Hypnobirthing is new to me in this pregnancy but something I am becoming quickly obsessed with. Hypnobirthing is helping me to conquer my anxiety, relax better during my pregnancy and getting really excited about the birth of Baby F which really isn’t very far away now. I’ve talked openly about this with my Doula who has even said that she has seen those that follow the techniques and recordings really positive birth experiences no matter what happens. For me it’s all about having the confidence to handle whatever situation, to cope better during labour and birth and to make my birth as positive as I possibly can.
What Is Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is a toolkit of information, techniques and exercises to help you have a positive birth. Some people feel it’s too “hippy” for them and that’s completely fine but there is actually loads of evidence based scientific research that really supports hypnobirthing and the positive affects it can have on women when they go into labour and birth their babies.
Hypnobirthing is all about positive reinforcement, deep relaxation and getting your mind into the best state for labour. It can help relieve pain, has helped women avoid too much intervention and can help you prepare for whatever birth you are planning on having. It helps to tackle the fear surrounding birth and empower women with knowledge and confidence.
Where Can I Start with Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is all about practise so starting soon in your pregnancy can be really beneficial however some women do look into it in the very late stages of pregnancy and still find hypnobirthing really beneficial to their birth and labour experience.
I would first recommend listening or reading some positive birth stories. I found YouTube a good place to start with this as well as Tell Me A Good Birth Story. Avoid highly dramatised shows full of tension like One Born Every Minute which are often not full of positive births. I found that the more positive stories I read the more confidence I had that I could also have a positive birth and so many of these women mentioned how much they loved hypnobirthing. I really recommend Lynn JT on YouTube who has a six step video series on the basics of hypnobirthing as a place to find more information and get started.
Free Hypnobirthing Courses
There is a free trial available on the introduction to hypnobirthing here which is another great place to get a snapshot into what you can learn by taking a hypnobirthing course or class. It doesn’t give you all the information but is another great starting point.
You can also look for a Confident Birthing or midwife lead Hypnobirthing class at your local birth centre or hospital. I am attending one on 25th August and as it’s run by the NHS it’s thankfully free. These classes book up fast so book in early as there is usually a waiting list.
Hypnobirthing Books To Read
Online Hypnobirthing Course
I have absolutely loved the Digital Pack available from The Positive Birthing Company. It’s a series of fantastic videos that explains everything you need to know about labour, birth, inductions and how hypnobirthing can help every scenario. There are over 40+ videos, a private positive birth story community, a guide on writing your birth preferences plan as well as relaxation scripts. The homebirthing course pack is a fantastic resource to download and hand over to partners too so they can read through everything and learn loads. The videos are short and easy to binge watch. You can watch them with a partner, they teach techniques and are really informative and interesting. Just watching the videos and listening to where I can find out more information has helped me to make informed decisions.
Deep Relaxation Hypnobirthing Recordings
Having private hypnobirthing sessions and buying the digital pack I have loads of relaxation recordings to listen to including one that has been personalised with my own birth affirmations. There are also plenty of hypnobirthing recordings available on YouTube and some of the books I have purchased have included links to pregnancy affirmations, birth affirmations and a deep relaxation recording too. The point is to listen to these as often as you can so that the message gets through to your subconscious giving you loads of positive reinforcement. If you are keen to get the labour process started then deep relaxation is a great place to start as it can really help get the Oxytocin flowing through you.
Private Hypnobirthing Sessions
I had two sessions with Positively You Hypnotherapy. Mandy came to my home as she was quite local and went through a fantastic presentation on birth and how hypnobirthing can really help including scientific evidence, breathing techniques, pain relief visualisations, positive reinforcement and relaxation recordings to keep and listen to before and during labour. It was lovely having the private sessions because these helped us get to know Mandy on a one-to-one basis. She listened and answered all our questions and went through absolutely everything in no rush.
Creating a Hypnobirthing Playlist
You can create a playlist for your labour and birth on YouTube or a music app depending on what you are looking for. I have found putting lots of hypnobirthing relaxation recordings together in one place is helping me to keep getting that positive message through and keeping the ones I like in a nice easy to access place. However, some women like to create music playlists to help Oxytocin flow, keep them at peace and relaxed throughout labour and birth.
My Experience with Hypnobirthing
I am hoping to update this part with my experience of using the techniques learned when I have had Baby F. For my pregnancy though hypnobirthing has helped me to relax, have a great night sleep and given me confidence in my body because as they say knowledge is power.
For more pregnancy content please head to my hub post which contains links to all my relevant pregnancy based blog posts. My second High Bmi Pregnancy.
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