Many expecting parents may perceive the birthing part of having a child as something which they just need to get through one way or another. As long as everyone is healthy and doing well on the other side of it, the way the pregnancy and birth itself plays out does not really matter. The baby will not remember the birth later anyway - or will they?
I agree that the most important thing in the end of the day, is of course that the mother and the baby are physically healthy. But I think there is plenty of room to allow for emotional and spiritual well-being here as well. Why? Because the way we experience birth matters. It matters to the mother, who will remember this day for the rest of her life. And it matters to the baby, for whom this is their first encounter with the outside world. The way they are born impacts what kind of start they have in life.
The HypnoBirthing approach is built on the premise that babies do remember their birth, and that the way parents feel and interact with them matters. The aim is to allow babies to be born gently, to create a positive experience for all parties involved. We also highlight the importance of pre-natal and post-natal bonding between parents and baby.
The belief that the birthing experience matters for the baby is supported by evidence suggesting that our early beginnings, from pre-conception until early after birth, impacts our health, relationships and life-quality later on in life (Lipton, 2015; Verny, 1988; Verny & Kelly, 1981).
Lipton, B. H. (2015). The Biology of Belief 10th Anniversary Edition: Unleashing the
Power of Consciousness, Matter & Miracles: Hay House.
Verny, T.R. (1988). The psycho-technology of pregnancy and labor. In P.
FedorFreyberg & M.C.V. Vogel (Eds.), Prenatal and perinatal psychology and
medicine: A comprehensive survey of research and practice, 563-579.
Carnforth, England: Parthenon.
Verny, T. R., & Kelly, J. (1981). The secret life of the unborn child. New York, Bantam
Doubleday Dell.
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