Pages 24-32 - Nimbin Good Times

Birthy questions - birthy answers - birthy mythsby Kirrah HolbornHomebirth doula, Birthing from Withinmentor, Traditional WisdomIs it like the movies?Most of us probably know by nowthat what’s on the TV or in themovies is usually a dramatizedversion of real life. Actionand drama sell! It still affectsus though. Especially for thechildren... many ideas about birthare formed early on and it’s notuntil adulthood that some of thesebeliefs are explored. I always liketo ask people; where did you firsthear about birth? How does thisaffect you today?How will I cope?Every woman is different, everybaby is different and thereforeevery experience of birth isdifferent. Everyone has a differentway of preparing for birth. Somewomen have an unwaveringbelief that it will all be ok and gowith the flow. Many women aremotivated to learn about birthso that they have some tools towork with when the time comesto make the journey into ‘labourland’.Asking yourself “What doI need to know to give birth?” canhelp you find some answers. Is itrelated to confidence? If so... askyourself how are you nurturingAlleviating chronic painI know pain. I knowit intimately. I havehad fibromyalgia (anautoimmune disorder) for 15years, contracted originallyfrom a flu-like illness I gotin China. I’d gone to thereto give a paper at a healthconference in Nanjing.After the conference I, andour little group of Australiantravellers did a specialacupuncture course, workingwith de-skinned corpsessoaked in formaldehyde.Perhaps it was the toxicityof the formaldehyde, or thatthe environment in whichwe worked wasn’t all thatclean – perhaps my illnesshad more to do with theages old dust stirred up bythe intense building activitygoing on in the midst ofChina’s ten year rebuildingplan. Wherever it camefrom, it made me very ill.Since that time, fibromyalgiaexpresses itself in my left legthat cramps spasmodicallywhen I get over-tired. Thereused to be a constant chronicpain, but now, after intensiveacupuncture and remedialconfidence in yourself now,today? Start to foster the positivequalities within yourself so thatwhen your big day comes, you willfeel calmer and more confident inyour ability.Who can help me birth?Just as there are many placesto give birth, there are a manyoptions for who can help youthrough pregnancy, birth andbeyond. Obviously, havingsomeone close to you likeyour partner or mother canbe a blessing. Birth runs moresmoothly when you feel safeand secure. Knowing your careproviders and birth supporterswill make a big difference to howrelaxed you feel when you arebirthing. Many healthy womenchoose to have a midwife supportthem during pregnancy, birthand the postnatal time. Thereare options called ‘case load’ or‘continuity of care’ where thewoman can have the same midwifecare for her through her pregnancyand birth. When complicationsarise or surgery is required, thenobstetricians are the specialists.There is a growing trend forwomen to also hire a doula. Adoula provides emotional, physicaland practical support as well asproviding information/educationpractices, I’m much better.I do know, however, reallyknow pain.Pain is inevitable, butsuffering is not, so says theBuddha, an observation thatis very useful to know whenwe contemplate alleviating it.Pain is necessary for survival.It allows us to avoid injury orrespond to injury as quicklyas possible. When it becomeschronic, this purpose is lessclear. Neurological evidencesuggests that chronic painimprints itself on our brains,amplifying its experienceand getting in the way ofits resolution. I’ve watchedhow fibromyalgia workswith me: a cramp is felt,my attention goes to thecramp, the cramp intensifies,intensifies until the crampis all there is, and stays likethis for days, unless I breakthe cycle with massage oracupuncture or some othereffective intervention. Iwish I’d known more abouthypnotherapy, though. Thiswould have broken the cyclemuch earlier, perhaps not toget rid of the disorder, per(during pregnancy and birth).Each doula is different, but I liketo address any fears/worries, helpthe woman discover her choicesand options for birth, providepregnancy massage and teachbreath awareness (plus more!). Ithen support the woman for aslong as she needs during early/active labour and birth. Havingcontinual support from a traineddoula can make labour shorterand easier whilst decreasing thelikelihood of interventions.Whoever you choose to supportyou, it’s important to discuss whatit is that you are wanting andmake sure your supporters are‘on the same page’ as you. If youare not happy with your care, ordon’t feel comfortable, try to findsomeone that you connect with.Are there classes I can take?Yes! If you would like holisticse, but then again, maybe itcould have.Chronic pain (defined aspain that continues longerthan six months) infiltratesour lives, affects ourthoughts, feelings, emotionsand behaviour, infectingour relationships with oneanother, our work and ourenjoyment. Understandingthis multidimensionalquality of pain is most usefulfor how we go about workingwith people in pain, as painmanagements units attemptto do.I work with people in pain,mental, bodily, emotional,spiritual and social, andpsychotherapy, of whichclinical hypnotherapy isessentially a part, is veryuseful in this regards.It’s significant that mostresearch work on the efficacyof clinical hypnotherapyhas been done on pain (overtwo centuries of research).Hypnotherapy was and isused by doctors and dentistsand has a respectable placein surgery, in the alterationof heartbeats, in the controlantenatal classes that help you andyour partner feel more confidentabout birth, then I can help. I holdregular “Birthing From Within”workshops from the NurtureStudio in Lismore. I will also beholding a weekend workshop inMullumbimby on the 17th/18thAugust. These workshops arepractical and loads of fun! Space islimited, so book today.Nimbin Birth & BeyondAugust ScheduleNow Wednesdays 4.15pm-5.15pm7th August: Creating a positivemind for birth14th August: Finding out whatYOU need to know to give birth21st August: Breath Awareness forbirth28th August: Exploringmotherhood4th September: Natural remediesfor postpartumNewTime! New Day!by Dr Elizabeth McCardellM Counselling, PhDNimbin Birth & Beyond meetsevery Wednesday afternoon 4.15pm-5.15pm. Sessions are run bydonation (~$5). For more info (or tohold a session) phone 0429-308-851or email: kirrah@traditionalwisdom.com.au To be added to the mailinglist, just send an email or text. Theschedule can be found online at:www.traditionalwisdom.com.auof bleeding, and even in thediminution of tumours. Itis used in childbirth; usedwhen a person cannot takechemical anaesthetics, usedto reduce the levels of bodydamaging medications(when morphine is no longeran option), when painmanagement is now tooexpensive, and/or doctorsno longer know what to dowith a person with theirongoing pain. Clinicalhypnotherapy when used bypsychotherapists, work tomanage physical pain as wellas psychological issues.We now know a lot aboutpain and also hypnotherapy,although the shiftingparadigms of mind-bodyrelations have alteredthis understanding quitesubstantially. Where oncepain was thought to bepsychogenic (originatingfrom the mind), wenow know there is aninterrelationship betweenwhat the body feels and howthe mind interprets this.There is still much to belearned about pain and itseffective alleviation.Pain is a matter of thewhole organism and thus itsmanagement is not aboutconvincing the person that itis “all in the mind”, for it isnot. What we now know isthat we are complex beingswhere an intervention on onelevel affects the experienceswe have across the board.This is possible because ofthe plasticity of the brainand each new experienceforges new neurologicalpathways, essentially andfundamentally changing us.Pain is a subjectivephenomenon, and privatelysuffered. The way a personexplains their pain is reallyuseful in allowing thetherapist to structure anintervention with hypnosisor other therapies. Thenarrative is an affirmationNimbin HospitalInformationChildhoodImmunisation ClinicFor 0-5 year olds, 2ndTuesday of the month,next clinic 13th August.Appointments: 6620-7687.Women’s Health Clinic3rd Thursday of the month at NimbinHospital. Next clinic 15th August.Please phone 6688-1401 to makeappointment. Service includes papsmears, contraceptive advice, pre and postnatal checks and general health info.Community Registered NursesMonday –Friday 8am-5pm. Assessment,referral, treatment, advocacy, palliative carein the home, coordination of Aged Carepackages and school health (hearing tests).Phone 6689-1288 and leave a message,usually only one RN on at any time, willrespond ASAP.Nimbin HospitalAuxiliaryJune street raffle winnerwas Peter Miller, thankyou Peter, your support isappreciated.Auxiliary members meet on the secondFriday of each month in the hospitalconference room, our next meeting willbe on 9th August.and acknowledgement ofthe pain’s presence andeffects. This chronic painnarrative is a story told overand over, thus increasing theeffects of imprinting on thebrain. This phenomenonis what is known as thesymptomatic trance state.The art of healing is inbreaking the circularity ofthat state, which is moreabout suffering than painitself. The Buddha was right.Pain is inevitable, but muchsuffering isn’t.Pain alleviation isn’t aboutgetting rid of it, but changinghow it is experienced. Thiscan mean shifting thephysicality of it from totallydominating our awareness tosomewhere else in the bodythat isn’t so all encompassing.The clinical hypnotherapisthas tools up her sleeve thatseem almost magical, butthey are not so much magicalas transformative. This iswhy I do the work I do. I aminterested in participatingin the transformation oflives. This is collaborativeand empowering work, anddeeply nurturing of clientand practitioner alike.www.eemccardell.com.auSIMPLE HERBS, CUSTOM BLENDS & TEAWARE39 CULLEN ST NIMBINDISPENSARY OPEN SIXDAYS:9.30am – 5pmOTHER TIMES BYAPPOINTMENT:PHONE 0423-596-368www.teamedica.com.auDr Elizabeth McCardellM. of Counselling, PhD, Dip of Clinical HypnotherapyPsychotherapy &Clinical Hypnotherapy• personal growth• depression• anxiety• grief/bereavement• cross-roads of life• sleep problems• pain management• smoking, etcClinic in Lismore HeightsFor appointments phone 6624-3704phone/text: 0429-199-021 email: dr_mccardell@yahoo.comwww.nimbingoodtimes.com August 2013 The Nimbin GoodTimes Page 25