When you hear the term hypnobirthing, What do you think? If it's...

"Birth is going to hurt regardless, what's the point in wasting money on hippy dippy mumbo jumbo that won't even work..?! " 

OR 

"As long as my baby is happy and healthy, that's all that matters..." 

OR 

"My friend/mum/neighbour/sister/EVERYONE... says birth is horrendous so I'm just going to ask for drugs and get through it."

It was for me (especially the second one), believing that hypnobirthing was total nonsense because... 

• Birth does look incredibly painful and traumatic (on the telly), and;
• All I thought about was my baby's health, and;
• YES! Everyone I spoke too told me birth was horrendous! (A colleague once told me that labour was like having your legs taken off with no drugs. And I've been apologising to my mum ever since she told me my birth story!) 

So, like a lot of you, the idea of childbirth terrified me...

How did I feel about pregnancy, before hypnobirthing? 

So, I fell pregnant in Covid when hospital restrictions means Gareth could only be with me when I was in 'active labour', I'm wasn't a huge fan of hospitals and I'm sensitive to noise and other peoples emotions, I didn't know the first thing about pregnancy and birth, and I had a lot of on off bleeding which gave me a lot of anxiety about my babies health. Alongside this, I have specific trauma related fears, which I had no idea would have such an impact on my pregnancy and birth ideals. (Not to mention the car park at Oldham Royal can be an absolute nightmare!) All of this combined with being pregnant for the first time, made me very apprehensive. 

I couldn't bear the thought of being alone, scared, in pain and potentially giving birth without Gareth there. 

How did I feel after hypnobirthing? 

By 8 months pregnant, I was actually excited give birth.  Can you believe it? People commented on how relaxed I was, and whilst we planned for (and had) a home birth, I had become more comfortable with the idea of giving birth in hospital. I still had moments of fear, especially as I neared my given due date, but the tools I practiced allowed me to acknowledge and release them. 

Whilst this is my experience, you may still not believe this is possible for you... So I've pulled together just 6 key benefits of hypnobirthing below... 

Practicing Hypnobirthing: 

• Reduces your fear and anxiety: Practicing hypnobirthing techniques helps manage the fear and anxiety that can accompany pregnancy and childbirth. With; 
  • Knowledge about the birth process,
  • Breathing, visualization, and self-hypnosis techniques, 
  • Guided hypnosis and affirmations 
  • Tools to question care make informed decisions
  • Preparation tools and information
  • Birth and pregnancy language 
  • Birth partner coaching and guidance 
    And more...
     
• Celebrates all birth methods: Hypnobirthing encourages a mindset that focuses on how you feel about pregnancy and birth, and not how you birth. Talking about:
  • Feeling confident in the informed decisions you make  
  • Understanding your choices (which is basically everything!) 
  • Intervention ladder, and what you are comfortable with
  • Caesarean birth preparation
  • Home birth preparation 
  • How to cope with change / the unexpected
  • How to make informed decisions 
     
• Shortens your labour time: Being in a calm, relaxed state in labour can reduce the length of your labour (studies have shown it can be up to three hours for first time mothers). It also teaches you the comfort measures you have a right too, induction methods and their impacts, so you can make informed choices. 
   
• Lessens your need for Medical Interventions: Studies have shown that women who chose to proceed with a physiological birth (who wish to birth with as little medication as possible), often report less need for medical interventions such as epidurals, C-sections and forceps due to the calmer, controlled birthing environment. 
  Though it is important to note, that there are no guarantees when it comes to birth. You may be faced with unforeseen and unplanned circumstances, and hypnobirthing provides you with tools to move through these as calmly as possible, and make informed decisions. 
  
   
• Empowers you and your birth partner: The role of the birth partner is arguably the most important role in your birthing team, which can be an overwhelming responsibility when the time comes. The truth is, the birth partner can do so much more than drive and hold your hand... Like:
  • Helping you make informed decisions 
  • Being there for you at antenatal appointments 
  • Setting up the birthing environment
  • Packing your birth bag 
  • Making the snacks!
  • Massage 
  • Advocating for you whilst you're giving birth
  • Bringing you back to centre if you feel frightened with your practices techniques
  • Birth partner hypnosis
  • Guiding you into productive positions... Because he will learn them on the course.
    Reducing your stress levels, increasing your feeling being supported and loved (helloooo Oxytocin!) And allowing you to focus and relax throughout childbirth. 
     
• Has a positive impact on post-partum recovery time: 
  A physiological birth with minimal or no interventions and medication, can impact the amount of physical and phycological trauma you experience in a positive way. The less your body and mind have to recover from the better, especially in those early days. But please bear in mind:
  • Hypnobirthing teaches you about the intervention ladder, what each of them is and how they work so you can make an informed decision. So if you do choose them, the phycological impact can be greatly improved. 
  • All interventions have pros and cons, and if you choose an intervention, ideally you will do so feeling confident that it's right for you and your baby. 
  • Reducing your risk of physical and psychological trauma is just the most paramount, important part of hypnobirthing. 

There can be no guarantees when it comes to pregnancy and birth, so whilst pregnancy can be a magical and beautiful time, it can also be quite frightening. Hypnobirthing can stack the odds of a positive experience in your favour.