Where to go from here

So, Marsha commented that she would like to know more about HypnoBirthing when preggers...what about now? And what would others like to know?
When I taught childbirth classes in one specific hospital, I was all geeked about the wonders I could share. I went in, not teaching HypnoBirthing (because that's not what I was hired to teach...no money for the facility if women give birth quickly without drugs), but teaching 'prepared childbirth' from a HB paradigm.
After a few classes, I realized something just wasn't clicking. So, I designed an 'objectives' form that I had classes fill out ahead of time. Here I wanted to teach the empowerment of a drug free, quick, often painless birth. All the mothers wanted to learn was 'how to breathe'...as if they hadn't been doing it their whole lives. All the fathers wanted to learn was how to escape this class.
So, what do women want?

Where to start?

So, my friend and I were talking about all of the 'birth shows' that are cropping up. These seem to be huge as everyone in our classes are watching them. And we were trying to figure out why. I mean, what these shows depict may be presented as 'what to expect'...but they are only scaring the hooey out of women and setting them up for very disappointing...and dangerous...experiences. Why would anyone settle for being told what to expect instead of being told that they can expect so much better?
For instance, there are far more complications and surgical births represented in these shows than occur in reality, which in itself is far too many. This leads women to believe that birth is incredibly dangerous. Interventions might be accepted that aren't supported by evidence, which, ironically, leads to the very dangers women might wish to avoid. Even wonderful, painless HypnoBirths and complication free homebirths have been edited to highlight 'dramatic' bits and downplay the more positive and perhaps 'boring' parts.
It seems so counter-intuitive that women actually want to be scared half to death during the most joyous event in their lives that I've spent countless sleepless nights trying to figure out how to help women get the births they say they want...safe, with less fear.
While I've made some progress, I admit sometimes I'm still clueless as to how to create larger and lasting change. For instance, I had one client who had a painess HypnoBirthing and shared it with her Mothers-of-Toddlers group. Some of the group members were actually MAD at her for her wonderful birth story! She offered to have me come and tell them how they could have births like hers, and they declined. Other mothers with wonderful births have been accused of lying about their experiences! What is THAT about?