Natural health and family

One of my family members is as we speak, waiting for her first born daughter to be welcomed into the world. Unfortunately, the medical profession has meant that the last few days of her pregnancy are surrounded by frustration and worry, rather than anticipation and relaxation. My pregnancies were likewise tarnished. And this makes me angry!

If you want to find out how long a normal pregnancy lasts, the answer you will find is that a ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ pregnancy lasts from between 37 and 42 weeks. Here are a few random sources backing this up (sorry that they’re not official sources, but I only have time for a quick Google to make my point. If you don’t trust this information speak to your doctor. I’m sure they’ll back it up!):

• Wikipedia – ‘The World Health Organization defines normal term for delivery as between 37 weeks and 42 weeks.’
• Birth.com.au – ‘The normal length of any pregnancy is regarded as the baby being born any time from about 37 to 42 weeks…The high percentage of inductions in Australia contributes to the average length of pregnancies being a little under 39 weeks.’
• Belly.Belly.com.au – ‘Only around 3-5% of babies are born on their estimated due date estimated due date, with full term pregnancy classed between 38-42 weeks of pregnancy.’

So, why do hospitals start talking about inductions as soon as you hit 40 weeks gestation?

They obviously do not have the woman’s best interests at heart. Instead they have arrived at a ‘reasonable’ date by which they think ‘most’ babies should be born and if you don’t fit into their ‘policy’ they’ll give you a few drugs to make sure you do. Who cares about how YOU feel and who cares about what type of birth your BABY experiences as a result (it’s commonly said that inducing labour can lead to further interventions and can result in forceps delivery or cesarean. I wouldn’t wish such an experience for my newborn…). And why shouldn’t we trust the hospitals? Two main thoughts come to mind:

1. Why is a doctor more ‘correct’ than your own body and your baby about the right time to be born. Considering that pregnancies last for a varied amount of time (as we’ve already found) and that even early ultrasounds can be off by up to five days in assuming the baby’s age, surely we should give more trust to our individual circumstances than ticking the hospital policy boxes?

2. Hospitals have different policies, so how do we know which one is right? Even the hospital I gave birth in twice had a different policy each time I was admitted. The first time they induced at 40 weeks + 5 days, but when I was there for my second delivery they waited a few days longer before worrying women with the ‘induction’ talk.

When should we really start to worry that our baby will NEVER be born or will have harm come to it by being born too late?

A popular study, titled The length of uncomplicated human gestation, found that uncomplicated first-time pregnancies last, on average, 274 days. The study said that when estimating a due date, you should count back three months from the first day of your last period and add 15 days, rather than relying on the common 40 week (266 day) gestation rule, which was founded by a Dr. Naegele in 1850 and for some reason is the basis of our medical treatment today.

How does this translate?

Say the first day of your last period was 1 January 2011.

If we go by the 160 year outdated rule that a pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, our due date would be 8 October 2011.

If we go by the recent study of pregnant women, our due date would be 15 October 2011.

That gives us at least an extra week of worry-free pregnancy – and that is an ‘average’, which means some women will be pregnant for longer than this. And considering that a ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’ pregnancy can last for up to 42 weeks, we can really relax until 22 October 2011! That is a whole 14 days of unnecessary stress and worry caused by our overly medicalised maternity care system.

(You’ll also be comforted to know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that 10% of all pregnancies go past 42 weeks…It IS normal! You are not a freak whose body is failing at the birthing process.)

But there must be a reason why hospitals are so keen to speed up the baby’s birth date

Sure, going past 42 weeks of gestation increases the risk of still birth from 2 in 1,000 to up to 7 in 1,000. So while the risk is higher, it is still TINY!* There are also other risks of complications, such as the baby passing meconium or the placenta not delivering enough oxygen due to its age, but these risks don’t really rate before 42 weeks.

Both of my pregnancies went way past the ‘due date’. Oli was born at 40 weeks and 11 days, while Charlie came a whole day earlier at 40 weeks and 10 days. Both were healthy and happy babies. Both times the hospital started asking me to ‘book an induction’. Both times I refused to even consider unless I went past 42 weeks. It can be very difficult to stand up against ‘hospital policy’ and so I allowed them to give me a ‘cervical stretch’. I went into labour two days after the stretch both times. Who knows whether it would have happened anyway?

