Maternity care training

Description

Maternity care training

Background

Mental training was developed in sports during the 1970s. Although sports were important for both developing and evaluating the new methods, it was clear from the outset that the methods and principles could be used in all areas of society and in all kinds of life situations. At the end of the 1970s, I developed the first programme for childbirth preparation using mental training and self-hypnosis. An improved version was created in the late 1990s and became part of the ”Kvinnokraft” training programme. At the same time, pregnant women who have used mental training have reported that they have benefited from the training in many ways other than just during childbirth. This training programme therefore includes a number of programmes based on these women's reports.

Mental training

As the name suggests, mental training is a systematic training of mental processes (thoughts, inner images, feelings and attitudes) with the aim of improving both performance and well-being. One of the performance goals is to make the body function better, whether it is a matter of a sports competition or childbirth.

Basic mental training

For mental training to work as effectively as possible, you should start with basic muscle relaxation training and two self-hypnosis programmes (the mental space). The reason this is not included in this training programme is partly due to space constraints, but also because many people have already done this training in other contexts.

Purpose

This training programme has three objectives:

• Helping your body function even better during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. The principles here are similar to those that are now a natural part of elite athletes' preparations for good performance.
• Allowing pregnancy to lead to a feeling of well-being, joy and satisfaction, i.e. using the child to develop an even better and richer life.
• Giving your child an even better start in life through positive influence, both directly (stimulating the child during pregnancy) and indirectly (by ensuring that you yourself are as healthy as possible).

Description of the 5 programmes

Programme 1. A good start

(Up to the 5th month of pregnancy) The first two programmes on this audio track are based on research findings that show that the mother's condition and behaviour during pregnancy can contribute to the child having a good start in life. Some of these research findings come from the Prenatal University in California, an institution founded by a good friend 20 years ago with the aim of investigating how the child is affected by external factors during pregnancy. Today, it is widely known that expectant mothers should refrain from tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. However, it is still less well known that mothers can also have a positive influence on their babies by ensuring that they themselves feel good, feel secure and happy, live with low stress levels and have a positive attitude to life. These are topics covered in this first programme, which we recommend you practise until the fifth month of pregnancy, when you can switch to programme 2. If you start practising with this audio track after the fifth month of pregnancy, you can easily use programmes 1, 2 and 4 in parallel.

Programme 2. Your child – your best friend (5–9 months)

Like Programme 1, this programme is aimed at both you and your child. By making your child your confidant and special friend, you benefit both yourself and your child. Here you have someone who listens to you around the clock, someone you can share both your joys and worries with, someone who cares about you and wants the best for you. In addition to talking to your child and singing to them, you can also stimulate your child through touch (patting, stroking, etc.).

Programme 3. Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is placed here and not last because programme 4 ends with falling asleep and wave music (programme 5). Over the past decade, countless articles have been published on the positive effects of breastfeeding. However, this important information can cause anxiety about not being a ”good” mother in this regard, which in the worst case can inhibit milk production in a similar way that anxiety, overmotivation and overexcitement can easily lead to stress that blocks performance. This programme therefore aims to help you develop a positive and relaxed attitude to breastfeeding. Here, the breastfeeding situation is also made into a ”trigger” for relaxation and enjoyment. The idea is that both you and your baby will be able to look forward to the next breastfeeding session with joyful anticipation.

Programme 4. Childbirth preparation (3-9)

This programme can be used throughout your pregnancy. It starts with the areas covered in programmes 1 and 2 and then moves on to preparing you for a good birth. This is also where the principles of sport come in, such as surrendering to your body and trusting its resources, controlling your body with the help of inner images instead of willpower, etc. There are also methods that can be used in the mental space (self-hypnosis), such as reinterpretation (interpreting and experiencing contractions as pressure and pushing). If you wish, the programme transitions into sleep, where you can continue to process and integrate the suggestions and images you have received in the programme with the help of music and sleep.

Programme 5. Relaxation music

The wave music that has formed the background to all my programmes since 1970 is recorded separately here. You can use the music whenever you want to relax on your own. It will help you to rest and recover effectively or to move into your mental space, where you can programme yourself with the self-images and visions of the future that you want to influence your life. You can also extend the music by playing it on tape (or purchasing the training programme ”Relaxation Music”) and then having it as background music throughout the entire delivery. In this way, the music can help you make what you have ”programmed” for the delivery happen.

Finally

I would like to wish you good luck with your training and with one of humanity's most important tasks: welcoming a new person to this earth and helping this new being to have a good life.