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What is calmbirth®?
calmbirth® is the name given to a childbirth preparation programme developed by midwife Peter Jackson to specifically assist couples to create a calm, joyful and even ecstatic birth experience. The calmbirth® programme has the potential to dismantle the fear, stress and anxiety experienced by many women during pregnancy and childbirth.
The three important foundation factors addressed by calmbirth® for natural childbirth are
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understanding,
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confidence
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fearlessness.
The knowledge and skills the programme teaches prepares the mother to remain relaxed and focused during her labour, to make informed choices, if and when necessary and to be in tune with the natural energy and rhythm of her baby’s birth.
The calmbirth® programme is based upon observation, research and clinical experience. The three main areas covered in the programme are:
- One of the foundational principles of calmbirth® is Dr Grantly Dick Read’s “Fear – Tension – Pain syndrome which is supported by contemporary research scientists such as Dr Candice Pert and Dr Bruce Lipton.
- Dr Herbert Benson’s extensive research into the normal physiological response of Relaxation which is the opposite to the well know fight and flight response which Dr Grantly Dick Read accurately described in his Fear – Tension – Pain syndrome. The programme highlights the importance of self care and use of the person’s subconscious resources to create confidence, understanding and to dismantle fears not only around labour and birth but for all areas of life.
- Bonding and Conscious Parenting draws on the research findings of Dr David Chamberlain, Dr Bruce Lipton and Dr Thomas Verny to name a few. Their evidence shows the importance of pre natal education and the relationship between the mother, father and baby.
What are the benefits of calmbirth®?
People leave the classes with a greater understanding of the birth process, confidence in their own ability to work with the birth process and excitement about their approaching birth. We receive many emails, cards, letters which anecdotally confirm that couples, given the right preparation can create a very special birth experience, even if medical intervention is required.
Does is completely guarantee a pain-free labour and birth?
calmbirth® helps couples understand one of the main reasons why pain is created in the first place. We have anecdotal evidence to support the fact that with this knowledge, some mothers can experience what they call a pain free birth, keeping in mind that these mothers also report they experience sensations of pressure and muscular activity which can be intense at times but according to them “not painful”.
However this is not the case with all mothers. It seems it requires a leap of faith for the mother to completely trust her body to create this experience.
The evidence from Dr Sarah Buckley, Dr Michel O’dent and others suggests that when a mother’s body reaches peak levels of birthing hormones and there is no fear, then their labour and birth can be experienced in a most profoundly joyful way.
Does calmbirth® work for everyone?
calmbirth® is a model of interaction. In a sense “ IT” does not work. Rather it is the pregnant couples who understand how marvellously the mother’s body is designed, who develop the confidence to work with their birth process rather than resist it and finally, to eliminate fear these are the couples who are more likely to create a birth experience unforgettably joyful, calm and even ecstatic.
We are so used to saying “the epidural worked or the medication worked” The reality is that all those things help the person to achieve their goal. |
