7 incredible benefits of Hypnobirthing backed by NHS research
If you’re expecting a baby in 2024, chances are you’ve heard of Hypnobirthing.
But maybe you’ve found yourself wondering what the benefits of Hypnobirthing actually are, especially when compared with other antenatal courses.
It might surprise you to know that the benefits of Hypnobirthing are actually grounded in scientific evidence and research.
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS trust carried out a survey comparing Hypnobirthing labours with the general population and discovered some incredible comparable statistics!
The most astonishing findings from the study showed a significant reduction in the number of epidurals, instrumental births and c-sections amongst those who had used Hypnobirthing.
As a Hypnobirthing teacher, I’m no stranger to these benefits, but I know if you’re reading this and you're wanting to learn more about Hypnobirthing, you probably have a lot of questions.
In this blog post, I’m going to guide you through 7 incredible benefits of Hypnobirthing and why it matters if you want to have a positive birth.
If you want more information on what Hypnobirthing is, you can read my blog post on that here.
7 incredible benefits of Hypnobirthing
1. Helps you to relax & enjoy your pregnancy
Let’s be honest – pregnancy can feel overwhelming at times.
Between what foods to avoid, how to get a good nights sleep and managing difficult symptoms, it can feel really hard to enjoy every minute, especially if you're also worrying about giving birth.
One of the focal points of a Hypnobirthing course is giving you the practical tools you need to actually be able to relax. It's all very well and good someone telling you to 'just relax' but it isn't always that easy!
Relaxation is a real skill that we have to learn and practice.
On a hypnobirthing course with me, you’ll learn a variety of different relaxation tools and breathing techniques, all designed to help you relax. Practicing these tools in pregnancy has huge benefits for your overall wellbeing, mental health and can also help you to enjoy your pregnancy.
If your fear of giving birth is causing you severe anxiety, you may be suffering with a condition called Tokophobia . This is requires specialist medical input from a trained therapist.
2. Helps you to feel calmer, relaxed and more in control during labour
A big part of a Hypnobirthing course focuses on teaching you about the science behind birth and what is actually happening when you have a contraction. This knowledge can really support you to feel calmer and relaxed during labour as you fully understand what is happening in your body.
You'll also learn all about of your options and choices for birth, how to navigate the maternity system and how to have a positive birth regardless of what happens on the day,
This can give you a huge sense of control and ultimately help you to view your baby's birth as a positive experience.
3. Gives your birthing partner an active role to play during birth, rather than feeling like a spare part
There is a tendency for antenatal courses to focus primarily on the person who is giving birth, but the role of the birthing partner cannot be overlooked. Birthing partners play a crucial role in helping the birthing person feel safe, supported and well looked after.
Birthing partners mental health also really matters.
On a Hypnobirthing course with me not only will your birthing partner leave fully understanding the process of birth but I’ll also teach them an abundance of practical techniques they can use to support you during labour. This includes hands on tools like massage techniques and other comfort measures.
4. Helps your baby to born in a calmer way which helps them adjust to the outside world
If you feel stressed, your body will release a cocktail of hormones, including the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. The effects of these hormones will raise your blood pressure, increase your heart rate and make you feel panicked.
High levels of cortisol can also stimulate your placenta to increase production of its own stress hormone, which can lead to your baby becoming distressed.
Having calming Hypnobirthing techniques at your disposal can really help your baby to be born in a much more calmer way.
When you feel calm and relaxed, so does your baby and this really helps them to adjust to the outside world.
5. Reduces the levels of pain you may experience during birth
Most people nowadays feel scared about giving birth.
The problem with this is that when we feel really fearful about birth, our bodies will most likely tense up when labour starts.
Then, because we are so tense, we start to experience a significant amount of pain when we're having a contraction.
This pain then reinforces our fear, so find ourselves holding even more tension and feeling more pain.
This is called the fear-tension-pain cycle, and Hypnobirthing aims to break this cycle. This can really help you to give birth more comfortably and easily too.
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS trust found that 53% of those who used hypnobirthing during labour experienced slight or no pain compared to only 6% of those who didn’t use hypnobirthing.
That being said, the goal of Hypnobirthing is not to make birth pain free but its really interesting that this study showed such a huge difference.
6. Reduces the chance of you needing an epidural
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS trust found that 14% of those who used hypnobirthing during labour had an epidural compared to 40-95% of those who didn’t use hypnobirthing.
This is really significant.
Having an epidural can come with it’s own risks and it can really change your experience of birth, making it much more likely that your baby will need assistance to be born.
7. Reduces the chance of you needing a c-section
The Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS trust found that there was a 4% c-section rate for those using hypnobirthing compared to 15-20% for those who didn't use hypnobirthing.
So there you have it, the top 7 benefits of using Hypnobirthing, all backed up by NHS research.
If you’re still wondering if Hypnobirthing is really the right antenatal course for you, you can watch my FREE introduction to Hypnobirthing video here!
Love Emma
Hypnobirthing and Antenatal teacher
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Looking for an antenatal course?
Hi, I'm Emma. 5* rated Hypnobirthing teacher and the founder of Blooming Births Hypnobirthing.
I am the only recommended Hypnobirthing specialist from Jesmond Natural Health and Fertility and I pride myself on offering honest, bespoke and evidence based antenatal courses, developed after years of extensive training.
After giving birth to my own two babies, I continue to work closely with the Newcastle Maternity units and stay up to date with current working practices so that you are well informed about what to expect from your local trust.
I'm also an affiliate member of The Royal College of Midwives and a breastfeeding peer support volunteer. I'm continually updating my knowledge, including training with the UKs leading midwives, doulas and birth rights consultants.
