A mums review of the "The Effective Birth Preparation" by Maggie Howell.
Thank you Kate for your honest and candid review of the book
"Before
the Birth
This was the most useful tool in
the preparation for the birth that I came across and reading it prior to doing
any Yoga or NCT classes was really beneficial. In a very practical (and never
patronising) way it describes what will physically happen to your body and
this. Along with the practical exercises, and by understanding the process I
was able to logically address my fears.
From my personal experience I am most afraid of placental abruption - so
I have been able to eliminate this by understanding it as much as I can and
opting for the injection to artificially deliver the placenta post birth to
reduce the risk.
Real
life experiences
I was already a
convert of this type of therapy as I used a similar system to give up smoking
many years ago so I already have the confidence that what Margaret talks about
will work but in addition I particularly like the real life stories and as my
NCT friends are gradually giving birth its interesting that those who are the
most prepared and calm are having the easiest experiences.
Advice for
birthing partners
I think this is
probably the most important part of the book. The bit about asking is mine or
the babies life in any danger and then taking the time to consider I think will
be one of the most powerful tools on our side once in the hospital
environment. Having already done a short stay at the hospital where I am
having the baby I know that they are very process and procedure driven which
may or may not be right for me. (Note I am a high risk pregnancy so hospital
only option)
Things
that could be added
I
thought this book was excellent as a whole but if Margaret had any plans to
expand it - it would be really interesting to know any projects or case studies
she has done in hospitals that have utilised this process and hear from the
point of view of the hospitals, consultants and GPs (not the midwives). I have
come across numerous midwives and birthing centres that strongly support this
approach from friends, to birthing centres that run hypno birthing courses and
a student midwife at my yoga class keen to learn more.... but the GPs and
Consultants I have come across told me (and I quote) 'birthing plans are a
waste of time I don’t understand why anyone would opt for anything than an
epidural!' This is the reality of the medical system that operates
and it’s the consultants and GPs (not the midwives) that make the
decisions about your care all the way through the antenatal process especially
if you are a high risk pregnancy- and they are supposed to be the experts so
its a brave person that challenges their thinking. This is probably a bit much
to put on Margaret's shoulders but it would only take a few GPs to support
this system and the ball would be rolling.
After the Birth
So did it
work… yes!
Although I didn’t think so at the time!
My labour story is by no means the horror story that many of my poor NCT
friends seemed to have suffered. There were a couple of things that swung in my
favour that really helped.
Positive events that I believe were
linked to the hypno – therapy and the effective birth prep book:
- I remained in a zone for every
contraction. The 321 relax technique and turning down the dial on the pain
really helped. Interestingly they helped not just with the contractions
but also for the internal examinations.
- I ended up having to get my
husband to tell the hospital that I was coming in as they thought I
sounded too calm on the phone. When I got there I was 5cm dilated.
- Unfortunately, when I entered the
self-doubt phase I was asking for an epidural. My cervix got stuck at 9cm
dilated. I had a hugely supportive midwife who had read and understood my
birth plan. Between her and my husband they persuaded me to go back into
my ‘zone’ I did this as some of the words from the tape came to me from
nowhere. Every contraction takes you one step closer to meeting your baby’
The midwife said my labour was really
inspirational. I had a chuckle at this because it was way more painful
than I had expected and calm/ inspirational would be last word I would use to
describe what was going on in my head! But all in it was a positive experience.
My husband said that although I had felt I was out of control compared to the
other wailing women in the delivery unit I was incredibly calm! I didn’t even
give a second thought to the issues with my placenta and Maia got two 9s and a
10 on her APGAR tests straight after birth and I couldn’t ask for more than that.
I would definitely recommend this book but I
think it needs to be read in conjunction with other activities such as the NCT
classes and the yoga classes (It does say this in the book).
Things that didn’t work for me – I went so
far into my own zone that I didn’t want anyone near me! Including my husband.
It wasn’t the candles and massage oil Zen like experience I had imagined but it
got me through and a healthy baby."
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