Hypnobirthing

It’s not one thing it’s lots of little things’. Together all the small things make a huge difference.

It works for different people in different ways. It is about letting go of fear.

It is not about having the perfect birth. It is about using the tools learned to achieve the best birth experience possible – whatever type/mode of birth.

KG Hypnobirthing consists of:

• the use of Words – words have a huge impact e.g. ‘allowed’ ‘pain’
• relaxation – script reading & listening to relaxation scripts
• breathing techniques
• relinquishing fear and negative ideas that have previously been learned
• positivity and building confidence
• understanding how the mind and body work together – ‘ Where the mind leads the body follows’
• understanding that our body responds to labour in either a positive or a negative way, and this can have a huge impact on labour
• reframing – turning negative thoughts and ideas into positive or neutral by looking at them in a different way

6 C’s of hypnobirthing

1. Choice
2. Control
3. Confidence
4. Calm
5. Comfortable
6. Communication

We want you to have the best birth experience you can, no matter what that is! By maintaining the 6 C’s women often report a positive experience.

Practising is the key!

Practising the relaxations and breathing is so important – practice, practice, practice.

It is not about being told or reading about hypnobirthing that makes the positive difference. It is practising the techniques, again and again and again during pregnancy, with their birth partner, that makes it work.

Working together as a couple ensures they become a team. The birth partner is actively involved in pregnancy, labour and birth.

• It puts the mother in control.
• It ensures relaxation, calmness and ensures her body works as it is designed to work. Oxytocin is produced readily resulting in less interventions.
• It reduces and relinquishes fear – fear that has been imbedded in them from a young age.
• Promotes positivity and builds confidence – empowerment.
• Mother and birth partner work as a team – partner has an active involvement in pregnancy and birth.
• Baby benefits from a calm, relaxed mother during pregnancy and birth – relaxation ensured time for responding to baby in the womb.
• Skills gained for life.

The mind is powerful and in control. ‘Where the mind leads, the body follows’.

Information that goes into the mind has an effect on the body physically.

Although the mind is powerful, we sometimes need to train it for it to work well.

We have lots of stored memories or experiences in our subconscious mind. These thoughts can then override the conscious mind.

These stored memories and experiences are often negative in relation to birth.

Labour is an involuntary process we have no physical control over , however, the thoughts in our mind can affect our involuntary response, and we want to respond positively to get the best out of it!

So, the mind plays an important role in HOW the body works.

Your mind can respond to labour in one of 2 ways;

Positive response (parasympathetic) – lots of oxytocin, endorphins, calm, relaxed, in control, safe. This is the response that helps your body work to its best.

Negative response (sympathetic) – lots of adrenalin, fight or flight mode, stress, fear, tension, out of control. This is your body’s way of dealing with a dangerous situation. This will not help your body work well.

By staying calm and relaxed as possible, being positive and being in a calming relaxed environment, this will help your mind and body work well together, producing lots of oxytocin and endorphins, to help your body work at its best.

• relaxation techniques; scripts, prayers, relaxing sounds
• breathing techniques; calm, slow steady breaths
• reframing; looking at worries or anxieties in a different way
• visualisations; visualising calming colours, meeting baby, visualising your cervix opening and baby moving down.
• positivity; filling your mind with positivity. Positive statements/ affirmations, positive birth stories. Building confidence in yourself
• avoiding negativity; avoiding negative stories or ideas around labour and birth