What getting your ears pierced and labour have in common.
Insights from a ten year old about getting her ears pierced and the stories she was told in how they relate to labour.
On Sunday Miss S got the last part of her 10th birthday gift, getting her ears pierced. She has been waiting for a while and we have been working around school swimming carnivals, National Girl Guide camps and mums disorganisation. Anyone else relate to that??? So Sunday was finally the time, to do it and just ready for the wedding that she is in on this Saturday.
When we got to our destination, she was nervous and the lovely lady who did the piercing talked to her about breathing in an out and had an honest chat on what it would feel like. After a few deep breaths in and out, a moment of rest between ear one and two we were done. The reward other than some nice earrings was a slurpie. As we pulled into but the slurpie Miss S told me:
“that wasn’t as painful as everyone told me”
And it hit me, that even at 10 years old Miss S was being told stories about how painful getting her ears pierced and it was going to hurt along with stories of ears getting infected. All just what 10 year old girls need to hear before this happens.
But labour is no different. Instead of focusing on the positive or talking about how to navigate pain we tell women that labour is going to be painful and in Miss S’s case she was told to be fearful of getting her ears pierced. When we go into a situation that we are scared or fearful of, our bodies struggle to relax and it’s harder to control our breathing. Our brain keeps telling us it’s going to hurt and our body tenses up and it does hurt!
I’m hoping that by telling Miss S to ignore these stories again that in the future she can block out any type of advice that isn’t helpful for her or makes her feel scared of whatever she is doing. Because we need to change these stories for 10 year olds getting their ears pierced and anyone having a baby. That is my wish for all women and parents who are pregnant. Block out any negative stories and have confidence in your birth plan and how you are going to navigate labour.
If you are feeling that those negative stories are getting into your head my Lamaze Childbirth Prenatal Education Class is just for you. Covering pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum this is the perfect class for you and your partner to develop your labour and postpartum tool kit and have the confidence to block out all those stories. For $550.00 you get morning and afternoon tea, Birth Affirmations specific for the birth of YOUR choice, a Lamaze Toy and a Preparing For Birth: Australian Edition and to become informed and excited about YOUR birth. To book your space click here.
Here is to women stepping into their power of birth and blocking out the negative stories that you may be hearing.
Katie xx
Miss S after getting her ears pierced. Picture shared with her permission.