A Skilled Birthing Population Benefits Everyone!

There is no reasonable reason why not to learn how-to-birth skills, during pregnancy

Political debates control the conversation setting up opposition as to what is the best birth: natural versus medical, Doctor versus Midwife and home versus hospital. Each aspect is then broken down into more minor yet persistent debates such as constant foetal monitoring as standard practice or cesarean delivery for all breeches and twins. The political debate continues.

There's an imbalance in childbirth. For years the issues around childbirth have been put into political debates, things have changed, yet somehow stayed the same.

There could be a social, rather than political debate that has not come to the forefront. Debates could be much less about where a woman births or who birth provider is and more about what expectant parents need to do for themselves regardless of where or with whom they give birth.

Is there any good reason why expectant families shouldn’t have birth and coaching skills? Pregnancy is the only time to learn these task-appropriate skills. Yet, no one is even suggesting that should happen.

We give more emphasis on a social expectation that if you want a drivers’ license, you learn how to drive. We don’t accept any reasonable reason why not such as: ‘I’m working up to the day of my driver’s test’, or ‘I don’t have time’.

Unfortunately, for the past 40 years, women have become de-skilled based on a truth that pregnancy and birth are normal events in a woman’s life. However, connected to that truth is an accurate assumption which says because birth is natural therefore you don’t need skills. Being hungry is natural but we value people who know how-to cook. These are learned skills appropriate for the natural, physiological feeling of hunger and need to eat.

Unfortunately there is also a belief that other animals don’t need to be taught how to birth therefore humans don’t. This is a wild supposition that does not factor in what makes us different from other mammals, our neo-cortex.

The neo-cortex is the very special part of the brain humans share with other primates, whales and dolphins. We also share the limbic system of our brain with other mammals such as dogs and cats and all of us share the brain stem with any animal (no matter how primitive) that has a brain.

It’s our neo-cortex that gives humans the ability to create skills and more skills. Take a look at the great diversity of cultures and all the different skills learned by other human beings.

In fact, humans love to be skilled; we thrive on feeling competent to do the task with the appropriate skills. And we are all human beings regardless of all factors from personal lifestyles to cultural diversity; from opinions about birth to health factors; to availability of modern maternity care or droughts, wars and tsunamis.

However, along with all the assumptive beliefs in childbirth today, there is also a truth wrapped up with another inaccurate conclusion. The truth states there is no way to know what our birth will be like. The inaccurate assumption is that there is nothing we can do.

The future is always unknown, but it unfolds. Birth unfolds and it happens to every single pregnant woman in the world without fail, one way or the other.

Birth is an action word and the actions any birthing woman can take come from the skills she learns. Because all women are human beings and all men have essentially the same body this means there can be a set of shared, common knowledge skills.

Regardless of where or with whom a woman gives birth, she has to breathe and her body will be in some position. Skills such as: Directed Breathing, the Pelvic Clock or Deep Touch Relaxation, Kate’s Cat, Hip Lift and Sacral Manoeuvre are skills any woman can learn and then use, with the necessary care, assessments, monitoring and procedures that you do.

Whether a woman births alone in the bush, taxi or home she should prepare her pregnant body for birth, learn birth skills and use them to work with her baby’s efforts to be born. Her husband, partner, friend or relative should learn the same set of skills to help her go through this monumental task.

If the birth is going to be a cesarean delivery, pregnancy is still leading to the birth and families can enjoy taking time to prepare, learn the skills and use them during the surgery and recovery. Birth is always an action.

There is no reasonable reason why pregnancy and learning birth and coaching skills should continue to remain disconnected. We do a disservice to all, by just letting this amazing experience happen to us rather than know how to. Empowerment can come from even small accomplishments.

Can You Laugh Your Baby Out?

Can You Laugh Your Baby Out?

Gee, childbirth doesn’t seem to be the time to laugh. In fact many women would relate the word ‘suffering’ to the intense pain felt during labour contractions. Certainly not a ‘laughing matter’.

And childbirth is called labour for a good reason. It is hard work and the work a woman does is how to cope with the naturally occurring pain. One would think laughter would be the last thing she’d think of. But as Laughter Yoga leaders and teachers, we know laughter goes with every Life experience. Pregnancy and childbirth are great times to laugh for no particular reason.

Laughter In Pregnancy:

Gosh, where to start. The first place is acknowledging that being pregnant for both the mother and father-to-be is a Gateway to Parenting. Of course, there are many families who move through this gateway through adoption however let’s look at pregnancy.

Let’s also look at the woman first before we talk about the father. Women are faced with three major issues during pregnancy:

• Personal issues such as her health as well as her feelings about being pregnant.
• The choices the woman must make.
• The birth itself.

Laughter, particularly spontaneous laughter (laughing for no reason) can be part of working with any health issues that the woman may bring into her pregnancy: asthma, high blood pressure, previous injuries or illnesses. Any woman may also develop pregnancy related health issues such as: gestational diabetes, toxemia, anemia just to name a few.

