Can EFT Tapping Ensure A Healthy Pregnancy?

EFT Tapping for a healthy pregnancy

Having a baby on the way is one of life's biggest joys for any family. But the transition from to-be parents to parents can often be stressful due to pregnancy complications. In this blog, you will learn more about pregnancy and how EFT Tapping technique is useful so that your transition to parenthood gets easier.

Bringing a child into this world is one of the most beautiful and rewarding experiences. Every woman wants to savour the joy of motherhood whether pregnant or not. And all a pregnant mom wants is to hold a healthy baby in her arms at the end of her pregnancy.

Being pregnant is all about a giving birth to another soul, who then becomes your entire life.

However, the journey from conception to delivery is exceptionally long and definitely arduous, spanning across 9 entire months. In addition, the excitement of pregnancy is often accompanied by many physical discomforts.

As an expecting mother your anxiety can go through the roof with the layers of worry and physical distress that work together to trigger your pregnancy troubles, also known as complications.

These complications sometimes occur in the form of health problems involving not only your health as the pregnant mother, but at times also the health of your baby. This is something that every expecting mother wants to avoid.

Though you may not be able to avoid health issues altogether, there are recommended ways that you can manage some of the common pregnancy complications that you may face.

EFT Tapping Technique For A Healthy Pregnancy

WHAT IS PREGNANCY?

Pregnancy is the term used to describe the period in which a foetus develops inside a woman's uterus or womb.

A full-term human pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks from the last menstrual period of the pregnant mother till the delivery of the baby.

Here are the common signs of pregnancy that you may notice before taking a pregnancy test:

Missed period
Vomiting/nausea
Heartburn
Headaches
Spotting or implantation bleeding
Cramps
Back pain
Insomnia
Acne
Weight gain

The period of pregnancy is a delightful and exciting span of nine months. Your loved ones shower you with blessings, and spoil you with lavish food and attention. While they are busy fussing over you around the clock, all the while an adorable, tiny human is slowly developing inside you.

There will be a flutter and an accelerated heartbeat when this baby human gives away signs of growth in you. You will get startled, yet thrilled, when you feel the baby as it starts kicking inside your womb. You will run to baby stores to buy the latest cute outfits and baby items, resulting in a tiring yet beautiful experience of early parenthood.

TRIMESTERS OF PREGNANCY

A pregnancy is divided into three segments called trimesters. Each trimester includes some common symptoms that accompany the foetal development milestones.

First trimester (0 to 13 weeks)

The first trimester of pregnancy begins in week 1 and runs through week 13. In this phase of pregnancy, you as a pregnant mother may face morning sickness with nausea and vomiting, and sometimes during the day as well. Other symptoms of pregnancy during the first trimester include:

Feeling tired
Becoming sensitive to certain smells
Craving particular types of food items
Experiencing swollen or tender breasts
Urinating or peeing more frequently than usual

Heartburn, minor aches and pains are some of the common discomforts faced during the first trimester. However, pain with urination, vaginal bleeding and abdominal pain are not to be taken lightly. In these cases, consulting your gynecologist is firmly advisable.

Second trimester (14 to 26 weeks)

The second trimester of pregnancy begins in week 14 and lasts till week 26. This is the phase in which pregnancy feels more ‘real.’ By the beginning of this trimester, most foetuses will have grown to about the size of a lemon, approximately 3 inches long.

During this trimester, you will gain a noticeable amount of weight. Following are the common discomforts associated with the second trimester of pregnancy:

Nasal congestion
Dizzy spells
Leg cramps
Groin pain
Backaches

Some pregnant women have also begun to develop dark patches on the skin of their abdomen or face. These spots usually fade after giving birth.

During week 18, your baby will be approximately 8.5 inches, as large as a sweet potato. Facial features such as eyebrows, eyelashes, ears and eyelids will be formed. This week, your baby will be able to hear sounds and may begin to respond to them in the coming weeks. Therefore, you may finally begin to feel movements inside your growing body.

At this stage of pregnancy, a healthcare professional can often tell the gender of the foetus with a fair degree of certainty.

By the end of this trimester, your baby will have well-defined fingers and toes. Interestingly, your baby will know how to yawn and suck and may try this skill by sucking on their thumb by the end of the second trimester.

Third trimester (27 to 40 weeks)

The third trimester of pregnancy begins in week 27 and lasts until the person gives birth until around week 40.

