ABSTRACT
The baby’s, child’s and adult’s stress thermometer seems to be calibrated in the womb. Education in pregnancy is an opportunity for mothers to acquire relaxation skills which will help them provide a calm intra-uterine environment for their unborn baby, manage the intensity of contractions during labour and cope with the stresses of new parenthood. Relaxation training is central to several evidence-based parent education programmes, such as Baby Steps, Mellow Bumps, Hypnobirthing and Mindfulness-Based Birth and Parent Education. Rushing into a parent education session at the last minute, and being disorganised and flustered, sends out messages that undermine what she or he is trying to convey about the importance of relaxation. The educator’s task is to raise each individual’s awareness of her or his own breathing pattern, and of how their in-breath and their out-breath are rhythmical and balanced.
