In a recent interview, Kate Middleton revealed she turned to hypnobirthing to ease the process of delivery for all three of her pregnancies. For those of you who, like me, think that hypnobirthing sounds like something out of an episode of the goop lab, you are (surprisingly) mistaken. Turns out this birthing method has been around since long before Gwyneth Paltrow started trying to get us to put crystal eggs in our vaginas, and it’s basically just what it sounds like.
According to People, hynobirthing “involves various relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques to help relax the body before and during labor and birth” with the intent of calming the pregnant person and easing the delivery process. Sounds a little hippie-dippie, but I like the idea.
“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that – that they teach you in hypnobirthing – when I was really sick and actually I realized that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labor,” she continued.
Although I can’t speak on the overall efficacy of hypnobirthing, it seems like it can’t hurt to feel more relaxed and calm while your body is trying to push a tiny little human into the world.
“It was hugely powerful and because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labor! Because actually it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to!”
I have not given birth, and I do not claim to expert on the matter, but saying that you liked labor because it had an ending seems odd. Because, in case Kate forgot, pregnancy also has an ending—you know, childbirth. [People]
Former President Barack Obama made several surprise appearances during the NBA All-Star Weekend, because once you’ve been president of the United States you can go anywhere you want without an invitation. Particularly when fifty percent of the country has spent the last four years wishing you were still president.
During All-Star Weekend, Obama attended the Newsmakers Brunch, where he spoke about the recent deaths of former NBA athlete Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The former president also made a stop by an NBA Cares event to chat with some NBA rookies and second-year players while they were filling backpacks with school supplies.
Please enjoy this video of some very famous NBA athletes who are clearly trying not to freak out on camera after talking to Obama about their game. [AP]