Hypnobirthing is a childbirth method that focuses on preparing parents for gentle birth. In hypnobirthing classes, you will learn proven techniques in a well-thought-out program of deep relaxation, visualisation, and self-hypnosis. All of these are designed to help you achieve a more comfortable birth. Hypnobirthing encourages a calm, peaceful, and natural pregnancy, birth, and bonding experience for families.

Other childbirth methods tend to teach you how to ‘cope with and manage pain’, hypnobirthing is based on the premise that a healthy woman, with an uncomplicated healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, should be able to birth in a more comfortable manner and without unnecessary interventions.

We focus on the joy of birth and positively anticipate our birthing day. When women understand that pain is caused by constrictor hormones (created by fear), they learn to release fear and create endorphins instead. Endorphins are the ‘feel good hormones’ that we naturally produce when we are calm and happy.

We also change our perceptions. Instead of thinking of a ‘long, painful labour’ – we replace this thought with expectations of a more comfortable birthing. Rather than exhausting, shallow breathing and the distraction techniques of typical “prepared childbirth” programs; hypnobirthing parents learn deep abdominal breathing and total relaxation, enabling us to work in harmony with our body and baby. This allows us to achieve an often shorter and more comfortable labour for mum and baby.

Despite misconceptions and misinformation, you are definitely not unconscious during self-hypnosis. The Hypnobirthing mother is deeply relaxed, but she is also an active participant in the labour process. Though she is deeply relaxed, she is totally aware and may return to a conversant state or choose to become mobile whenever she desires. Hypnobirthing mothers often find that they experience time distortion and are not distracted by other people or their birthing environment, while they focus on their birthing and their baby

You can begin hypnobirthing any time, but we recommend that the optimal time to start your course is between 20 and 30 weeks. This will give you time to practice the self-hypnosis, relaxation and other effective techniques for gentle, easy birthing but also ensures that the course is still fresh in your mind.

If you are outside of that range please don’t worry, you can definitely still attend the classes and achieve a beautiful, calm birth. Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly about options if you are further along in your pregnancy.

Absolutely! Many parents who have attended the course later in pregnancy, have achieved excellent results. Determination is the deciding factor when it comes to hypnobirthing success. Please feel free to contact me to discuss more intensive training options if needed.

The birth partner of the mother’s choice can be an integral part of the hypnobirthing experience. He or she practices with the mother in helping to prepare for deep relaxation. During labour the partner guides the labouring mother through hypnosis prompts, relaxation techniques, deepening methods, and visualisations, provides comfort measures, and joins in welcoming the new baby.

Hypnobirthing does not promise painless birthing, though many hypnobirthing mothers do report having a relatively pain-free birth or one that they were able to manage easily. When the cause of pain ‘fear’ that constricts the birthing muscles—is eliminated, birthing can be accomplished in a shorter period and much more comfortably. A relaxed mother’s body will produce more endorphins, nature’s own relaxants. Hypnobirthing mothers may still experience sensations of tightening or pressure; but most describe their birth experience as working with their body through the sensations, and thus avoiding the excruciating pain that is frequently spoken of by women who have prepared for their birth differently.

Absolutely. The things you will learn in your hypnobirthing classes will help you to learn relaxation skills that will be useful to both you and your baby, regardless of your birth experience. In the event that medical intervention of any sort is needed, you will find yourself better able to remain calm and in control. Mothers who have needed scheduled caesareans for medical reasons report that they were totally relaxed before, during and after the procedure. Many report that they needed little or no medication following the birth, and they were able to return to normal functioning in a very short period of time.