And then I asked my husband.  I tried several suggestions on him and guess what.  NOTHING.  His fingers didn’t move like magnets, his arms didn’t move with the balloons tied to the wrist.  You are supposed to use your imagination honey!  Let goooooo!!  Nothing.

Obviously I still have a lot of practice to do.  I am definitely going to stick with my daughter as my practice client for awhile until I am better at this and ready to take on my husband.  On to the next chapter….

Holding your baby close stimulates all of her senses. A baby who is smiled at, talked to and cuddled will develop a sense of security.  Breastfeeding is more than simply providing nutrients and calories for physical growth – it contributes to an intimate and special relationship.

You and your baby have the right to breastfeed anywhere, anytime and there are many techniques to help you achieve this comfortably.  Ask your friends, family, midwife, lactation consultant, doula, or attend a breastfeeding support group to see how it can be done.

– excerpted from Public Health Agency

My latest assignment was to try out some suggestibility tests – on myself first.   It was a simple assignment and I did it easily in just a few minutes.  But this simple task led to some complex thoughts. Taking the time to sit quietly, by myself, forgetting everything around me, reminded me of the years that I spent meditating.  Every morning I spent 45 minutes in what was basically a hypnotic state.  Because I did this faithfully every morning, it became second nature for me to enter that meditative state.  All I had to do was sit down and I’d be there, feeling the energy running up my spine and letting my stress and worries take a break of their own for awhile.  The most remarkable things happened in my life during those years that I was meditating, and I fully believe there is a connection.  How did I let myself move away from this practice?   It’s time to make time for this again.  I know I will better be able to help my future Hypnobabies clients when I’ve been faithfully practicing my own self – hypnosis.   Ooohhhhmmmmm!

It used to be that the word doula described primarily postpartum doula work.  Doulas who take care of babies and mamas after birth.  These days the definition has been expanded, and birth doulas help mamas (and their partners) during labor and childbirth.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about women who go through pregnancy loss.  Miscarriage, abortion, stillborns.  Some of these women go through labor and birth, some have other procedures.  Many are alone and scared, most experience a variety of deep emotions and need a sympathetic ear.  Some doulas are expanding their scope of practice to include women in this category.   The support work that we do during labor and birth is very transferable to supporting a woman experiencing a pregnancy loss.

This is a controversial subject, especially in the case of abortion.  Some people think that regardless of the loss, we should reach out to assist women who need us.   Others feel it is completely out of the scope of what a doula is about – birth.  So what do you think?

I’ll tell you what I think.  I think EVERY woman deserves a doula.

Contact with other breastfeeding mothers is important for confident breastfeeding.

Don’t keep concerns to yourself. There are many groups and individuals available to help you, including: public health nurses, lactation consultants, the La Leche League, your doctor or midwife, family members, or friends who have breastfed. Do something fun every day; relax in the bathtub, take a walk with your baby, keep in touch with family and friends – don’t become isolated.

- excerpted from Public Health Agency

I’m already a hypno-doula, or Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Doula.  If you are pregnant, I highly recommend you check out Hypnobabies – a beautiful way to easily and naturally prepare for childbirth.

My first step towards becoming a Hypnobabies Instructor is to take a class in hypnosis.  I’ve started my studies and plan to update here regularly on my progress.

First up, I had to read a book on hypnosis, other than the text-book I’ve been given for my course.  The book I chose had lots of scripts for using hypnosis to help us in our every day lives.  So my first hypnosis client?  My daughter.  Why not?  Lean back in your chair honey, you are going to LOVE this.

I read the script out loud, trying to keep my voice fairly monotone.  I tend to speak really fast so I worked hard at slowing down.  “Relax your knees, your legs, your toes.”  But my daughter kept giggling.  And then I did too.

This is definitely going to take some practice.