What is hypnobirthing?

So what actually is hypnobirthing? I get it, it’s a bit of a vague name for something you probably haven’t really heard much about before. Maybe you have heard your friend talk about it, or someone in the media and you are interested but you really aren’t sure what hypnobirthing actually is, and let’s be frank it all sounds a bit too hippy right?

Wanna know why I get it, because I thought the same when I was first told about it. It didn’t sound like it was for me until I learnt what it really was, and once I’d done my course, I was totally sold. Hence why I am here today, teaching hypnobirthing to expectant parents in Wakefield and Leeds.

Unfortunately all hypnobirthing courses aren’t the same, but I can tell you what MY courses are like.

In a nutshell, hypnobirthing is an antenatal education programme, designed to give you all the information you need, and teach you really easy to use tools and techniques to help you have a more positive, comfortable birth, no matter what that looks like. Hypnobirthing is most definitely for EVERY birth!

My hypnobirthing courses are full birth preparation courses, they cover everything you need to know about labour and birth as well as teaching you ways to cope with the various sensations of labour and help teach you how to effectively relax during labour.

I cover all the nitty gritty of labour and birth, what happens, how it happens and ways to make it happen as easily as possible. However, the crux of any of my courses is that this is YOUR birth, so it’s 100% up to you to choose how YOU want your birth to look. I just give you all the information you need to help you make those choices.

What's the “hypno” bit all about?

Ok, during a hypnobirthing course, you will be taught how to use self hypnosis to aid relaxation and to help you cope better with labour and birth. But before you panic, there is no pendulum swinging, and nobody will be “in control of you”. Self hypnosis is all under your control, and put really simply it’s just a state of deep relaxation.

You will never be unconscious and unaware of what you are doing, you will just feel super chilled. I know it can sound a bit weird, I thought that too initially, but now I am a total convert, obviously! I think knowing it is a form of therapy used to help people get over phobias, lose weight and stop smoking also helps it sound a little less “alternative”.

We use this method of self hypnosis as it allows us to really easily and quickly access a state of total relaxation, which is really, really useful during labour and birth to help you feel more in control, relaxed and allows labour to progress more smoothly.

But it also allows us to access our subconscious brain, which means we can then help to fill it full of the useful things we need and dig out all the bits that are fuelling any birth related fears and worries.

Can anyone use hypnobirthing?

Absolutely, 100% yes. Hypnobirthing is for everyone! Whether you are planning a home birth or a caesarean section, or anything in between.

Everything you learn on my course will be useful for you.

Whether you plan to use all the pain relief on offer or hope to avoid it as much as possible, my course is for you.

I’m hugely passionate about giving you tools and information to enable you to make informed choices about your birth, so you feel in control, and respected during this life changing event.

Does hypnobirthing really work?

Now obviously I am very biased, I’m a hypnobirthing teacher, so I’m always going to say yes, or else I wouldn’t do this as a job. But let me give you just a few statistics to back this up.

In 1996 a study carried out by Waldenström, Bergman, and Vasell found that 31% women who used hypnobirthing used some form of pain relief, compared to 91% of women who didn’t use hypnobirthing.

Another study by Jenkins & Pritchard found that hypnobirthing shortened labours of first time mums by 3 hours on average.

These are just two studies, but there are more out there and the anecdotal evidence from people who have used it before, and rave about it, is growing. And I am one of those people!

I didn’t use it for the birth of my 1st but did for my 2nd and 3rd. And let me tell you, the difference it made for me was unbelievable. This is why I’m now so passionate about helping more expectant parents learn about it and use it for their births.

Still not sure? Do you have more questions?

Cool, I love questions, so let’s chat! I offer free video or phone calls to go over any other questions you might have about hypnobirthing before you decide whether it is right for you or not. Drop me an email by clicking the button below and we can arrange a chat! There is no obligation, it’s simply for me to be able to help answer anything you might want to ask so you can decide if it’s right for you. Or if you prefer just chatting via email that’s absolutely fine too.