I get asked this a lot (by birthers, birth partners and their families!), and it’s at the heart of Sunflower 🌻.
🤰 What exactly is Hypnobirthing, and how does it work?
🌟 I’m a huge believer, it’s worked for me, and I would love for every woman and couple to believe in birth and their body the way Hypnobirthing prepares you to.
In a nutshell, Hypnobirthing prepares the mind AND body for birth, it’s based on science and it really works.
I just wish it went by another name that helps people to understand it better!
What do you reckon would be a good alternative name for Hypnobirthing?
Mind/Body Birth Preparation?!
Birth power prep?!
Let's dive in to what it is and why it works.
IT'S THE COMPLETE ANTENATAL PACKAGE
It's a practice that develops trust & belief in birth as a physiological process through evidence based knowledge, self-conditioning & relaxation techniques.
It guides you to understand & listen to your body & tune into your own instincts & intuition.
Its about building confidence through self-knowledge of what you need to feel safe & comfortable to birth freely.
It teaches you what to expect, informs you of your rights & choices, & lays out all of your options clearly.
IN A NUTSHELL...
Hypnobirthing is evidence-based mindfulness, relaxation & holistic wellbeing that supports you in pregnancy, birth & life, combined with complete practical antenatal education.
It prepares the mind & body for birth.
IT'S GROUNDED IN SCIENCE & IN THE POWER OF THE MIND
Hypnobirthing focuses on reframing negative expectations & fears around pregnancy & birth to cut through the fear-tension-pain cycle.
It helps you develop your own set of coping & calming strategies, with lots of little techniques that come together to create a big positive impact on your pregnancy & birth experience.
It is a practice that promotes calm, reduces stress, relieves anxiety & switches on the relaxation response -the ideal state for birth.
SO, HOW DOES IT WORK?
Its about shifting your mindset & equipping you with skills to activate your relaxation response & tap into your parasympathetic nervous system on cue.
Fear, tension & pain activate the sympathetic nervous system which has adverse effects on the balance of hormones & the physiology of birth, redirecting oxygen away from the birthing muscles & producing adrenalin & cortisol (the stress hormone).
This diminshes the production of the key birth hormones, oxytocin & endorphins.
Less oxygen & less helpful hormones make birth less efficient & this turns on the body's fight-flight-or-freeze response which can stall or stop labour.
Understanding the balance of hormones & being able to use simple, portable anchors to ground & relax you & alter your nervous state boosts birth hormones, helps the body be open & free, facilitates birth & improves the overall birth experience.
WHAT ARE THE RELAXATION TECHNIQUES USED IN HYPNOBIRTHING?
BREATHING
RELAXATIONS
AFFIRMATIONS
POSITIVITY ANCHORS
SELF-KNOWLEDGE
MOVEMENT & REST
PREPARING THE MIND & BODY
IS HYPNOBIRTHING FOR YOU?
Yes! Hypnobirhting is for every birth & every body.
It's great if you are feeling anxious or uncertain, if you have any fears or negative expectations, if you feel confused or if you feel unprepared and overwhelmed. It helps with past birth trauma too.
It is for anyone who wants to feel confident, informed, supported, knowledgeable & prepared about pregnancy, birth & beyond.
It is for birthers & birth partners.
And its for all births & all bodies.
IN SUMMARY
In essence, Hypnobirthing is the most complete birth preparation there is.
It looks at the whole picture, preparing your mind & body & tapping into what you really need to feel safe & comfortable to give birth freely & without restriction or doubt or fear. It puts you back at the centre of your birth experience.
Its 'hypno' - calming & coping techniques, & understanding the power the mind has over the body & finding techniques to reframe fear, doubt & tension to boost birth hromones & allow the body to open & release & the mind to tap into the relaxation response - the ideal state for birth.
And its 'birth' - educating you on all aspects of labour, birth choices, pain-relief, induction & intervention methods, birth rights & autonomy, & so much more, so you can make informed decisions at every step of your pregnancy & birth journey.
Find out more about Hypnobirthing Mothers Circles, Birth Partner Workshops & One to One Birth Prep sessions with Sunflower Birth, Baby & Wellbeing.
@sunflowerbirthbabyandwellbeing
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