When Fi Star-Stone tweeted her way through the birth of her son in September this year, she caused a media storm. The mother of two, from Staffordshire in the English Midlands, runs a childcare advice website, Childcare Is Fun, and wanted to share her positive home-birth experience with followers of her site, maintaining that sharing the event on Twitter was a distraction that helped her cope with the pain of childbirth. She isn't alone in her assertion; there are many who advocate that pain, even the pain of childbirth, can be alleviated by mind over matter, and that women can have a pain-free and drug-free labour.
HypnoBirthing is a method of birthing pioneered by Marie Mongan in the US. She teaches that pain is primarily caused by fear and anxiety and if you can eliminate these two elements by using self-hypnosis, you can have a pain-free birth. HypnoBirthing is gaining in popularity and there are now practitioners in 34 countries around the world.
Self-hypnosis does not mean entering a trance and being unconscious of your actions, as Jasmine Collins, a certified HypnoBirthing practitioner based in Dubai, explains. "HypnoBirthing involves really deep relaxation, where you take yourself off somewhere else mentally. We do this every day: when we are day dreaming or deeply engrossed in a book, it's that same hypnotic state."
During the five-week course, expectant mothers and their partners are taught several different "scripts" to help them self-hypnotise into a state of deep relaxation. Women are also taught breathing and visualisation techniques so that rather than bearing down when they come to deliver, they are instead "breathing the baby out". This deep breathing and visualisation is "so much more effective than pushing" explains jasmine. "You never hold your breath. That way the mum is getting enough oxygen so she doesn't get so worn out and the baby is getting enough oxygen too."
Jasmine used the HypnoBirthing method during the birth of her second child last December. "I have a new-found respect for my body," she says of the technique: "We don't teach you anything your body doesn't know already. We eliminate fears and anxiety you may have around the birth and give you confidence in your own abilities."
Melissa Barry, an American who has lived in Abu Dhabi for just under a year, explains that she was very concerned about the birth of her first child, due next month. "I was really anxious, I wanted to have the baby at home in the US and have a home-birth, but it all got so complicated."
Instead, Melissa, a yoga instructor, decided to take up the HypnoBirthing course after meeting Jasmine, and is now feeling prepared and happy with having her baby in Abu Dhabi. "I feel really fortunate. I have new skills from Jasmine to blend in with the skills I have from yoga and my work as a doula [birth companion]. I have reserves to help deal with the pain and I feel really comfortable with it now. The last birth I attended as a doula, the mother used hypnobirthing techniques and it was the calmest and most serene birth I have attended."
Jasmine believes HypnoBirthing can be very empowering for women, from being in-tune with their bodies to being informed about their choices. "We teach them how to ask questions about what is suggested. Rather than feeling railroaded into something, this gives them the power to make choices about the birth."
While the technique advocates a birthing method that should make pain-relieving drugs unnecessary, it is not wholly against the use of drugs. "It's not a case of, if you've had an epidural then you've failed in some way," explains Jasmine. "It's more whether it is your choice or not. It's about having the most positive experience you can through being in control, making informed decisions and having the tools and techniques to relax and let your body get on with what it's designed to do."
Alysha St Germain, who has lived in Abu Dhabi for nearly two years, heard about HypnoBirthing from an online forum. As the birth of her first child in her native US hadn't gone entirely to plan, she is hoping for a different, more natural birth when her second child is born next month.
"My daughter's birth was a bit traumatic, and not exactly what we had hoped for, although we did come out with a beautiful baby. I didn't speak up for myself; I felt I had to listen to the doctors no matter what they said because they were the professionals, rather than listen to my own body. It was hard to focus during the delivery; there was so much intervention. It wasn't a peaceful and relaxing experience."
Medical research confirms that hypnosis techniques can really work to reduce pain. Dr Tarek Ansari is the head of the Department of Anaesthesia at Al Corniche Hospital in Abu Dhabi, which handles around 10,000 deliveries a year.
He explains: "Acupuncture and hypnosis are two of the non-pharmacological pain-relief methods that have been shown to actually work, in that they reduce the need for pharmacological intervention. Women might still use drugs, or even an epidural, but they might require lower doses or have the drugs given less frequently."
Dr Ansari explains that we can use our minds to control the pain we feel. "The psychological component of pain can affect the way we perceive pain," he says. "Pain may be exaggerated because of a negative psychological experience." Physiologically too, hypnosis can help us deal with pain by stimulating the release of helpful hormones, as Dr Ansari explains. "Exercise, massage and hypnosis can help release endorphins and reduce the transmission of pain signals in the body."
Conventional pharmacological pain relief such as pethidine and Entonox can affect the baby and an epidural necessitates monitoring the mother during and after the birth. However, Dr Ansari states, some form of pain relief, whether by drugs or self-hypnosis techniques, is usually in the medical interests of both the mother and baby. Increased maternal heart rates, blood pressure and breathing as a result of experiencing intense pain can diminish the amount of oxygen the baby receives.
Dr Ansari recommends that women keep an open mind when they enter the delivery room. "Not only is each woman's perception and feeling of pain different, but those perceptions can change very fast in a dynamic situation such as labour. It's normal to reassess the situation and go in another direction, as long as the mother is comfortable and the baby is OK. The main objective is to have a healthy mother and a healthy baby."
Alysha explains that, thanks to the skills she has learnt on the course, she is much more positive about her impending labour. "When I first started the class I was very, very anxious," she says. "Now, I just feel at ease. Ready, relaxed and confident in my body and what it can do. It's changed my mind a lot."
For more information contact Jasmine.strutt@yahoo.co.uk and the HypnoBirthing website www.hypnobirthing.com
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
The%20specs
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Zodi%20%26%20Tehu%3A%20Princes%20Of%20The%20Desert
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
TOP 5 DRIVERS 2019
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 10 wins 387 points
2 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes, 4 wins, 314 points
3 Max Verstappen, Red Bull, 3 wins, 260 points
4 Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2 wins, 249 points
5 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari, 1 win, 230 points
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
