.png)
Emma
Positive Birth Story: Planned Homebirth turned Caesarean
Fellow Hypnobirthing teacher Laura Thompson from the happy little nest shares her empowering birth story
top of page
The science behind Hypnobirthing
How does Hypnobirthing really work?
Let's address the elephant in the room.
I know how hypnobirthing sounds. It conjures up images of hippies giving birth in a field, banging a drum and wafting incense. Birth partners can feel really skeptical about it too and wonder how it can actually benefit you when it comes to preparing to give birth.
The truth is that hypnobirthing has absolutely nothing to do with how much of a hippy you are - or aren't.
Hypnobirthing is a fully comprehensive, evidence based antenatal course which empowers you to feel totally confident for birth. It teaches you powerful relaxation techniques to help you stay calm and cope with pain, gives you an in depth understanding of the science behind birth and can help you to navigate the maternity system so that you can have the most positive experience.
These powerful relaxation tools and techniques are for every single birth.
What's the 'hypno' in Hypnobirthing?
Spoiler - it isn't what you think!
The 'Hypno' in Hypnobirthing stands for hypnosis.
Essentially, this is all about learning how to go into a deep state of relaxation. When you feel more relaxed during labour, contractions typically feel less painful and birth can unfold much more easily. Being relaxed also helps to boost your birthing hormones, in particular the hormone Oxytocin. This is the hormone responsible for starting labour and for keeping it going!
The hypnosis element of Hypnobirthing also helps you to move away from a place of feeling fearful about giving birth and to a place where you feel really confident.
How does feeling fearful affect birth?
When it comes to birth, most of us have pretty negative expectations. This is usually driven from other people's stories, the TV, films, social media and our over thinking human minds. But this fear can negatively impact our experience of birth.
When you feel fear, your body will naturally tense up. If your body is tense when labour starts, this will make giving birth feel more painful.
Once you start to experience high levels of pain, you may become even more fearful and your body will tense up even more. You then get stuck in this vicious cycle and your body begins to pump you with the hormone adrenaline. This is your fight or flight hormone.
Adrenaline isn't a hormone you want during labour. It can slow your labour down and even stop it altogether, this is because your body doesn't feel safe.
On a Hypnobirthing course, we are aiming to really minimise your fear levels, enabling you to become more relaxed during labour and therefore reducing any pain your may experience.
The mind body connection
Hypnobirthing focuses a lot on the role of the mind and the part this plays in birth. This might sound a bit 'woo woo' but think about it - without the mind, the body wouldn't work!
On a Hypnobirthing course, we focus specifically on the unconscious part of your mind which isn't something other antenatal courses do.
One of the biggest functions of the unconscious mind is your basic survival instincts and it's also the part of the mind responsible for emotions.
The unconscious mind processes things that it sees or hears as either safe or unsafe.
So if you constantly hear a negative birth stories, your unconscious mind will process birth as unsafe. This means that when labour starts, your unconscious mind could trigger your fight or flight to kick in, triggering a whole series of emotional, hormonal and physically responses to something it perceives as dangerous.
This is an amazing mechanism when you're actually in danger, but giving birth is not inherently dangerous. When this response is triggered during birth, your experience is not likely to be a comfortable or enjoyable one.
But it's not enough to simply tell yourself to 'relax'. Relaxation is a skill that you have to learn, and this is exactly what you will learn on a course with me. I'll teach you practical, hands on relaxation skills that both you and your birthing partner can use to stay calm during labour, helping you to achieve a positive birthing experience no matter what happens on the day.
Hypnobirthing for all births
Even if birth goes in a different way to what you were expecting, our Hypnobirthing courses will help you to stay calm, in control and ultimately view your baby's birth as a positive experience.
We're very clear that Blooming Births Hypnobirthing is for all types of women, people and births. i promote an inclusive, supportive environment where all births are celebrated.
Whether you want a homebirth, a hospital birth, or a c-section, I can support you to have a truly empowering birth experience.
-
When is the best time to do a Hypnobirthing course?There is no right or wrong time when it comes to deciding when to start a Hypnobirthing course. Most people choose to start a course between 16 and 34 weeks of pregnancy, as this gives them plenty of time to practice the tools and techniques, but other people choose start a course at 34+ weeks. It really is completely up to you when you choose to start your Hypnobirthing course.
-
How is a Hypnobirthing course different to an NCT course?Hypnobirthing and NCT courses are very different. NCT courses tend to be very traditional in their approach to antenatal education and are usually ran in large groups. NCT courses will focus a lot on information giving and will cover a wide range of topics from pregnancy right the way through to caring for a newborn. Hypnobirthing courses focus more on birth preparation and mindset work. It's important to consider which topics are being covered on both courses, what is most important to you and the pros vs cons of each. Every antenatal teacher will have a different style of teaching too. That being said, it doesn't necessarily have to be an 'either or' situation. Many of my clients choose to do both a Hypnobirthing and an NCT course.
-
Can I do Hypnobirthing if I'm planning to use medical forms of pain relief?Hypnobirthing can be used alongside any type of pain relief you choose during labour, including medical pain relief such as gas & air, and epidurals. A high quality Hypnobirthing course explore all of your pain relief options, including natural and medical choices so that you can make an informed decision about what is right for you. It is usually possible to combine a number of pain relief methods together alongside your Hypnobirthing techniques. Whilst evidence does suggest that those who use Hypnobirthing usually find birth less painful, the goal of Hypnobirthing is not to replace pain relief.
-
Can I do Hypnobirthing if I'm planning a c-section?Yes! The Hypnobirthing I teach is for all births, including c-sections. Hypnobirthing can help you to understand what to expect before you go in for your c-section and also give you the tools you need to feel calm about the experience. My private Hypnobirthing courses can be tailored for those who know they want a c-section from very early on in pregnancy so we can focus on making sure you have an incredible birth. A high quality Hypnobirthing course should teach you about how to have a positive c-section even if this would not be your first preference.
-
Do you offer payment plans?Yes we offer payment plans on all of our antenatal courses so that we can be as accessible as possible. We are also happy to discuss alternative payment plans to support you.
Our Courses
Gosforth - Newcastle
Expert led weekend antenatal courses delivered in small intimate groups. Make friends and prepare for your positive birth together.
Gosforth - Newcastle
Spend time nurturing your own wellbeing and preparing for your calm birth at one of our afternoon pregnancy retreats.
Online or in person
Fully bespoke antenatal courses expertly tailored to meet your needs. These 121 courses are delivered in the comfort of your home.
Contact me
Booking a Hypnobirthing course can feel like a huge investment - believe me, I get it. It's also really important that you find the right Hypnobirthing teacher for you.
If you have any questions about my courses, please do get in touch!
As featured on
Steal our FREE birth tips!
Sign up with your email to get our top birth tips and to stay up to date with all our award winning courses.
bottom of page