Preparing For a Natural Birth: Visualization, Hypnosis, Sound and Other Helpful Techniques
Birth can be ALL the things... magical, miraculous and transcendental while simultaneously confronting, challenging and puzzling.
The word “trust” took a whole other meaning the moment I realized there was a life growing within me. This sacred responsibility has, and continuous to, test my faith in so many more ways than one. I am confronted on a daily basis to choose between fear and love; because when it comes to pregnancy and specially birth: the two don’t coexist very well. And the amount of freedom, of release and of serenity that washes over me when I choose love vs fear is so clear that I know it’s a potent guiding force for me right now… But, let’s be real: this is much easier typed than embodied :)
I’ve had the honor as Birth Keeper to witness dozens of natural births and this has given me a small glance into how incredibly powerful the choices we make PRIOR to birth have during birth. I am currently (passionately!) writing a piece on how the majority of women in America will prepare so much more for their wedding day than for their children’s birth. Let that sink in…
When it comes to birth, we willingly and consciously relinquish so much of our power to strangers or institutions without even pausing to see what else is available for us and more importantly, what is possible from us.
The tide is in fact changing though, and the awareness around birth is spreading like wildfires among wild mamas ready to remember what we have been programmed to forget.
In my short experience, there is no magical birth plan that will ensure a perfect birth. First because all births are perfect, they are a manifestation of our co-creation, therefore they are exactly what they needed to be. And second, because each woman is an entire Universe within herself, making it so unique and incomparable from others, that there is no better time to go deep, to bask in introspection and to get clear on what it is that YOU are calling forth during your unique birthing portal (and your pregnancy).
A few helpful journaling questions are:
What vision do I currently hold of natural and physiological births? How does it defer from what I would like MY birth to be like?
What is calling me to have a natural birth?
What are my biggest fears surrounding birth? (List as many as you can think of, this is a great question to unravel and go deep in before birth.)
What am I grateful for already during this pregnancy?
What am I willing to do in order to achieve the birth I envision?
What (if anything) am I not willing to do in order to achieve the birth I envision?
Is my close community (partner, family, friends, etc) in alignment with my decision? Does it matter to me? If so, what effect does it have on me?
Explain to your baby why you are making the decisions you are making in regards to your birthing choices in a couple of paragraphs.
Although there is no magic potion or secret birth plan I can recommend, I can share how much more ease and grace I’ve witnessed in births in which mothers intentionally and consciously prepared for the arrival of their baby. Some of the techniques that these mothers put in practice were meditation, hypno-birthing, prayer, visualization, mantras, breathing, guided journeys, curated music playlists, etc.
Ironically, I will say that I don’t believe the specific “techniques” in it of themselves are responsible for mothers to be able to surrender more but rather the TRUST cultivated in them and from them, as mindful creators, whom during pregnancy began remembering their own unique ability to transcend fear. So as helpful as these are (and I will include my favorites below!), I do always return to the power within, to the heroine within, so that rather than leveraging and accumulating lots of “tools” for birth, we simply use these as bridges to connect us back to our natural and innate ability to birth. Always giving ourselves full permission to trust our bodies and their divine wisdom, guiding us exactly on what to do and how to do it.
Hypno-Birthing
“Hypnosis encourages our minds to enter into deep states of relaxation, concentration and focus. In these states, our minds are much more open to suggestions and begin to build associations. Because our minds work so naturally with associations, if we program our minds to have positive associations to labor, birth and transitioning into motherhood, we will have a much easier time when entering into the real experience.” -Nancy Lucina
The “original” hypnobirthing method is called HypnoBirthing – The Mongan Method. It was founded by Maria Mongan. She created this program after giving birth to two of her children without any pain meds as she always believed that birthing should be simple, instinctive, and even joyful for the mothers, babies and birth partners. Since then, this has become a pretty large organization so cannot really attest to the experience and background of the many teachers conducting these courses in your local area but it’s certainly worth exploring!
Separately, many other versions of Hypno-Birthing have been created since by different companies and practitioners. One of the common practices is the shifting of the language during birth from fear to possibility. Some examples are:
Contractions becomes Surges or Waves
Due Date becomes Birthing Time or Birthing Month
Complications become Special Circumstances or Variations of Normal
Pain or Contractions become Intensity or Tightening Sensation, etc.
These type of changes can be done on our own though, by finding the right language that supports your process and putting them in place during pregnancy and also asking those around you to adopt your preferred communication. So grab a journal (or create a note on your cell phone) and write down any words that cause you to tighten or doubt, those words that give you a strong bodily “No” when you hear them and find a replacement that truly represents you better.
