Frequently Asked Questions

Hypnobirthing is suitable for first time mums and mums who have had children before.  We help women who are scared of birth because they have never done it before, who are anxious because of a bad experience last time, or who just want a calm, easier, more natural birth experience.  If you are pregnant and looking for an alternative to unnecessary medical intervention and to get away from, pain is inevitable, you might as well have the drugs, mindset, then Hypnobirthing is for you!

Hypnosis is a natural state of mind, think of sitting reading a book or watching a fire, you can become so engrossed in it that you just tune out everything else, but are still aware of what is going on around you. This is hypnosis. Hypnotherapy in Hypnobirthing is where we induce this natural state of relaxation and use it to release negative thoughts and fears surrounding birth and to re-enforce positive thoughts and visualisations to help you to achieve a calm and easier birth.

Yes, Hypnobirthing Is a complete pregnancy and childbirth course, the skills you will learn will help you to have a healthy, comfortable, relaxed pregnancy and even if special circumstances arise you will still benefit from the knowledge gained and the relaxation techniques you will learn. Both mums and dads often say the relaxation techniques learnt in class help them in dealing with situations calmly in everyday life, and most say there sleep patterns are much improved.

Hypnobirthing is growing in popularity. As more mums have wonderful, calm births the word is spreading. There has also been quite a bit of positive media cover relating to Hypnobirthing, with many celebreties choosing to birth their babies, using the technique. Even if your care providers are not familiar, this is not a problem. You will be given information to pass to them and I have a HypnoBirthing presentation, which I deliver free to professionals wanting more information.

There are many factors which could affect the outcome of childbirth and sometimes these are out with our control. Like most things, the success of the techniques is related to the amount of practise we put in. So whilst we cannot 100% guarantee a pain free birth, here are some statistics which might explain what is achievable:

65-70% of Hypnobirthing mums don't need any form of pain relief
Nearly all the mums in this category don't experience any pain - just pressure.
Around a further 20-25% only require mild analgesia, such as gas & air. The remaining 5-10% usually fall into what we call 'special circumstances', where medical intervention is required.

However the Hypnobirthing mums still report that Hypnobirthing really helped - even if they were induced, or ended up with a caesarean section.

Unlike other antenatal classes, the Hypnobirthing course is particularly special because it creates an integral role for the father or the birth companion. Instead of your birth companion feeling like a helpless onlooker, the course allows them to feel involved and informed and therefore in a better position to support you throughout pregnancy and birth. So it is ideal that you attend the classes with your birth companion, however women wishing to attend alone can of course do so and still benefit entirely from the course.