How to have an easy birth and a calm baby

For HypnoBirthing Classes and Doula Services in Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire (covering Bishops Stortford, Braintree, Dunmow, Cambridge, Harlow, Haverhill, Hitchin, Letchworth, Newmarket, Royston, Stansted, Saffron Walden, Sawston, Stevenage, Thetford, Ware) visit http://www.birthfriendly.co.uk

For Baby Massage Classes, Dunstan Baby Language Classes, Happiest Baby Calming Classes, Homeopathy and Hypnotherapy for babies, children and new mums and postnatal doula services across Cambs, Herts, Essex & Suffolk visit http://www.babycalm.co.uk

**STOP PRESS: FREE HYPNOBIRTHING WORKSHOP - ROYSTON HERTS, FRIDAY MARCH 20th 7:30-9:30pm at the http://www.rchc.co.uk - to book your FREE place on this informative 2hr workshop call 0845 094 0075**

1) Prenatal Parenting

Studies have proven what few believed decades ago: (1) that babies in the womb are alert, aware, and attentive to activities involving voice, touch, and music; (2) that babies benefit from these activities by forming stronger relationships with their parents and their parents with them, resulting in better attachments and better birthing experiences, and (3) that these babies tend to show precocious development of speech, fine and gross motor performance and better emotional self-regulation. These are the gifts and rewards of early parenting. Read more on http://www.birthpsychology.com

2) A Health Body....What Homeopathy & Diet Can Do For You AND Your Baby

Homeopathy can help everyone! in order to aid conception and a healthy pregnancy, a birth preparation session or treatment for your baby or child. Homeopathy is one of the safest forms of medicine known to man. The incredibly gentle nature of the remedies means homeopathy is largely without side effect and perfectly safe for those wishing to conceive, pregnant ladies, those breastfeeding and newborns. For more information see ttp://www.birthfriendly.co.uk

3) A Healthy Mind....The Importance of Beliefs and Expectations - HypnoBirthing......Hippy rubbish or scientific fact?

Everything you see or hear about birth - from friends, family, or on TV - tells you giving birth is going to hurt. At worst, it's portrayed as some agonising and traumatic experience you have to endure, with your partner standing helplessly by whilst you scream and suffer in pain. Sound familiar? Your friends and family mean well. They want you to know what to expect. They think they're helping, by preparing you for 'the inevitable'.

The only thing is - they're WRONG - pain is not inevitable!

How can we be so sure? Because, there are thousands of women who've discovered easy, comfortable birth. HypnoBirthing® teaches you that you don't have to suffer agony when you give birth and most importantly, it puts you back in control of your birth. HypnoBirthing® is a unique method of natural childbirth education, enhanced by hypnosis techniques. HypnoBirthing allows women to use their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing in a way that most mirrors nature. The HypnoBirthing programme comprises of 12.5hrs of tuition which covers topics such as the history of birth, how hypnosis can be helpful during pregnancy and birth, how birth affects the baby, ways to strengthen bonding, special massage and breathing techniques, demystifying medical language, understanding your options in pregnancy and birth and ways your birthing partner can help you during labour.

For more information see http://www.hypnobirthing.com

4) Creating a Birthing Nest, How the Environment Affects Birth

"The right place to give birth would be the right place to make love" Michel Odent.

The major hormone released during labour, oxytocin, is incredibly fragile with regards to external stimulus. If a woman is too cold, if she feels scared, feels observed, if the light is too bright and so on she will release adrenaline. The release of adrenaline during labour causes two things to happen, firstly it inhibits the release of oxytocin, this causes the uterus to stop contracting effectively and can cause the labour to become erratic and slow, secondly when we release adrenaline we cannot release beta endorphins, nature's own natural anaesthesia. The contracting uterus also becomes starved of oxygenated blood which leads to a build up of lactic acid and thus pain and combined with the lack of release of our own natural pain killers labour becomes harder, longer and more painful. By ensuring that the birthing mother releases as little adrenaline as possible we can help the birth to progress easily, safely and comfortably.

Homebirth? why are we the only species that creates a nest at home and then leaves this safe, calm haven to give birth in a strange, unknown, highly medicalised environment? Why not choose the safe sanctity of your own home? that where the environment is safe, welcoming, warm and known. Birth is a normal and natural process, it doesn't belong in large hospitals full of sick people, it belongs at home, where our other normal everyday bodily functions occur. Homebirth for a low risk woman is as safe, if not safer than hospital birth, it is DEFINITELY an option!

See http://www.homebirth.org.uk for more information

5) Doulas - Do What?

I like to describe a doula as "a guardian of normal birth". A doula is a non- medically qualified woman who has herself experienced the ease and joys of natural childbirth, she views childbirth as normal, not a disease or sickness or something that a woman needs artificial help to achieve. A doula believes in a woman's own innate ability to birth her own baby, she doesn't so much support the birthing mother (as that would indicate that a woman needs more than her own wonderful body to birth her baby) rather she ensures that the woman can feel as at ease and undisturbed as possible so that the amazing act of childbirth can be, free from outside influences and therefore as easy and as safe as possible.

See http://www.doula.org.uk for more information

6) The Fourth Trimester

Knowing how to calm your baby should be instinctive right? wrong! Many parents exacerbate the situation, their misguided attempts at baby calming making the child more upset.

The Happiest Baby teaches parents a new way to calm crying and help their baby to sleep for longer whilst nurturing the Parent/Infant Bond. The work of US Paediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp who became interested in colic and baby calming In 1980, as a fellow in Child Development at UCLA when he learned that some cultures around the world are "colic-free". In other words, their babies usually calm in a minute or less, he began to wonder, "Had those parents discovered the 'off-switch'?"

This question lead him on a twenty-year study of infant crying and a search for ancient techniques to help the 20% of our young babies who fuss and scream for greater than 3 hours a day." The Happiest Baby is the result of this study and Karp believes he knows what's going on with these babies%u2026and it's not wind!

Does it Really Work?
Oh yes! I have used Dr. Karp's techniques for my own four children, each one of them a "Happy Baby". Each one calm, quiet and contented, no colic, no screaming, no having to drive our babies around at 2am, no leaving them to cry in the garden or another room, no controlled crying techniques and no exhausted crying mummy, heck - why do you think I had four babies?!

Find out more at http://www.thehappiestbaby.com

7) BabyWearing and Co-Sleeping.

When you are pregnant your baby spend 24hrs a day in close contact with you, being comforted by familiar smells and sounds. In the Western world, after birth, our babies are estimated to spend around 60% of their time alone, in bouncy chairs, car seats and forward facing strollers, we spend thousands on "the perfect nursery", toys to stimulate them, gadgets claiming to help them to sleep longer, yet we miss their most basic, primitive need - that of close contact with a real live human being. Many parents complain that they "can never put the baby down" or that "the baby cries the minute I put him into his own crib, he will only sleep in my arms" - of course! that is what the baby is used to and what the baby needs to develop into a well adjusted child!

By co-sleeping with your baby, which if you follow a few simple rules could even be safer than putting your baby into their own bed! and "wearing" your baby in a sling or carrier their needs are met, you get more sleep and more freedom, you can breastfeed quickly and easily and the best part of all is that throughout you are raising a calm, confident and happy child without the extra expense of all of those gadgets, expensive strollers and nursery equipment! A good baby sling is relatively inexpensive and can be reused with subsequent children and you don't need anything to cosleep with your child! Don't fight nature - embrace it, work with it, I guarantee you will be a happier parent for it!

For more information see http://www.thebabywearer.com or http://www.continuum-concept.org