Today we’d like to introduce you to LaKiesha Pham.
LaKiesha, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Hello, and thank you so much for this opportunity to tell my story. In September 2017, my husband Hien Pham, and I got married in the middle of Hurricane Harvey. We had a small wedding in the living room of our new home. That December I found out that we were pregnant and we were so excited! Unbelievably excited! The same week that my pregnancy was confirmed I unfortunately started the process of a miscarriage. We planned to announce our pregnancy on Christmas to our families but instead I was getting confirmation that it was indeed a miscarriage. The treatment I received at the hospital was very cold. I remember being told that I was 1 out of 4 women to have a miscarriage and that I could try again. There was no council in that moment and I had a hard time processing what had just happened. In March of 2018 we were pregnant again and I decided to go to a birth center and use a midwife instead of a doctor. The amount of attention, care and support I received was so much better than my previous hospital experience. Unfortunately, we loss this baby to something called a “chemical pregnancy”. Some call it a miscarriage while others say it’s a loss but for me, the label didn’t matter. I still felt the emotional hurt of losing another baby. Third times a charm, right? My husband and I found out in August 2018 that we were pregnant again! All the thoughts of “will I lose this baby” came flooding back but our faith in God kept us grounded. We believe God is in control of everything and since we don’t know what will happen in the future we will do everything in our power to celebrate the present. So while pregnant, we celebrated every moment that we had with our baby. Faith over Fear! I knew that I wanted a natural childbirth with the same midwife I had previously. I knew I had to prepare my mind because everything around me i.e.; television, movies and people in general were telling me how scary birth was.
I used to run half marathons, something I never thought I would ever do and I remembered how important your mental state is along with your physical state in order to safely run the race. I started to research natural birth classes and came across HypnoBirthing®-The Morgan Method. I took the five classes every Saturday with my husband and we felt so prepared to have the home water birth that I wanted. When the big day arrived, I was actually excited! I wasn’t scared or worried about the “what ifs”. I was ready. Our beautiful son Benjamin was born naturally and peacefully at 3:47am on May 3, 2019 in the same living room that we got married in and the same living room that we just celebrated his first birthday in! That summer I decided to resign from being a public-school teacher and become a stay at home mom.
It still amazes me how great my birth experience was; because of this, I developed a strong desire to help and support other moms along their birth journey. I created Intuitive Birth Education in November 2019 and began the process of getting my HypnoBirthing® – The Mongan Method Educator certification from the HypnoBirthing® International Institute.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
So far, the road has been pretty smooth since receiving my certificate. Not easy, but smooth. My desire to help empower other mothers drives me to work hard as a birth educator. I had to learn the business side quickly when it comes to owning my own company. For the past ten years when I was a public school teacher I had to focus on my lessons and the students but now I also have to think about running a business too. It’s a whole new world of understanding but totally worth it!
Please tell us about the business.
Intuitive Birth Education supports woman along their pregnancy journey. HypnoBirthing® is an evidence-based childbirth class unlike any other. In this class you will learn about the process and development of your pregnancy and birth. Deep relaxation techniques, breathing methods, visualization, and affirmations are also taught in this course. This class encourages you to be confident in your ability to give birth and have the kind of positive experience that you envision. In this class I will also teach your birthing companion a variety of ways to support you physically, mentally, and emotionally. I’ll show you how to be your own advocate, whether you are choosing to give birth in a hospital, birth center or at home. This is important to help reduce the amount of unnecessary interventions that may be presented. You will also create your own birth plan. HypnoBirthing teaches moms to connect with what is happening inside their bodies and helps them to stay focused on working with their baby throughout the pregnancy. By taking this class you will receive a wealth of information that you can carry with you beyond your birth.
Birth hypnosis is a method that helps the mom train her sub conscious mind to believe that she can have a positive birth experience. The mom will never be controlled by me or told to do anything silly like quack like a duck. That’s the type of hypnosis you’ll see in entertainment acts. Birth hypnosis is self-hypnosis. The moms are in total and complete control. I offer positive suggestions about their birth while they are in a relaxed or meditative state of mind.
Studies show that when a woman feels relaxed, safe and supported through childbirth there is: • 50% reduction in the caesarean rate. • 25% shorter labor • 60% reduction in epidural requests • 40% reduction in Pitocin use • 30% reduction in analgesia use • 40% reduction in forceps delivery
I am most proud of being an African-American woman bringing more awareness to childbirth education. Unfortunately, in the United States, the African-American maternal death rate is disproportionately higher than any other race. My goal is to provide birth education to all women because I believe knowledge is power. I believe that all women should be able to make educated decisions when it comes to their birth. I’m here as another supportive and caring resource.
Due to Covid-19, I am currently offering virtual HypnoBirthing® classes.
I recently received a full professional member scholarship to the Evidence-Based Birth Academy where I will be able to expand my knowledge and provide additional resources to the families that enroll in my class. I am a proud graduate of Prairie View A&M University where I studied Interdisciplinary Studies and Dance.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Yes! I absolutely love the holiday season! Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays because I loved being around family and celebrating. I enjoy going to the Galleria Mall to see the huge Christmas tree light up. I loved smelling all the sweet and savory foods my mom cooked in the kitchen. I waited to eat all day until the dinner was ready. My family would hold hands around the table and we would talk about what we were thankful for before we prayed over the food and ate. For Christmas decorating the tree and putting Christmas lights outside was an event within itself. I love driving through neighborhoods looking at house decorated with Christmas lights. I love the cheerfulness and positivity that I felt during those times. Now that I have my own family, I try to keep that same cheerfulness as we come up with our own holiday traditions.
Pricing:
- (Virtual/Interactive) HypnoBirthing Group Classes (5 classes/1x week for 2.5 hours/5 weeks) $300
- HypnoBirthing Group Classes (5 classes/1x week for 2.5 hours/5 weeks) $300
- HypnoBirthing Private Classes (5 classes/1x week for 2.5 hours/5 weeks) $595
Contact Info:
- Website: www.IntuitiveBirthEducation.com
- Phone: 346-225-5205
- Email: iBirthedu@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/ibirthedu/
Image Credit:
Hien Pham
Garesia Warfield
Guendy Gro
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