HYPNOBIRTHING

About HypnoBirthing®

HypnoBirthing® is as much as a philosophy as it is a technique. It is a rewarding, relaxing, stress-free method of birthing that is based on the belief that all babies should come into the world in an atmosphere of gentility, calm, and joy.

When a mother is properly prepared for birthing physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, she can experience joy, birthing her baby in an easier, more comfortable and often even pain free manner. Through a well thought out program of deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, and education, HypnoBirthing® returns to a woman the art of birthing in a way that allows her to summon her natural birthing instincts and birth her baby in safety with ease.

HypnoBirthing® is based on the belief that birth is one of the most normal and natural physiological responses in a woman’s body and so severe discomfort does not need to be an accompaniment of birthing.

The HypnoBirthing® Advantages

  • Teaches deep levels of relaxation to eliminate the fear that causes tension and, thus, pain
  • Greatly reduces and often eliminates the need for chemical painkillers and drugs
  • Shortens the first phase of labour by up to 4 hours
  • Leaves mother alert, fresh, awake and with energy
  • Helps keep oxygen supplied to baby during birthing so baby remains calm and safe
  • Reduces the need for an episiotomy
  • Reduces and often eliminates fatigue during labour
  • Empowers parents with techniques to achieve a gentle, calm birth for themselves and their baby
  • The birthing companion learns simple massage techniques to assist in the release of pain-numbing hormones
  • The birth companion is taught how to physically support the mother in a variety of active birth positions
  • Embraces the concept of pre-birth parenting
  • Teaches powerfully effective breathing techniques that allow a woman to gently breathe her baby into the world without the violence of hard, physical pushing.

CLASS OUTLINE

CLASS 1 – Building A positive expectancy

  • The HypnoBirthing® philosophy
  • Introduction to principles of self-hypnosis/deep relaxation for birthing
  • How the mind determines the body’s response
  • What’s wrong with labour – Why it hurts; why it doesn’t need to
  • The origin of a pain concept that is no longer valid – A look at other cultures
  • How fear affects the length and discomfort of labour
  • HypnoBirthing films of labour and birth

CLASS 2 – Falling in love with Your Baby / Pre-Birth                   Parenting / Preparing Mind & Body

  • HypnoBirthing® film
  • Prenatal bonding techniques
  • Relaxation and visualisation for birthing
  • Rapid and instant relaxation techniques
  • Breathing techniques for birthing
  • Progressive, instant, and deepening techniques for labour
  • Learning to maintain comfort and eliminate pain
  • Avoiding episiotomy– Perineal massage
  • Favourable labour positions

CLASS 3 – Getting Ready to Welcome your Baby

  • HypnoBirthing® film
  • Looking at your estimated due date – Early signals of labour
  • Making hospital, home or birthing centre plans
  • Light touch massage
  • Preparing your birth preferences sheets
  • When baby is ready
  • Avoiding artificial induction of labour
  • Your body working for you and with you
  • Achieving a natural onset of labour, free of drugs or intervention
  • Releasing negative emotions, fears and limiting thoughts

CLASS 4 – Birthing-Breathing Love, Bringing Life

  • HypnoBirthing® film
  • The three stages of labour
  • Birth Companion’s integral role
  • Settling in at the hospital or birth centre
  • How labour proceeds
  • Comfort measures through labour
  • Meeting a slowed or stalled labour
  • Breathing your baby down through transition to birthing
  • Stage Three labour – Meeting and bonding with baby
  • Birth of the placenta

We are affiliated with the HypnoBirthing® Institute

HYPNOBIRTHING QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

When Can I Begin?

From 24 weeks so that you have ample time to practice the self-hypnosis, relaxation and other effective techniques for gentle, evidence-based birthing. If you are at least 34 weeks, we encourage either the 2 Day Course, or a Private Session.

Do you run classes?

At this stage, I am taking only private clients in a one on one setting (you, your birth companion and myself).

Who Do I Bring To The Class?

Your birth companion: Partner, Husband, Friend, Doula, Mother, Sister etc. Your birth companion will be someone who supports your gentle birth wishes and who you trust and can rely on.

What If I Am Wanting A Vaginal Birth

After Caesarean (VBAC)?

