“I never ever thought I could give birth the way that I did. I am SO grateful to you for changing my fears about birth, such that I can genuinely say I had a positive birth.”
Gemma
Hypnobirthing is a complete antenatal course which prepares parents with an in-depth understanding of how the birthing body works, both physically and emotionally.
Hypnobirthing teaches women to trust their body and their baby to achieve a calm and confident birth, through relaxation and mindfulness. It is a toolkit that parents can draw upon, whatever path their pregnancy may take. Hypnobirthing gives both parents confidence and helps them connect with their baby.
Hypnobirthing isn’t stage hypnosis. No one will make you eat a raw onion or cluck like a chicken in front of an audience. Hypnobirthing is a set of techniques that help you stay calm, give you confidence and have control over your own birthing experience. There’s no chanting, no incense sticks and no gongs but there will be lots of practical and science-based techniques.
What are the benefits of Hypnobirthing?
For mother
Hypnobirthing provides mothers with methods for having a calm and joyful birth. It trains mothers to work with their bodies in the way they have evolved to. Hypnobirthing uses methods such as hypnotherapy to counteract the years of negativity most of us have experienced about birth. It reprogrammes the mind to accept that being calm and relaxed in labour is not only achievable but essential, for both the well being of mother and baby.
For birth partners?
If you want to learn the power of Hypnobirthing, talk to the birth partner of a Hypnobirthing mother. They have seen how amazing and transformational the process can be. They have felt connected to the process in a much deeper way than they ever expected. They feel empowered by their supporting role in what is an amazing event. They feel confident and informed because they understand why Hypnobirthing makes sense from both a physical and emotional point of view. Birth partners play an important role in a calm birth. The birth partner’s support creates the environment for a calm birth. They take responsibility for being the go-between for the mother and their caregivers and often keep the whole process on-track and calm.
For Baby?
A happy mother and birth partner equates to a happy baby. When parents use Hypnobirthing, they will remain calm and confident with every step of their pregnancy, labour and birth. In return, the baby will do what it knows best and be born the best way possible for both baby and mother. Often, Hypnobirthing babies are calm at birth and thereafter. Hypnobirthing changes and empowers parents in a way that will have a profound effect on baby, and which will likely last a lifetime.
FAQs
What Will I Learn on a Calm Birth Club Hypnobirthing Course?
- Breathing exercises
- Deep relaxations
- Visualisations
- Very effective work to release fear and build confidence
- Comforting massage
- How the birth partner can be your powerful protector and support
- How your body is designed to give birth with efficiency and comfort
- Knowledge and information about pregnancy and birth that you are unlikely to be told anywhere else
- How ‘NHS system’ that you find yourself in works, and how to work with it to achieve the best result for you
- A simple practice regime to support you at home
- Understanding how the mind and body work together
Learn about the five Cs of hypnobirthing:
Confidence
When you feel confident, you relax and work with your body in the way nature intended.
Control
With the knowledge you have, you are enabled to take control of how you give birth.
Choice
When you feel in control, the choices you make are the best choices for you and for your baby.
Calm
When you feel calm throughout the birth you are relaxed and your mind and body work together in harmony.
Comfort
The result is that your body works efficiently and comfortably. A KG Hypnobirthing birth can be the most wonderful and empowering experience of your life.
What Course Materials Am I Given?
At the course you will be given The Hypnobirthing Book by Katharine Graves and a folder of handouts to support you during the rest of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby. You will also be given Colour & Calmness, the pregnancy and birth relaxation MP3 and relaxation scripts to use in the build up to your birth as well as visualisation prompts to use throughout labour.
Does the Birth Partner Need to Come to Hypnobirthing Too?
They don’t, but they will be very glad if they did. Most partners arrive at the course utterly sceptical and leave extremely enthusiastic. We don’t expect you to believe in it. Why should you? We do ask you to listen to the facts and the logic so you understand how important it is and the difference you as a father or birth companion can make.
The typical image of a birth partner is someone who is nervous, feeling responsible for the situation the mother is in, holding her hand and wishing they could help, but not knowing what to do or feeling redundant.
A hypnobirthing partner is knowledgeable and able to support mum as she gives birth. They are a huge asset in the birthing room, and many mothers say, ‘I couldn’t have done it without them.’ They have practised together before the birth which brings them closer together, and they know they played an important part in how their baby enters the world. This deepens their relationship as a couple, and their relationship with their child.
Will Hypnobirthing Work for Me if I Come on My Own?
Yes, definitely. Many women have come to the course on their own if they have a husband who is away on business, as a single mum, if it’s a second baby and they can’t find a babysitter for their elder child, or any other reason. Just remember that KG Hypnobirthing works, and you are very welcome. If your partner can’t come, we would welcome your mother, a friend, or whoever will be supporting you at the birth instead.
And After the Course – What Then?
I will always be there for you. Please call or email if you feel stressed, are put under pressure, or I can help in any way.
Is Reading a Hypnobirthing Book or Listening to a Relaxation CD Sufficient?
People sometimes ask if buying a book and CD is sufficient without coming to a course. For a few mothers it is, but for many it isn’t (though it will always make a difference). The trouble is, you don’t know which category you come into until after your baby is born.
You undoubtedly get more information and feel more supported from attending a course. How many people have bought a series of audios to learn a language and then found that going to a course is far more effective?
When Should I Do The Hypnobirthing Course?
Given the choice, I would advise doing the course in the second trimester of your pregnancy so you can enjoy the benefits during your pregnancy as well as at the birth of your baby. It is not so much a matter of learning facts so they are fresh in your mind, but more a matter of absorbing the information so that it becomes second nature, but Hypnobirthing works whenever you do it, it is never too late!
Does the fee cover both of us?
Yes, there is no additional charge for the birth partner to attend, and most realise it is a great support to the mother to attend.
Answering all your questions – ‘What If…..? If Only…..’
If you are expecting your first baby, you may have the phrase on your lips, ‘What if……’. The fears you have are often derived from the dramatic emergencies you have seen on television or the movies. Hypnobirthing helps to explain the ‘What ifs’ so you can safely leave them to your midwife. She is highly qualified in ‘what ifs’, but you need the knowledge to understand this.
From women who are expecting their second or subsequent baby, I often hear the words, ‘If only…’. ‘If only I had known, I would have made a different decision.’ ‘If only someone had told me.’ Hypnobirthing saves you from saying ‘If only…’ after the birth, and helps you let go of a previous bad experience, so that the birth of your subsequent baby can be a wonderful and empowering experience. You may find this hard to believe, but there are many mothers who can vouch for this. It is the second time mothers who REALLY know the difference that Hypnobirthing makes as they have experienced the difference.
“Hypnobirthing gave me the courage to trust my instincts. You really made me feel confident to trust my own intuition. It was invaluable.”
Rachel