HypnoBirthing® believes that parents can and should be active participants in the welcoming of their new baby. They are the experts in how this is going to take place. HypnoBirthing® empowers parents to find relaxation during the birthing process.
There are many myths about childbirth that are perpetuated by the screaming, maniacal woman in the movies. There is a myriad of horror stories you hear from strangers in the grocery store once you are obviously pregnant. I recall my aunt recounting how Carol Burnett described childbirth as pulling your lower lip over your head. Sounds pleasant, right?
However, for me, and many other women, this is not the experience they have chosen for childbirth. Chosen is the key word. You actually have many choices for how you would like your childbirth to be. For instance, at home or at the hospital? Epidural or natural? When nature comes calling or inducement? Standing or squatting? In the bed or in the bath? Many women do not realize that they have choices when it comes to how they want to birth their babies. That is the purpose of HypnoBirthing® – to help the mother have the safe, natural childbirth that she desires.
HypnoBirthing® was born out of the idea that the mother and her partner make choices about the birth of their child. As a society, we often leave many important decisions up to the expert such as how to treat high blood pressure, how to write up a will or how to fix a carburetor. HypnoBirthing® believes that the mother and her partner should be active participants in the welcoming of their new baby. Furthermore, they should become the experts in how this is going to take place. Many midwives and some doctors will talk with their pregnant mothers about a Birth Plan while others are dismissive, stating that they will take care of the details.
How we raise our children can also be thoughtful and deliberate. Why shouldn’t the decision about how to bring your baby into the world be along the same lines?
The HypnoBirthing® course is a five week, 10 hour course that covers not only the physiology of pregnancy but also the common birth misconceptions. A Birth Plan will be created. Furthermore, during the crux of the course the mother and her partner are taught self-hypnosis, or a deep, deep state of relaxation. This is designed to assist during the surges and help reduce the feelings of pressure that occur during the laboring process. The course comes with a book and relaxation CD’s where the couple can then practice what they have learned during the classes at home.
Much like other childbirthing classes, women who are interested in epidurals, are also welcome as HypnoBirthing® is a tool used to assist through the early stages of labor and on. Videos are shown during the classes that demonstrate women who are using the HypnoBirthing® techniques. Personally, I became an instructor because, as a clinical psychologist, I had schooling and interest in hypnosis; I used these techniques successfully with the birth of my three children.