by Betsy Shaw posted in Pregnancy

It probably wasn't such a great idea to refer to HypnoBirthing, the only childbirth class I ever took, as "HippoBirthing." As much as I enjoyed making fun of it, and scoffing at the videos showing women serenely pushing babies out as if they were sticks of butter, HypnoBirthing is what saved me from having to describe my first childbirth experience as "sort of a nightmare."

Long story short, I did not experience a pain free, staring-into-the-fire birth that HypnoBirthing philosophy promises. But, with the help of  visualization and relaxation techniques, I survived what ended up being a potentially-high-stress medical birth free of fear. Only now do I realize what I was doing: I was practicing mindfulness. I wasn't hypnotized, I wasn't in an altered state, I was simply in the moment. Researchers have only recently begun studying the benefits of being mindful during pregnancy and childbirth.  A recent article in the New York Times highlighted the ways mindfulness can help pregnant women overcome their fears and maintain a sense of calm control when giving birth and possibly even help stave off or lessen pre- and postpartum depression.
Nancy Bardacke, a certified nurse-midwife and mindfulness teacher, developed a course called The Mind in Labor, where women learn how to apply mindfulness to childbirth.
?Mindfulness practice provides an opportunity for the discovery of previously unrecognized inner resources of strength...