Healing from a Traumatic 1st Birth

This morning I woke up with a text from a past client who gave birth to her 2nd baby boy early this morning. She gave me the stats of the baby and wrote "Great birth!" I was so happy to hear this as her first birth was quite rough and left her feeling unsure about what she wanted for her 2nd birth. This time around, she ended up achieving what she wanted the first time: an all natural birth. This is the 2nd time in the last couple of months that I've had a past client contact me to tell me similar stories. It got me thinking about birth trauma and how subsequent births can truly HEAL some of the scars from traumatic births.

If you have experienced a traumatic birth, you may be frightened the next time around, as was the case with this client of mine. We met early in her pregnancy to discuss her birthing options. She expressed to me that she really wanted to try again for a natural delivery but was afraid because of what happened the first time around. When we met, she had been seeing her primary OB/GYN and wasn't sure if she should switch because he was very C-Section happy. I encouraged her to explore other options and she did end up switching to a very well-known midwife in the area. She signed up for hypnobirthing classes. She prepared for this 2nd birth and worked through her fears.

So when I recieved the text from her this morning that said "Great birth!" I was immediately curious as to how it went! She had a perfectly natural, uncomplicated birth. Here are some good resources about preventing traumatic birth as well: http://givingbirthwithconfidence.org/2-2/traumatic-birth-prevention-resource-guide/

Hypnobirthing

I am currently taking a Hypnobirthing Class from Muneeza with Let's Birth Calmly in Stamford, CT. It is a wonderful approach to a healthy, calm, relaxed birth. Hypnobirthing uses lighter, nicer words during birth, keeping Mom and Dad positive and connected to her baby.

I hope to be able to use what I learn in the class with my Hypnobirthing clients.

Check out this ABC article about hypnobirthing: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ReproductiveHealth/hypnobirthing-free-women-pain-childbirth-exclude-doctor-drugs/story?id=10512469