HypnoBirthing FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you guarantee a completely pain-free labour and birth?
No, because there are many factors that can affect a birth, some of which are outside our control. However, the success of the techniques is related to the amount of practice you put in. As a guide, research has shown that about 65% to 70% of HypnoBirthing® mums don't need any form of pain relief. Nearly all of these mums simply don't experience any pain - just pressure. About 20% to 25% only require something mild, such as gas and air. The remaining 5% to 10% usually fall into what we call 'special circumstances', where medical intervention is required. However, the HypnoBirthing® mums still tell us that HypnoBirthing® really helped them to remain calm and in control - even if they were induced or ended up having a Caesarean.
What does it cost?
I run very small groups (three couples maximum) in my home in Addiscombe near Croydon, south London, so you can be assured of personal attention. I charge £350 per couple for 12.5 hours of tuition (three hour classes spread over four weeks to allow you to practise and assimilate all the information). I offer a group discount, so if you and a friend book together on the same course, the fee is reduced to £300 per couple. My usual hourly rate for clinical hypnotherapy is £60 per hour, so the course really is exceptional value for money.
As I believe everyone should have access to HypnoBirthing®, I do offer a discount to those who're unable to afford the full fee - please contact me to discuss concessions or a payment plan.
I am also able to offer private HypnoBirthing® classes (classes are held in my home but you'll be the only couple in the class), and the fee for this private tuition is £650.
To book a place on a course, I would need to receive a cheque, made payable to Lisa Jackson, for £150. This fee is non-refundable. The balance of £200 (or £500 for private tuition) is payable at the end of the first class. However, in the unlikely event that you decide at the end of the first class that HypnoBirthing® is not for you, you may feel free not to attend the rest of the course and will not have to pay the £200/£500 (you will of course get to keep the textbook and CD).
Please note that once fees have been paid, no refunds can be given, even if you have to miss classes or your baby is born before you've attended the full course.
What's included in the price?
- Classes for both you and your baby's father or your birth companion
- Instruction in hypnotic techniques - learn how to hypnotise yourself and be hypnotised by your partner
- A HypnoBirthing® textbook
- Rainbow Relaxation And Birthing Affirmations CD
- Course handouts, including a birth plan
- Refreshments - coffee, a range of teas and mouthwatering biscuits!
When should I start attending the classes?
Between 25 to 30 weeks is ideal, as the success of the course is strongly linked to how much practice you do. However, provided you can finish the course before you give birth, it's still going to help you have a calm, relaxed, beautiful birth.
Who is HypnoBirthing® suitable for?
HypnoBirthing® is suitable for first-time mums as well as mums who've had kids before. It's ideal for women who're feeling scared of birth because they've never done it before, who're anxious because of a bad experience last time, or who just want a calmer, easier, more natural birth experience.
Does my baby's father have to attend HypnoBirthing® classes, too?
Wherever possible, yes, as it helps to build a strong relationship between yourselves and your baby. However, if your partner cannot attend all the classes or be with you during the birth, your mother, sister or friend can be your birthing companion instead. Whoever you choose needs to be willing to attend all the classes and the birth.
What will the baby's father/your birth companion learn in HypnoBirthing®?
As a father/birth companion, you are not an onlooker - you have a vital role to play in acting as a spokesperson for your partner when there's a need to communicate with medical staff, and to keep the atmosphere in the birth room calm and relaxed.
You'll also play a role in helping your partner stay in a deeply relaxed hypnotic state through the use of hypnosis scripts and affirmations, and help to deepen her trance state if necessary.
You'll be taught Light Touch Massage, which is the most blissful kind of massage and works like a TENS machine by releasing masses of pain-killing endorphins. It can also be used to restart labour if it stalls.
Will HypnoBirthing® help my baby, too?
Yes. Babies born using HypnoBirthing® don't get dosed with the painkilling drugs that are often administered to women during birth and instead are gently and calmly breathed into the world at their own pace, so they're born alert and better able to breast-feed. They're also better adjusted and happier, resulting in better eating and sleeping routines.
How does it work?
During your HypnoBirthing® classes you'll be taught various techniques to help you remain completely calm, relaxed and fully in control during childbirth. When you're calm, the birthing muscles of your body are able to function as nature intended them to as blood isn't diverted away from them by the stress response, meaning birth happens more quickly and easily. Evidence of the fact that your body is designed to give birth on its own, without your having to push or strain, is the fact that women in comas have given birth. During HypnoBirthing® classes the baby's father (or your chosen birth companion) is trained to become your personal hypnotherapist, masseur, coach and spokesperson, so he/she can help you have the peaceful, relaxed, natural birth you're planning.
Please note that I'm not able to attend births due to my other hypnotherapy commitments, although some HypnoBirthing® practitioners are able to offer this service. I can also recommend several doulas (professional birth companions) whom I've met personally and are registered with Doula UK.
Where can I find out more?
The best place to find additional information on HypnoBirthing® is the official website of the British HypnoBirthing® Institute, as it has a Frequently Asked Questions section that should answer any other questions you may have.
For Testimonials from parents who've attended HypnoBirthing® classes taught by Lisa Jackson, click here.
To go back to the HypnoBirthing® page, click here.
To go back to the What Hypnosis Can Help page, click here.
