Here are the answers to some of the questions I get asked a lot. Feel free to get in touch if you have more questions; I’m happy to reply to messages or arrange an old fashioned chat on the phone.

What is hypnobirthing?

Ok, I admit, when I first heard of hypnobirthing, it didn’t sound like my cup of tea. I dismissed it completely with my first baby, even though a few friends told me how great it was. So you don’t miss out on this flippin’ life changing stuff, like I did first time around, let me explain it in the way I wish someone had explained it to me…

Despite the name conjuring up images of people clucking like chickens on stage, hypnobirthing is absolutely NOT about that! Nor is it some weird spell that puts you into a trance for labour. Hypnobirthing is a scientific, logical and extremely effective birth-prep course. My courses combine knowledge about the physiology of birth (the science bit – what your body actually does) and the maternity system, including choices you have during pregnancy and birth. With this knowledge, many fears about child birth start to disappear, as you realise you’re designed for this, and that you have loads of support, medical and non-medical, if you need it. I also provide you with lots of practical and extremely effective tools, techniques and exercises to help you manage pain and feel more comfortable during birth.

Hypnobirthing is centred around this fact: the hormone you need to trigger and keep your labour going is only produced when you feel relaxed and safe. This hormone goes on strike if you start to feel anxious. Hypnobirthing is about helping you to stay calm so that your body can get on and do its thing.

Is hypnobirthing worth it?

Here are some of the benefits of hypnobirthing:

• More comfortable labour (less pain)
• Shorter labour
• Less likely to need an emergency caesarean or assisted delivery
• Reduced chance of tearing
• More likely to birth without drugs or medical interventions (if that’s what you want)
• More likely to make decisions based on facts rather than fear (look back feeling proud and amazing rather than wondering why X happened)
• Reduced likelihood of birth trauma and post-natal depression (because you feel in control throughout)
• Birth partners will learn how to have a central and active role in the birth. No feeling ‘useless’ – there’s plenty for them to do!
• Parents emerge feeling empowered and ready to parent

Does hypnobirthing benefit baby?

Yes.

One study found that babies whose mums had used hypnobirthing had higher apgar scores (a quick assessment of their physical condition) at birth.

Also, the knowledge you gain on a hypnobirthing course may lead you to make certain decisions, which will impact your baby immediately and possibly more long term. For example, when to cut the cord and when to get them dressed. Some of the decisions you make could lead to:

• A calmer, gentler journey into the world
• Baby’s heart rate and temperature regulating sooner
• Bonding with mum and family sooner
• Feeding (breast or bottle) established more easily
• Healthy weight gain, due to all of the above!

Does hypnobirthing prevent c-section?

Evidence shows that women who do hypnobirthing are less likely to have an emergency caesarean. One recent study in Wolverhampton found that 15% of their ‘non-hypnobirthing’ group had an emergency caesarean, compared to just 4% of the ‘hypnobirthing’ group. (Read more about the evidence that supports hypnobirthing here.)

I am very clear about this: my course does not mean you won’t have a caesarean. For some women (the World Health Organisation believe between 10 – 15% of women) a caesarean absolutely is the safest option. But in the UK, Caesarean rates are more like 30% and I know where I live, they are up to around 50%. Why?

Some women may need a caesarean for a specific medical reason, such as if their placenta is in a position that would prevent the baby getting out vaginally (placenta previa). But for many women, they go into labour with no reason why a straight forward birth shouldn’t be on the cards, and a series of events, interruptions, interventions or environmental factors combine to stuff things up until a caesarean is offered (and by this point, may well be a good option). Here is where hypnobirthing helps! The things you learn about decision making, environment and pain management all combine to help keep the right hormones flowing, and bat away these annoying and alarmingly common interruptions that sabotage birth. This not only means a caesarean is less likely to be offered (because why offer if there’s no problem?) but also, it means that if you are offered one, you have the knowledge and tools to make the decision calmly, gathering information, judging what’s best, and not just saying ‘ok’ out of fear.

Might you still need a caesarean? Yeah, you might. And one of the things I am most proud of is the feedback from women who did my course, had an emergency caesarean, and tell me how positive the experience was and how glad they are that they had done my course. (Read Jen’s story as an example!) I equip my clients with information about caesareans and even suggest you make a caesarean birth plan to whip out if needed, helping you to stay in control of what you can, if the scenario arises.

Can I do hypnobirthing if I’m ‘high risk’?

Yes! If you’ve been told your pregnancy is ‘high risk,’ you probably need hypnobirthing even more. Relaxation during pregnancy and labour is still the goal- yet may feel harder to achieve with this label, which may be making you feel worried. The relaxation tools and decision making tools you’ll learn on my course become even more relevant and important, not less. So please don’t let this label put you off getting informed and planning your positive birth!

Hypnobirthing can help absolutely anyone to have a positive birth experience. That means:

• First time, second time, and subsequent parents
• People who have been labelled ‘low-risk’ or ‘high risk’
• People birthing one, two or multiple babies
• People planning to birth at home, in a birth centre, in hospital, or anywhere else, for that matter!
• People wanting a drug-free birth, people wanting all the drugs permitted, people wanting a planned caesarean section, or people who have absolutely no idea what kind of birth they would like!

Basically, if you’re having a baby, then hypnobirthing can help you!

Can I do hypnobirthing with an epidural?

Yes. There’s a misconception that hypnobirthing is only for those wanting a drug-free, vaginal birth. This is not true. Want an epidural? Amazing, hypnobirthing will help you to stay calm and reduce pain while you’re at home, on the journey to the hospital, and while you wait for your epidural to be prepared and administered. You’ll also find your hypnobirthing tools helpful after you’ve had the epidural, not just in terms of relaxation tools, but also knowledge about birth positions for epidurals, and of course, you’ll find the decision-making element of the course invaluable throughout your pregnancy and birth, before and after the epidural.

