Every year on 21 March World Hypnobirthing Day is celebrated across the globe. But what is hypnobirthing, is it for everyone and can it help with any anxiety we feel about childbirth?

We don’t tend to give much thought to how we’re going to give birth to a baby before we actually get pregnant but why would we? Then we fall pregnant and suddenly the thought of giving birth becomes a lot more real. We find ourselves looking into how best to prepare for this hugely important and exciting event, despite childbirth in our society, being portrayed as something to be feared. It’s no wonder women, birthing people and their birth partners become anxious.

‘When fear is not present pain is not present’

So what’s hypnobirthing all about and why is it so helpful for labour, birth and beyond?

A good place to start would be with the late Dr Grantly Dick-Read’s theory of the ‘Fear-Tension-Pain’ cycle. Dr Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician, explained: ‘When fear is not present pain is not present.’

When we put together an understanding of the physiology of birth and the relaxation and breathing techniques to use during labour and birth, we end up with a lot less fear and a lot more confidence. A comprehensive hypnobirthing course leaves mothers, birthing people and their birth partners with a ‘tool box’ full of knowledge and techniques, irrespective of the type of birth they have and of where and when the birth takes place.

Birth is unpredictable, the baby never sees the birth ‘plan’ – or rather birth ‘preferences’. By learning about all the options available couples put themselves in a position of strength, of confidence and calm, fully able to focus and enjoy the birth of their baby rather than fear it.

There’s nothing ‘out there’ with hypnobirthing except perhaps the name which tends to confuse people! There’s a misconception that hypnobirthing entails something along the lines of stage-hypnosis. It is in fact an incredibly comprehensive, factual, logical and evidence-based way to prepare for birth, leaving parents feeling confident and excited instead of scared and anxious about what should be one of THE best days in their life!

You can only give birth once to your baby – please don’t leave it to chance, inform yourself of what’s available to you, what your options are and what they mean for you, and your baby.

A bump & glide birth preparation course using KGHypnobirthing enables expectant parents to fully understand their rights and options so that they can calmly make informed decisions every step of the way.

What people learn on a bump & glide course isn’t only invaluable for pregnancy, labour and birth but provides expectant parents with skills for life. Nobody makes the best decisions in a panic and decisions around birth aren’t the only big decisions you’ll need to make over the years to come!

 

Serena Williams, a KGHypnobirthing practitioner, Mental Health First Aider and Communications Professional founded bump & glide in 2018 offering expectant and new parents pre and postnatal informative and emotional support through her courses any time from 20 weeks of pregnancy so that couples can better focus their energy and excitement on achieving the birth they want and organising their postnatal support requirements. In 2020 Serena was awarded the LUX Life magazine ‘Best Pre & Postnatal Support Service 2020 – Hampshire’.

www.bumpandglide.com