Shadowing Practice: How not to feel frightened about giving birth || Hypnobirthing - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, I'm Siobhan Miller, I'm the founder of The Positive Birth Company.
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Hi, I'm Siobhan Miller, I'm the founder of The Positive Birth Company.
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I'm a hypnobirthing teacher and mum of three,
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and I'm on a mission to make hypnobirthing more accessible for everyone.
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Today I'm going to be talking to you about positive reinforcement.
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So in hypnobirthing, our whole aim is to remove the fear around childbirth.
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So I often talk about this cycle,
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this fear, tension, pain cycle that we want to break,
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which unfortunately too many women fall into and
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so it starts off with a woman being frightened
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because we're culturally conditioned to think birth is going to be horrible
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so we've got a lot of fear around birth
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and then we go into to labor and we have all
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that fear everything is tense everything all our muscles are tense everything becomes more painful
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which then obviously makes the woman feel more frightened
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so it's fear tension pain and that that cycle can just go around
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so we want to break that cycle by by removing the fear.
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So a lot of the work
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that we do is in pregnancy to help people feel more positive and more confident about their upcoming birth,
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because that's what I want.
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I want you to feel excited about your birth because that's the way it should be.
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So there are lots of ways that we do that,
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that we remove that fear in pregnancy.
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And I talk about positive reinforcement.
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So lots of places that you can go online and find different things to help you change your mindset about birth.
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So the first one is positive birth stories.
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Going online and finding places that you can read positive birth stories.
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The more you read, the more you'll begin to believe that you can do this.
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Secondly, positive birth videos.
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So I don't mean the ones on TV like one born every minute
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which are edited and there's cliffhangers and there's drama and there's a thumping soundtrack
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And you're like this on the edge of your seat
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and it's just into your brain It's going and it's making you think
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that this birth is dangerous and risky and dramatic No,
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don't watch them anymore Go online go on YouTube and watch people's videos that they just made at home.
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They're not edited They haven't got a particular like thumping soundtrack nothing like
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that You just get to see what real birth really looks like and that can be hugely reassuring And in fact,
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that's the main reason people go and watch one one every minute is
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because they want to know what birth looks like But all they're getting is an edited version for TV
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So don't look at that go on YouTube go and watch positive home birth,
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hypnobirth, water birth videos, and you will see what real birth looks like.
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And it's amazing.
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Thirdly, positive birth photography.
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There is lots of birth photography online, and it's absolutely amazing.
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You will see such incredible pictures of women giving birth,
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and it will hopefully fill you with that lovely warm feeling,
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and you will feel really excited that you're going to do that soon.
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and images stay in your mind
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so even weeks later you go into labour you will remember
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that image and if you can recall and bring
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that image to mind you're going to think yeah
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that lady did it and I can do it too
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so we've got positive birth stories videos and photos fourth thing is positive affirmations
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so you can download on my website a free mp3 of positive affirmations at www.thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk
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you just put in your email and I will send you the link to download the mp3
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just play that in the background you don't need to make time to sit down
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and listen to it
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and think I need to take it all in just have
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it playing in the background your subconscious will take in those messages it's just positive statements
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and the more you listen to that mp3 the more you will absorb
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that and start to feel positive and confident yourself
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and finally positive affirmation cards you can buy packs of positive
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affirmation cards just put those cards around your house again you don't need to go
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and think I need to go and read all these messages
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but as you move around
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and just get on with your day-to-day life you will see those things they'll go into your mind
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and all of that together cumulatively would change the way you feel about birth
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and if we can remember remove that fear
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and feel confident about birth then you can avoid getting into
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that cycle if you feel confident
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and relaxed about your birth you're going to be relaxed in birth
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and everything's going to unfold as it's designed to
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and it's designed to work absolutely perfectly and your birth is going to be comfortable and amazing
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if you like this video please don't forget to hit subscribe and check out the rest of my channel
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If you're interested in hypnobirthing classes, then please visit www.thepositivebirthcompany.co.uk.
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I'll link to it below.
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And you can also get a free Positive Affirmations MP3 to download on the website.

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Context & Background

In this enlightening video, Siobhan Miller, a hypnobirthing teacher and mother of three, shares her mission to make childbirth a more accessible and positive experience. She discusses the common fears surrounding childbirth, highlighting how societal conditioning often leads to anxiety. By emphasizing the importance of positive reinforcement, Siobhan aims to break the fear-tension-pain cycle that many women experience during labor. She encourages expectant mothers to shift their perspectives on birth by engaging with positive narratives, including birth stories, videos, and photography that present a more empowering view of labor.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I want you to feel excited about your birth.” - A reminder to focus on positivity during your pregnancy.
  • “We want to break that cycle by removing the fear.” - A phrase that encapsulates the aim of hypnobirthing.
  • “You will begin to believe that you can do this.” - A motivational statement to build confidence in expectant mothers.
  • “You just get to see what real birth really looks like.” - Highlighting the importance of authentic resources.
  • “Images stay in your mind.” - Describes how visual representations can influence our thoughts and feelings.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

The shadowing technique is an effective way to improve your English speaking skills. To enhance your learning experience from this video, follow this step-by-step guide:

  1. Watch the Video: Start by watching Siobhan's video without sound to observe her body language and facial expressions. This helps you connect emotionally with the content.
  2. Listen Actively: Next, listen to the video while focusing on her intonation and emphasis. Notice how she articulates key phrases; this will be crucial for your shadow speech.
  3. Repeat and Mimic: Choose a few sentences or phrases from the Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication section. Repeat them aloud, trying to mimic her tone, rhythm, and expression. This practice reinforces proper pronunciation and fluidity.
  4. Record Yourself: Use your phone or computer to record your shadow speak. Compare your recording with the original video. Pay attention to areas where you can improve.
  5. Engage with Other Resources: Explore additional videos and photography that celebrate positive childbirth experiences, as suggested by Siobhan. Use them as practice material to expand your vocabulary and understanding of different speaking styles; consider using a reputable shadowing site for guided content.

By incorporating these steps into your English learning practice, you will not only improve your speaking skills but also embrace a more positive approach to themes that matter in life, such as childbirth.

What is the Shadowing Technique?

Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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