What I am angry about is that for many women, the final days of pregnancy can be filled with worry and anxiety for no good reason. I challenge hospitals to take women into consideration when discussing hospital policy and tell them the truth about how long a healthy and normal pregnancy can last.

* http://www.uptodate.com/index

When I started weaning Oli at just over two years of age, I didn’t know when we would completely finish. Now that he’s nearly five, I definately know I want to wean him as soon as I can.

The first weaning

It all started when Oli was 27 months old and I stopped his night time feeds. With a new baby, I really needed to rest as much as I could and found feeding Oli during the night left me with very little sleep. So it was a ‘no boobas until day time’ scenario and after a few nights of tears and a few more weeks of hopeful requests that went unfulfilled, Oli was sleeping through the night.

Setting limits

Despite successfully night-weaning Oli, I still wasn’t completely happy with our breastfeeding relationship. While most kids Oli’s age had completely weaned or were only doing a few feeds a day, Oli was constantly asking for breastfeeds. While this never bothered me before, with a new baby brother who was attached to me 24-hours a day, Oli was using breastfeeding as his ‘security’ and asking for feeds more often that his brand new baby brother!

I couldn’t cope and sought help about what to do. Fully weaning him never crossed my mind and suggestions such as ‘offer them a food that they like’, ‘give them a cuddle’ or ‘do something fun instead’ just didn’t cut it with Oli. Breastfeeds were his most valued source of nourishment and entertainment and nothing could replace them. After a lot of ‘laters’ from me and a lot of crying from Oli, I finally found a solution that worked for both of us. A set number of breastfeeds each day.

Five and counting…down

We started out with five a day. I let Oli choose when he’d have them and he soon learned to space them out and not have them all in the morning! This was manageable for me and often enough for Oli to fulfil his needs. While he would always ask for more, he didn’t get upset when I said he’d had all five and would have to wait until tomorrow.

After a few months of this we cut down to four, then three. Eventually we got to two and when Oli hit age four, we were down to one a day. Each reduction came easily and only happened when I urgently felt the need to cut down and when I felt Oli was ready. It was easy and painless and I’m really thankful we discovered a method that suited us.

Time to finish up

Once Oli was down to his one breastfeed a day (he chose to have it in the morning) I said he would finish completely when he was five. Oli didn’t complain and I figured we’d probably finish sooner. However, being only two months off age five, I’ve had to step in and hasten the process, as I really, really, don’t want to breastfeed Oli anymore.

I was fine with our daily breastfeed until a few weeks ago, when it just didn’t feel right anymore. I think the main reason I started feeling this way was because Oli has really matured lately. A few months ago he was throwing tantrums and fighting with his brother, then suddenly he was helpful, co-operative and showing a whole lot of brotherly love! The change was fast, dramatic and wonderful, but it also made me feel like I was breastfeeding a ‘boy’. A ‘big boy’. And it didn’t feel right.

I know many people breastfeed for longer than age 5, and maybe cultural influence has played a role in how I’m feeing (although I do think I’ve done a pretty good job at ignoring my culture when it comes to breastfeeding, seeing the great majority of babies are fully weaned by six months of age!), but there’s no fighting it. That’s how I feel and breastfeeding has to stop.

At five, and not before!

I told Oli about how I felt. I said that, yes, I did say he could breastfeed until he was five, but he was going to be five really soon and mummy just didn’t want to breastfeed him anymore because he was already such a big boy. We often discuss how our bodies tell us what the right thing to do is – our bodies tell us what foods we need to eat to be healthy, they tell us when we’re tired and need to go to sleep, they tell us when we’re sick and need medicine. I told him my body was telling me that he was getting too big for breastfeeding.

Oli understood, but was obviously disappointed. He didn’t agree to the revised timetable and said he’ll finish ‘when I’m five, not nearly five!’ I asked him why he wanted to keep breastfeeding and he didn’t want to tell me, saying it was a secret. Eventually he said because it tasted good, so I said he could have other drinks that tasted good, but he wasn’t convinced.

What a snap!

So I kept my promise and let him continue his daily breastfeed. Sometimes he’d forget to have his morning breastfeed, but his memory is keen, so usually he’d ask about it later. ‘Drat!’ I’d think to myself. Then last week, out of the blue with a twinge of hope, I asked him whether he’d prefer a game of Snap instead of a breastfeed, and he said yes.

