Relaxed Birth app for iPhone and iPad

Towards Birth Pregnancy Relaxation is an app that has been specifically designed for pregnant women, to promote a sense of relaxation, well-being and empowerment in the lead up to their baby’s birth.

Practicing relaxation regularly throughout your pregnancy and using positive affirmations or statements about your upcoming birth may assist in a reduction of stress and help to counter the negative effects of ‘fight or flight’ hormones such as adrenaline. It may help you to build confidence in your ability to embrace your birth and allow you to focus on the approaching experience in a positive, empowering and enjoyable way, thereby promoting a wonderful environment for both you and your baby.

Benefits of using the app may include:
• Increased feelings of positivity in the lead-up to birth
• Experiencing regular relaxation during pregnancy
• Preparing your mind for birth
• Connecting with your baby
• Increased feelings of empowerment and confidence

Towards Birth Pregnancy Preparation features the following audios:

• A guided relaxation that prepares the mind and body during pregnancy and which also explores the use of powerful visualisations and mental images. Take a journey over the rainbow bridge, discovering your amazing inner qualities and connecting with your baby in a deep and positive way.

• A series of over 70 spoken positive birth affirmations, with pauses between each statement to allow you to repeat the phrase aloud or in your mind in a manner relating specifically to yourself and your circumstances. This technique of repeating the phrase is used to resonate within the subconscious part of the mind and it is believed to deepen the memory of the affirmation within the neurological pathways in the brain. Set to beautifully hypnotic music, allow yourself to relax into a peaceful state, focusing your awareness in a positive way on your inner strengths.

Relaxation techniques have been known to bring about a wide range of health benefits in pregnancy. These can include the lowering of your blood pressure and metabolic rate, slowing your heart rate and producing a wide range of positive hormonal releases in your body that can help to bring about a sense of balance and harmony. These wonderful hormones can also be passed through to your baby, promoting healthy growth and development, as well as bonding and connection during the prenatal period. These positive physical changes in the body can also assist in a mothers’ mental preparedness during pregnancy, influencing how she feels about the upcoming birth and changes that are occurring in her life. A range of studies have also shown that practicing relaxation techniques and using visualisations and positive statements or affirmations may also impact on such things as the length of a woman’s labour, how she experiences the strong sensations of labour, the release of her natural birth hormones and the outcome of her birth.

The “fight or flight” response in pregnant women is normally triggered when a woman experiences elevated levels of stress, fear, frustration and anxiety and it can elicit the release of hormones that can be transferred to a baby during pregnancy. Common triggers that may bring about such a release during pregnancy include; fearful thoughts, hearing negative birth stories, concerns about the unknown related to giving birth or impending motherhood, worries about the pain of labour and childbirth, or how labour and birth will unfold for them are some examples.