A California woman recently gave birth to eight babies all at one time.  This event certainly is newsworthy because of its rarity and also because of the appeal to one’s imagination.  It’s fun to speculate to the future and imagine amazing birthday parties, baffled teachers, transportation challenges and the size of the dinner table.  One also contemplates the cost of providing health care and basic necessities for such a large group of dependents and I for one am very glad that I am not faced with this daunting task.

Birth, in our part of the world, appears to be a professional event that must be managed and monitored in great detail.    Assorted experts routinely map the course of the pregnancy and the subsequent birth as an integral part of the first prenatal visit.  Pregnant mothers are presented with options of deciding when to give birth, how many ultrasounds they want, and the degree of anesthesia they prefer and so on.  The underlying message is that mother and baby will be safe as long as the mother allows the professional to guide her.  One almost gets the impression that safe birth was invented by professionals and that anybody not following the regime might face dire consequences.  

Fortunately for the millions of women who elect to enjoy their pregnancy and who choose to give birth according to their wishes and beliefs, alternatives are available.  Women have the option of choosing an un-assisted home birth, they can have a birth assisted by a doula and/or a midwife, they can give birth in a birthing center, and they can give birth in a hospital accompanied by a birthing professional other than an obstetrician.

Women are also afforded the pleasure of being able to choose their childbirth preparation classes.   Each is based on a philosophy and a practice designed to give the mother and the baby their desired control over the birthing process.  All the programs have merit and the important matter is that the mother has a choice.

As a childbirth educator I have chosen HypnoBirthing® as my field of expertise.   The underlying philosophy of self determination and family values resonates with my ethics as a professional social worker.  I love that the mother learns self hypnosis and that she and the baby work together in harmony to create the best possible experience for them.  I also appreciate that the birth companion is recognized as an integral part of the process and that all members of family are considered to be of importance. 

I invite all people pregnant or not men and women, older and younger, to visit Bakersfieldhypnobirthing.com to take advantage of the informative articles and to learn more about HypnoBirthing.