There are lots of misconceptions about hypnobirthing. Many people imagine being in a deep trance, totally unaware of what is going on whilst your baby pops out, leaving you pain free and allowing you to get through your labour with ease.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Hypnobirthing actually allows you to connect with your body more – and you’ll be totally aware of everything that is going on throughout the entire process.
So what is hypnobirthing? Simply put, hypnobirthing is prenatal education used along with a collection of meditation, visualisation and breathing techniques. You’ll learn about how birth works, what to expect during the stages of labour, how to prepare your environment to be a more relaxing, stress-free place and much more. All of these things combined give you the ability to prepare for birth and feel much more confident.
Hypnobirthing Courses
There are many courses available on hypnobirthing and each will be run differently but these will be the main things covered:
- Learning about the birth process. This may include how your body works and what to expect at each stage of labour. You may learn about the various methods of pain relief, induction techniques and situations such as a c-section.
- Learning to reduce anxiety and fears about your pregnancy
- How to relax properly
- How to work with your birth partner
- How to use affirmations and other cues to anchor your mental state and return to a calm positive state
Hypnobirthing Examples
You’ve probably got some idea of what hypnobirthing is now, but it is much easier to actually show you.
There are some videos below, each showing beautiful hypnobirthing births. The examples you see here are what many women to be the classic hypnobirthing birth – natural births at home with no interventions. However, many women are surprised that hypnobirthing can help just as much for other types of births too. Hypnobirthing can work very well for hospital births, or even c-sections births, even if they are unplanned.
Having said that, take a look at this video below which shows many of the main concepts from hypnobirthing in action:
How amazing was that!? The mother was completely calm and in control throughout the whole process. There was no panic. There was no negativity. No bright lights or medical staff rushing around.
She gave birth in the environment where she felt safe and secure. She had prepared her environment to help her stay in her calm, focussed state. Her affirmations were placed in the room where she could remind herself of them. Her partners supported her calmy but didn’t get in her way.
Wow, amazing stuff. Notice how Suzie was outside walking 4.5 hours before her birth! She was outside in an environment she enjoys keeping her mental state relaxed and happy. Once in the house, she and her husband created a perfectly relaxing environment with candles, soft music and dim lighting with affirmations playing in the background, helping Suzie to relax.
When the baby came along, there was no panic or medical intervention. The midwife did a great job of supporting but allowing Suzie to stay focussed and not getting in the way. There was lots of love and support from her husband, who did a fantastic job. This is an amazing hypnobirth that many women hope for.
Summary
Now that you know what hypnobirthing is all about, I really hope that you are keen to find out more and benefit from hypnobirthing during your own pregnancy. There are lots of guides and resources on hypnobirthing on the Internet. I also have my own guide which is designed to be the perfect introduction to hypnobirthing. If you are interested in that, please take a look at my hypnobirthing online course.