Labour and Active Birth Workshop

Session 1

 
 
 

Welcome

After each labour and active birth workshop session you will be sent a link and password to a new page just like this. Here you will find useful info-graphics as well as links to read more on the topics we discussed in the session.

You will also see below that there is a link to a 30 minute Active Birth Yoga practice which will help ease any tensions and torsions in your body as the weeks progress and embed muscle memory for some really powerful movements and positions for labour and birth. Try and work through the yoga practice 2-3 times this week if you can, and we will introduce further elements as the sessions go through.

In this session we talk about the Uterus as a muscle and its role in early labour to start to efface your cervix (thin it out). We also discussed the fear-tension-pain cycle and how your route out of this is conscious slowly rhythmical breathing. We introduced the first of three breathing techniques you can use during labour, so below are some reminders to keep you practicing that all important ‘Breath Of Calm’.

We talked about positions to aid early labour and other things you can do the help get contractions coming more frequently and progressing your labour in a relaxed environment.

We talked about the 3 key principles of Active Birth:

  • Oxygenation of Muscles

  • Movement for Change

  • Working with Gravity

 
 


Although different hypnobirthing and antenatal courses teach different breaths, they are all similar- so my advice is to try not to get yourself confused by reading into other just yet and stick with the ones I will teach you. They will be all you need, I promise. For more information about the power of breath-work in labour, there is a good summary of recent research and evidence here.


If you’d like to start your journey into understanding the cultural challenges we face in western society around the biological norms of labour and birth then dive into Sarah Wickham’s bottomless pit of research which I will be signposting to in many other emails. But for now, her article ‘Three things I wish every woman knew about pregnancy and birth knowledge’ is a great place to start empowering yourself with confidence.


Next week we will be talking more about the cervix as we look at how foetal position, maternal position and movements can impact the dilation journey as we move discuss active labour, transition and the birth of your baby. In session 3 we will also start to increase your understanding of the different pain relief options, water birth and the process of induction and in session 4 we will talk about placental birth and those first few minutes, hours, days and weeks with your new baby.


Any questions or worries in the mean time, just drop me an email (link below).

Nicola