal classes.

Preparing for labour is like preparing for a marathon. You are pushing your body to a place it has never been before. You can watch all the videos, Netflix series and read all the books but nothing will prepare you for giving birth naturally more than an hypnobirthing class, whether in-person or online.

If you wanted to run a marathon you wouldn’t just decide to turn up at the start line on the day, it takes months of preparation. Training your body to push further, learning to maintain your breath through the race, stretching daily and having massages to keep your body in optimal fitness. Most of all, train your mind to believe that you can do it, and push past the mental blocks. Having a coach to support you on the side lines, someone who has run the same race and wants to see you succeed will provide you with the boost of confidence you need.

Birth is often a once in a life time event, immersing yourself in a group class practicing proven techniques, watching positive birth videos and having lots of laughs with other like-minded parents is designed to help you prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for one of the most important days of your life.

Not only will you be able to learn lots of natural techniques in depth, you will have ongoing support from a trained hypnobirthing practitioner who encourages you until you reach the finish line. You will be able to ask questions and get answers from an experienced Hypnobirthing Practitioner who understands just what the female body is capable of. You will also have the chance to connect with other mothers and birth partners who are planning a Hypnobirth. Surround yourself with others who are seeking the same type of birth as you and begin to grow your own mum tribe for continued support after the birth.

You may also be thinking – what if natural birthing isn’t possible? Did you know that you can still use all your hypnobirthing skills? So no matter how you birth turns out, you will be able to answer YES when asked: Is hypnobirthing worth it?!

In fact, the skills you will learn to support you in staying calm and relaxed are more important than ever, because a calm mum, equals a calm baby. You will also learn how to make informed choices about birth and possible interventions. I want you to walk out feeling confident in navigating any type of birth.

If you can look back on your birth and know that you did your absolute best with the situation you had, you can feel positive about your birth experience.

So are hypnobirthing classes worth it? If a positive birthing experience is important to you, the value of what you’re about to learn to bring this healthy baby into the world in calm and nurturing environment, will be priceless.

Click here to book a class in 2023 today!