"The birth of a baby is the birth of family. Women become mothers, husbands become fathers, daughters become sisters and sons become brothers. One birth ripples through generations, creating subtle shifts and rearrangements in the family web. The first year following the birth of a child is a time of great, and often underestimated, adjustment."
__________Gayle Peterson, An Easier Childbirth

Pregnancy is an emotional and psychological as well as physiological transformation. Your own past birth and childbirth experience and your concerns about becoming a mother for the first time, or adding another child to your family, can influence your ability to relax during labor and delivery. Medical research has shown that addressing pertinent concerns related to your emotional experience of family relationships and childbirth during your pregnancy contributes to a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

This program consists of 4 counseling sessions in the Peterson method to address emotional changes of this period in a woman's life and realistically prepare for labor. The Peterson method utilizes a body-centered approach for actively coping with labor, and light hypnosis and active visualization for imprinting the body with the sensation of labor. Personalized suggestions that resolve your particular concerns are an important part of the individualized preparation.

Birth is a significant experience in family life and in a woman's development. Research shows that how a woman experiences childbirth impacts her feelings of self-esteem and confidence as a mother. Women need and deserve emotional support services during pregnancy and the early years of mothering. The following special needs often surface during this time and can be addressed in counseling: