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    Childbirth is an amazing and multifaceted process that intertwines biology, emotions, and personal stories. Experienced midwife Molly O'Brien and Optimal Birth emphasize the importance of understanding biomechanics, because the competent application of knowledge about body movement helps to facilitate the birth process and give women more positive memories. These methods reduce the risk of complications and make childbirth a natural and joyful event. Interestingly, the approach to childbirth is in many ways similar to choosing hobbies and ways to enjoy your free time. For some, it is preparation for motherhood, for others, it is exploring areas not directly related to family. There are many areas of entertainment in the world, and one of them is gambling. Today, there are a huge number of reviews available to help you figure out which options are more exciting. For example, the pageotsnews.co.uk provides an overview of the best casino games and providers, allowing you to understand which sites are worth considering for a vivid experience. Whether caring for a newborn or choosing entertainment, one thing remains key: the desire for balance and the search for solutions that bring joy. Optimal Birth's support is based on a deep respect for natural processes, while the study of gaming platforms is based on the desire to experience new emotions. In both cases, conscious choice is important, allowing for a more harmonious and memorable experience.

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Why Optimal Birth?

image "Galactic Baby" copyright Cat Fancote - all rights reserved https://birthphotographyperth.com.au/"Galactic Baby" -award winning image from Cat Fancote - all rights reserved https://birthphotographyperth.com.au/

Over the past few years, there have been times when the debate about childbirth and especially choices about how and where to give birth, have become deeply polarised. As always, the media have been quick to reduce the debate to extremes, pitting dire warnings of “great danger if a baby is born at home” or against midwivesd "obsessed with natural birth at any price".

While these extreme views may exist among birth practitioners they are uncommon. Any birth practitioner not blindly wedded to the guidelines will acknowledge there is much about the status quo in many obstetric units that work actively against "a good birth". It’s also recognised that challenging institutional drivers of practices can be very difficult, even those with little or no evidence to support them. Medical intervention has a place and can save lives but it is quite clear that many interventions are used inappropriately, are often ineffective and are, at times, harmful. This is particularly relevant to the current solutions offered when a labour dystocia is identified. Despite being one of the leading reasons for a multitude of interventions and the main indication for caesarean birth, there is not only no consensus on the interpretation of labour dystocia, basically it means difficult or obstructed labour, but there is no consensus on optimal solutions. 

As a midwife my role is to help women have the best birth possible and to ensure they leave our care intact, whole and unharmed, ready for the next part of their journey into motherhood. The question that drove my practice in the birth room was how can I support and optimise the birth process. To do that I needed to develop a deeper understanding of birth physiology.  Physiologically informed practice is my passion, and the reason I came to find out about about biomechanics, the study of human movement. The baby's path through the pelvis is amazing and it is insufficiently studied in obstetric and midwifery training. We learn from a pathological framework and don't have enough information to understand the reasons behind mechanical dystocia. In turn, this impedes our ability to recognise the signs before a dystotcia becomes a crisis and impedes our ability to offer physiologically informed solutions. 

After years of self directed study, courses and training, putting it into practice and seeing results I started teaching. By asking the right questions I can now recognise signs of a mechanical  dystocia over the phone. We all have this knowledge and ability, the solutions are not diificult and they are not harmful. I'm eager to share because it makes a difference! 

It was already clear before the pandemic that interest in biomechanics was increasing and my life was going to be filled with teaching, I was and still am delighted!  I was spending half my life on planes and trains travelling to hospitals as far apart as Chile and Oban and it looked like I was in for a busy year.

Covid brought everything to a crushing halt - but only for a little while. It forced the development of an online presence - and broke resistance to distant learning. It's changed "everything". I'm talking to and teaching birthworkers around the world, have a 4000 strong social facebook group that's a lively and supportive forum for physiological birth, working with midwifery lecturers to help bring biomechanics into midwifery degree courses. I said I wanted optimal birth to change the conversation about childbirth - it's a thrilling ride and the enthusiasm and positivity I'm getting with every course I teach is more than empowering. Can't wait to see what happens next!

This image from Australian photographer Cat Fancote encapsualtes what an amazing and transformative experience birth can be - Optimal Birth is "all about" making women's experience of their baby's birth as good as it can be. Hypnobirthing is one of the tools women can use to help make that hope a reality...

Galactic Baby Cat Fancote 1300px Copyright Cat Fancote https://birthphotographyperth.com.au/ all rights reserved

 ©Cat Fancote

molly o'brien midwifeThroughout my career I have witnessed a real difference between the birth experiences and outcomes of labour for women who are calm and confident and for those overwhelmed by doubt, uncertainty and fear. Hypnobirthing is an established technique to help women remain relaxed, confident and calm through labour enabling a more comfortable and enjoyable birth experience.

As a midwife, my whole career has been dedicated to helping women have a straightforward labour. The discovery that there were techniques available to help all women dismiss the "horror narrative" surrounding birth, and develop skills that allow them to control the panic and fear that underlies much of the “pain of birth" was a revelation and I trained as a hypnobirthing teacher at the first opportunity.

Hypnobirthing gives you and your birth partner tools and strategies to use throughout labour, no matter where or how you give birth. You will learn how fear affects your body in relation to the birthing process, the hormones of birth and motherhood. It teaches techniques that can replace fear and anxiety, with calm confidence, using self hypnosis, visualisation, relaxation and breathing techniques. These have been shown to be useful beyond the birth of your child. As new parents they can help you to be more relaxed and able to enjoy this special time with your newborn baby.

I will also discuss the physiological processes anxiety and fear disrupt and the importance of mobility in labour.

 

Course details

Molly Hynobirthing Cousre 6I run regular classes at Treat Norwich - ideally you should try and book for the 6th month of pregnancy.

Leave yourself a bit of leeway as I will sometimes cancel a date if there are not enough bookings - and hypnobirthing isn't a "magic solution" it demands practice from you and your partner. 

All Saturday classes are five and a half hours - including a half hour lunch break, evening classes are two and a half hours. 

The course costs £220 and includes a book, MP3 download of scripts to help relaxation

To book register here

call Treat  01603 514195

or contact me directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Low Cost Courses

If there is spare capacity on a course I offer "pay what you can afford" places with a suggested maximum discount of 50% - £110 - to check for availability call Treat reception a week before course dates 0n 01603 514195

Join us on Facebook

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Mums, midwives and all - Visit us on facebook and join in a lively page full of info about birth and babys for mums and birth professionals.

It's also the gateway to the professions group "Biomechanics for Birth" - one of the go-to places for physios, body worker midwives, doulas and ostetricians from around the world to share news, questions and information about an important but often neglected area of birth.

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