In the last trimester of pregnancy, the foetus grows rapidly. The typical weight gain by you as a mother is 13 to 18 kilograms, or 30 to 40 pounds. You will notice regular foetal movement as your baby will be developing each week.

As the uterus stretches even further to accommodate the growing foetus, this phase may cause some discomfort to you. The common discomforts associated with the third trimester of pregnancy are:

Increasing maternal size
More pressure in your ribs
Shortness of breath
Heartburn
Urinary incontinence
Sleeping problems
Pain in abdomen

Consult your gynaecologist in case the pain you experience in the abdomen feels abnormal.

Finally, you will have strong and regular contractions and then your water breaks, which will indicate that your labour has begun. Once in labour, your healthcare professional will determine the mode of delivery in consultation with you. You will give birth to a child either through the vaginal birth mode or a C-section.

During vaginal birth, your uterus contracts to push the baby out through the cervix. The baby goes down the vaginal canal and finally makes its way to the world through the vaginal opening.
If a vaginal birth is not what is best for you and your baby, a Caesarean section (C-section) is suggested. A C-section is a surgery during which the baby is taken out through your abdomen.

Once the baby is born, the umbilical cord is cut, separating the baby from you for the very first time. This process will neither hurt you nor your baby. Eventually, the place where the umbilical cord was attached to your baby will become its belly button.

PRETERM BIRTH

Preterm birth, also known as premature birth, is the birth that takes place more than three weeks before a baby was estimated to be born. As shared before, a normal pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks. Therefore, a birth that occurs before the 37^th week of pregnancy is considered premature.

The final weeks, which are the 34 to 37^th week,are crucial for a human foetus in the mother’s womb as the full development of several organ systems including the brain and the lungs take place. Therefore, a normal human foetus reaches adequate maturity at the end of this period (third trimester).

Premature infants may face difficulties in breathing and have other related hindrances in their growth and development. This is why premature babies spend the first days of their lives on ventilators.

The complications associated with preterm babies vary. But the earlier the baby comes, the higher the risk of complications.

Following are the factors associated with a woman going into labour early and giving a premature birth:

A previous premature birth
Diabetes
Kidney disease
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Poor nutrition intake before and during pregnancy
Smoking
Lower genital tract infections
Multiple miscarriages or abortions
Physical injury
Domestic abuse
Trauma
Psychological stress such as the death of a loved one

Given below are the symptoms of a preterm birth:

Abnormal uterine contractions in a single hour
Vaginal bleeding in the third trimester
Heavy pressure in the pelvis
Abdominal or back pain
A watery discharge from the vagina indicating premature rupture of the membrane surrounding the baby

Consulting your gynaecologist is highly suggested when you notice any of these symptoms. Doctors often try to prevent a preterm birth through certain medications. But if premature labour cannot be stopped and there is a need for the baby to be delivered early, a high-risk birth is incoming.

HOW TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF COMPLICATIONS AND PRETERM BIRTH?

A child is at high risk when the birthing process has complications attached to it. These may include issues with breathing, hearing, vision and learning.

Stress and hidden stress triggers play a crucial role in determining the birth outcome of your child. Lack of emotional support in the life of a mother is another cause. To worsen it all, overthinking is undeniable in this phase when your brain is constantly busy churning out all kinds of unwanted thoughts.

Most of these triggers are pre-existing even before pregnancy. They are only triggered during the pregnancy phase as caused by overthinking.

As a pregnant mother, your only prayer at this stage would be to have a healthy pregnancy. What you need to know is that maternal health determines the well-being of children.

When maternal health is caught up in the vicious cycle of ill-health (physical as well as mental), pregnancy-related complications are observed.

Akin to how a healthy mother calls for a healthy child, a healthy child needs a healthy mother. A safe delivery calls for a physically focussed and emotionally prepared mother for what awaits her during the birthing process.

There is a technique that can remove worry or anxiety to address the pressing issues of a pregnant mother. It is called Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT). Humans have known the healing properties of this technique for over 5000 years.

WHAT IS EFT TAPPING TECHNIQUE (EFT)?

Emotional Freedom Techniques, also known as EFT Tapping, is based on the combination of ancient Chinese medicine with modern psychology. This involves tapping on specific pressure points using fingertips while speaking out statements in order to clear negative emotions and pent-up feelings.

The common acupuncture points used in the EFT Tapping technique are as follows:

Karate chop point on the hand
Eyebrow
Temple
Under the nose
Chin
Collarbone
Under the arm

For those new to the concept of EFT, if you would like to experience the power of EFT Tapping first hand, just download the EFT Tapping booklet below.

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EFT Tapping technique is adopted by people to experience a change in their energy. When tapping on the meridian points and saying out statements aloud, you begin to unpeel layers of anxiety and physical distress. In your own time, you will both feel comforted and empowered as EFT Tapping helps you reconnect with the baby in your womb. What you will feel further is similar to returning to a place of love.

EFT TAPPING FOR A HEALTHY PREGNANCY

If you are a pregnant mother yourself, or healing a client, use the following steps:

Step 1:

First, use EFT tapping on what it feels like to be pregnant.

This step involves exploring the physical sensations in the body associated with pregnancy distress and using the physical tension tapping process to reduce those sensations.

To get started, begin by investigating what it feels like to be pregnant.

Ask yourself the following questions to uncover pregnancy distress and connect with the symptoms:

What has been going on in your life lately?
How does it feel to be pregnant?
How does giving birth to a child make you feel?
What negative beliefs does pregnancy trigger in you?
What makes you anxious about pregnancy?
What are you really fearing?

Now, bring into your awareness, a time when you felt your pregnancy fears were at their peak. Briefly, you can also ask yourself the following questions to explore further:

What triggered your fears the most?
Where in the body did you experience the pain triggered by pregnancy distress?
What is the colour, texture, size, and shape of the pain triggered by pregnancy distress?
What are the sensations like? For example, rough or smooth.

Measure using a scale:

Measure the level of pregnancy distress using a truth scale rating by asking, "What number is the pregnancy anxiety (fear or worry) at, where 10 is really high and 1 is not high at all."

Just, go with whatever number comes up spontaneously, without thinking too much about it.

Tap on the belief:

Tap on the presenting limiting belief and emotions to bring the number down till it feels manageable; or down by at least 1 point.

Tap on the events:

Identify reinforcing events as well as previous related events by asking,

“When have you felt like this before?”
"Why were you so scared to give birth?"
“Why do you think it will be a difficult labour?”

Root memory:

Get to a root memory of pregnancy distress. Ask yourself these questions:

“When have you felt like this before?”
“When else?”
“When was the very first time?”
“How old were you?”
“What was painful about this memory?”
“What else was happening?”

With this question, you have uncovered a memory of difficult labour along with the series of memories associated with the feeling of being pregnant.

"Even though I feel painful and I feel it in my chest and it's at a number 6 and it's red in colour and it feels rough, I deeply and completely love and accept myself."

Initial incident:

Tap with the initial incident and bring the number down. Begin tapping on the Karate Chop and say:

“Even though I have this ..... (incident/event/ memory name) and I can feel it in my ..... (location) and it is a ..... on 10 (1,2,3 etc. on 10) and it makes me feel ..... (name of feeling or sensation) right here at ..... (part of the body where the feeling or sensation is), I deeply love and accept myself.”

For example,

“Even though that painful memory has resurfaced and I feel terrified of going through a difficult labour, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Repeat this three times.

Now, tap on the facial and upper body points using the reminder phrases while saying the reminder phrases out loud:

Eyebrow: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
Side of the Eye: Number ..... (SUDs)
Under the Eye: So ..... (feeling or sensation)
Under the Nose: Makes me feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
Chin: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
Collarbone: It makes me feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
Thumb: I just feel so ..... (feeling or sensation)
Index Finger: In the ..... (location)
Middle Finger: This ..... (incident/event/memory name)
Little Finger: So ..... (feeling or sensation)

Close the sequence:

Close the sequence by coming back to the EFT Karate Chop tapping points and repeat once,

“Even though that painful memory has resurfaced, and I feel terrified of going through a difficult labour, I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”

Relax:

Take a gentle breath in and out and take a sip of water.

Test:

At the end of the EFT tapping sequence, ask yourself the following questions to test the original limiting belief:

What number is the pain at?
What happens when you think of pregnancy now?
How does being pregnant make you feel?
How does that memory make you feel?

You will notice a cognitive shift. If it has reduced to a level that you feel happy with, you can stop. Otherwise, you can repeat this process by going back to Step 1.

