i want to share my number one mindset hack that is going to change your birth now i call this
technique backwards day so it's not about walking backwards in labor though i do highly recommend
moving and walking labor just not backwards it's not about wearing your clothes backwards
like you might have done during backwards day maybe in spirit week in your high school
this is actually a mental technique that when used consistently can seriously change your birth
now this is the same technique that i use with my doula clients and it's the exact one that i teach
in the birth toolbox online childbirth class if you are looking for a flexible practical on-demand
childbirth class then check it out in the links below now in this video i am going to give you
some really practical examples of using this backwards day technique so that you're going to
know exactly how to use it when contractions start but first i really have to stress
one of the keys to getting this technique right is for the entire team to know the technique so
i'm going to remind you again at the end of the video but please share this with anyone who is
going to be supporting your birth your partner your doula family members etc or if you are the
partner watching this make sure that you share it with your partner so this backwards day technique
it means that you're going to be reframing what's happening to you in labor so something that
is negative we really want to reframe it so that it's positive and many things happen
on the day of labor that normally would seem bad let's start with one of my favorites diarrhea
so diarrhea on a normal day is bad but when labor is starting it's usually a positive thing
getting diarrhea or having loose stool it means that your body is really usually starting labor
the next thing that makes sense is contractions contractions on a normal
day may be negative right but when they become stronger you think oh no these are hurting more
but actually this is a great thing it means that your body is making progress
that you are getting closer so what we're doing with this technique is like putting a stop to
the negative thinking that as you know i'm sure tends to sometimes spiral emotions down and down
and down we want to try to limit these thoughts like this hurts this is painful how much longer
will this last i can't do this now if you do a lot of exercise if you're a runner you probably
know exactly what i'm talking about here when you fill your mind with more positive thoughts
you actually start to feel better and you also just start to feel stronger okay another example
when contractions start to come faster so they're closer together this can feel worse because you're
like the rest time is shorter they're coming faster but this is an excellent sign backwards
day this means that you're getting closer faster contractions really mean you were getting closer
to meeting your baby and that's what we want i was supporting this great couple of years ago who
experienced a really true backwards day moment her labor was stalling contractions were not getting
longer stronger closer together and because of this her cervix was not changing a bit and she was
beginning to feel like she was on this treadmill doing all this work not making any progress
and we started to become really intentional about getting her to change positions to try to get
those contractions to change so i was working with her partner and we were trying different things we
tried a few positions and then we tried where she was standing up and leaning forward and she had
this huge contraction it was a lot more intense and it was a lot more longer too and after it
was over she immediately turned around she started walking back to her birth ball which is where she
was before she said that contraction was longer and stronger and i don't like it and her partner
and i we just reminded her of backwards day and even though we had already been talking about
about backwards day through her labor sometimes labor has a way of clouding that rational mind
and she started laughing and she was like okay backwards stay and she started using
it as a mantra she moved back to that standing position where she was forward leaning where
she got that big contraction and sure enough the next one came along and she whispered
backwards day and then she started breathing she started swaying and when it was over she
said backwards day again and she took a sip of water she had a little bit of rest in came
another contraction and she just was repeating this process now when her nurse came in you guys
the nurse was like completely shocked because her nurse was trying to figure out what was our next
course of action how are we going to pick up this stalled labor and we didn't have to worry about it
anymore because her labor picked up i see this happen all the time when you change positions
sometimes that new position is more intense or feels differently and you might be thinking
oh this hurts more i don't want to do this but backwards day
that stronger intensity usually means our bodies working more efficiently and
usually making more progress on our cervix so hit the like button if you can see what i mean here
now your mindset it can make a huge difference on your birth experience but there is a limit to the
power of this technique i do not believe that it's the only thing that we should use in labor
that's why i suggest using it just as a layer in our strategy imagine layering this mindset
with physical comfort measures like getting into the shower
listening to our favorite playlist having our partner provide counter pressure on our
back so let's just harness the power of all of these tools and make the most of
all of these tools to help us through labor so to make the most of our backwards day technique
don't forget everybody needs to be on the same page with the strategy support people need to be
ready to use it if you're the laboring person you need to be ready to hear it and understand what it
means discuss it in advance that's how it's going to work so a perfect strategy to use together with
backwards day is intentional breathing so to see a step-by-step explanation of lamaze breathing check
out this video right here i know you're gonna love that one make sure you look for the little animal
that makes an appearance behind me in that video right now on the channel i have hundreds of videos
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so you don't miss any videos that are coming out soon i will see you guys next time bye