Importance of a Positive Birth Experience

With last month being Mental Health Month, there is no better time for open and frank discussions surrounding the topic of local women’s mental health and its impact on children in-utero.

Education and empowerment are keys to how women view their birth experience.  Without these factors, women are at a higher risk of developing Post Natal Depression as a result of feeling inadequate, should their desire for a completely natural birth take a different turn.

Research has also shown that there is a direct correlation between the mental health of a mother and the development of a child’s brain in-utero. High levels of stress during pregnancy can lead to a child being overly sensitive to stress in later life. So, the importance of mental health for women during pregnancy and childbirth cannot be understated.

• One in seven women is diagnosed with postnatal depression each year in Australia (Deloitte 2012).
  
  
• Postnatal depression affects the family unit as a whole, not just the mother.
  
  
• Around 20–40% of mums who have previously had postnatal depression will experience it again after the birth of a subsequent child. (Austin & Priest, 2005).
  
  
• Postnatal Depression puts a strain on relationships and the mother-child bond.  
  
  
• Taking positive steps before giving birth is key to reducing the risk of Postnatal Depression.
  
  

What I cover in the Hypnobirthing Australia classes is so much more than your standard antenatal "fear" classes!  It's about empowering you with knowledge and skills to have a great birth!  Having had vast experience in helping women overcome abuse, trauma, anxiety and depression, I use these skills, along with my own experiences of childbirth to help women have their own positive birth experience.