Confident Childbirth

These are some of the things my mums-to-be have said that they would measure success during their birthing experience:

“I just want to be able to cope.”

“If I can get through this and feel positive about it afterwards, that will be enough.”

“I don’t expect it to be all ‘earth mother’ and whale music, but is it too much to expect to get through it and feel I did an OK job at the end?”

It’s not much to expect that we can have a positive experience giving birth, is it? After all, women’s bodies were designed to do just that. It’s simply that, in western society we have grown to expect labour and childbirth to be a horrendous thing to go through. People are only too pleased to tell you their birthing horror stories, and then expect you to look forward to your own! 

And actually, the benefits of the course can carry on long after the birth of your baby because most women who have used these sorts of tools prior to labour, report that they babies are calm, contented and good feeders. That’s got to be worth thinking about because...

relaxed mums = relaxed baby = relaxed mums ... 

So, what benefits can you expect after completing a Confident Childbirth Course?

By preparing for the birth of your baby in this way, you learn to allow your body and mind to work together, just as it is designed to do. Several research studies have found that hypnotherapy for childbirth can help women to have shorter labour, whilst needing less medication. These studies have also found that generally, less medical interventions, such as epidural, forceps and caesarean sections are needed when women have been taught self-hypnosis prior to the onset of labour. Many women have reported being able to cope so much better than they expected, and therefore had a more satisfying birth.

During the course, you will learn self-hypnosis. This is a skill you will have for the rest of your life, so the benefits can continue long after the birth of your baby. The practice of self-hypnosis during pregnancy will help to encourage you to:

It is possible to experience no pain whatsoever, under hypnosis. Many people have had surgical operations using hypnosis as the only form of anaesthetic, and have reported feeling comfortable throughout the procedure. They generally recover more quickly than those people who have had conventional anaesthesia. Unfortunately, I can not guarantee that this will be the case during your labour and delivery because much depends on the amount of time and effort you are prepared to put into practising. The more you are able to practice the skills that will be taught to you, the more easily you could find you are able to go into a deeper depth of trance. If your aim is to have no pain or discomfort at all during labour, you will need to be prepared to spend time learning to relax and enter a self-hypnotic trance, as much as possible. Of course, this gives you the best positive excuse for putting your feet up and taking things a little easier at this important time! 

You can book onto the course at any time during your pregnancy, but an excellent time to begin, is at the start of the third trimester so that you can prepare fully for the birth. Alternatively, you may like to consider beginning earlier in your pregnancy so that the benefits can begin as soon as possible. This also gives you the advantage of being able to spend more time practising the techniques that you will learn.

Even if you may be fairly late in your pregnancy, please don't think that it is too late for hypnosis to be of use to you. Any amount of practice that you are able to do between now and the birth of your baby is likely to be time well spent. And who knows, it may be the difference that makes the difference, to something that most people only get to experience a few times in their life. Shouldn't it be the best experience it possible can be, so that you can look back on the event, and know it is a positive thing?

Women have natural instincts when it comes to giving birth. With the added skills that you will learn on the Confident Childbirth Course, you can really trust your body and work with it to the greatest effect, at this wonderful time in your life. Put aside any negative notions you may have about childbirth, because you can approach your labour with confidence.