When’s the best time to take a hypnobirthing course?

There’s no correct answer to this, but the most popular time to take a course seems to be when mums are between 20-30 weeks pregnant. Why?…

Starting at about 20 weeks gives you plenty of time to put into practice what you’ve learned and to benefit from the course when making decisions during your antenatal care. It’s also nice to have time after the course to digest all the information and then start to plan your birth, knowing you can contact me and double check/clarify anything you’re unsure of as you work through that process with your birth partner.

But we are all different. It really is up to you when you want to start your hypnobirthing journey! If you are feeling very anxious about your pregnancy, hypnobirthing will give you tools to release fear and feel more calm and confident, so an earlier start date may suit you.

Am I too late to start hypnobirthing?

If you are quite far on in your pregnancy, don’t worry, hypnobirthing can still have a really positive impact on your birth. If you can’t see a group course that fits into your schedule, I offer a Hypnobirthing Basics course that takes half the time so if perfect for those who discover hypnobirthing later on in their pregnancy and simply don’t have time to fit in a full course. See my courses page for upcoming dates, or contact me to arrange your private basics course asap!

Can hypnobirthing help me if I think I may want or need a caesarean?

Yes! In fact, I do a specific shorter version of the course for people who have already decided that a planned caesarean is for them. Some people think that having a caesarean means there are no more choices to make and nothing you can do other than turn up and let the doctors do their job, but that’s not true. For example, one of the things people having a planned caesarean often worry about is the fact that the baby doesn’t get much warning before they’re evicted! There are loads of things you can put in your birth plan to ensure that they get a gentle transition into the world. Most of the time, it’s just a question of knowing what they are and stating that it’s what you want. Mostly though, the course focuses on you, your feelings about your caesarean birth, and strategies to help you feel confident and relaxed, so you can enjoy meeting your baby.

If you would like a vaginal birth but also want to prepare for a caesarean in case you need one, the full course is the best option for you. This will give you the information and tools you need to help stack the odds in your favour of a vaginal birth, if that’s what you’d prefer, whilst preparing you to have a positive experience if you decide that a caesarean is best for you and your baby, whether you make that decision before you go into labour or during labour itself.

Does my birth partner need to attend the course?

It would be hugely beneficial to you to bring your birth partner to the course, but of course, it’s completely up to you!

What you’ll notice as the course progresses, is that the birth partner’s role is actually really important! The ideal situation would be that your birth partner knows as much about birth as you do, understands what you want and don’t want, is ready to speak to the midwives and doctors on your behalf, can enact your birth plan, and support you physically and emotionally. Your job, if all the prep has been done, will be to relax and let everyone take care of you while you birth your baby.

This is a big ask of a birth partner, especially one with limited, if any, experience in the birth room. My course will prepare them for the role of a lifetime! I think it’s completely normal for birth partners to feel a bit apprehensive about attending any kind of antenatal course (let’s face it, for most, this is way out of our comfort zones!) but I promise, the course is very much designed for birth partners who feel this way and I know that they’ll be glad they came once they’ve braved the first session!

Does hypnobirthing actually work?

Yes.

Hypnobirthing stacks the odds in your favour of getting the birth that you want, because it helps you minimise all of the potential interruptions to birth and helps you to side-step some easily avoidable scenarios that may hinder birth. Hypnobirthing helps you to understand how best to help your body do it’s thing. This means that, with hypnobirthing, you’re giving your body and your baby the best possible shot at a straight forward birth. And please remember that birth, on the whole, works! Otherwise, we wouldn’t all be here, pretty much dominating the planet!

When things are not so straight forward, hypnobirthing is also hugely useful! The information I give and the tools I teach around decision making are hugely beneficial to any couple who find themselves being recommended something that wasn’t on their ‘birth plan A’. My course equips you to make a decision from a place of knowledge, rather than fear, so that you can feel confident and in control of your birth, whatever happens.

And once that decision has been made, hypnobirthing tools and techniques are invaluable! The breathing and relaxation techniques, among others, will help you navigate your birth whether you are having a drug free home birth, an elective caesarean, or anything in between.

Hypnobirthing isn’t about any one particular type of birth. Yes, according to some studies, hypnobirthing women tend to report less pain, and may be less likely to have certain interventions (see the statistics below). But it’s not a guarantee.

Hypnobirthing can’t guarantee you your ideal birth, but it makes it more likely to happen. And, more importantly (in my opinion), it helps you to have a positive birth experience no matter what kind of birth you have. If a mum plans a drug-free home-birth and has an unplanned caesarean, but feels like she was listened to at every moment of the experience, made decisions based on facts, not fear, and had the tools to deal with what could have been a potentially traumatic experience in a way that makes it a positive and calm experience, than I think that hypnobirthing has worked for her. This is why I think that hypnobirthing ‘works’ for absolutely every pregnant person! You can’t know exactly how hypnobirthing will affect your birth, but I truly believe it will make it better than if you hadn’t taken a course!

Do I need to do anything else after the course to prepare for birth?

Yes. Practising the techniques really helps to make them more effective on the day. Plus, I suggest doing other things like reading positive birth stories and making your birth plans with your birth partner after the course has finished.

With hypnobirthing, you kind of get out what you put in. If you attend the course but don’t get round to the practice, you’ll almost certainly have a better birth experience than if you hadn’t attended, but it won’t have the same impact as it would on someone who does their practice! But everyone’s different (and let’s face it, everyone is busy!) I get that. That’s why I make it as easy as possible for you to get the practice in, supplying MP3 tracks for you to listen to, and building short practices of breathing and massage techniques into my sessions.

If you have any questions that I haven’t answered above, please, contact me.