When worries around pregnancy and birth are hovering around the edges of your mind, it can make it harder to feel joy and peace as you get closer to meeting your baby. But they don't have to consume you, or even control you. In fact, you have the power to make these worries go away before the birth day arrives.

First Step is Awareness

The easiest first step is creating awareness around your worries. Sometimes it takes a minute to realize that we are actually feeling something other than "neutral". Focus on your body, what sensations are coming up for you? Where does your mind wander when things get quiet?

Start to recognize when your body and mind are holding onto something that doesn't feel good or peaceful. When you notice this, you can even ask yourself, "what am I feeling? What am I worried about?"

Take These Worries Through Neuro Emotional Technique

Once you recognize what it is that is controlling your thoughts or your body, you can use Neuro Emotional Technique to release them from your body.

Here's how it works:

• Pick a worry, fear, stress, or uncomfortable sensation in the body
• Bring it to your NET session where we will create a neutral statement around the worry
  • For example: if the worry is around labor starting past your due date, the statement might be "I'm ok with baby arriving when they are ready."
• We will use NET to determine what specific emotion this stressor triggers in your body (fear, resentment, shame, etc.)
• Continuing with NET protocol, we'll figure out the root of where this stressor + emotion combo came from
• Then process this feeling, leaving your body and mind feeling more at peace and less worried

Releasing Worries Can Change Everything

When we are able to give our feelings the attention they deserve, we are able to let go of the grip they have within the body. Neuro Emotional Technique isn't asking us to wallow in our fears and worrys. Instead, we use this technique to get to the bottom of what the fears and worries are trying to tell us. By doing so, we release the charge or control they have and they no longer bother us.

This allows a mother during pregnancy to approach her birth less fears, less stress, and feeling like there is less out of her control. And because a woman needs to feel safe to have a smooth and healthy birth, releasing these stressors before the birth could change everything for her and her baby.

Dr. Becca Keyes practices Neuro Emotional Technique in Cincinnati, OH. You can find someone near you at netmindbody.com.