Birth Trauma Into Triumph - How Visualizations and Affirmations Prepared One Mamma for Baby Number Two

Here’s something to ponder…. What if a traumatic labor and anxiety filled postnatal experience with your first child made you question if you even wanted to have another child? That’s how one of my friends (and Strong Sexy Mammas participants), Jo, felt for quite a while. But after a lot of soul searching and recovering, Jo and her husband are now the proud parents of a newborn baby boy, Finn. Jo’s inspiring story is so relatable. These stages of our lives are incredible in so many ways, but I think we can all relate that they can also be HARD as hell.

Jo and I were chatting on the phone last week about her labor experience and I was so inspired. I am only a couple weeks away from delivering my second child, a baby girl. I will definitely be using some of Jo’s tips during my own labor. Be sure to watch the video above to hear about the specific affirmations and visualizations that worked for her this time around.

Jo says she feels like she was able to ‘rewrite’ in her mind what birthing babies is all about. So impressed. This birth story gives me chills.

Jo is a participant in my Strong Sexy Mammas online workouts. You may recognize her from some of our Toned in 25 classes! Can’t wait to have her back in a month or two for more training sessions that offer prenatal and postnatal modificaitons.

Does Belly Dancing = Less Pain in Labor?

At the hospital yesterday, I found out Baby Girl is head down, which is good, but she is on the right side of my belly, facing sideways... which apparently means I may have another posterior delivery. OUCH!

And no, unfortunately belly dancing or figure 8’s may feel good, but below you’ll see I’m learning more ‘sophisticated’ moves to get bub in an optimal position.

Brooks was posterior and the back labor was atrocious. I was able to get through with out an epidural, and escape an unplanned c-section, but in the end it was a bit traumatic. His heart rate dropped big time and the doctor had to give me an episiotomy and suction him out. Brooks was healthy and that was all that mattered at the time. But of course it made recovery less than ideal.

For the record, I'm not whinging. I know we all have crazy birth, newborn, or other wild scenarios we wish had been a bit different.While at my appointment yesterday, my midwife recommended I go to the 'Spinning Babies' website for exercise ideas to get bub in an optimal birthing position. Their exercises, stretches, and a few partner led (rather unconventional) strategies are meant to help restore balance to mothers and get the pelvis in proper alignment.

The top of their site says, “Easier birth with fetal positioning. Use this site and videos to improve fetal position (breech, transverse, posterior) and birth. Reduce the chance of cesarean.”

I reached out to the founder (Gail Tully, a midwife living in Minneapolis, USA) if she would do an interview to share with all of you, my Strong Sexy Mammas! She agreed.

I really enjoyed the chat. She also coached through a few exercises you may find useful yourself.

By the way! Gail says, 'belly dancing' isn't a bad idea... but she shows me how to take those moves up a gear... to hopefully get Baby Girl in a good position.

Despite Covid-19, Beautiful Birth and Baby Bubble

After having a bit of anxiety about birthing during this pandemic, I have forced myself to have a mindset shift. And it's working. The mind is a powerful thing, hey?

Lots of ladies from my Strong Sexy Mammas fitness classes have been sharing similar emotional struggles with me.

Watch this IGTV LIVE chat I did with Nadine Richardson, She Births founder, doula, prenatal yoga teacher, mother, and Strong Sexy Mammas participant.

I was having recurring stress dreams about Tim and Brooks dropping me off at the hospital doors while I wailed in pain. Bizarre I know. But another pregnant friend was just telling me she had been having the same dream! (Probably due to the headlines of women in NYC for a time being forced to give birth with out their partners present.)

I've just started getting back into my She Births, holistic, childbirth education training. It is giving me even more confidence that I can once again have a beautiful birth, even if circumstances change.

I was able to deliver Brooks without an epidural and I am hoping to have a natural birth in a few weeks with baby girl. We obviously can't script these things though, so I will cross my fingers for the best!

So much to think about. And so much to chat with Nadine about in our IGTV LIVE interview!

Here's a little insight for all my preggo Strong Sexy Mammas from Nadine,

"YOU CAN DO IT - you were made for this, designed to birth, designed to love. And despite all the craziness going on birth is still a normal physiological event. Remember that your baby doesn't know the difference between you in a pandemic or not, both in pregnancy, birth or afterwards. They simply want to be with you, hear you, smell you, see you and work with you during labour to come into this amazing world we all share."

We will put the replay in the Strong Sexy Mammas Free Women's Fitness Guide in your library.