HYPNOBIRTHING

HAVE AN EASIER, QUICKER, MORE COMFORTABLE BIRTH

I’m one of the UK’s leading Hypnobirthing teachers, having lectured to midwives at five major London hospitals and taught over 500 couples. I’m passionate about teaching Hypnobirthing after studying HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method™ in 2006.

I’ve also trained as a doula (birth companion) with the world-renowned water-birth pioneer Michel Odent. I’ve been privileged to attend five hospital births (a water birth in a birth centre, a labour-ward birth and three C-sections) and have attended two National Childbirth Trust (NCT) courses.

I now only teach Hypnobirthing as a single, private, online four-hour class. As the classes are private, I can tailor what you learn to your individual needs. I provide a textbook so that you can read up on everything else you need to know in your own time.

FEES
Four-hour private online Hypnobirthing Class or Refresher Session via Microsoft Teams: £600 per couple (includes a HypnoBirthing textbook, two hypnosis MP3s and comprehensive handouts)

WHAT IS HYPNOBIRTHING?
Hypnobirthing is based on the philosophy that fear during childbirth causes tension, and this can lead to pain. By learning to use self-hypnosis, visualisations, massage and breathing techniques you stay deeply relaxed and so tire less easily during labour. This helps you to give birth more quickly in an easier, much more comfortable way.

HOW DOES HYPNOBIRTHING WORK?
During birth the muscles of your uterus contract rhythmically to dilate your cervix and nudge your baby down the birth canal. However, should you become anxious or fearful, adrenaline is released, which diverts blood away from these muscles and directs it to your arms and legs. This means that your uterine muscles are deprived of oxygen-rich blood, so they work less effectively, prolonging the birth process.

If you’re able to remain calm during birth through the use of hypnosis (which is simply a state of deep relaxation), the blood continues to flow to your uterus and so your birthing muscles are able to function really well, which can mean birth is speeded up by an average of 3.25 hours and is a lot more comfortable.

WHAT CAN HYPNOBIRTHING DO FOR YOU?
It can dramatically reduce the discomfort felt during labour, thereby reducing the need for artificial pain relief and other medical interventions.
Your partner will learn how to be an effective and involved birth companion: s/he’ll be taught how to hypnotise, massage and coach you in breathing techniques as well as liaise with the medical staff.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM HYPNOBIRTHING?
Hypnobirthing can be used by first-time mums as well as mums who’ve had children before. It’s ideal for women who’re feeling scared of giving birth, who are anxious because of a previous bad experience or who just want a calmer, easier and more natural birth experience.

WHEN SHOULD I DO THE CLASS?
Anytime after 20 weeks is ideal, as the success of Hypnobirthing is strongly linked to how much you practise the hypnosis element of the class. But provided you do the class before you give birth, it’s still going to help you have a better birth.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN IN YOUR FOUR-HOUR HYPNOBIRTHING CLASS
How Hypnobirthing can help you have a gentle, natural, more comfortable birth with the minimum of medical intervention
The importance of language in the birth environment: how the words we hear during birth can either speed birth up or slow it down
How fear affects labour and the uterine muscles
Rainbow Relaxation: Dads/birth partners learn how to hypnotise their partner into a blissfully relaxed state that will encourage an easier, quicker, more comfortable birth
Calm Breathing (which will keep you calm and relaxed between contractions/surges); Surge Breathing (which you’ll use during contractions/surges to supply oxygen to your birthing muscles while staying calm) and Birth Breathing (which will help your baby descend through the birth canal without exhausting pushing)
Two rapid relaxation techniques you can use to overcome anxiety in under a minute
Two visualisation techniques that’ll make birth easier
Light Touch Massage: a blissful massage technique (Hypnobirthing’s pleasurable substitute for a TENS machine) that will release painkilling endorphins and oxytocin, the feel-good hormone that also stimulates the birthing muscles
Positivity-boosting affirmations to help your cervix open naturally
How to visualise your baby’s optimal birth position
Assertiveness techniques you can use when interacting with medical professionals that will help you have the natural, gentle birth you’ve planned
The Birth Companion’s Prompt Card: everything you’ve learned summarised in one handy Hypnobirthing-at-a-glance handout
The accompanying textbook, HypnoBirthing: The Breakthrough Approach to Safer, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing by Marie Mongan, covers everything you need to know to prepare for birth, such as what happens during birth, how to release fearful thoughts surrounding birth, writing birth plans, alternative induction methods, choosing the best birth environment, stretching exercises, natural ways to turn breech babies, bonding with your baby and how active, upright positions can speed up birth by expanding the pelvic outlet by an incredible 30%.

DOES MY PARTNER HAVE TO ATTEND THE CLASS?
Wherever possible, yes, as during the four-hour class your partner (or your chosen birth companion) is trained to become your personal hypnotherapist, masseur, coach and spokesperson, so he/she can help you have the natural birth you’re planning.

However, if your partner cannot attend the class or be with you during the birth, then your mother, sister or friend can be your birth companion instead and can attend your class alongside your partner at no extra cost.

For Testimonials from parents who’ve attended my classes, click here
To read about my Hypnobirthing work in the Press, click here.
To watch a One Born Every Minute documentary of a couple having a labour-ward Hypnobirth, click here
To watch an inspiring home-birth film showing a beautifully calm Hypnobirth, click here
To watch a film about ‘natural’ Caesarian sections, click here
To watch a video demonstrating the Opening Blossom visualisation, click here
To watch an animation of how a baby is born, click here

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