I was excited and Oli was happy with the deal, so the next day when Oli asked for his breastfeed I said, ‘from now on you can choose between having a booba or playing a game of cards’. Being a keen negotiator, Oli answerd, ‘two games of cards,’ and it was agreed. The next day Oli chose to have a game of cards again.

He’s chosen to have a breastfeed a few times since then, but most of the time he chooses a game of cards. He hasn’t had a feed for nearly a week. We’re both happy and age five is getting closer and closer each passing day!

When I bought my newest mobile phone, the box came with a headset so I could speak on the phone without putting it next to my ear. Unfortunately I misplaced my headset and had to buy a new one.

When I asked the sales assistant for a headset he tried to sell me one without a cable. I told him I wanted one with a cable and questioned whether this would be any ‘safer’ than just using the mobile phone directly against my ear.

He gave me a look like I was crazy and replied, ‘I don’t think there’s any problem with using mobile phones. If the government lets us sell it then it must be safe’ (or something to that effect).

Uh huh…I’m thinking asbestos, cigaretts, Bisphenol A, sunbeds etc etc

So feeling like a total dweeb, I bought my cabled mobile headset and have been using it happily ever since. Not only do I feel safer, but I find it’s much easier to hear what the other person is saying as well.

Anyway…now the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has said that using mobile phones is ‘probably carcinogenic’ based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use.

To keep yourself safe, WHO advises to use hands-free devices (like my nerdy headset) or texting.

If you want to find out more, here is the report.

Picky eater

Babcia served us a hearty snack of chicken soup with noodles, which Oli initially refused, but decided to eat after seeing how much Charlie loved it. Oli even ate the carrot in the soup after I told him he wouldn’t taste it because it was covered in soup. As he munched on it he asked me whether he’d be able to see in the dark better and I said, ‘yes!’ I think he must have been quite interested in eating carrots for that reason, but just not being able to bring himself to eat it.

Same problem, different result

Grocery shop 1. It started well, but when we were at the checkout Charlie insisted on grabbing some chocolate from the ‘tempt the kids by putting chocolate at their level while waiting at the check-out’ display. I said no, but Charlie wouldn’t listen, so I put him in the trolley. He wasn’t very happy about this and cried for ages. Eventually he wanted to get out, so I said, “OK, as long as you’re a good boy” and he was fine after that.

Grocery shop 2. Once again, after a long grocery shop we found ourselves at the temptation checkout. Charlie went to grab the juice drinks with the cute fish pictures on them placed at exactly his eye level. I told Charlie that we weren’t going to buy any juice today. Charlie got a rebellious look so I said, ‘put it back Charlie. You’re such a good boy!’ and turned around to continue paying for my groceries. Then Charlie zoomed round the corner with a big smile on his face, ‘me put it back mama!’

Blown away

Babcia, Oli, Charlie and me went for a walk to the park. It got a bit windy and Oli started getting worried that the wind would make him swing higher on the swing. Even though both Babcia and I reassured him that the wind wasn’t strong enough to move him, he wasn’t convinced and decided to get off the swing.

Patience is a virtue

Charlie didn’t want to get off the slide so Oli got angry and pinched him. I went over to try and resolve the problem. I told Oli that rather than get angry at Charlie, we should just ask him to share. I asked Charlie to get off the slide so Oli could have a turn. Oli didn’t think Charlie would do it, but I told him to be patient because I knew Charlie would make a good decision. Oli waited patiently and after a minute Charlie said, ‘Oli’s turn!’ After that they played really well, making sure everyone got a turn.

Oli’s first ‘sickie’

Oli was upset about having to go to pre-school and said, ‘remember how I was sick last time and I didn’t go to pre-school? I’m sick again today.’ I just looked at David, who last night told me that he didn’t think we should send Oli to pre-school because he didn’t want to go. So I said to Oli that he gave it a good try, and got to know some people and found out what it was like, so if he still didn’t want to go then he wouldn’t have to. I reminded him about all the friends he made, like Elijah and Sarah, and his favourite teacher, Miss Ali, and he did look in two minds about it. But in the end he just preferred not to go. I asked him if he wanted to take his pre-school bag with him on the way to take me to work in case he changed his mind and he said ‘yes’, so I was hoping he’d decide to go, but no, he didn’t. So there’s no point making him go if it’s always going to be a battle and he’d prefer not to be there.  

