Moving Forward after our Move

My move to Texas has been such a wonderful transition for our family, but also for me personally.  I have completed my schooling for a diploma of hypnotherapy.  I've also been working on some individual certifications and have earned advanced certification in Hypnosis for PTSD (which I hope to use with women who have experienced birth or personal trauma in the past that may interfere with their current goals or birth), Hypnosis for Weight-Loss, Hypnosis for Immune Disorders (one of the most inspiring courses I've ever taken!), Certification in Handwriting Analysis, and I still have more to complete! 

We are balancing time and family and work in ways that are really coming together, and as the school year begins I'm excited to let that balance shift to some more work with local families using these wonderful tools I'm acquiring.  In October, I'll attend the Annual HypnoBirthing Conclave and plan to complete a certification course in Infant Massage after the conference wraps up.  As I've been using more and more essential oils in my own home, with my family, and combining that with therapeutic touch, I'm so grateful to have this new offering for my expectant families.

In addition to my professional development I've been doing on my own, I've been able to connect with local birth and maternity professionals in the Houston area and am overwhelmend by the wealth of advocates in the community.  I am finding that many of the parents who come to take my classes are referred by health professionals in the community, which is a new and exciting change for me.  While in the past couples usually found me in a search for natural birth solutions, I'm finding more and more that HypnoBirthing is a highly respected part of the mainstream and alternative birthing community, and that's a good thing for everyone!

I also had the pleasure of sitting in on a local HypnoBirthing training a few months ago, and am so energized by the way HypnoBirthing is taking Houston's birthing community by CALM.  We have come together and formed the Houston HypnoBirthing Network, and are able to work together without competition or animosity.  Being part of such an amazing community dedicating to helping others is such an honor.

It's Not ALWAYS a Dairy Allergy

Since I'm allergic to milk, and a childbirth professional, I get questions from friends all the time about how they can eliminate milk from their diet because they think their nursling might have a milk allergy. Most of the time that is, in fact, the problem.  I don't want to discourage people from eliminating dairy, because it's often the cause of gasiness, spitting up, skin irritations/eczema, and overall discomfort for babies.

Sometimes, however, it's overactive letdown.  There are some key things I listen for when a mom is describing what's going on with her baby.

• She spits up right after eating
• He gulps in air and pulls away when nursing
• He keeps refusing the breast, and I'm SO engorged!

I always ask if the mom finds that she's squirting baby in the face, or if that initial flow is really fast, if she notices big gulps.

If you think about how you would drink something, it makes sense.  If you were ready to drink a cup of water, but instead had the top of a gallon jug put into your mouth, you would turn away, you would gulp up as much as you could (but end up swallowing a lot of air too), and probably throw up if you drank it all.

What can you do if you have overactive let-down?  Here are some suggestions from Le Leche League

• Lay on your back so the milk has to travel "uphill" to get to baby
• If the milk is flowing too quickly at first, let the spray go into a clean cloth and then latch baby back on when you feel the hindmilk begin to come in
• Once the milk supply is established, other methods can be tried

If your milk supply is well-established and you are still having over-active letdown and engorgement, you can talk to your doctor, herbalist, and/or certified lactation consultant about adding some peppermint essential oil to your breast, diluted, to lessen your supply.  This is a method to approach with care and caution and to discuss with your care provider first.

Getting Ready to Get Back to Work

One of the things I love about the HypnoBirthing program and certification is that they require continuing education, recertification, and additional reading.  Sure, this can be time consuming and if you forget until the last minute can induce stress.  But the reality is that what we know about birth is changing as new information comes out, as new studies prove long-held beliefs about prenatal bonding, and as we see places where HypnoBirthing can grow or improve.

This past weekend I got to be a "Be Back."  In HypnoBirthing, you can attend a training for new practitioners at a discounted price as a refresher.  This was great for me as I've taken a break from teaching while we moved, and it was so amazing to meet women from all over the south who came together to learn how to help parents bring their children into the world in calm and peace.  It's so delightful to be surrounded by natural birth advocates, many with their own beautiful stories of HypnoBirthing births that changed their lives.  I also got to meet two other HypnoBirthing practitioners who have been teaching in this area for years and have had great success and met wonderful families here.  It really affirms our choice to make this move.

Now I am pumped and ready to begin.  I'll be beginning my first Katy, Texas class on June 22, which means I require a deposit by this Saturday the 15th.  You can click on the Calendar and Registration tab to register for a class.

New Location!

We are almost complete with our move, and starting in May I will be offering classes in Katy, Texas.  I am still seeking locations to teach and will be reaching out to those in the birth community.  If you have any questions or are looking for HypnoBirthing classes in this area, please feel free to contact me!  I am so excited to restart my classes and begin this new adventure with my family.

I have loved teaching and birthing in Alaska, and will miss the amazing supportive community I found there.  I will always be grateful to those people I have met through my HypnoBirthing practice in Alaska and hope to stay in touch!

In Transition

I'm taking a little break from teaching classes as my family awaits news about a transfer for my husband.  I don't want to register people for a class and then have to cancel at the last minute or be distracted by a move.  Once we get news, if we are staying, I will happily schedule new classes.

In the mean time, Joan Koval is teaching classes at Spirit Path Yoga and Wellness

Thank you for understanding.

HypnoBirthing Informational Meeting

For those curious about HypnoBirthing, but not ready to sign up for the class, this will be a FREE one hour overview of what HypnoBirthing teaches, how it helps parents have a calmer birth, and I'll be able to answer any specific questions people have.

This session will be held at Heritage Birth Center at 445 West 9th Ave on the corner of 9th and E St. on December 1st from noon- 1pm.  

If you have questions or want to let me know you'll be there,  feel free to email me at akhypnobirthing@gmail.com

November is WIDE OPEN

I usually have my next class scheduled by about half way through a current class, but right now I have November completely open.  I try to work around the schedules of the parents who contact me, and that mostly happens on a first come, first choice basis, so if you have a date and time schedule that works for you and you are looking to take a HypnoBirthing class soon, contact me!