You may be wondering will hypnobirthing work for you?
What is hypnobirthing and how does it work?
Can hypnobirthing be used for all types of birth?
Is hypnobirthing safe?
Is hypnobirthing airy fairy?
There is a myth out there that Hypnobirthing is airy fairy, wishy washy rubbish. Some people think it is going to be simply breathing techniques, visualising the perfect birth, while dreaming of rainbows and unicorns.
Some people assume it is unrealistic, that it gives a false impression of the perfect birth, and it'll all go out the window. I've even heard some people say it sets people up to fail if they don't get the perfect birth.
Before I did my very first Hypnobirthing class (as a client in my own pregnancy) I probably thought the same. I remember being quite reluctant to explore Hypnobirthing, and in fact didn't bother until my fourth baby - I wasn't a Hypnotherapist back then.
I assumed it would be all plinky plonky music, and cringey, not for me, or that it wouldn't be effective.
After all, at that point I'd had three babies already, was expecting my fourth, and thought nothing out there could possibly help me in labour - I just assumed Hypnobirthing would be rubbish.
I was dreading the class - but I went along more for my birth partners sake really, and in the hope I'd get something from it.
I was so surprised to learn that it was nothing like I'd imagined. The science behind how your body works during labour particularly interested me - my degree is in Health Sciences and I've always loved biology and science type subjects. This was right up my street. Still, I wasn't convinced it would work for me.
My birth totally changed my mind - fast forward to now and I've not only trained as a Hypnobirthing teacher, but I've done years of training in Hypnotherapy and other therapies and I'm so glad I discovered this.
So, is it airy fairy? Does hypnobirthing work?
So what is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is a set of tools and techniques to help you have a better birth experience. It is designed based on the science of how your body and mind work during labour, and aims to give your body all it needs to boost the beneficial hormones, and your mind all it needs to manage fears, stay calm and feel more confident.
So what can you expect to cover in my class?
🌟How the mind works - why we feel fear, and how to deal with it.
🌟How to use those neural pathways in the brain to train your mind to feel calmer during labour
🌟Hormones of labour and how they affect the birthing process, more importantly how to help those beneficial hormones.
🌟How your body works during labour and how to stack the odds in your favour of a better experience.
🌟How to release adrenaline and instantly take yourself to a calmer mind.
🌟The timeline of labour - what to expect physically and emotionally, what may happen and how to deal with it
🌟We look at your options for labour and how to negotiate your care - knowing what you want, asking the right questions and how to adapt to changes in plan.
🌟We cover loads of easy, none cringe, straightforward ways your birth partner can help you
(no swinging watches or party tricks and nothing embarrassing).
This is for ANY type of birth, any situation and has no bias to whether you take all the drugs offered on the labour ward or not. Everyone is different and there is no right or wrong way to do this - only the right way for you.
This depends on your definition of hypnobirthing having 'worked'. If you are aiming for the perfect birth, pain free and easy, to judge whether it has worked, then my classes probably aren't for you. My approach is that hypnobirthing should aim to give you the tools and techniques to cope with whatever labour brings on the day - to manage your fears, to have many coping techniques that wont go out the window. Yes you may still need additional pain relief or birth may take an unexpected path, but this should not be the basis of whether or not hypnobirthing worked for you. Many of my clients who had loads of intervention still said they felt as though the techniques worked for them. The way I see it is hypnobirthing is a set of tools and techniques to help you through pregnancy, birth and postnatal - it isn't something that either works or doesn't work.
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