Animal noises

Charlie enjoys pretending to be a cat. He just meows instead of talks. ‘Meow, meow, meow, meowww.’ Today he pretended to be a bird instead.

Me happy now

Charlie has a really cute habit of saying ‘me happy now,’ after he calms down when he is upset. One day at the supermarket Charlie got so upset that I had to take him outside to settle down. Can’t remember what he was so upset about, but it was evening and he was tired. We sat down on the curb and he had a breastfeed. After he finished he looked up at me with a smile and said ‘me happy now’.

Good natured kids

One morning our friends stayed over and joined us for breakfast. The boys enjoyed having their ‘favourite baby’ Xavier with them and Oli sat next to Xavier during breakfast holding his hand. After breakfast the boys were playing chasing and Xavier fell over. Charlie bent over, and I instantly thought Charlie was trying to take the toy Xavier was holding, when in fact, he was trying to pick Xavier up! I felt so awful for thinking this that I gave Charlie (who was upset at me) extra kisses and apologised. I then watched them all playing and saw how compassionate and caring Charlie was being. He made sure he never pushed Xavier over when they were running (even when Xavier stopped mid-stride, Charlie would be aware and would stop or dodge him) and gave him cuddles and lots of smiles.

Future chef?

One evening Oli helped me with dinner. He put the fish fingers on the baking tray, pealed a quarter of one potato and put the broccoli and cut up potato in the water to boil. He really enjoys cooking.

Easter bunny disaster

Charlie and Oli got two big chocolate bunnies for Easter from Babcia and Dzia Dzia. Oli only took the wrapping off his Easter Bunny chocolate ears but Charlie wanted to take all the wrapping off at once. Babcia told Charlie not to do that, as it would waste all the chocolate (it was a big bunny) and Charlie got upset. Then Dzia Dzia said to let Charlie do what he wants so Babcia gave him his bunny back. Charlie was happy again and started unwrapping his bunny, throwing the wrapping on the floor. Then Dzia Dzia complained about that so I had to tell Charlie to put his wrapping on the table. That upset Charlie again who started to cry. David suggested I take the boys outside, so we all went out to the back yard and the boys got to eat their bunny’s the way they liked!

The walk
During a walk one night, Oli wanted to go in one direction and Charlie wanted to go in another. I did enie-meanie-mini-mo and Charlie won. Oli wasn’t happy and started crying, telling us that he wanted to go the other way because it was a faster way to get to the park. After hearing Oli cry for about a minute Charlie said, ‘OK Oli,’ and agreed to go Oli’s way.

Fighting sleep
Oli is incredibly good at staying awake. While Charlie always asks me to take him to bed when he feels tired, Oli stays up, rolling his body around and trying to keep his eyes open, flopping around everywhere and making moaning sounds. When he started doing it tonight I said, ’come on, let’s go to bed and cuddle’. Oli said, ‘OK, but not go to sleep’. I said, ‘let’s just cuddle’. After about five minutes Oli was fast asleep.

Cute or not?
Charlie has discovered his screaming voice and has started making little short loud screams when he’s angry. At the moment I’m considering this as cute but I’m hoping it’s a phase, as it won’t be cute in a few months time!

Jelly and peaches
Oli and I made jelly together for the first time. Oli got out a pan and I gave him the jelly packet and told him to empty it into the pan. He had some trouble opening the packet and ended up getting some crystals on the floor, but did well. I then poured the boiling water in and Oli mixed it up. I told him when he’s mixed it all to put in the cold water, which I left for him. He got bored mixing it so I finished it off and poured the jelly into containers. Then Oli put the jelly in the fridge and we were done.

All afternoon Oli was checking on the jelly to see if it had set. Eventually I served it for dessert with some peaches. As is typical with my two, Oli loved the jelly but not the peaches (I asked him to try one and he looked like he was going to throw up, so I gave up) and Charlie loved the peaches, but not the jelly. So weird how they’re opposite.

Where is the broccoli?
Oli and I were planning to share a chocolate, but before we did this I insisted he eat some broccoli. After some pleading he finally agreed and told me he was going to eat it. He came out a minute later with a big smile, saying he had eaten it and explained how it had happened. I asked him, ‘are you tricking me?’ and he immediately said, ‘yes!’ I asked him where it was and he told me it was in the bin. We then got another piece of broccoli and this time he really ate it and we shared the chocolate. Although, of course, his half had to be bigger than mine!

