It’s amazing that humans have survived so long! What on Earth did we do before we had a medical system? (I’m being sarcastic if you couldn’t tell). What would happen if you were born into a society that believed birth was natural, safe and that we are perfectly designed for it? I suppose we would just procreate the way we always did, prior to the “civilised” world medicalising the birth process … without FEAR. Unfortunately, childbirth and fear go hand in hand nowadays. We are taught, from the moment we can understand, that birth is to be feared. Mainstream media only tells you the horror stories. Television and movies portray birth as painful and scary. Family and friends love to relive their awful experiences by telling stories that validate their victim consciousness. But what about the positive stories? What about the births that are beautiful and easy and filled with love and joy (as they should be)? Well … they don’t make for “good” news. They aren’t click bait. We have been manipulated and conditioned to enjoy listening to the horror stories. We love the gruesome details. We are addicted to the fear. And the main reason labour and birth don’t go smoothly is …. FEAR. Fear affects your ability to labour. Fear interferes with the hormones of labour. Fear changes your decision-making capacity. Fear requests an induction not knowing the cascade of intervention that will follow. Fear causes the doctor to make snap decisions “just in case”. How do we undo generations of fear mongering? How do we unlearn the “shit we were taught by people who didn’t know what they were doing either”? How do we promote a “new” belief (which is in fact an old belief and the only truth) that BIRTH IS NOT TO BE FEARED? We do it one person at a time. Eliminate the fear in one person to unleash the birthing goddess within, and her story will be the new story to tell. https://www.birthessence.com.au/news #birthisnottobefeared #birthessence #hypnobirth #calmbirth #loveconquersfear #breathwork #manifestation #doula #birthsupport #easybirth #loveisallyouneed

The placebo effect is scientific proof that our minds can positively affect our bodies. Placebos are used in clinical trials as a comparison for studies. Most of the time the placebo performs just as well as the treatment, if not better. Which is scientific proof that the only thing we need to heal ourselves is belief. We have immense power to affect our physical world with our minds alone. Then there is the nocebo effect. This is the exact opposite of the placebo. The belief that something will cause us harm does just that. If we believe that something is harmful then it is likely to affect us in a detrimental way. Fear sets off a physical chain reaction that can alter our body to match the vibrational frequency of the fear. It’s simply quantum physics, baby! We can literally make ourselves sick with worry! How does this relate to the birth process? Well, if you believe birth is painful or scary, then it will be. But if you believe it is a time where love and joy culminate into a beautiful experience of bringing life into the world, then that is what you will experience. I know I prefer the latter option. It seems a much better option to believe in the positive effects of something than the negative ones then, doesn’t it? Easier said than done, though. A lifetime of social conditioning and building of belief systems is not easily undone by just saying, “there’s nothing to fear”. The well-trodden path isn’t easily diverted down the road less travelled. But it can be done, with life-enriching results. Modalities such as Kinesiology, EFT Tapping, and Meditation can help wipe your old programs and download new ones that are more beneficial to you. Without fear in our system, our bodies can function at optimal capacity, having a knock-on effect to our whole lives. We have more energy, feel lighter, have less pain, more joy. Our vibration is higher, thereby attracting all sorts of likewise. Life becomes fabulous. In the meantime, while we are waiting for those old programs to be wiped, and the new programs to be downloaded, we have a superpower within us that can provide instant relief in moments of fear. Our breath. We can instantly shut down the fear cycle by simply using our breath. It’s like the reset button, the pressure release valve. It’s the golden ticket. The magic spell. The miracle within us. #birthessence #breathwork #placeboeffect #noceboeffect #superhuman #calmbirth #hypnobirth #birthsupport #doula

