Two Books

It has been just over a week since my little daughter was born. As I sit here holding her, I am reminded of so many little miracles that took place during pregnancy and during her birth. Since I was terrible at recording them in the moment, I will attempt to share some of them in the next few blogs.

During the first trimester I experienced a lot of anxiety. I had two episodes of severe bleeding, routine morning sickness, and I was dizzy enough that I couldn't walk without the room spinning. Added to the phisical side-effects were my own fears and concerns about childbirth, particularly about the hospital and about pain. One day at work I mentioned a few of my concerns to a friend. I was surprised as she responded to my worries by telling me what a beautiful experience giving birth could be. She then asked if I would be interested in borrowing some books on natural childbirth. I felt some of my anxiety calm at her encoraging words and I looked forward to reading the books.

A few weeks later I was speaking with a good friend in my neighborhood. She was prompted to ask how I had been doing emotionally and if I knew the kind of birth that I wanted to have. I mentioned that I had been thinking of going natural, but that I had a lot of concerns. She then introduced me to a book called "The Gift of Giving Life" written by several LDS co-authors. The book was filled with positive, beautiful birth stories fromm every kind of birth experience. It also had essays on gospel topics and related them to childbirth. As I read the pages of this book my heart grew lighter, I felt peace, and I felt Heavenly Father's love for me. I knew that somehow everything would be okay.

When the books from my friend at work arrived I was curious about the one titled "HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method" by Marie Mongan. As I opened to the first pages and began to read, something about this book felt right. I stopped reading and asked my husband if he would be willing to read the book with me. One of the big things that HypnoBirthing focuses on is replacing fear with joy and calm. As we read together we would discuss the things we were learning and then pray to know if the techniques were what we should be using to bring our daughter into the world in a calm and gentle manner. We both felt strongly that the breathing and relaxation techniques we were reading about were worth pursuing. We eventually took a five week HypnoBirthing class and set to practicing.

As I read from these books the fear and anxiety left. Instead of worry about the future I felt excitement and anticipation. I knew that everything would work out the way that it needed to and that Heavenly Father was watching over my little family. I am grateful for two inspired friends who introduced me to the two books I most needed during my pregnancy.