Hypnobirthing in stockport: How to prepare for a calm, confident birth
What is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is an alternative approach to preparing for birth, and managing anxiety and pain during labour. Hypnobirthing can be useful not only for a physiological (or natural) birth but also for managing anxiety during pregnancy and keeping calm for caesarean birth. With a variety of techniques, hypnobirthing can help you feel calm and confident for birth. We can split hypnobirthing into two types of practice: the inner work and the outer work.
The Outer Work
The outer work are the things we can do to prepare such as understanding your options and preferences for birth, birth planning and learning how to make informed decisions (which are associated with more positive birth experiences).
Outer work also includes learning practical techniques, or what we call the hypnobirthing toolbox. This includes techniques like breathwork, sensory anchoring, positive reinforcement and self-hypnosis.
The Inner Work
We are all conditioned and affected by the culture around us, the stories we hear, the perceptions of birth and particularly the media. This all builds a picture of birth as a medical situation. Something dramatic and scary to fear. With hypnobirthing we challenge that narrative and promote self-trust through education and practical techniques to help you to connect with yourself, your body and your baby. Inner work also includes taking ownership of your own birth and birth preferences whilst learning to surrender to the physiological process of birth.
How does hypnobirthing work?
Self-hypnosis
Hypnobirthing works through getting into a state of deep relaxation or self-hypnosis. The term self-hypnosis might sound strange but it is essentially getting into a deep relaxation or altered, calm brain state. You will actually quite often get into this state involuntarily at times, such as just before you fall asleep or before you’re fully awake. We also get into this state when we ‘zone out’.
For example, have you ever been on your way somewhere, driving along and then suddenly you’re like ‘how did I get here?!’ In that moment your subconscious and your active conscious brain have swapped places for a little time. You have still remained safe and arrived where you need to be, but you didn’t need to think about every step the whole way there. With hypnobirthing and self-hypnosis, it’s this calm, quiet brain state that we’re aiming for. Which is also associated with lower pain perception, helping you to manage contractions during labour.
Repetition and Practice
For hypnobirthing to be most beneficial it requires practice as we are rewiring the brain. It’s that practice and continued repetition that teaches your brain how to relax more easily and feel safe.
Most of us have what we call negative automatic thoughts, which evolutionary speaking were once helpful to keep us safe from danger, as it meant we could remember what could harm us. However, we now have these negative automatic thoughts when we’re not in danger. The brain finds it very easy to walk that well-trodden path in the brain to that negative thought and fear.
With hypnobirthing we replace those negative thoughts with self-trust and positive affirmations, and this is done through repetition and practice until you have cleared a way for this new path you’ve created in your brain. The more you go down this path the easier it becomes to get into that hypnotic state and to trust yourself and your body.
You can start practicing some techniques at home and reading about hypnobirthing as early as you want to in pregnancy. You may also benefit from a hypnobirthing course.
What can you expect at hypnobirthing classes?
You can expect to feel calmer and less anxious about giving birth and more confident and prepared. If you’re choosing a group course then you’ll also get to meet a like-minded group of other parents-to-be to share the experience with. Hypnobirthing classes involve antenatal education about labour and birth, learning about your options and developing practical skills to help you during labour.
Photo by Isabella Angélica on Unsplash
Where can I do hypnobirthing classes in Stockport?
I offer private hypnobirthing sessions via home visit in Stockport and the surrounding areas (see the areas I cover here) and I run a group course at Yoga Sangha in Cheadle village.
In the small-group classes we focus on:
Building trust in yourself and your body
Learning to sit with discomfort & reframing our perception of birth
Birth preferences and planning
Making informed decisions
Birth physiology and hormones
Birth environment & how to boost oxytocin
What to expect in labour
We also learn the practical hypnobirthing techniques:
Breathwork
Visualisation
Sensory anchoring
Positive affirmations
Relaxation
Self-hypnosis
So, if you’re feeling a bit anxious and unprepared and you’d like more time to ask questions and to plan for birth whilst learning practical hypnobirthing techniques for labour, this is the kind of antenatal course for you.
The course is designed to help you and your birth partner feel calm and more confident for birth.
With my courses you get more than classes, you get to feel heard and supported as individuals. I provide ongoing support, a WhatsApp group, an online resource hub, plus workbook, goody bag and local discounts.
Click here to learn more or get in touch anytime. I’m always happy to chat and answer questions about birth, babies and beyond!