Freebies from some of my favorites
Two beautiful and potent women who have taught me a lot through their courses offer short complimentary recordings for you to hear during pregnancy/birth:
Nancy Lucina Free Hypnobirth Recordings
&
Yolande Norris-Clark from Freebirth Society Free Birth Recordings
They both also offer different courses related to birth that are life changing for expecting mothers. I particularly LOVE “The Blissful Birth Code” By Yolande. I completed her Radical Birth Keeper School last year and it was quite the initiation for me to truly return to the true nature of birth. If you aren’t familiar with her work, I suggest you take a look. Warning, if you think I am radical, you’re in for a treat! Which is what makes her, in my opinion a strong wildfire, burning down preconceived notions and programming from the institutionalized medical system. Another freebie to get familiar with her work prior to enrolling is this: “Birth in Bliss Workshop”by Yolande
If you are a Christian, the app: Christian Hypnobirthing is composed of beautiful, faith filled options. The yearly subscription is only $19.99 and it includes Breathing Exercises, Gratitude Visualizations, Positive Affirmations, Prayers for Strength, and even printable Christian Birth Mantra Cards to have around during your birth (I admit that I’ve seen many mamas have beautiful printed reminders but haven’t see any of them actually reading them during labor). I personally really enjoy their Prayers For Strength in times of doubt, beautiful reminder of the Higher Power within and without.
Medicine Music
I am a firm believer of the effect of sound in our bodies. I have had the honor of experiencing true sound journeys by incredible musicians, both from the West as well as from different Indigenous Traditions, and have been transported to the depths of my soul from this powerful vibrations. Sound healing, by true musicians, is certainly a medicine.
I have created a playlist of about 2 hours, composed of 22 songs that I know would support me greatly during pregnancy and labor. Of course, your body will tell you what it is that you need, but I have found an incredible amount of serenity when I have these songs playing during the day, evening, walks, etc. (I cannot listen to any mainstream music anymore, so this is one of my go-to’s regardless if I am expecting or not). These songs are prayers in them of themselves therefore I loved memorizing the lyrics to remember the actual prayer and sing along when it plays.
Serenity For Mamas in Apple Music
Breathwork
Conscious, intentional, connected breathing is definitely a part of my daily life, be in ritual, cooking in the kitchen or in my self-care routine. There are also endless courses and options for this, but what matters is to be intentional… I prefer to keep it simple, calm and focused completely on my womb during pregnancy.
Gentle and graceful breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth. Filtering the air that comes in and releasing all the toxins in my body with ease during the exhale. Gratitude, life, and light as I inhale and releasing any and all tension, doubts or fears.
Of course, if things arise in our minds or in the external world that trigger us, then we don’t shame ourselves but bring our focus back to the breathing and notice how it has changed; notice what our body is feeling and how can I return to ease and grace. Conscious returns to the center point, to our hearts, always led by gratitude is the intention here :)
There are endless breathwork videos and audios available online, on Youtube, Soundcloud, etc. So other than not holding your breath for extended periods of time during pregnancy (the thought process behind this is that holding the breath can withhold oxygen from the baby), all types of breathwork is highly recommended for mamas. Long, slow deep inhales and exhales are incredibly effective for calming the nervous system.
It’s obviously very common for expectant mamas to experience fears, worries, and anxieties during pregnancy, this is a jump into the unknown! Using slow deep breathing is a wonderful way to decrease the physical manifestations of racing thoughts and return to bliss.
Dance And Movement:
Move mamas, MOVE! Dance and movement are deeply connected to our primal ways of being, so finding a magical combination of movement, breath and sound will allow your birth to feel expressive, wild and organic is every way.
One of my ultimate favorite videos to play and dance to is below, it’s by women for women and it takes you on a beautiful estatic dance journey. Dance, roar, crawl and travel with this one:
Below are a couple of playlists as well with high-vibes, high-tempo music to move, especially during pregnancy (I don’t picture myself playing these ones DURING birth but who knows!) Close your eyes, lose yourself to these fun sounds, drums and beats and find pleasure in moving without any shame or fear but rather full acceptance of your body and of the PLEASURE available to you during this time:
Last but by far not least: GRATITUDE
A pleasurable birth is typically what follows a pregnancy filled with gratitude, acceptance, surrender and joy. All of this IS and has been available to you all along, and by releasing fear and embracing gratitude for this magnificent time (nervousness and swings included), we return to our wilderness and to our primal ways in which divinity is not something abstract and outside of us, but the fire within us.
One of my favorite mantras to have memorized and often tell myself is this:
All is well. I am well.
Everything is happening for my highest good and out of this experience, only good will come.
I am safe, I am sacred, I am love.
May your pregnancy, your birth and your motherhood journey be a constant reminder of the infinite love from which we came from.
Gabriela