How often can you say you are truly calm, safe and relaxed? Maybe when you're on holidays and you finally get to sit by the pool with your Pina Colada and soak up some Vitamin D without a care in the world! What about when you're in an unfamiliar situation? You have an important meeting, or a job interview. What's the thing you do to calm yourself down? You breathe deeply. How do you stay calm when you're nervous, frightened, or excited? How do you feel safe in unfamiliar surroundings or situations? How do you relax when you're feeling tense or anxious? You breathe deeply. We have an innate knowledge that breathing deeply is good for us. It immediately calms us down. There's science behind it. A magical science. The power of our breath is truly magical. The act of three slow deep breaths immediately engages our parasympathetic nervous system, and channels our energy to where we need it. Why then, in labour, do we forget to breathe deeply? Why do we breathe shallow, or rapidly, or erratically when we are in pain. Well, that's your sympathetic nervous system. That's your fight or flight response. It kicks in when your thoughts and feelings tell you there's something to be scared of. And it's not the best response in labour. In fact it's detrimental to your labour. Your pain receptors are heightened. Your ability to dilate is reduced. All in the name of protecting you from whatever it is you fear. There is nothing to fear. You are a superhuman. You were made to do this. Breathe. "I am calm, safe and relaxed." Book a Nature of Reality or Birth Readiness session with Birth Essence to learn how your breath is the superpower you never knew you had. #breathe #breathwork #hypnobirth #hypnobirthing #manifesting #birth #birthinggoddess #birthessence #babies #calmbirthing #birthcoaching #superhuman #natureofreality #naturalbirth

Acupressure is an ancient Chinese Natural Therapy used to align energy flow through the bodies energetic pathways called the Meridians. Meridians are pathways that run throughout our body distributing energy and information. There are hundreds of Acupoints along the Meridians that act as information centres connected to specific parts of your body. By applying firm, continuous pressure for a few minutes at a time, every few hours, to specific Acupoints relevant to labour and birth, your energy and information pathways flow more efficiently, allowing your labour and birth to flow with it. Benefits of Acupressure in Labour: • Increases Oxytocin and Endorphins. • Suppresses Adrenalin. • Lessens anxiety and stress. • Makes contractions more efficient. • Lessens pain perception. Once you reach 37 weeks gestation, your pregnancy is considered “full term” and it is safe to start using Acupressure. Your baby is fully grown and ready for the outside world. Having said that, your baby may not want to come out yet, even if your feet are swollen and your back is aching, and YOU want baby to come out sooner rather than later! Baby might want to fatten up a bit more, laying on the couch ordering room service in the 5-star “Hotel de Womb”. Don’t rush the process. Enjoy it. Using Acupressure points won’t necessarily put you into labour earlier if your mind and body (or your baby!) are not ready yet. But they will channel your energy in the right direction, so that when your mind, body and baby are ready, you’re all set and pumped up for action. From 37 weeks, you can practice finding the relevant Acupoints and using them so that you have your “Superpowers” primed and ready for when labour starts. Book in for a Nature of Reality and Manifestation session to find out how. https://www.birthessence.com.au/the-nature-of-reality-and...

There is so much POWER in BELIEF. We’ve all heard of the “Placebo Effect”. Its the condition where we cause a physical effect in our body just through the power of our thoughts and beliefs. Placebos are used in every clinical drug trial as a comparison to the “real deal”. Commonly the placebo performs just as well as the drug during the trials. Why then, do we get excited about the drug that’s changing our body, when we have proof right there that we can already have the same effect with our thoughts?!? That’s exciting stuff! It means our minds have the ability to physically effect our bodies without the aid of any external factor. Unfortunately, we engage this placebo effect to our detriment on a daily basis, with negative thought patterns, causing stress related disease and disorders. If only we used our thoughts for positive and beneficial change. Here’s a little food for thought….. If we constantly tell ourselves : “I can’t do that” “I’ve never been good at that” “I’m not good enough”……… we create a limiting belief about who we are, and live our lives accordingly, limiting our experiences. What if we said: “I CAN do that” “I COULD be good at that” “I AM enough”……… and believed it!!?! Try it. You could be pleasantly surprised. The Power of Belief is one of your Superpowers in Labour. The simple act of trusting in the ability of your body and accepting whatever comes your way can have an enormously positive effect on your experience in Labour. Unleash the Birthing Goddess within you by BELIEVING she already exists. Learn how to tap into your innate Superpowers with a “Nature of Reality and Manifestation” session through Birth Essence. #believe #trust #accept #superpower #birthessence

Breathing. We take it for granted. It’s automatic. But have you ever paid attention to the quality of your breath? The Yogic Breathing Practice of Pranayama (translated as “to gain control of vital life force energy”) has been used for centuries in the East to enhance health and well-being. Why has it taken us so long to get on board with this Superpower we all have? Unfortunately, Western Culture prefers to trust in doctors rather than yogis. Luckily for the sceptics, it has now been scientifically proven that Diaphragmatic Breathing can engage your Parasympathetic Nervous System to have positive effects on your health and optimise bodily functions. Yay! Get onboard! Breathwork during labour is not just a distraction therapy or a way to oxygenise your baby, it can have a powerful effect on your perception of pain and your efficiency to dilate. The involuntary hormones of stress can increase your pain perception and decrease the efficiency of your contractions. The good news is that we can VOLUNTARILY engage our Parasympathetic Nervous System with Breathwork, thereby reversing the effects of the “Fight or Flight” response. The simple act of breathing deeply can release a whole pharmacy of “feel good” chemicals that can positively effect your Labour experience. Learn how with Birth Essence. Book your “Birth Readiness” or “Nature of Reality and Manifestation” session today. #birthessence #breathwork #pranayama #superpower

