You can think of Hypnobirthing as the "wedding planner" of your birth experience. Would you show up to your wedding without planning it? Just hope for the best that your "once in a lifetime day" will go ok? Most people would say ABSOLUTELY NOT! Childbirth should be no different...
Hypnobirthing is the name given to a form of antenatal education which prepares you mentally, emotionally, and physically, and fully equips you for the birth of your child.. It is similar to the traditional antenatal education courses (Lamaze, NCT etc.) in its content, but with a huge added "hypno" element, which simply refers to the parts of the course which focus on the mind. Despite its name, there is actually no teacher-client hypnotising involved in hypnobirthing courses, and instead, clients use various techniques themselves to release fear and anxiety from their subconscious mind. Learning and using the Hypnobirthing techniques leaves you feeling calm, excited and ready for birth. It is relevant to ALL types of births, and is powerful whether it is the 1st or 5th time you’re giving birth.
Of course, preparing your body for childbirth is important, but your body will recover from whatever labour throws at it. The same unfortunately can’t be said for your mind. Levels of reported birth trauma are sadly on the rise, and the rates of medical intervention in the UK regularly exceed the WHO’s goals. For many people, giving birth is the “scary finale” of their pregnancy, the bit that they just have to “endure.” I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be like that, and Hypnobirthing is the key to a different reality. You can read about the BENEFITS of Hypnobirthing and how it really works here:
When you are pregnant, you will likely be bombarded with advice and stories from well-meaning friends and family. But every single birth is unique, and whilst it can be interesting to hear other people's experiences, this is YOUR baby, YOUR birth, and only YOU know what's best for YOU. How can you make the right choices if you don't know what your options are? The key to stacking the odds in favour of having a positive birth experience is getting educated, empowered, and arming yourself with a whole toolkit of techniques and strategies to ensure that you remain feeling calm and in control throughout...and strategies to manage pain are of course a massive bonus! This is exactly what Hypnobirthing does.
Hypnobirthing courses teach various techniques which allow your mind and body to work together as optimally as possible, providing strategies to manage pain, and often shortening the overall duration of labour. Techniques include; deep relaxation (similar to meditation), visualisations and self-hypnosis, as well as various breathing techniques to use at different times, to help your muscles effectively do their thing. Hypnobirthing techniques encompass both the boyd and mind.
There is also a huge focus on education and empowerment; understanding the maternity system, understanding your medical options, learning how to advocate for yourself in medical situations, and getting you to a place where you feel completely informed and empowered to make your own decisions and choices throughout your pregnancy and labour. Feeling like an active participant in what happens during birth, rather than a passive recipient can have a huge impact on how you feel about your labour. Hypnobirthing clients will finish their course feeling confident, in control, and positive about what’s to come, and in a position to fully enjoy the remainder of their pregnancy, free from fear. They will be armed with a full tooklit of practical hypnobirthing strategies to use throughout, and in many circumstances for the duration of their life. I still use the calm breathing techniques with my 3 year old toddler!
Experts suggest that 90% of our experience of something is how we felt about it, with only 10% being influenced by factually what actually happened. Hypnobirthing is key here, as a prepared mind with lots back up (the different hypnobirthing techniques) is best placed for a positive experience, no matter what curve balls birth throws at you.
To see what exactly is covered in my hypnobirthing courses, click the button below:
You can read more about what birth trauma is and the impact it can have
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