So what is this Hypnobirthing all about then??
A bit about me...
My name is Alexandra Gould and I am a Mindful Hypnobirthing Practitioner with award winning Mindful Mamma.
I'm also a qualified Midwife, Rebozo Practitioner and currently studying a Clinical Hypnotherapy Diploma.
Enough about me!
Now, lets get down to busting a few myths about hypnobirthing shall we, and explain what its really all about?
Firstly you don't have to be a hippy, worship the moon, wear sandals, baggy clothes and listen to monks chanting (although what's wrong with that? Personally I love a good Tibetan singing bowl). Hypnobirthing, especially combined with Mindfulness can work wonders for preparing women and very importantly partners for childbirth. I want birth partners to also feel confident and view themselves as a well equipped birthing coach.
And I mean ANY birth, not just home birthing. Even if you are having a planned caesarean section the techniques learnt in a workshop will help enormously. Before, during and after childbirth, especially breastfeeding.
In fact, the skills you will learn are transferable and can be adapted to just about any and all areas of daily life.
I have often heard women report that they felt as if they'd failed and that has to stop. For me that's heartbreaking. I want couples to elevate their birth experience. To have as gentle a birth as possible with positive memories. After all its the most important event in a couples lives.
I want couples to feel awesome about their birth, because women are awesome and their physiology is awesome. I want a newborn to have as gentle as birth as possible. Calm Mamma equals calm baby and Hypnobirthing mums very often report back that little one is “so chilled out”.
Practitioners don't swing a watch in front of you or ask you to “look into my eyes, not around my eyes, but deep into my eyes”, least I hope not!
It's NOT stage Hypnosis, its a therapy that uses simple gentle elements of SELF hypnosis, along with other therapy techniques and effective breathing techniques, so no-one is controlling anyone. Techniques used depend on the practitioner, but will usually also involve aspects of Cognitive Behavioural Techniques (CBT), Neuro Linguistic Programming Techniques as well as visualisations. I want couples to have a variety of tools and skills to enable them to find out what works best for them, so its not at all prescriptive. Ultimately women deserve to feel safe and respected.
Empowering women to make the best informed choices for themselves, their baby and partner, so they no longer feel as if they are a passive by stander. This is what motivates and is it at the heart of my work, life and passion.
It's not just deep relaxation although that's obviously beneficial for a birthing mamma. There is so much more to it.
There is no universally agreed upon definition of Hypnosis and practitioners are likely to explain it in slightly different ways.
Some will explain it as reprogramming unwanted automatic, unconscious, autonomic responses. And I'm mainly talking about the fear and anxiety response here.
Fear is not a good bedfellow with childbirth. If fear and adrenalin kick in then we can get stuck in a fear-tension-pain cycle.
We've been programmed and conditioned to be fearful around birth.
As a midwife I have seen, all too often, women who are scared and tense.
It puts a brake on the production of Oxytocin which is the primary hormone to start and progress birth.
Oxytocin is referred to as the 'Love' hormone as its produced by the body when we hug, when we feel safe, secure and private. And yes it's produced when we make love.
So we absolutely want a woman to feel a `whole lota lota love' I'm sounding like Cilla Black now!
The other aspect of Mindful Hypnobirthing is to remember it is a skill set. When these simple yet very effective techniques are used, it develops a really strong `Mindset' in terms of positive attitude, self efficacy, expectancy, excitement and focus so that a woman is able to be CALM, CONFIDENT AND RELAXED. When this achieved your body takes over and muscles work harmoniously and comfortably.
So if you're an expectant Mamma, seriously consider committing to a One Day Workshop with me, It may well be the best thing you ever do in preparing for the journey towards childbirth and parenthood.
Remember....You are enough! You have the innate strength and resources to birth your baby.
Mindful Hypnobirthing helps you to access these abilities.
And I thinks that's a good place to end this blog!
Nameste as they say ; ) or maybe Mameste!! Alex xxx
