What is HypnoBirthing?
I'm sure you've heard that for most women, holding your newborn baby in your arms for the first time, is by far the most extraordinary and beautiful experience in life. But the journey leading up to this beautiful moment, is often marked by horror stories about pain and fear. For a lot of expectant mothers, especially first-time mothers, the uncertainties surrounding pregnancy and the birth itself can cause a lot of anxiety and worry when the due date approaches.
Lately, a there's been a lot of buzz about going natural, listening to our instincts, and listening to our bodies. Well, a relatively new method for natural birth helps us girls to do just that.
HypnoBirthing’s premise is that the fear and anxiety surrounding birth comes from us living in a modern society, and removed from nature. Because of this, we are disconnected from our natural instincts. For example, we go to a supermarket to get food when we're hungry. There's no instinct involved in that. Instinct is what you see wild animals rely on when they get hungry. They go out, stalk prey, or graze in a field, all the while watching their backs so they don't get hunted themselves. That's instinct.
How does HypnoBirthing really work?
So for a lot of people, what do we know about giving birth? Well, right away an image of a nervous and panicking pregnant woman in a car being driven to the hospital at high speeds by her equally panicking husband, springs to mind right? Or maybe woman lying in a hospital bed surrounded by doctors and nurses and screaming in pain right? The thing is, none of these images are what you'd call natural! Through TV, and stories from friends and family, we think of birth as painful. HypnoBirthing wants to help you get rid of this association. HypnoBirthing uses relaxation techniques, visualizations and breathing exercises that help you get back in touch with your body and natural instincts.
Who has tried HypnoBirthing?
For now, HypnoBirthing is still relatively unknown, but it is getting more popular. Some celebrity moms have famously used HypnoBirthing to give birth like Gisele Bundchen, Jessica Alba and Tiffani Amber Thiessen.
The most recent celebrity using HypnoBirthing is Kate Middleton. She used HypnoBirthing to give birth to all 3 of her royal children!
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 23: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
Who invented HypnoBirthing?
HypnoBirthing was invented by an American hypnotherapist Marie Mongan. After undergoing the terribly painful births of her first 2 children, she was determined to find a better way of giving birth.
Marie Mongan’s research took her to the findings of British obstetrician, Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, who formulated the Fear-Tension-Pain-syndrome. His theory states that if a woman in labor is scared, she will automatically tense up; causing pain to her muscles and body; which causes her to tense up even more; thus, feeling more pain. This vicious circle forms the basis of the horror stories of long and painful births.
Through his research and experience with numerous patients, Dr. Grantly hypothesized that if the cycle of pain and anxiety is broken, birth can take place without fear, and the whole process will be pain free. For Marie’s third birth, she used self-hypnosis to calm herself, and because of this, she stay relaxed throughout her birth. Her birth was calm and pain free birth experience, without medication. Marie then founded the Hypnobirthing Institute to help spread her method to help women all around the world achieve a gentle birth experience like hers.
Advantages of HypnoBirthing
Giving birth naturally benefits for both the mother and the baby. Some of the main advantages of HypnoBirthing are:
- Through deep relaxation, births are shorter, resulting in less stress for mother and baby. The mother stays in control and keeps her energy while the baby is more alert and cries less.
- By using your body’s endorphins as natural pain relief, medication is often not needed and birth is all natural. Endorphins do not have the negative side-effects experienced by both mother and baby often associated with artificial pain medication.
- Hypnobirthing method encourages the mother’s partner to take an active part in the birthing process, making birth an experience that can strengthen their relationship.
- Less stress make HypnoBirthing babies calmer, and their describe them as happier.
How do I learn HypnoBirthing?
● DIY - Get the book HypnoBirthing by Marie Mongan and read!
Lots of you out there are DIYers. You have my respect! So for all you people, just to make your life a little easier, we wrote you a little guide on learning hypnobirthing on your own.
Marie F. Mongan wrote the book “HypnoBirthing” to give an in-depth look at the history of birth and to explain where pain comes from.
This book teaches expectant mothers how to prepare your body and especially your mind for birth. Most importantly, it describes how to use and practice HypnoBirthing techniques and become proficient in self-hypnosis and relaxation.
The DIY method is best for those who have lots of time to go before due date (and with lots of free time) and those with good self-motivation and discipline.
Overall, the DIY method provides a limited range of self-hypnosis techniques but is the most economical option!
● Take a HypnoBirthing Online Course
There’s an online course for just about anything these days and HypnoBirthing is no different. You can now learn HypnoBirthing from the comfort of your own home.
The HypnoBirthing online course is divided into 5 modules that you can complete on a weekly basis or at your own preferred pace. The content is exactly the same as an in-person class.
This method is best for those who like the freedom to take the course whenever and wherever you like. All you need is a computer, tablet or smartphone, and an internet connection.
For a personal touch, there is a closed Facebook group for interaction between fellow online classmates and the instructor.
● Take a HypnoBirthing Group or Private Course
.There are many certified HypnoBirthing instructors all over the world today. You can find one closest to you using this link from the HypnoBirthing Institute.
An in-person course is the best for those who need the motivation of an appointment and those that learn best from an instructor. Group courses cost around $300 for 5 weekly sessions of 2.5 hours each and are usually run in groups of 3 to 5 couples. Private courses run from $500+. Of course, an in-person HypnoBirthing class is the most expensive of the bunch.
Our Recommendation
With our busy schedules and lifestyles, we here at ParentsNeed HQ find the online HypnoBirthing course to be the best choice for learning HypnoBirthing. It covers all the bases of an in-person class and gives you a step by step guide to learning HypnoBirthing for about 1/3 the price of an in-person class.
We particularly like the flexibility offered by the online course. Being able to do the course in your PJ’s with a nice cup of herbal tea on a lazy Saturday morning, or next to the fireplace in the evening with a cup of hot chocolate, seems like a natural fit for HypnoBirthing since relaxing is the name of the game. Rushing through traffic to a scheduled weekly class would seem almost counterproductive!
We also like the ability to repeat the self-hypnosis exercises in the course as often as you like. You can't do this in a group or private class because you'd run out of time! To see if the online course is for you, take a Free test drive here.
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