What hypnobirthing isn’t?
Well, it not about mind control or watching a swinging pocket watch? Most people relate hypnosis to the entertainment shows, where audience members turn into barking dogs or clucking chickens! These audience members have chosen to be susceptible to the hypnotist’s suggestions, as when we experience hypnosis we are always in control. In fact, the majority of us spend many hours every day in a hypnotic or trance like state, when we are doing something familiar and feel very relaxed.
What has hypnosis got to do with birthing your baby?
By learning various techniques, including self-hypnosis, labour and birthing can be seen as a potentially positive experience rather than something to be feared and dreaded. We store our beliefs and feelings about things in the sub conscious part of our brains. Most of us have only heard and seen negative images of labour and birthing, which usually involves a screaming woman and terrified partner, especially if you watch ‘One born every minute’ (please don’t watch this programme!!!)
Hypnobirthing provides you and your partner with a toolkit to change these negative beliefs so you both feel more confident and positive about your birthing.
So does hypnobirthing mean a natural, low intervention labour and birth?
The aim of hypnobirthing is to equip you and your partner with techniques to use during your labour to keep both of you relaxed, calm and empowered to make informed decision, whatever happens. The important thing is that you both have a positive experience whichever course you birthing takes. This may be natural, minimal pain relief and low intervention or it may be more medicalised, using pain relief and with necessary intervention (forceps or a caesarean birth). The hypnobirthing course is a complete antenatal education which will increase your knowledge about what happens during labour and gives you both techniques to practice.
How does it work?
Negative beliefs and feeling about labour and birthing can lead to a stress response as the sub conscious part of your brain will perceive it as something to avoid due to these stored beliefs and feelings. This stress response will cause adrenaline to be produced, which interferes with the release of more helpful hormones (oxytocin and endorphins) and diverts oxygenated blood away from your uterus, increasing discomfort levels and reduces effectively of the surges.
Hypnobirthing works by helping to change your negative core beliefs and giving you breathing and relaxation techniques to use if you are triggered into a stress response. Positive affirmations and visualisations also help you both to feel empowered and positive. The course explores all the different options to help with the discomfort of labour and discusses the possible special circumstances which could happen. Couples who do a hypnobirthing course feel much more prepared for their labour and birthing and approach it with calmness and positivity rather than fear and dread.
If you would like to contact me for more information about my current hypnobirthing courses or to book a FREE 30min consultation: CLICK HERE.
