What is hypnobirthing?

/ Birth Baby Balance/
Image shows a pregnant woman sitting in a field of long grass, her face upturned to the sun, holding her bump.

What is hypnobirthing?

When many people think about hypnosis, the image that often comes to mind is of someone on stage being asked to do something silly, such as cluck like a chicken. They appear to be under someone else’s control, powerless to affect what they are being asked to do. It is meant to be entertaining, amusing, but it is at their expense, which can sometimes make it seem a bit alarming. Hypnobirthing could not be further from this image.

Being in control

Far from being “out of control”, hypnobirthing enables the mum to be completely in control - of her feelings, her breathing, her experiences, and her actions. It is really a form of deep relaxation, and by learning the techniques ahead of time, and practising them regularly with her partner before the big day, she will be able to put herself into a state of calm whenever she needs to. This will enable the correct hormones to be produced in her body to facilitate the birth process to work as it is meant to, making it more likely to be a calm, manageable, even pleasant experience.

What’s the difference between a hypnobirthing course and an antenatal course?

Well, to start with, a hypnobirthing course is an antenatal course, so there are probably more similarities than differences! Both courses are designed to give you information about labour and birth: the process, what can help or hinder it, what to expect during it etc. But a hypnobirthing course will teach you many more techniques of ways you can help yourself during labour and birth, by learning and practising skills such as breathing for labour, visualisations to keep you centred, positive affirmations to repeat to yourself, trigger words to enable you to relax at will, touch and relaxation techniques to use through your pregnancy and labour.

Mind-body connection

Hypnobirthing really explores the mind-body connection and how important that is to enable the birth process to work smoothly, as it is designed to do. Many people think of labour as a physical activity (because it is!), and so don’t always consider the mental element, which is vitally important and can have a huge impact on how the birth goes. A hypnobirthing course tends to spend more time focusing on the emotional and mental aspects of birth, leaving you feeling more prepared, better informed and with a greater understanding of what you can do to influence your birth, if you are willing to put the work in and practice the techniques regularly ahead of time.

Working together

Hypnobirthing is a relaxation technique that you and your partner learn and practice together. This can bring you closer together during your pregnancy, and increases your confidence in how you will work together in labour. This in turn enables both of you to be able to relax more, as you don’t need to worry about what you will each be doing in labour, as you have practised your roles so much in advance. One dad, Chris, who came to my classes said, “We learned so much that helped us better understand what was happening during the pregnancy, how to better advocate for ourselves within the NHS, and how to make the birth a more positive experience”. Another recent attendee, Lucy, said, “My favourite part was how confident my partner felt leaving the sessions, knowing how to best support me during birth”.

Overcoming fear

Fear can have a hugely negative impact on the process of labour, leading to a greater likelihood of medical intervention (which, ironically, is often what the fear is of in the first place!). Hypnobirthing gives pregnant couples an opportunity to face and overcome their fears throughout the course, giving them greater confidence on the day that they understand the process, the hospital policies, the decisions the medical staff need to make and how these influence the recommendations they might make, the way the human body and mind work together and what they can do to give themselves the best possible chance of having a positive, fear-free birth.

No course, book, podcast, or technique can guarantee you the birth of your dreams, but learning hypnobirthing can definitely go a long way to helping you achieve a positive birth experience.