Each time I’ve consulted a medical professional about one of my boys having a fever, they’ve advised to give my boys some Panadol  to ‘bring the fever down’. I’ve ignored this advice, as it doesn’t make much sense to me, and a new study has confirmed my suspicions.

Is a fever an illness?

I’ve always thought of a fever as the result of a healthy body ‘gathering arms’ and fighting a bloody battle to defeat the enemy ie bad germs that make you sick. The bigger the fever, the bigger the battle. Whenever I was sick with a fever I’d get myself into bed and spend the day/night sweating it out, usually feeling fine the next day. So I was quite surprised that when my boys had fevers, doctors recommended bringing their fever down with Panadol and tepid baths.

Weren’t fevers meant to be ‘good’?

My fever remedy

I decided to go half way between what I believed and what I was told (maybe it was dangerous to overheat kids with fevers?) and dressed my boys down (although I still put a shirt or light blanket on them!) whenever they had fevers. However, I couldn’t bring myself to give them Panadol. Instead, I would breastfeed them through their fever and let them rest all they wanted, which meant a day on the sofa cuddling them (and reading or watching movies) or a night being woken up frequently for feeds (keeping their hyrdation up plus all the healthy stuff breastmilk provides to make sick kids better!).

So, now they’re saying fevers ARE ‘good’!

A new study published in the  journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics has come out saying exactly that. In describing fevers, it explains that they’re useful in bringing down infection.

‘Fever…is not the primary illness but is a physiologic mechanism that has beneficial effects in fighting infection. There is no evidence that fever itself worsens the course of an illness or that it causes long-term neurologic complications.’

The article advises parents to treat a fever by improving the child’s overall comfort rather than focus on the normalising body temperature. It advises doctors to tell parents to look out for their child’s well-being, monitor them to check they aren’t getting worse and ensuring they remain hydrated. I think a day on the sofa nursing your child will achieve this much better than pain relievers, which may not only hide the fact that your child is getting worse, but have also been linked to asthma and other negative outcomes.

Our last (scary) fever experience 

When Oli has a fever it’s one thing, but since Charlie is susceptible to febrile convulsions (which cause seizures during fevers), whenever Charlie has a fever my heart sits in my throat and I pray he won’t have a convulsion (apparently they’re not dangerous, but they’re frightening for a parent to watch). Because of this doctors have advise me to give Charlie Panadol whenever he has a fever to prevent a febrile convulsion. Once again, I ignore this advice, particularly since the hospital literature on febrile convulsions spells out that giving Panadol WON”T prevent febrile convulsions.

The last time Charlie had a fever I put him to bed and stayed with him the entire time. I was scared he’d have a febrile convulsion, and he had a tiny one in his arms, but that was as bad as it got (thank goodness). When his fever hit 40 degrees at 2am my partner and I became worried, so we called a 24-hour children’s health hotline to find out if we should take him to hospital.

The hotline told us fevers weren’t inherently dangerous and if Charlie was otherwise fine (breathing OK, hydrated, conscious) then just to give him some Panadol and let him rest. I asked how high could the fever go before we should worry, and they told us 42 degrees, which really surprised me as I was under the impression that 38 degrees was a tipping point. (Although I must note Charlie was nearly two years old. If a baby under six months has a high fever it’s important to have them seen to).

Comforted that Charlie’s fever wasn’t dangerous, I let him sleep rather than wake him up to give him Panadol, as I deeply believed the sleep would be more beneficial. The next morning Charlie woke up with a runny nose to show for his battle night and luckily avoided any febrile convulsions. I’ll do the same next time. 

* http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2010-3852v1

One of the things I most value about where I live is the fact that I can pretty much do without a car. Being able to walk to shops, parks, entertainment facilities and work, or at worst, get there by public transport, provides me with a sense of freedom.

Not only can I get to where I need to go quickly and for free (or at a fraction of the cost of owning a car if using public transport), I don’t have to worry about parking, whether the car will break down, getting stuck in a traffic jam or having a car accident. Better still, with two small children, it’s a lot easier (and fun) to walk down the street for bread and milk then to have to wrestle with car seats. Last but not least, I get some fresh air and exercise. Needless to say, I still own a car as sometimes it is just more convenient (weekly grocery shop, visiting far-away friends, holidays, bad weather etc) but it’s great to know I can live without it.