Because of the deep relaxation and specialised breathing techniques you will learn in your Gold Coast or Tweed Coast HypnoBirthing classes, you will birth your baby very gently and without the forceful, violent pushing taught in other methods. We teach you to how to work with your body’s natural pulsating rhythms. Because of that reason, it is very gentle on your body, including your uterus. We have many VBAC mothers complete our course and attribute their ability to give birth vaginally to the HypnoBirthing techniques. During your HypnoBirth, you will follow the lead of your body and your baby, allowing the natural course of your birth to unfold. In our opinion, if you are wanting a VBAC, HypnoBirthing® is the only way to go if you are wanting a safe birth.

I Experienced A Very Traumatic Birth And I Am Afraid To Give Birth

This is one of the common reasons why mothers choose HypnoBirthing® classes on the Gold Coast or Tweed Coast. After a traumatic birth, there is often a lot of negative, unresolved emotions attached to the birth. Through our program, we release all fears using hypnotherapy ensuring that by the time you have completed the course you are empowered, and trusting in your ability to birth naturally, and easily. You learn why each birth can be so different, and how to birth, this time, naturally and gently. Because of the negative progamming in our western society, throughout the course, this is deconstructed and you will complete the course feeling renewed in your ability to birth your baby in a calm manner.

We do offer private sessions in healing any trauma related to your own birth, or births of your children if that is what is needed for you to feel empowered again. Please see Private Coaching for more details.

Do You Guarantee a Pain-Free Labour and Birth?

No we don’t however often our HypnoBirthing® mother’s report feeling nothing more than ‘tightening’ and/or ‘pressure’ from the surges. During an undisturbed labour and birth, your body produces hormones called endorphins which are up to 50 times stronger than morphine. Endorphins have a pain-numbing effect and also create within you a euphoric feeling similar to the effect of endorphin release after exercise. Gaining access to your own natural and powerful pharmacy aimed at making your birth easier, safer and more comfortable is what we teach you through HypnoBirthing®.

What is Hypnosis?

Hypnosis is a naturally occurring state of relaxed concentration—a state of mind and body in which we communicate suggestions to our subconscious mind. This part of our mind influences what we think, how we feel, and the choices we make. During this state, endorphins are produced and thus can control pain.

There is no magic to achieving success with self-hypnosis. Almost anyone who chooses to can reach deep relaxation and redirected focus.

When having your baby with HypnoBirthing® , what you will experience is similar to the daydreaming or focusing that occurs when you are engrossed in a book or staring at a fire. You will be conversant and in good spirits—totally relaxed, but fully in control.

You will be aware of your body’s contractions, but will be able to determine the extent to which you feel the surge. You will experience your birthing in an atmosphere of calm and relaxation, without the fear and tension that cause pain. Your body’s natural anaesthesia (endorphins) will replace the stress hormones that cause pain. When it is time for your baby to be born, you will be fully awake and involved.

Do I Still Need To Take Antenatal Classes?

Only if you would like to. Antenatal classes do cover a broad range of information from pregnancy to parenting. HypnoBirthing® classes are different to antenatal classes because we focus on how to have a natural and more comfortable birth rather than a medicalised birth with unnecessary intervention. We go into detail into how to prepare your mind and body for a more comfortable birth. What you will learn in our class is everything which you need to know to birth easily, safely and comfortably.

How Will My Relationship Become Stronger With My Birth Companion?

Some of the feedback we hear most from our couples is the strengthening, bonding and understanding which develops between mother and birth companion throughout our program. Some mothers even attribute the success of their gentle birth to the support of their birthing companion. The birth companion forms an integral role in your birth. During your labour, a time when you are in a heightened state of awareness, a very suggestible state, your birth companion becomes your advocate. They are your voice, expressing your wishes and concerns which are important to you and your labour and birth. They ensure and maintain the integrity of the birthing environment. Whether that is dim lighting, soft music or playing your rainbow relaxation CD. He ensures this happens. Knowing that your birth companion is taking care of the environment allows you to relax and do exactly what is needed to birth easily; to go deeply within your birthing body to your baby and follow your natural, birthing instincts to birth calmly and easily.

Your birth companion also uses with you tools such as visualisation and relaxation scripts and specific massage techniques that encourage your body’s natural painkillers to increase, thus increasing your feelings of wellbeing and comfort throughout your birth.

His support is paramount to your peaceful birthing experience. Together you will create a strong bond by practicing the technqies together, and overcoming any challenges within your relationship relating to the new family dynamic or approaching birth.

Our fathers report feeling like they are an important part of the birth rather than being an onlooker during one of the most amazing experiences of their life. We believe birth is about family: the mother, father and baby. We like to hand birth over to the woman and her birth companion and allow the birth to happen just as nature intended.