Why there is no such thing as a Hypnobirth.
One of the two biggest misconceptions about Hypnobirthing is that it’s only for natural birthing hippies who want to have a home water birth with Enya singing in the background and dolphins in attendance.
Quite often I hear women saying that Hypnobirthing is not for them and it makes me wonder - what is it exactly, that they think is not for them?
Is it the word hypnosis – conjuring up images of mind controlling stage magicians?
Is it the idea that they have to be good at meditating to be able to benefit from it?
Or is it the idea that they will be expected to birth without pain relief and that their birth has to look and sound a particular way?
This last one is the other biggest misconception about Hypnobirthing.
That your birth must look a particular way for it to be deemed a successful ‘Hypnobirth’ and that you need to achieve a drug free, pain free, intervention free birth so that you can to get your girl guide ‘Hypnobirthing badge’.
Not only is this misconception preventing women considering and benefitting from Hypnbirthing classes in the first place it can put a lot of pressure on those woman who have done the classes.
What happens if the birth isn’t drug, pain and intervention free? What if she decides that she needs some pain relief or what if a medical intervention is necessary?
With such high expectations it could leave her feeling that she’s failed in someway or maybe that Hypnobirthing hasn’t worked properly.
These preconceptions of how the birth should look and feel can leave women feeling like they’ve done something wrong or not tried hard enough or just not been very good at this birthing business and no mother deserves to feel like that about her birth.
All births take strength, resilience and bravery and every woman deserves to
LOVE BIRTHING her baby.
So I would just like to make it really clear to you all.
You don’t have to be good at meditation or a hippy to benefit from Hypnobirthing classes. You don't even have to want a physiological birth.
And those of you who have done classes - you aren’t aiming for a ‘Hypnobirth’ – there really is no such thing.
Hypnobirthing is NOT something you achieve.
Hypnobirthing is something you USE.
You use it to:
Update your beliefs, thoughts and feelings about birth.
De-hypnotise you from old out of date conditioning and programming about birth that you’ve been absorbing all your life.
Create the best mental state you can be in for your body to have a better chance of doing what it’s designed to do naturally….(even and especially with inductions)
Fully prepare your partner to be able to support you effectively and to choose a supportive location and birth support team.
Empower yourself with knowledge and information about all the different choices and options out there.
Stack the odds in your favour of having a normal physiological birth and at the same time remain open to other possibilities.
So that NO MATTER WHAT HAPENS and what path your birthing takes….
You use it to remain calm and in control.
To feel safe and supported by your birthing team.
To know that you did your best.
That you gave it everything you had.
That you made your own informed choices about your baby, body and birth, every step of the way.
These ingredients are the keys to a positive birth experience which after all is what we want for every woman and her baby.
Do you want to read some positive birth stories where things havn't quite gone as expected and how Hypnobirthing has helped?
Here are a few of my favourites.
I truly hope you enjoy reading about all the wonderful experiences that these families had and how they used their Hypnobirthing skills and tools they learnt in their classes with me.
If you would like to find out more about my Love Birthing Classes please get in touch – I would love to share my 10 years of knowledge and expertise with you.
Much love and many birthing blessings
Jasmine x
Jasmine is a Hypnotherapist, Hypnobirthing Specialist and NLP Practitioner who combines the latest in mind science with old traditional birthing methods from her training and experience as a Birth Doula to bring you her Love Birthing Classes.
For whatever birth you choose or whatever path it takes.....Hypnobirthing can help.