Step 2:

Argumentative tapping

Use argument tapping to clean up any remaining conflict with the belief. These can even be a result of unconscious thoughts that are preventing you from growing.

For example,

From "Yes, I am a failure" to "No, I am not a failure."
From "Something bad is going to happen" to "Everything is going to be ok."
From "It is not safe" to "I am safe now."
From "No, how can I give birth to a child" to "Yes, I would love to be a mother."

Follow the tapping sequence after this.

Step 3:

Close each session with positive tapping.

Ask the client (or yourself) what they choose for themselves and tap with statements like" "I am open to the possibility" and "I choose."

Examples of positive tapping sequences are:

“Even though it is really hard, and I am really worried about it, what if I could relax now.”
“Even though I get angry and overthink the idea of giving birth, I know it is going to be ok and it will get better.”
"Even though I feel anxious about being a mother and entering the new chapter of life, now I am open to letting it go and trust the Universe."
“Even though I fear something might go wrong, I am open to set myself free from pain and fears.”
“Even though I am scared of not being a good mother, I am ready to birth a new life and I choose to love and accept myself.”

Step 4:

Imagine the future

Get the client (or yourself as a pregnant mother) to imagine stepping into the future and notice how things are different when they are pregnant. These differences in the present situation and future situation will push them to overcome their fears and help give birth to a new life with a heart full of love and acceptance.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What are the possible themes with pregnancy?

The possible themes associated with pregnancy are as follows:

Fear of being a mother
Fear of losing the baby (Miscarriage)
Past birth traumas
If the father is absent - fears and worries about abandonment and being a single parent
Swollen hands and feet
Sore breast
Urination
Hormonal effects
Crying spells
Food cravings
Sleeping difficulties
High blood pressure
A breech baby birth position
The body dilating on its own
Fear of C-section

You have to note that you can work in the same way as working with any other issue but the themes might be different. Daily tapping homework might be quite nice to lower anxiety and stay calm.

2. What are the different tapping protocols to be followed for pregnancy trimesters?

There are different tapping protocols you need to follow for different trimesters. For example:

The first trimester - In this trimester you can use EFT Tapping technique for morning sickness, the risk of miscarriage, breast tenderness, frequent urination and nausea.
Second trimester - This is the golden period of pregnancy. Here you can use EFT for better sleep and flowing energy. Here you need the EFT Tapping technique for back pain, leg cramps, constipation, heartburn and abdominal pain.
Final trimester - In this trimester, the pregnant woman feels both excited and anxious at the same time. It will be right to use EFT for shortness of breath, haemorrhoids, urinary incontinence, varicose veins and sleep issues.
During birth – Yes, you can also use EFT Tapping technique during birth. Here, you may choose to work with pain, epidural, fear of the unknown, and pregnancy complications.

CONCLUSION

Every pregnancy is different; for there are different layers of worries and anxiety associated with it.

But as a doctor, having attended to many pregnant women in three decades, what I have always discovered about pregnancies is that a mother is twice as strong the moment she knows she is carrying a soul inside her.

As an instinct, to-be mothers will go to any lengths to ensure their safety and preserve the species breathing in them.

If you are a Practitioner, my suggestion for you is that stay mindful and tender. Treat all the triggers of your client individually. Step in gently and stay consistent in supporting them.

Finally, motherhood is Shakti power. Tapping into these spaces connects a mother back to her child.

As EFT tunes your body’s energy into a more positive flow, this is the time you help yourself (or your clients) choose between fighting back and winning it over.

Continue to learn and explore!

Love,

Dr Rangana Rupavi Choudhuri (PhD)

P.S. Want to discover if EFT is right for you? Book a complimentary Discovery call.

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In summary, every pregnancy is different. There are layers of associated physical distress, most of them existing before pregnancy. When medications fail to provide relief, astonishing results are brought forward by EFT Tapping technique. It brings into awareness all the deep-seated emotions and helps a to-be mother tap away all her worries and anxiety. With EFT, you stay physically focussed and emotionally prepared to cope with what awaits.

References:

Disclaimer: The information on this website is purely for educational purposes and does not in any way replace the requirement for medical and psychological diagnosis and treatment. Please seek professional medical and psychological diagnosis and advice for all medical and mental health conditions. It is advised to always book any consultations with qualified professionals.

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