There can also be health issues with the baby such as: genetic abnormalities, inherited genetic disorders or poor growth just to name a few. On top of all of this a woman might be pregnant with multiple babies or the baby might be in a breech position. Pregnancy is certainly a time of many factors sometimes coming together to make a very challenging time in any woman’s life.

Pregnant women are also faced with making choices about where the birth will take place, along with choosing a care provider. Her or her baby’s health issues may limit her choices and come into conflict with her personal beliefs about childbirth.

Personal issues such as: finances, employment, relationships and feelings about becoming a mother can cause lots of emotions and colour the pregnancy.

Can laughter be of help? Of course. Life isn’t guaranteed to be smooth or enjoyable. However, how we respond to all these issues can be made better when we laugh. If we have a sense of humour that’s all the better. For those who see the cup half full rather than half empty, the challenges of living can be met with a good dose of chuckles, belly laughing or a sarcastic giggle.

But a sense of humour isn’t essential to laughing your way through pregnancy even when faced with multiple issues. In fact, being a parent just adds another dimension often best managed with some lots of laughter … some of it spontaneous and some just to relieve tension. Ho, ho, ha, ha, hee, hee for sure.

Let’s not forget the fathers:

Pregnancy is often perceived of as a ‘woman’s time’. This is inaccurate. Pregnancy is the ultimate family time. Men are becoming fathers and pregnancy is as important to men as it is to women … but less recognized and respected.

Fathers-to-be need lots of laughter. Women become much more unpredictable from the moment of conception. Men often feel left out and powerless. Personally any man can use laughter to feel more balanced during this dynamic time.

Couples who bring personal laughter into their relationship during this heightened time of change are building their family relationship. Laughing for no reason together builds trust and provides an outlet for increased emotional awareness and compassion.

Really incorporating laughter into an about-to-be family is more likely to lead to a family where laughter comes easily or helps relieve tensions. A good ha, ha, hee, hee always does good.

Specific Laughter Yoga Techniques

When working with expectant parents, it’s not important to develop specific laughter techniques, include the hand clapping or the HaHaHoHo. However, it is vitally important to both mention Laughter Yoga and the concept of laughing for no reason.
When Laughter Yoga organization is mentioned as the source of the concept, this gives expectant parents a sense of belonging to something that is accepted by many people from diverse cultures, religions and life style. They don’t confuse the skills with your personal beliefs about pregnancy and childbirth which means laughing-for—no-reason doesn’t become co-opted by any specific viewpoint about pregnancy and birth. Laughter is for all of us. Any family who is pregnant and will soon become parents will benefit from the concept and learned skills.

Then there’s the birth

Learning about spontaneous laughter during pregnancy makes it much easier to use laughing-for-no-reason during childbirth. Until recently women only gave birth in one manner … the hard work of labour. Now there are pregnant women who will choose to have an elective cesarean delivery. Others will have a cesarean delivery as suggested by their birth provider without a labour. Other women will have a cesarean after doing the hard work.

In the long run one hundred percent of pregnant women will give birth one way or another. This means birth is birth. Every expectant family can enjoy preparing for birth by learning birth and coaching skills … one of those skills is learning to spontaneously laugh even when you don’t feel like it. Laughing-for-no-reason as promoted by Laughter Yoga then becomes one of the coping or managing skills so very useful during this incredibly unique and dynamic personal experience.

Whatever birth a family has, it’s always about working with the baby’s efforts to be born. Everyone working together builds family bonds.

The Natural Pain Of Labour

There are some women who feel very little or quite manageable pain during labour. These fortunate women can just as easily laugh as they can talk … even during contractions … because the pain isn’t a distraction nor requires the woman’s full attention nor overwhelms them.

However, childbirth is often perceived of as an experience totally unconnected to laughter and more connected to ‘suffering’ except right afterward the birth when everyone laughs from joy or relief.

But laughter should be something taught to all expectant parents … particularly for ‘no reason’ as one skill to cope with the natural occurring pain of contractions. And if it isn’t ‘taught’ it should be strongly suggested! A giggle, chuckle, snort, chortle, guffaw or belly laugh are all necessary childbirth skills.

How can it be possible for a woman experiencing SO much pain to laugh? The first place to reframe the experience of childbirth is to recognize that labour pain is different from other types of pain:

• It’s productive and ends when the baby is born.
• Childbirth pain is never connected to a ‘problem’ in a birth***
• Laughing lightens up the atmosphere in the birth room.
• Laughter is a much better use of breath than screaming, moaning or groaning.
• Regardless of all factors surrounding the birth of a baby, Life goes on.
  
• Without being aware laughter is part of Life even when there are unpleasant experiences.

Childbirth pain is definitely not the same as pain experienced during illness, injury or even death although these three things can be present in any birth experience. And Laughter Yoga has huge positive impact in Life’s disorders … why not with childbirth?

Women often come face to face with strong emotional responses to the natural but intense pain. Her inner Negative Voice chatters on saying: ‘I can’t’, ‘IT HURTS!‘ or ‘Oh no not another contraction’.

The only difference between childbirth and every day life is the compression of Time. Compress other negative or thinking patterns of Life’s experiences into the short hours of childbirth and you’ll immediately understand the huge advantage laughing can bring. Yes, personal discipline, conscious choice and willpower might be the root requirement but that’s what leaves women feeling empowered … the ability to transcend and work with the pain.

Five Phases … Choose One Or More

There are many opportunities for laughing in labour because there are 5 Phases of each contraction:

• Just as it comes on.
• As the contraction builds with more pain.
• The peak or most painful period.
• As the contraction backs off and becomes less painful then stops.
• The space between contractions.

It might be too much to ask a woman to laugh during the peak but certainly there are ample opportunities for a quickie HaHaHeeHee during any of the other phases. This is a skill a woman can implement as her own skill as a way to balance her inner negative voice with her management behavior.

Her husband, partner, friend or relative who is ‘coaching’ her (both to give support and help) can either suggest or just laugh.

Of course, it’s vitally important that laughter is used as a skill and not confused with someone laughing inappropriately so the woman feels embarrassed. Laughter Yoga teaches … never laugh at anyone. Laugh with each other.

Since I was trained as a Laughter Yoga Teacher many families have used Laughter Yoga during their births. Laughing together even for the briefest moment grows intimacy, gives a momentary relief from an experience that can seem very serious, put emotional perspective into natural sensations and prevent, reduce or eliminate mental paralysis that comes from the negative voice ‘I can’t’.

It’s much, much easier for the mother and father-to-be to use laughter skills in birth when they have learned and used these skills during pregnancy.

Here are some examples of what families who have used Laughter Yoga during birth have said:

‘Just a moment of laughing cleared my head’.

‘We laughed, then cried, then laughed our way through labour depending on how intense the contractions were … my wife was amazing. I never thought anyone could laugh about labour pains’

‘My husband was terrific while everyone was talking to me so seriously I could see the laughter twinkle in his eye when I started to feel overwhelmed during a contraction. Instead of letting myself get swamped by my negative thoughts, I could use my management-self and have a chuckle at how incredible birth is’.

So, go ahead, share Laughter Yoga with pregnant friends. Better yet get expectant families to couple their laughing with great birth and coaching skills. They’ve got a winning combination for sure.

‘What About Me’?

There are an increased number of women giving birth by cesarean. If there is any fear for the wellbeing of either the mother or child, there seems to be little to laugh about.

Any family who is choosing a cesarean delivery for whatever reason … whether personal choice or a perceived wellness issue … can totally enjoy preparing for the birth of their baby by learning good birth and coaching skills during pregnancy just as a family having a labour. Birth is birth. Your baby is going to come out of your body one way or the other. Birth is also an activity. During this activity we are constantly doing actions. The actions we take during birth are the skills we’ve learned and now are using.

For families having a planned cesarean, encourage them to learn laughter skills as well as birth skills that they can use during the surgery and recovery. Using skills also helps families feel more involved during an operative birth.

Our Birth

Our birth professionals may not know we are using internal relaxation or breathing skills during labour or the cesarean. They really aren’t focused on what we are doing or whether our partner is helping us. That’s not their job. They are there to do assessment, monitoring and procedures when necessary. They will just see a woman who is coping well and a father is really attentive. They’ll see couples working together with their baby’s efforts to be born. And, they will wish more families were behaving in this manner.

Your birth provider may not understand why you suddenly have a giggle or break into laughter for no reason. Your birth is yours … not theirs. Using all your skills during labour, birth surgery and recovery keep you connected from an experience that can feel like a very disconnecting experience. Women in labour can feel very overwhelmed by an experience she cannot control.

We cannot control birth but we can control how we respond to what is happening. In other words we can participate in the process of birth by using all our skills. This is what leaves a tremendous sense of personal empowerment.

So whether you give birth one way or another, have laughter be one of the skills you use. If you can laugh at any point during the labour and delivery then you’ll be able to laugh during the challenging parenting moments and there will be heaps of them! If you can laugh before, during and after a surgical delivery then you won’t have any residual feelings that you didn’t fully participate in your baby’s efforts to be born.

Bio: Wintergreen is a Laughter Yoga teacher and Trustee to Common Knowledge Trust that puts out the only skills-based childbirth preparation course called The Pink Kit Method For Birthing Better®. The Pink Kit is Directly Marketed through wholesalers and website affiliates. If you’re working with expectant families then you’ll love directing them to these skills along with the laughter you share with them.

*** There are no ‘problems’ connected to birth that cause more pain during contractions. If a woman is pregnant with multiple babies, has toxemia, is anemic, has high blood pressure, bleeds or has a baby with problems … there is no increased pain of contractions. Often women and men think that the increased pain represents a ‘problem’ when in fact it represents the natural progression of the cervix dilating and becoming more open. This means ‘the birth’ is nearer.


Wintergreen, trustee

Common Knowledge Trust producing: The Pink Kit Method For Birthing Better®
wintergreen@birthingbetter.com
www.commonknowledgetrust.com
http://www.birthingbetter.com
https://www.thepinkkit.com
http://thepinkkitforpositivebirth.blogspot.com