6 Reasons why you should know about Hypnobirthing if you want a Natural Birth

I am not a hypnobirthing practitioner, nor I wish to teach you about hypnobirthing here. However, I’d like to list here for you 6 reasons why I think you should also know about hypnobirthing if you want to achieve an unmedicated natural birth.

When I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to have a natural birth with no drugs. Or, at least, I wanted to try. I was fit and healthy, with no medical conditions, so there was no reason why I couldn’t do it.

Don’t get me wrong: I am not against drugs. I was just scared of possible complications I had heard about and I was also convinced that my body was designed to give birth. But I was terrified of the pain. I literally was. I grew up hearing from other moms (mine included) how painful it is to give birth, and I was sick to the stomach thinking about how my experience was going to be.

Until, one day, I heard about hypnobirthing. It was from one other mom I had met at a prenatal class. She told me how she didn’t plan on getting pregnant and how she was also scared about giving birth. But since reading a book about hypnobirthing she had found a new confidence that everything was going to be okay and that she was going to have a positive birth experience.

I bought the book the next day and enrolled in a hypnobirthing course the following month. It was the best investment I could possibly make for my birth experience. All the fear went away, and I had the most empowering and pain free birth.

1) Hypnobirthing is not as mystic as it sounds

Hypnobirthing is actually a tried and proven method that uses different techniques to achieve a confident, calm and peaceful birth. The classes are taught by certified hypnotherapists and, while you might associate that to a pendulum swaying in front of your face, it’s nothing like that!

The techniques you will learn consist in deep relaxation, visualization, positive affirmations and special breathing exercises.

If you are familiar with yoga or meditation, then you might have an idea already of how breathing exercises can really affect your mind and body.

2) Hypnobirthing will teach you about the physiology of birth

Like for everything else in life, knowledge is power. Hypnobirthing will teach you exactly what happens to your body during the different stages of labor and delivery, and what you need to expect. This acquired knowledge will give you all the confidence you need to get through birth with as little discomfort as possible.

What sets hypnobirthing apart from any other birthing classes is the belief that your body already knows how to birth and, if you allow yourself to relax and trust your body, then you can achieve the natural birth you have always dreamt of.

3) Hypnobirthing will help you release any fear

According to the hypnobirthing philosophy, fear is your real enemy when you want to achieve a natural birth. It doesn’t allow your body to relax and, as a consequence, this tension prevents your muscles from working as they should when moving your baby down the birth canal and out.

Hypnobirthing will help you release any fear of pain or complication. You will realize that all this worry and anxiety is unfounded and doesn’t belong to you.

4) Hypnobirthing will get your birthing partner involved in the birthing process as well

Hypnobirthing gets your birthing partner involved in all aspects of the birthing process. If you wish, they can become really allays in helping you relax and stay calm during labor and delivery.

This is not to say that if you don’t have a birthing partner you can’t be successful at hypnobirthing. However, they can be of real help.

My wife actually really enjoyed getting involved, it made her feel helpful and part of the whole experience.

5) Hypnobirthing will teach you about the importance of the perineal massage

Perineal massage is something that you might hear of even if you don’t enrol in a hypnobirthing course or read a hypnobirthing book. Birthing classes often cover it. However, hypnobirthing definitely emphasises its importance in increasing your chances of achieving a vaginal birth without tears.

6) Hypnobirthing will prepare you for any birth scenario

This is the one thing I love the most about hypnobirthing. It’s not just to prepare you for a vaginal birth. While it strongly supports having a natural birth, its aim is for the mom and the baby to have a positive birthing experience, no matter the circumstances.

The relaxation and breathing techniques you will learn will help you stay calm and get through whatever may happen during labor (& life!).

Want to know more about hypnobirthing?

Are you curious now and want to know more about hypnobirthing? I would personally recommend you start by reading this book: HypnoBirthing – the Mongan Method, by Marie F. Mongan.

For hypnobirthing courses, you can look up on the internet for classes near you or check out some online classes such as: Hypnobubs, KG Hypnobirthing or The Positive Birth Company.

For a summary of all the hypnobirthing basics, read here.

Meet the Author:

Monica

I am Monica, proud mom of 2 beautiful girls and author of the Mum In The Woods blog. Giving birth to my second daughter was one of the most wonderful and empowering events of my life. That’s what’s inspired me to start this journey and share my story with you. Also, being a mother of a baby and a toddler, I know mom’s life is not always easy. Finding comfort in knowing you are not alone has always helped me. So, I’d like to pay it forward and share with other moms what I have learnt along the way. Here you will find tips, suggestions and recommendations on how to tackle motherhood. Tell me more!