Why pregnant people should NOT eat pineapple.

Ok, so that’s a bit of a sensationalist headline isn’t it?! But when you’re pregnant you are constantly bombarded with these messages of ‘you MUST do this’ or ‘whatever you do, DON’T do that!’ which can feel somewhat overwhelming and scary - who do you listen to?

This is why our course is carefully created from accurate, evidence based information, accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. But enough of that - what about the pineapple?

So there are many old wives tales about what you should and shouldn’t eat in pregnancy, and pineapple is often one that comes up.

It’s usually cited as something you should eat to help you go into labour, when I ask my clients which methods they have heard of for naturally inducing labour, pineapple, curry and sex are always top of the list.

Pineapple is thought to contain an enzyme called bromelain, which is known to stimulate the prostaglandins in the body which in turn soften the cervix. It is difficult to find any hard evidence on this, but it is widely believed that the bromelain is contained in the core of the pineapple, which needs to be fresh as the bromelain is lost in the canning process.

It is also widely believed that the levels of bromelain are low, meaning that you would need to eat approximately 7 fresh pineapple cores in order for it to work its magic!

So, it’s not looking great for pineapple to be a natural induction tool. However, what we ALSO know, is that in the last trimester of pregnancy, the bowel slows down a lot due to those pesky hormones - this can often lead to constipation and the awful haemorrhoids (piles) and so in fact eating lots of fresh fruit is really helpful for that.

In conclusion, if you really feel like eating 7 fresh pineapple cores there may just be a chance that it might soften your cervix a little, but it’s not going to do enough to warrant the awful indigestion and diarrhoea that will be involved in the process!

There are lots of other natural methods that we can use to safely help bring on labour, they are discussed in the Calm Births book here, or discussed on a course with any of our teachers.

Become a Hypnobirthing Teacher!

Are you a Midwife, former Midwife or experienced Doula? Or perhaps you are simply passionate about normal birth and empowering women? Are you looking for a way to make a living from teaching families how to achieve positive, calm births and see them get amazing results? 

Then join our team!!! 

I am so excited to share my Calm Births Course with new instructors, I have been teaching Hypnobirthing full time since leaving my role as a Midwife in the NHS in 2014. I have taught hundreds of families and have been utterly overwhelmed by the consistent positive births that are being achieved by them.  The Calm Births Course is a combination of essential practical tips and techniques for positive birth and Hypnotherapy techniques - think NCT meets Hypnobirthing and you'll have an idea.

If you would like to share this message and teach this practical, no nonsense course to families in your area and make a GOOD living from doing so then I will provide you with:

*Face to face training*

*Course Materials*

*Help & guidance in setting up and running your own business*

*Support designing & setting up your own website*

*A family of like-minded teachers like you*

*Regular meet-ups to help & support each other *

The great news is that you can earn £3k + per month teaching something that you love. YOU decide when you teach. YOU decide where you teach. YOU decide how you teach. YOU are your own boss, with the Calm Births family here to support you. 

Your course will include: 

An introduction to Hypnotherapy

Hypnobirthing origins and how it works

The Calm Births Course content

How to teach Hypnobirthing

An introduction on how to set up and market your business

You will leave your course with everything you need to feel like a Mum boss who can run her own Hypnobirthing business and be part of something amazing, changing the lives of families all around you. 

The investment for your training course is:

Midwives / Doulas / NCT Teachers : 3 day course from 9.30am to 1.30pm, £899

Existing Hypnobirthing Teachers: 1 day course from 9.30am to 1.30pm, £499

If you are new to birth education, an extra online course will be required before the full 3 day training - the cost in total will be £1350.

If you would like to find out more or bagsy yourself a place on a teacher training course have a look here for more info, or please email: hannah@calmbirths.uk.

I can't WAIT to work with you! 

xx

But I have a Toddler - how can I find time to do Hypnobirthing??!

So you have a two year old, you're pregnant with your second, and it's really, REALLY tiring. Remember the first time around when you could just nap when you needed to and maternity leave meant vegging on the sofa eating Haribo, watching daytime TV? Not so much the second time round and it's really bloody hard right? And then there's me telling you that you need to find time to relax? And you think 'really lady?!!'. 

Calm Births Hypnobirthing

I know lovely, I've been there too - when I was pregnant with my third baby, I was dealing with a 3 year old and a 2 year old and, quite frankly, it sucked a lot of the time. I was just permanently knackered and they were just permanently crazy. It was relentless. I literally forgot I was pregnant for a lot of the first two trimesters - one memorable occasion a lady at a toddler group asked me when I was due, and I actually asked her 'when's what due?' She must've thought I was batsh*t crazy as five seconds later I remembered I was pregnant and told her when I was due.  BUT. I knew that I had to do something, I knew that I had to make time for this poor little baby who hadn't asked to be the third down in the pecking order. I knew how important it was to create space, time and love just for him or her.

And so this is how I know that it can be done - you just have to be a bit more flexible with it. In my continuing experience a lot of the relaxation techniques are actually massively beneficial for parenting too. When the children are going crazy and you're feeling the stress rise up, you have the tools and techniques to make you feel calm - and by practising this you are giving your baby some chill time and love too. Win-Win!!! 

When pregnant with second (or subsequent) baby you often just need to fall into bed at 8pm, but there's nothing stopping you falling into bed plugged in to your Relaxation audio, and falling asleep to the positive self hypnosis tracks. 

I KNOW it's difficult, but I also know that it is so worth it and you and this little baby will benefit so much from you just squeezing in any relaxation practice that you can each day. You deserve it, and this little one does too. 

There are some really interesting studies around how what we do during pregnancy shapes who are babies become. There's a wonderful TED talk here, where a scientist explains several studies that have been undertaken which have determined that our babies whole brain structure is altered according to our behaviours during pregnancy! For example how we eat determines how their metabolism is formed, if they perceive that they are coming into a world of scarcity because Mummy isn't eating much, then their body will form so that they store calories when they eat to keep them going for longer. Amazing right?

I tell you this not to terrify you, but to remind you of how important it is to care for yourself, and to just take any minutes you can to sit quietly with your bump and relax each day.  Many of the relaxation and breathing techniques we learn in Hypnobirthing can be done whilst sitting with a toddler who's playing. Your toddler will just think you're Supermum being all calm and chilled - and I can pretty much guarantee you'll notice a change in their behaviour too. 

In practical terms, a Hypnobirthing course is 5 sessions - so this means either finding a babysitter for 5 two hour slots, or having the classes privately in your home after your other child or children are in bed. It is achievable, and it is definitely worth it, I promise you!