Fear. Anxiety. Stress. Worry. Irritating little bastards, aren’t they? They start as a thought. A “playing out” in your mind of an imaginary future: “What if this happens?” “What if that doesn’t happen?” Then you see it all in your minds eye going terribly wrong. It’s easy to say that they are all “what ifs” and not to waste your energy on them. But it’s hard to ignore them when they creep up on you and give you that snake in the belly feeling and that crushing in your chest. What is it that does that? It’s you! You are the magician that can create a whole pharmacy of chemicals that can physically effect your body, just by thought alone! Amazing!! Your brain can’t tell the difference between an imagined scenario and a real one. It reacts in exactly the same way. So an anxious thought about a future event that hasn’t yet happened creates the same chemical reaction inside your body as if there was a real life bear standing outside of your cave. The thought creates the feeling. The feeling has a chemical reaction inside your body. The chemical reaction causes stress hormones to put you into “fight or flight” mode to protect you from the bear. But ….. there is no actual bear. You imagined it!! Don’t push the bear away and try to ignore it. It doesn’t like being locked in a cage. Become AWARE of it. And more so, become aware of how you have just magically created the chemicals to physically effect your body, just with a thought! Now look at the flip side …… and realise that you also have the POWER to create the chemicals that can make you feel on top of the world! “You’re a Wizard, Harry!” Think about that for a moment. https://www.birthessence.com.au/the-nature-of-reality-and-manifestation #birthessence #fear #magic #oxytocin

I’m going to tell you a story…… She’s been contracting for 2 days, though the midwife tells her she’s “not in labour yet”. She’s deflated. (Yes she bloody well is in labour! “Latent phase”, “Early labour” whatever! She’s still contracting. And exhausted! How about some positivity here about the stellar job she’s doing?) She’s now “only” 6cm. The doctor says it’s “slow progress”. She’s dejected. (“ONLY” 6cm!??? You absolute LEGEND! You’re over half way. Ramp up the cheer squad) She’s advised to have her labour augmented to “get things moving”. She’s frustrated. (It’s no wonder her contractions aren’t as effective as they should be …. her Oxytocin is fighting to be heard over the Adrenalin!) The pain is too much. She’s exhausted ....... “I can’t do this without an epidural”. She’s disappointed. (Of course! Adrenalin increases your perception of pain and decreases the efficiency of the contractions. The more that “goes wrong”, the more stress hormones are released. There’s no room for Oxytocin or Endorphins. It’s no wonder you just need a break.) She can’t feel when to push, and it’s “taking too long” so the doctor decides to deliver the baby with forceps. She feels like a failure. (You fabulous Badass Birthing Goddess. It’s not your fault. Your beautiful body just went through hell and back, fighting against the resistance). The forceps don’t work so the doctor recommends a Caesarean. She’s ….. probably relieved at this point! But mainly defeated. So much negativity. It’s not surprising that a woman can feel like a failure during her labour. Especially when NOTHING goes to “plan”. Unfortunately our health system still requires women to “tick boxes” in labour, dilate at a uniform pace, and stay on schedule. We can’t change that in a hurry. But what we can change is your response to it. Your labour can be affected by a myriad of things, most of them out of your control …….. BUT the hormones of STRESS are the MAIN obstacles in the way. A simple change in perception could prevent this “cascade of intervention”. We are superhuman. That is a fact. We have the ability to release a whole pharmacy of awesome pain relieving, 'Wonder Woman' strength-inducing chemicals into our bloodstream, just through the POWER of our thoughts and feelings. A little positivity goes a long way in labour. If only we could learn how to open that treasure chest of Superpowers when we need to. Oh wait …. WE CAN!!! Learn how to power up your inner Superwoman with me at Birth Essence. Understand the Nature of Reality and how to Manifest the birth you want, or even just to allow what ever happens and still come away feeling like a Super Hero. I was feeling creative and artsy ...