Thursday, September 23, 2010

It's all starting to become real!!

When I went to see my midwife at 35 weeks I asked her why I wasn't having contractions yet, and she said I have been having them for several weeks, and that I just couldn't feel them or recognize them. She asked if I ever felt like he was trying to push out of my belly, and I'd been writing in my journal for weeks now about how it felt like he's trying to break straight through my belly to enter the world. Hmph!! Who woulda known?! I always thought contractions, even Braxton Hicks, would feel like some kind of tightening and maybe cramping and shooting pains, but nope, it's more of an area of my belly getting rock solid. Well now that I know, the last couple of days have given a plethora of opportunities to experience them. It's awesome to know my body really is getting ready for birth. I have been getting some piercing pains in my pubic area and if I start to wince and hold my breath, it gets worse, until I remember Hypnobirthing and I relax and breathe, and they become magically tolerable, not even pain like. Pretty incredible that Hypnobirthing stuff is!

I am so excited to give birth and prove to all the naysayer’s how very possible it is to have a pain free birth. I’ve been reading lots of positive birthing experiences from the Hypnobabies sites and others, and I think it’s time to start rereading Orgasmic Birth and Adventures in Natural Childbirth. Though I realize my birth may not be totally pain free, I do believe it’s possible, and fear is the last thing on my mind. Women in parts Africa and many other parts of the world simply walk off into the woods, give birth silently so as not to attract predators, and return to their village with their new baby. The Continuum Concept is an amazing book revealing many cultural differences between Western cultures and more “primitive” and natural ones. It's really helped me to realize how much our cultural beliefs can shape our perceptions and feelings about childbirth and rearing.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for visiting my blog! How exciting to be feeling your body get ready for birth - reading this makes me miss pregnancy : ) I had a hypnobabies birth and it was fantastic! Best wishes to you for the beautiful, peaceful birth you've been preparing for!

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