As the popularity of hypnobirthing has surged over the past few years (partly due to reports of celebrities like Kate Middleton and Jessica Alba using hypnobirthing) there are now lots of opportunities to learn. Today we will take a look at the various ways you can learn hypnobirthing and the pros and cons of each method.
Using Free Resources
There are lots of great websites where you can learn about hypnobirthing. A good place to start if you are new to hypnobirthing would be nct.org.uk. You’ll be able to find out more about hypnobirthing and get a feel for it.
A quick Google search will reveal all kinds of hypnobirthing topics once you are ready to learn more. You’ll easily be able to learn more about the key components of hypnobirthing such as relaxation techniques, affirmations, childbirth positions, and more. YouTube is also a great resource where you will find guided meditations and hypnobirthing videos to learn from.
The advantage of free resources is obvious – it’s free! You can take the time to learn at your own pace and delve deeper into methods you feel may help you during your pregnancy and labour.
There are, unfortunately, quite a few disadvantages to learning youself too.
Firstly, as a beginner, you won’t really know which bits are likely to help you and you’ll just be guessing as to which parts of hypnobirthing will yield results for you. You’ll gain a patchy understanding of the topic with no clear guidance or a plan to follow. Not exactly the ideal preparation for one of the most important days of your life.
Secondly, free courses will never provide you with the same motivation as paid course. The reason is simple – commitment.
When you decide to take something on, you can either commit and decide you are going to get results, or dip your toe in the water and leave results to chance.
Even if the financial contribution you commit to learning something new is small, the effect is big. You are showing you are serious. You are investing your hard-earned money and you are far more likely to stick to the plan and get great results.
The third disadvantage of learning using free materials is variable quality. There is some amazing free stuff out there for you to learn from. There is also some terrible stuff. Will you be able to tell the difference?
Premium materials produced by experts is simply far more likely to be of high quality.
In-Person Hypnobirthing Courses
In-person hypnobirthing courses can be great. These are typically small groups that meet up once a week to learn hypnobirthing from an instructor.
Hypnobirthing classes will vary slightly depending on the instructor but they will all cover the main topics. These classes can be a very effective way to learn hypnobirthing.
There are quite a few pros to hypnobirthing classes.
Firstly, you’ll be able to ask any questions you have directly to your instructor as soon as you have them.
Secondly, many people enjoy the group aspect of in-person courses. They like having an instructor they can talk to and they like interacting with other people on the course. You can make some great friends at these courses.
Thirdly, the quality of in-person courses tends to be very high. The instructor will be passionate about helping mums to be and they will be very knowledgable on the topic of hypnobirthing.
So what about the cons. Well, there are some cons to in person courses too…
Finding a good hypnobirthing course is not that easy for everyone. If you live in a big city, chances are, there will be lots of people running classes near you. People from smaller towns and cities may not be so lucky. You may have to travel long distances to attend a course if you can’t find one in your area.
Another disadvantage is that you won’t be able to attend the course at your preferred times. You will need to be available at the same time every week and you’ll need to be able to travel to the venue too. Travel time can alone can eat up quite a bit of time each week depending on how close the course is.
Another common issue I hear women report about group classes is that they didn’t like the social aspect. some people feel self-conscious and silly learning new things in front of strangers. Especially when you are discussing quite intimate topics and doing things like breathing exercises and reading relaxation scripts out loud in front of people.
Finally, the enjoyment you get, and the level of success you get from an in-person hypnobirthing class depends a lot on your instructor. For many people, you don’t get a lot of choice in this. There may only be one a two to choose from close to your home. Once you do decide on a course, you don’t usually get a chance to try out a class to make sure that you like your instructor and that you feel confident following their advice.
Hypnobirthing Online Courses
The final way that you can commonly learn hypnobirthing is through online courses. These have become far more common in the last few years. Hypnobirthing online courses are usually far cheaper than in-person classes and can be very high quality too. There are lots to choose from and each will have slightly different approaches to delivering the course materials.
The first big advantage of an online hypnobirthing course is that they are far easier to fit in and you can choose to learn whenever and wherever suits you. No travel to and from venues is a big bonus for many people.
Learning at your own pace can be the difference to success or failure with hypnobirthing. An online course lets you go over the bits you need to focus on as many times as necessary. You can also skip over irrelevant topics or bits you already know so that your time is not wasted.
Another obvious advantage of online courses is the cost. The cost of an online hypnobirthing course is likely to cost anywhere from $30 to $100. When you compare this to the cost of an in-person class that is likely to be around $300 – $400 per couple, this is a huge saving.
Online hypnobirthing courses allow you to complete your hypnobirthing training in complete privacy, and in your own surroundings. This is likely to make it easier to relax and get into the zone when practicing.
Online hypnobirthing courses are’t perfect for everyone though. Let’s have a look at some of the disadvantages.
For some people, missing out on meeting new people in a group setting is a disadvantage. If you want to make friends and bond with others in the same situation as you, then online courses won’t be able to complete with in-person courses. Many online courses do have a social element, with Facebook groups or forum access but these don’t provide the same level of interaction as face to face meetings.
Another disadvantage of online courses is not having direct access to an instructor. If you had a question to ask, you would need to use email or social media to get in touch.
Another thing to consider is that the quality of online courses can vary quite a bit. Most hypnobirthing teachers are very knowledgeable and love helping mums to be, but some do not have the technical skills needed to put together a high-quality course.
Final Thoughts
However you chose to learn hypnobirthing, you will learn some amazing useful skills that can have a huge impact on your pregnancy and childbirth.
Personally, I did quite a bit of Googling to learn the basics of hypnobirthing. Once I was confident it could help me and my inner skeptic was silenced I booked onto an in-person course in a town about 10 miles from my house. I thought the course was good but I felt that lacked structure. By the end of the course, I had learned some useful things but didn’t feel fully prepared.
I decided to try an online course too. I was hoping it would fill in the blanks and provide a good framework for me to continue my practice at home. The course included some good MP3’s with useful relaxation and self-hypnosis tracks but the rest of the material was poor.
This is ultimately what led me on my mission to create something better. My online course – the Hypnobirthing Essential Starter Kit has everything you need to learn hypnobirthing. I was careful to include the structure I felt was missing in other courses and it has a day by day 4 week plan for you to follow so that know exactly what to do.
I’d be delighted if you decided to try my course, but however you decide to learn hypnobirthing, I really wish you all the best and I’d love to hear your story. Please leave a comment below.