Today I am joined by Emily, a holistic childbirth educator and midwife. One part of Emily’s childbirth education is birth hypnosis.
I remember when I first heard about birth hypnosis I was very sceptical and had a completely skewed idea of what it is. Since then I have learned more about it and I’ve also seen doula clients of mine who have used it during their labour and birth. I now definitely think that it can have positive effects on a woman before, during and after the birth of her baby.
Birth hypnosis is becoming more popular but there are still a lot of myths and misconceptions around. So it was important to me that we talk about it and figure out what birth hypnosis is and isn’t.
To be honest, I think 'hypnosis' is a tricky term for this sort of birth preparation since it has nothing to do with the hollywood kind of hypnosis that many people think about. There are no pendants involved and no one will snap their finger - unless that’s your coping method during contractions.
Many practitioners call it guided meditation or guided relaxation. Those terms sound more gentle and come with less misconceptions and stigma attached.
But remember:
Birth hypnosis is just one of the many tools in your labour toolkit. It is also important to be informed and have done a comprehensive Childbirth Education Course to know about the physiology of birth and be in a calm and informed state when labour starts.
Click here to get your free birth hypnosis teaser mp3!
I hope you enjoyed listening to my chat with Emily!
If you would like some more help in preparing for the birth of your baby check out our Melbourne based birthing classes or sign up to our newsletter to receive free online education materials. Our classes are held by an amazing team and include a midwife, a childbirth educator, a doula, a prenatal yoga teacher and a lactation consultant. There is a mix of gentle birthing techniques like breathing and birth hypnosis and active labour exercises.
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