Hypnobirthing offers you a toolkit of relaxation techniques and mindful practices to enhance your birthing experience. Contact me to learn techniques that promote relaxation, alleviate stress, and allow you to approach childbirth with positivity and calm.
- Book a free 20-minute Discovery call, available on Zoom or by phone
- Call me to book an appointment or get questions answered – 01977 678593
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Or, if you’re not familiar with hypnobirthing read on to find out more.
What is Hypnobirthing?
Pregnancy can be a wonderful time, but it can also come with physical and emotional challenges. The demands on your body, the hormone fluctuations, and worrying about the future can sometimes cause low mood or anxiety.
Or read on to find out how hypnobirthing, hypnotherapy, and relaxation can support you before conception, when you are pregnant, and during childbirth.
Hypnosis and Fertility: can hypnotherapy help you get pregnant?
Hypnotherapy can’t have a direct effect on fertility, especially if specific medical issues are preventing you from becoming pregnant. However, hypnosis and regular use of relaxation techniques can help to keep you more relaxed while you try to conceive. This, in itself, can help to increase your chances of becoming pregnant. It reduces the production of stress hormones like cortisol, which may interfere with ovulation. [1]
For example, one study showed that women who used mind/body and relaxation techniques alongside IVF had a 42-55% conception rate. For those who undertook IVF alone, it was around 20%. [2] Another showed that women with depression had a 60% viable pregnancy rate within six months if their depression was treated. Compare this with 24% if the depression wasn’t addressed. [3]
If you’re planning to get pregnant, your therapy sessions will be tailored to you and your situation. They might include:
- stress reduction generally,
- reducing anxiety around conceiving, and/or any related medical interventions (for example, needle phobias),
- healthy food choices, smoking cessation, getting a good night’s sleep, or motivation to exercise, especially if your doctor has said these things might help,
- dealing with any unresolved issues such as generalised anxiety or depression, past trauma, or unresolved issues about becoming a parent.
Hypnosis and pregnancy: how does hypnotherapy help when you are pregnant?
Issues unrelated to your pregnancy, like fear of spiders or public speaking, are generally best dealt with at other times. But hypnotherapy is safe for most mums-to-be and can help with physical discomfort, morning sickness, sleep disturbances, and lots more of the minor aggravations of pregnancy.
Up to 80% of women experience some level of ‘morning sickness’ (and it can happen at other times of day too) and there is evidence that using hypnosis can ‘allow a more comfortable pregnancy and healthier foetal development, and could prevent cases that might otherwise proceed to full-blown hyperemesis gravidarum’ (excessive nausea and vomiting). [4]
Emotional fluctuations due to hormone changes are practically a cliche of pregnancy, and you might also have sleep issues or concerns about new routines such as having regular blood tests. It’s also quite normal to worry about the baby’s well-being and what it’s going to be like to give birth, especially if it’s your first time or you have had a poor birthing experience in the past.
Many of these issues can be reduced with regular use of relaxation, mindfulness, or self-hypnosis, and I can teach you some techniques to use at home.
Hypnobirthing: using hypnosis during childbirth
Hypnobirthing techniques can be used as an alternative or supplement to chemical anaesthetics when your baby is born. This might be especially helpful if you’re allergic to or otherwise can’t use standard painkillers. It can also make birthing feel less tiring by keeping you relaxed.
I offer a personalised, one-to-one hypnobirthing service, not a predesigned programme that ignores your specific circumstances. A typical set of four to six sessions to prepare you for childbirth might include:
- relaxation techniques to use before and during childbirth,
- addressing any fears or worries you might have about the experience,
- teaching you hypnotic pain relief techniques,
- teaching your birthing partner to help you use the techniques,
- developing a confident, positive attitude towards birth and being a parent.
A review of studies showing the effects of using hypnotherapy in pregnancy and childbirth concluded that it is useful for ‘alleviating fear and pain related to childbirth, enhancing postnatal well-being, and empowering women to feel more confident and in control of their emotions during childbirth.’ [6]
Finding out more
If you are pregnant, or would like to be, learning to relax can help you sleep better, and boost your physical and mental health. Mindful breathing is an easy technique to learn or you can listen as my voice guides you into a relaxed state.
If you would like to know more about using hypnotherapy for any of the reasons mentioned here, please get in touch.
*Safety note: Speak to your doctor or midwife before using hypnotherapy and/or if you notice any changes in your physical or emotional health since they are best placed to make sure you and your baby are okay. Assuming all is well, hypnotherapy can be used alongside medication and surgical treatments, so feel free to continue using it for the duration of your pregnancy.
References
[1] https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/a26895263/hypnotherapy-help-conceive/
[2] The Journal of the American Medical Women’s Association 1999 and The Journal of Fertility and Sterility 2000. (Studies conducted by Alice Domar, PhD, director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Behavioural Medicine Program for Infertility in Boston)
[3] Journal of American Medical Women’s Association, 1999, vol. 54.
[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10655831/
[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4499279/
[6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0266613820300395