Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Doing the Work

When I start something new, I want the end result immediately. It is hard to believe that anything will make a difference and my fear of failure often leads me to lose interest and not "do the work" necessary to achieve the development of a new skill or goal. However, when I really set my mind to something and do the work, it is amazing how well it actually works.

I am applying this commitment to two pregnancy projects: exercise and Hypnobabies. I have been exercising almost everyday since my earlier exercise goals post. I am naturally thin without working out, so the motivation to do it is not that strong. It is hard to believe that it will make a difference. I do need to workout for stress reduction and strengthening, though. It is also good for better fetal positioning and I do not want another positioning problem that prevents a vaginal delivery. I need to build my endurance and after this delivery, I need to keep exercising so I can get into good shape instead of thin, yet, flabby. I have decided that there are enough benefits to exercise that I just need to do it. I am a little afraid that it won;t make a difference, that I will have another breech baby or transverse or posterior or something anyway because it happened last time, but I am exercising anyway because it has definite benefits and will give me the best chance for good positioning. The mental stuff will be dealt with by Hypnobabies.

Due to my husband's crazy travel schedule, we were not able to do the Hypnobirthing class here in Seoul. Fortunately, I found the Hypnobabies homestudy course which has two advantages over Hypnobirthing: we can do it on our own time in our own home and it is designed so that it can be used without the birth partner. Since I am going back to the States for the last few months of my pregnancy, I need something I can do by myself, especially in the event that I go early and Curt doesn't get back in time.

Reading testimonials, it seems that these programs work better for some than others. The difference: doing the work and choosing to use it during the birthing. Those who followed the program as instructed and practiced daily as instructed, had a lot more success than those who didn't. Though, it seems that even those who didn't follow it exactly or practice as much as they should have, did benefit from it. Also, the people who used the scripts during birthing had a lot more success than those who didn't. Seems simple enough, but not everyone chooses to use it or use it the whole time. Sometimes something unexpected happens which throws the mom off and she doesn't let the program get her back on track (or doesn't have it with her).

So, I will choose to commit to this program, to do the work, to use it and expect the best.

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