< Features & links

My feelings on birth

Ann McLeod Taylor
Daughter, Wife, Mother, Mother-In-Law and Grandmother.
RN, Midwife, C.B.E., L.C. Hypnotherapist. Nat Therapist and occ. Doula.

I think pregnancy and birth are the most wonderful processes on earth, and I feel very blessed that I have been able to spend the last 35+ years in my chosen profession, and amongst the many things that I have learnt is to “trust your body to give you the right information” and that despite modern knowledge and technology “birth is as safe as life gets.” Lets get real, a professional does not come to you to say you are pregnant, you seek out the professional and say “I feel different, I am pregnant!”.

Women have been designed to birth vaginally, and women’s bodies have the DNA handed down since Eve to birth as nature designed, but due to Fear, Stress and negative Hypnosis suggestions and our modern lifestyles, we are loosing our ability to trust our bodies. Modern Medicine is a wonderful tool for us to use when things do not go according to nature's plan and we should use it ONLY as a safety net.

Birth is a job of work, and nothing done for the first is usually easy. It can be very time consuming and scary, but support and praise make the job easier. The more prepared you are, the better the whole process flows. So do the groundwork ahead of time, trust and understand the process, gather your skills, and your support.

Lets put it into perspective

How would you feel if you had been training for a profession, and are qualified, and you have been given a new assignment, one which will look real good in your resume, while giving you more credibility and experience. “Other people”, managers, colleagues or friends start hinting that you were not up to the job? You were too small, too weak, too tired, too female and improperly designed!!! .How cranky and crabby would you feel? How demoralised would you become? How would it impact on your confidence in the future?……and if at the last minute they took that job away from you without good reason, how disappointed would you be?. What kind of a battering would your self confidence take. However if you were doing the job and found yourself struggling, would you be prepared to ask for assistance? Of course you would. If as occasionally happens it becomes too overwhelming, would you be prepared to pass the job over to someone with more experience and expertise for the betterment of the company? Of course you would.

It is the same thing in labour and birth and motherhood, (trust me motherhood is a profession). In labour, you do not loose your brain, and apart from the concentration needed during a contraction the in between times, for rest and recovery, you are back to your normal self. (I did not say normal but to your normal self.) People love to magnify the negatives and would hate you to be better than them, or think you could do without them. Most times we can, however if your body or your baby were not coping with the pressure of labour and becoming distressed you would be more than happy to choose medical assistance to give you the outcome you want, and you would not feel that you were any less of a women or have any guilty feelings that you had not given it your best shot.

It is the greatest privilege for me to support a mother in labour, for her to allow me the chance to enhance her skills with those I have gleaned over the years, and to work with her partner as a team to support her. To make the environment safe and secure, for her to feel nurtured, loved, and free from disturbances. Enabling her to use space, voice and movement, to listen to her bodies natural rhythm, forgetting time and place. I rarely need to offer “pain relief” as I usually have explained at first meeting that I am there to support her and her partner, and just to let me know how I can assist her, I know most have already done their homework and know their options, but when a Mother feels she needs something I am more than happy to assess and discuss those options and arrange what she has chosen. I will never say no, but we may negotiate, if appropriate. You will notice that I rarely use the term “pain”, as I do not want to hypnotise you into having pain. Pain is a sensation, so why choose it? Choose another sensation, cramp, pressure, tightness, heaviness etc., It has been well documented that “Fear causes tension, tension causes pain which causes fear“ and the cycle continues, if we can ease fear we can ease tension and Pain. The more you talk about it the more you will feel it.

“The mind is like a magnet,

Think only what you would like to happen.”

How many times have you heard people say I knew that would happen to me,……it is a self-fulfilling prophesy.

People in life threatening situations, not to mention athletes and sports people manage to complete their “job” often with incredible injuries, and not notice the pain until after, Why? Because they are so focused on getting the “job” done well that they block everything else out. We are no different. Focus on the outcome not the journey.

Your baby's birthday should be one of the best days of your life. A day that may be filled with hard work , sometimes long and sometimes exhausting but by focusing on the end result, by visualising the moment your baby comes into your arms, all else will be forgotten. This is the day you finally get to meet this special new person (or people) who will have such a tremendous impact on your life. A life filled with tears and joy and more hard work. But you are a woman and you can do anything you put your mind to. So do not focus on the journey, focus on the outcome you want.

To birth your baby with joy and ease.

While, yes there are occasionally tears of sorrow, ….99% of the time there are tears of joy. Yes, frequently, there is as much tears and exhaustion for your partner and for me, as there is for you but you get the elation and exhilaration, of a wonderful job well done, when the months of growing your baby comes to an end and you hold this precious bundle in your arms. Your baby, the product of your love.

Back to top ^