An article in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, ‘Oil shortages could turn outer suburbs into slums’*, states that due to Australia’s reliance on oil, car dependant suburbs will become slums in the future. This is because while Australia has lots of coal and gas, it only holds 0.3% of the world’s oil.

So, how walkable is your suburb? A fun way to find out is at Walk Score http://www.walkscore.com/. Here you can find out how walkable your suburb is and how you compare with others.

* www.smh.com.au/national/oil-shortages-could-turn-outer-suburbs-into-slums-20101227-198lm.html

Today I wash shocked to discover that salmon is not actually pink. In reality it’s grey, but salmon farmers add a chemical called astaxanthin to make salmon’s flesh pink.

In nature salmon aquires its pink colour by eating crustaceans, but farmed salmon are fed pellets filled with pretty much anything but crustaceans (including plant, fishmeal, fish oils, poultry, canola oils, lupin and grains), so the farmers add the dye to make the salmon look ‘natural’.

While astaxanthin has many health benefits, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities that boost the immune system, prevent some cancers and reduce the risk of blocked arteries, farmed salmon are fed a synthetic, cheaper version called canthaxanthin, which is produced from petrochemicals! Needless to say it contains few of the health benefits of naturally occuring astaxanthin.

Below is a video where Dr David Suzuki explores some of the problems with farming salmon, in addition to making it pink by using dyes.

Canthaxanthin is also found in tanning products, sauces, preserves, breadcrumbs and sweets. While there doesn’t appear to be any health risks associated with canthaxanthin, other than the fact that consuming too much of it can cause eye damage, it can’t be argued that it doesn’t contain the health benefits of naturally occuring astaxanthin. 

Canthaxanthin number: E161(g)

These days women have a wide array of choices in how they give birth. In a hospital, at home, in a birth centre, with pain relief, without pain relief, in water, on a bed, on the floor, alone or in the sea…with dolphins (no, I’m not joking!). While the majority opt for a hospital birth with trained medical professionals deciding how and when they’ll birth, considering the alternatives may result in a superior experience and outcomes for both mother and baby.

Lucky me

When I was first pregnant I was lucky enough to hear about hypnobirthing from a friend, who after two heavily medicated births decided to try hypnobirthing with her third baby. She was rewarded with the natural, satisfying and postively memorable birth of her daughter. I decided not to take any chances and signed up for a hypnobirthing course right away.

What is hypnobirthing?

The term ‘hypnobirthing’ initially put me off as it seemed to imply something quite out-of-the-ordinary. However, after learning about what hypnobirthing was about I discovered it was a fantastic philosophy that simply suffered from an unfortunate name. If you’ve ever given birth naturally and found yourself relaxing between contractions and breathing through each contraction to cope with the intense sensations, you most likely had a hypnobirth!

This is the way birth was meant to be

After speaking to my mum about her birthing experiences where she ’slept’ between contractions (mum just did what her body told her, she had no idea what she was doing was a ‘technique’ that many of us have to learn about), I realised hypnobirthing was not some new-age trend. It was the way women were designed to birth before the medical profession stuffed it up with their ‘good intentions’.

Here is a short video of one woman using hypnobirthing in a hospital. The birth of my first baby followed much the same path, including the apparent ‘sleep’ during transition, which in reality is simply intense relaxation. This is the stage at which many women scream for pain medication! The trick is that if you experience ‘fear’ during a contraction your body tenses up and hence your muscles fight the movement of your uterus, creating pain. If, on the other hand, you are relaxed and calm, your body works ‘with’ your uterus. This not only enables your birth to proceed smoothy, it also removes the ‘pain’ experienced.

If that looks like the type of birth you’d like to experience, you may like to also watch the following video, which explains the techniques used in hypnobirthing.

A TV interview on HypnoBirthing with Selina Chew, Certified HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator & HypnoBirthing Mom, as featured on TV3, Malaysia.

Hypnobirthing resources

www.hypnobirthing.net.au

www.hypnobirthingaustralia.com.au

www.bubhub.com.au/directory/find/hypnobirthing-calmbirth/

And if you don’t believe me about birthing with dolphins, check out this incredible hypnobirth!