Do babies feel pain?

Not so long ago, new born babies were operated on without anaesthetic, because it was believed that their brains were too immature to register pain. They were slapped, hung upside down, rubbed vigorously with rough towels, and more. Nowadays, we know that babies feel pain, and that they remember birth. They are beings right from the start. Science is now beginning to explore this rich arena. It seems that babies are communicating as soon as they enter our world of light, air and gravity. Our sociability is with us from the beginning. When watching the birth videos in class (and of course, I have watched them quite a lot!) I notice more and more that the babies’ cries are communicating. How do I know? Because their cries change. I can hear the increase in crying when a voice in the room becomes raised. I can hear the “sniffling” of a baby beginning to feel soothed when in mum’s arms. Knowing you can soothe your baby is a wonderful feeling for a mum and dad. Seeing your baby suffer is a horrible feeling for a mum and dad. As HypnoBirthing has always said, nature guides us. She ensures that what feels right, is indeed right. So, as a new mum and dad, you have authority and permission to ensure that your baby’s cry is heard, and that you can begin to listen and soothe your baby as soon as he enters your world.

Does a Textbook HypnoBirth really exist? Well yes, I saw one!

I often say in class, that your midwife may underestimate your progress in labour, as she has not got the “normal” signs to follow that she is used to (such as discomfort, pain, fear, vomiting, and the dreaded “transition” phase). I say this because I often hear mums tell me that their midwife didn’t realize how advanced she was, and I experienced it with my third baby. (The midwife said I wasn’t in labour as I didn’t have that “glow” about me, and I delivered within hours). Well, I have to take this opportunity to tell you that I saw it for myself recently when I had the honour of being at a birth. At the first vaginal examination, the midwife was very surprised to find that mum was fully dilated. Mum knew this deep down, but it was lovely for her to hear confirmation too. And she went on to have her beautiful 9lb baby with no pain medication at all. I don’t normally talk about textbook births, because every birth is unique, and different, and they go in different ways, with or without intervention – and every birth, no matter what happens, is one which every mum and dad should be very proud of. I know that this mum and dad are very proud. And so was I!

Forget the drugs – skin to skin works

Skin-to-skin contact, or kangaroo mother care (KMC) has been shown to be efficacious in diminishing pain response to heel lance in full term and moderately preterm neonates," write Celeste Johnston, DEd, RN, from McGill University School of Nursing in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and colleagues. An awful lot of money has gone towards demonstrating what we all know in our hearts. If you cuddle your baby when they are in pain, you reduce the pain. Kangaroo mother care is a fancy term for holding your premature baby a lot, in preference to putting her in an incubator. Attempts have been made to make incubators mimic mother’s care – by making them warm (but they aren’t as good at regulating baby’s temperature as holding is) by making them smell like mum (but not as effective as mum holding baby - obviously), and by making them move like mum (but not as effective as mum carrying baby). It wasn’t until there was no money for expensive incubators that hospitals in Brazil “tried” letting mums hold babies while they recovered from their premature birth. It soon became apparent that holding is more healthy and healing than incubators (in other words, fewer babies died). Another thumbs up for mother nature!

The Business of Being Born

Ricki Lake has upped herself considerably in my estimation. She has helped to produce this amazing new DVD which gets to the point very quickly. It shows the insanity of the over-medicalisation of birth, to the point of creating risk to mum and baby. See the trailer by clicking here, and you’ll see what I mean. If the trailer has whetted your appetite and you want to watch all of it for a mere £5, the Independent Midwives Association are screening it in Nottingham on the 17th and 18th June and in Leicester on the 24th May. Click here to find out more and book tickets. If you have a pregnant friend, bring her along. It is un-missable viewing, in my opinion.