Navigation Post an Ad

Is Kate Facing Unfair Public Pressure and Judgement by Choosing Hypnotherapy?

When the Duchess of Cambridge reportedly pulled out of the ‘society wedding of the year’, concerned that her labour was close, the British media’s speculation reached fever pitch.

Yet when it comes to the birth itself, Kate’s plans have attracted some very public sneers.  She’d reportedly like a natural delivery surrounded by family, with hypnotherapy and even a birthing pool.  What’s so wrong with that?

Quite a few high profile journalists and social commentators seem determined to convince us that Kate is living in a dream world. Seriously.  I think it’s fantastic that she is opting for a natural delivery.  She might have married a prince in the perfect fairytale wedding but she’s still a real woman and is more than entitled to try for a natural birth. Trust me, after using hypnotherapy to get me through my two labours, it’s hardly going to be a fairytale!

She’s not alone either.  A lot of women get laughed at when they suggest they’d like to try for a natural labour and avoid the epidural altogether.  I did.  A lot.  People didn’t realise they were doing it half the time.  Trust me, I noticed.

Listen, I’m not going to make out it was easy.  It wasn’t easy.  It was tough at times, but it was incredibly powerful.  INCREDIBLY.

So how did I get to this decision?  As a pack-a-day smoker for over 20 years, to my own delight (and trust me, surprise!!) I gave up smoking one day about six years ago by listening to a hypnotherapy CD.  I was skeptical.  Very skeptical.  I’d always believed the mind’s a powerful tool so I was determined to make it a success.  Let’s face it, if I could do THAT, I could make it through childbirth without an epidural. Surely! Thousands of women had done it before me and they’d survived.  I mean, the pain can’t be THAT bad can it?

For me, it was about wanting to feel the contractions, feel when to push and just be proactive throughout the birth.  Maybe it was the control freak in me.  Just maybe.  Either way it was my choice and one that got my husband’s and midwive’s full support. Trust me, I wasn’t after a medal, and an epidural wasn’t completely out of the equation, I just wanted to give it a go and see if I could do it.  It was MY DECISION and despite the sneers and sniggers from the older generation around me (and so many men who just didn’t get it … “You’re stupid, take the drugs” they’d say), I was determined to give it a red hot go!  And I did.  And it was nothing short of frigging powerful!  It wasn’t a walk in the park, but it WAS so totally amazing. So empowering. So downright WONDERFUL!

So for Kate, why do we feel the need to criticise her, and indeed every other woman who dares to dream of a positive birth experience?  Shouldn’t we be celebrating her courage and wishing her well, rather than putting her down and doubting her before she’s even started?

Birth should be an amazing day in any woman’s life but sadly for more and more women it’s become something to dread.  Sometimes traumatic, sometimes unpleasant and often feared.

Let’s celebrate the birthing process and hypnotherapy as a powerful way to encourage women to aim for a peaceful, relaxed and calm birthing environment and a positive and empowering birth experience.  Either way, we are amazing creatures and deserve to be given the opportunity to decide the approach we’d like to take.  It might not go to plan, it might change somewhat, heck it might go pear-shaped. However it goes, at least we gave it a go.  Who knows, we might even get the birth we wanted.  How incredible would that be?

From one mum to another, well done on your decision Kate, and either way, however it pans out, you’ll do great!

Have you used hypnotherapy in your labour and how did you find it?

  

5 Responses to “Is Kate Facing Unfair Public Pressure and Judgement by Choosing Hypnotherapy?”

  1. Katie-Lee July 9, 201310:43 am

    Awesome read!! Thanks 😉

  2. Kristy Cook July 11, 201312:41 am

    As a nurse/midwife and certified hypnoBirthing instructor I believe in this method! I have birthed using HypnoBirthing and it really is amazing! Just because one woman has a traumatic birth doesn’t mean it is going to be like that for everybody. I think it is fantastic that Kate is choosing in this calm natural way. She shouldn’t be slammed for wanting that, she should be supported!
    Thanks for another great Blog Belinda.

  3. Angie July 15, 201312:07 pm

    As a mum who gave birth back in the 70s (yes, I’m now a granny!) I find the apparently routine use of epidural a and drugs in labour rather sad. I gave birth to my sons (one 30 hour labour and one 3 hour) using natural childbirth methods and NO drugs and both births were the most wonderful experiences of my life! Hard work, yes and very tiring, but totally exhilarating.
    I hope Kate sticks to her guns and follows her own birth plan and I wish her a safe and joyful delivery of a healthy baby.

  4. Christine July 15, 20131:07 pm

    Yes!! I used a hypnobirthing technics with my second baby. As each contraction ‘rolled in’ I would take my mind else where picturing a beach & my contractions were the waves. It helped so much!

  5. Jessie July 16, 201312:47 am

    I truly believe going in confident that you can do it is half the battle. If we created a culture of empowerment around women going in to giving birth – if people were encouraging instead of incredulous about natural delivery – I feel that a lot more women would do and do it without problems.

    Medical interventions and drugs are a godsend for when they are needed to save lives and fix problems but I wish they hadn’t become the norm even for uncomplicated births. I think in some cases they can actually create problems that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. So many women just end up in fear of birth and just want to get it over with, and will have no idea of what they are really capable of if only they’d been empowered instead of criticised.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Children's Panadol Recall: 1-5 Years Suspension Recalled for Quality Reasons

    by on December 5, 2013 - 0 Comments

    Two batches of Children’s Panadol 1–5 years suspension dispatched by GlaxoSmithKline between September and November have been recalled for quality reasons. PRA number: 2013/13888 Date published: 5th December 2013 Product description GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), in consultation with the TGA, is recalling two batches of Children’s Panadol 1-5 years suspension from pharmacies and hospitals as a small proportion of bottles […]

  • 10 Parenting Rules – and I broke them all

    by on June 11, 2013 - 37 Comments

    Confession. I was one self-righteous, know-it-all bitch Before Children [BC]. It’s true. I knew it ALL. Anything wrong with a kid? It’s their mum’s fault. Sometimes their dad’s. But mainly mum… because she CHOSE the dad after all. In my, far from humble, opinion parents were entirely responsible for everything their kids did, thought, said […]

  • Win a Britax Strider Compact & Steelcraft Infant Carrier valued at $1,128

    by on July 1, 2013 - 1262 Comments

    Thanks to our gorgeous friends at Britax & Steelcraft, we’re giving one lucky member a Britax Strider Compact & Steelcraft Infant Carrier. Total value $1,128 Congratulations Rachel M – you’re the lucky winner!  Please check your inbox for full details on how to claim your prize! The Britax Strider Compact (RRP $799.00) is more lightweight […]

  • Tim Tam Balls - Recipe of the Month

    by on August 9, 2013 - 9 Comments

    They’re an Aussie favourite, no matter which way you look at it, you can’t beat a Tim Tam! Quick & easy, this fabulous recipe only needs three ingredients! Makes 22 Large Balls You’ll need: 1 x Packet Tim Tams 1 x 250gm Block Philadelphia Cream Cheese 1 x 375gm Cooking Chocolate (Milk/Dark) Method: Step 1: […]

  • The Only Teacher's Christmas Gift Guide You'll Need. EVER.

    by on November 26, 2013 - 1 Comments

    Christmas Gift Guide for Teachers Do you have little ones [or big ones!] in school? Have you dropped them off at their class every day and wondered, with awe, how any sane person could choose to spend 6 hours a day with as many as 30 kids at a time? As we get closer to […]