Great Birth – Lucky Cow!

I’ve said before how amazing I felt after my first baby’s birth. I was in awe of my body and I looked back on Harris’ birth as such an incredibly positive experience.

However, I soon realised that my experiences seemed unusual to some. People were shocked when I spoke with positivity about his birth. I saw the surprise on their faces and even the odd glimpse of ‘wow, you must be a crazy person’!

Then I heard these words…

“Wow, weren’t you lucky” “That was just luck”

LUCKY!!!!!

Referring to my positive experience (now experiences) as ‘lucky’ has always irritated me and this is why…

To be ‘lucky’ to have a positive birth experience suggests that it’s SUCH an unlikely event. A bit like winning the jackpot on the lottery twice. This is actually more than irritating, it’s actually quite sad! Sad that as a culture we see birth in such a negative way, that we expect the worst and someone having a good experience is seen as a massive rarity. It really shouldn’t be that way.

Saying I was ‘lucky’ suggests it was ‘just luck’ and nothing to do with all the preparation, the research and the informed decisions I’d made.

I’d practiced my Hypnobirthing techniques daily for weeks before Harris was born. I knew I could go into a relaxed state during his birth to allow my body to do its thing and to keep adrenalin away. I’d made informed decisions about the environment I’d birth in to encourage labour to progess as it should. I developed a trust in my body and I was confident that I had powerful techniques to keep me calm and comfortable. But ultimately I’d worked on my mindset so I could let go of what I couldn’t control and focus on what I could. This would help me have a positive experience whatever path my birth went down.

Now, please don’t get me wrong I’m not denying that there is some luck involved in birth. There are some things that we just can’t influence. But there are loads of things we can. And there is definitely such thing as ‘bad luck’ when referring to birth. There is also bad luck when it comes to holidays, health, weddings and life in general. But we rarely focus on the ‘luck’ element of these things when they go well.

So saying its ‘just luck’ does us women a massive disservice and encourages us to just go along whatever we are told and that any preparation is likely to be a waste of time.

Whilst Hypnobirthing can’t guarantee you the birth experience you want it can certainly stack the odds in your favour, just like it did for me and many other women. Ultimately though it helps you make the best out of however your birth goes. Positive and great births take many different shapes and forms.

Having a positive birth is not JUST ‘luck’. Prepare yourself well. Learn to trust your body. Have tools for a great birth, however it happens.

A lucky shamrock just might not cut it at the birth but tools and the right mindset will.