Tapping into a Peaceful Birth

I met Janie in August of 2022. She was 8 weeks away from her due date with her second baby. She wanted help because, in her words, her first birth was traumatic. Fortunately, she had given birth to a healthy baby boy, but even thinking about her next birth experience gave her emotional intensity and anxiety. Janie wanted to get into ‘the best positive mental state possible’ as her due date was approaching.

Anxiety and Guilt

There were two presenting issues that we uncovered during our first EFT session. Janie reported feeling anxious when thinking about either the upcoming delivery or her past birth experience. She also felt a deep sense of guilt around having a C-section. She felt that her body let her down and with that came deep disappointment in herself.

Over our series of sessions, we got to know each other well. We developed rapport and trust. She was open, receptive, and ready to do the work. We learned together that the words that resonated with her the most included ‘we are good, we are safe’, and ‘right here, right now, we are safe’. Those words became mantras, words that allowed her to anchor herself to a secure place so that she felt comfortable moving forward.

We worked methodically and diligently, tapping first on her guilt around having a C-section. Ultimately Janie reached a point where she felt calm and peaceful talking about it. Most importantly, she felt self acceptance. She acknowledged the need to be more kind and loving to herself and that the most important thing above all else was to have a healthy baby, no matter what. She was able to fully accept - without guilt - that she was not able to have a vaginal birth. Her focus became her successful delivery of her beautiful, healthy little boy. It no longer mattered to her how it happened. Her perspective shifted and she felt peace.

This amazing transformation laid some very important groundwork. Through the process, Janie reported that she was feeling better - more calm, safe, and empowered. She told me that her anxiety was coming up less and it was going away faster. The words she was using were different. She looked calmer and more peaceful. She was ready to look back and tell her birth story so that she could move on.

Tell the Story Technique

We snuck up, tip-toed even …into the beginning of the story, making sure she was feeling safe and comfortable. I used the EFT technique called ‘Tell the Story’. It worked magnificently. It took time. We did not rush. She talked through the story, one event at a time, starting at a point when there was no intensity at all. She started the story on the evening of her first contractions. As we moved forward we tapped when there was intensity - sometimes one round, sometimes multiple rounds. We kept hitting pause and rewind so that she could tell it again, comfortably, and with ease. Those words gave her comfort ‘Right here right now we are safe’ - and the energy of those words moved into her mind, her nervous system and her baby, as she worked with her hand on her belly. Moving through each peak felt like slowly climbing a mountain - challenging, tiring, yet so profoundly rewarding to get to the top.

We were diligent and thorough. We tested and tested again.  At one point she said she still had some ‘residue’ of fear. We worked more until that residue was completely gone.

And, after all of that work, Janie was able to tell the entire story calmly and peacefully … with no peaks of emotion - a story of facts and observations. It was an unemotional narrative that she could move through unencumbered. This act of clearing allowed her to imagine herself going into the hospital empowered and excited to meet her healthy baby. There was no attachment to a vaginal birth, there was no fear about the past experience. She was ready, she was at peace. We worked on visualizing her trip to the hospital, working with her team, feeling strong, calm, capable and empowered. I made her a recording so that she could reinforce that vision every day until she gave birth.

Leading up to the birth

Her texts leading up to her birth tell the rest of the story :

Sunday : Text to me

"Just wanted to send an update …still pregnant. Considering a scheduled C-section. Not from a place of fear but from a place of self love and empowerment. Will see how Tuesday’s checkup goes."

Tuesday: Text to me

"Just got out .. this boy is too comfy.. Cervix still closed. Nixed induction, gut call, feel very confident about it … have C-section scheduled for Thursday."

Wednesday : Text to me

"It’s not my first choice (C-section). But it’s the best choice at this point. And it will be beautiful. And I deeply and completely love and accept myself."

Thursday: Group text right after the birth

“Healthy happy baby and momma. It was a beautiful and empowering birthing experience. Total 180 from the last time.”

Janie's journey was amazing … she became a calm, peaceful and empowered mother, giving birth to love, self-acceptance, and a precious, perfect, and peaceful baby. EFT and it's profound mind/body connection was an incredible and powerful tool to facilitate her unforgettable healing journey.

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Written by Jennie Warner, an accredited and certified EFT Practitioner

Photo by Gabriel Tovar on Unsplash