HYPNOBIRTHING COURSE vs AN aNTENATAL COURSE

People may often wonder what the difference is between a hypnobirthing course and antenatal classes. The truth is that they are both similar, in that they prepare expectant couples for labour and birth. A hypnobirthing course is more focused on ensuring that the parents to be are as informed of their choices, so that they can be in control of thier birth journey. We aim to assist the mother to achieve a calm and comfortable birth, and one that is right for her and her baby.

Every woman is entitled to have the birth that is right for her. However, this often is NOT the case. After 8.5 months of caring and nurturing their baby on their own, suddenly the team of caregivers around her — usually midwives or obstetricians — is suggesting ‘plans of action’ should this baby not arrive ‘on time’. When really, in most cases, there is no medical reason or need to rush baby out. And there certainly isn’t any need for human meddling, which invariably leads to a medicated and uncomfortable birth.

The fallacy around the ‘due date’
There are many mums who will carry their baby past their ‘due date’. This is not a reason for concern. It is simply part of nature. If you and your baby are fine, you need to ask yourself why anyone should feel justified to interfere.

Many babies are born later than their estimated due date. This could simply be a matter of the due date being slightly out. Scans are not 100 per cent accurate. AND remember, there is no ‘due date’ as such. All women are different, all babies are different and all pregnancies are different. The World Health Organization states that a baby is usually born anytime between 37 and 42 weeks.

Did you know…
…that only 4% of babies are born on their ‘due date’?
… due dates even vary from country to country (40 weeks in the UK, 41 weeks in France for example)!
Conclusion? Due dates are estimates!!!

To accept an induction or not, that is the question Currently in the UK, caregivers are booking in thousands of low-risk mothers for an induction before they have even reached the 42-week mark. Why have they not been given the chance to get to the 42-week mark first and then weigh up the options? Is an induction really the right type of labour for them?

If you are a healthy mum who has experienced a straightforward, uncomplicated pregnancy, then reaching the 42-week mark is totally fine.

When a woman is beyond 40 weeks gestation, couples should consider evidence-based research to get a clearer picture of what the risks are of going beyond 40 weeks and how likely something is to happen or not. If they have a condition that is a cause for concern, they need to choose the path that protects the well-being of both the mother and the baby.

Hypnobirthing supports all options for birth, so being induced, choosing intervention or opting for an elective Caesarean section are all possible options, even with hypnobirthing.

Demystifying the word ‘hypnobirthing’
Before we get into what hypnobirthing is about and what it involves, let’s demystify this word that often conjures up false images. In essence it simply tells it as it is: ‘hypno’ comes from the word ‘hypnosis’, so ‘hypnobirthing’ just means ‘hypnosis for birth’.

Forget the hypnotists and hypnosis shows you see on TV — these programmes are created and edited for entertainment. Hypnobirthing is equivalent to clinical hypnotherapy for other matters, where individuals are able to make life-enhancing changes, such as stopping smoking or overcoming a phobia.

Hypnobirthing is not done to you. Only you can put yourself into hypnosis, only you can decide whether to relax into a ‘hypnotic trance’ or not. So hypnobirthing, like meditation and mindfulness, is about learning to take control of your mind and your body; through breathing, visualisation and relaxation techniques, and being guided to think differently and to be open to change.

The mind is extremely powerful and it is divided into the conscious and the subconscious (or unconscious). In hypnobirthing we use scripts that relax the conscious part and tap into your subconscious. When you go into your labour ‘bubble’, hypnobirthing helps you to remain calm, confident and focused throughout. It will enable you to trust your instincts and connect at a deeper level with what your body and baby are experiencing.

However, hypnobirthing is not just about the ‘hypno’ bit. It is also about having a deeper understanding of what your body is doing during labour, of the natural and physiological reactions and changes that occur. There are recommended techniques and positions that can help optimise your labour, to make it more comfortable and, in many cases, faster than labours that don’t use these simple and effective tools.

Trust me when I say that every expectant mum can benefit from a hypnobirthing course, regardless of whether:

• she is considered ‘low risk’ or ‘high risk’ during her antenatal care it is her first child or her tenth
• she would like to give birth at home, in a birthing centre or at hospital she prefers a totally unmedicalised labour
  
• she wants to have an elective Caesarean section (C-section) she requires an emergency C-section

A hypnobirthing course is a full antenatal course, where all options and choices are explored.

Let’s pause for a second and consider the following. How are you expected to make choices if you don’t have a clear understanding of all the options available to you? How can you decide what’s right for you if you don’t know the pros and cons for each of those choices? Giving birth should be about informed decision. That means fully understanding your options and being told the full picture so that you can decide what feels right for you and your baby.

So a hypnobirthing course is not only about relaxation and breathing techniques, visualisations and positive birth affirmations; it is an all-round programme that teaches everything that an expectant mother and her birth partner need to know about late pregnancy, labour, birth and beyond. From the physical changes that occur in a mother’s body towards the end of pregnancy, as it prepares for labour, through to what a woman can expect to happen during labour and birth.

Interested in booking a course, visit our Book Now page.