WHAT IS HYPNOBIRTHING & HOW IS IT GENERALLY HELPFUL IN PREGNANCY & BIRTH?

Bonnie Knapton

January 31, 2024

Hypnobirthing is a multi-faceted, primal practice which consists of a tool box of tried and tested Hypnobirthing techniques and knowledge, which are here to remind you of the natural wisdom of your body.

These antenatal teachings are usually taught to the birthing woman and her chosen birth partner (which doesn’t need to be your actual partner).

Each lesson is made up of Hypnobirthing classes and Hypnobirthing audio to help you stay calm, empowered, prepared and grounded within your body as you are giving birth.

The Hypnobirthing toolbox embodies the primal knowledge that you as a woman have had within your body since the beginning of time. It also includes research found within medical, scientific and philosophical antenatal education.

These Hypnobirthing techniques are a guide towards a more conscious, healthy and serene journey through each stage of motherhood- pregnancy, birth, motherhood and beyond.

Hypnobirthing is an in-depth teaching which primes the whole team (birthing woman and birth partner)  both physically and mentally, so the whole unit feels educated for all aspects of giving birth, whether your experience ends up being a vaginal, induction, caesarean or medicated birth.

All is natural, and welcome here, and all women and birth partners will benefit from hypnobirthing no matter if you’d like to birth in a hospital, at home, or in a birth centre. These practices are a way to connect to your body and baby, no matter how the journey looks. They promote empowerment through each symptom, challenge and learning, which is unique to your body, your baby and your birth.

I was lucky enough to learn the SIMPLE Hypnobirthing method, which is taught within the ZenMuma Hypnobirthing programme; which prioritises a deep trust of our bodies and the radical ways that it has been moulded to create and birth life.

This program honours the bonding process and the power of a supportive, protective and educated birth partner to practise the techniques with,which contribute to the calming environment of our unique birth experiences.

The foundation is built upon honouring your intuition and the natural insight that your baby has when working with your body. It’s also about resourcing you with knowledge on your healthcare systems, a regular nourishing practice with the inspired breathing exercises, as well as hypnobirthing tools and active birth movements to prepare your body for more ease when you experience the surges and the different stages of birth.

Above all, this is an awakening to the fact that not only were you made for this and so much more, but this can even be a pleasurable experience, one that sheds light on the contradictions, the inaccurate display of birth within the media, as well as the un-needed fears that you may have taken on as you experience this transformation.

ZENMUMA Hypnobirthing Teachings Poster – 

By Jackie-Heffeer-Cooke, Zen Muma

So, now we are grounded within the truths and powers which this boundless practice  influences, let’s delve deeper into the immense helpfulness of Hypnobirthing for pregnancy and birth.

An outline I find useful as a teacher and mother, is the SIMPLE Hypnobirthing method displayed below, as well as laced within our teachings as ZenMumma Practitioner’s, which is created through fostering “the big 3” which is the three foundations we need to birth our babies with presence and empowerment, n matter what happens. Hypnobirthing techniques all revolve around nurturing the “big 3” so you can come back to the wisdom of your body when giving birth.

This includes:

• Endorphins- the body’s natural pain killer
•  Oxytocin – the birth hormone 
•  Oxygen – the fuel of the uterous. 

In order to create these natural remedies, we come back to the SIMPLE Hypnobirthing practice.

S- Self-hypnosis: This is a naturally induced state, which is regularly described as an “enhanced state of focused concentration” as well as a meditative state, where rest and presence to our thoughts can occur, whilst still being awake and in control.

Hypnosis can be used in an abundance of therapeutic settings for healing, rest, awareness and to alter current ways of thinking – for example when the individual carries fears/phobias, negative thought patterns or addictions they would like to change.

Intertwining with all of the benefits of hypnosis, is the ability it gives us to de-stress & relax, which is exactly what we want to give our minds and bodies more of, when it’s working immensely hard to create life and go through the life-changing stages of motherhood. 

What’s more, is SELF-HYPNOSIS. The impressive tool which makes it possible to get yourself into this state independently, from the comfort of your own home, or at any time you feel you need to place your attention on the foundations of preparing yourself for the gentle birth and gentle parenting that can be actualised through this practice.

I- Intuition: The expansiveness of owning your intuitive nature, listening to your body and baby, and believing in your capabilities as a strong woman, transitioning into motherhood, is one of many super-powers to the Hypnobirthing toolkit.

We never put aside the value of researching, educating ourselves, preparing, taking certain precautionary measures, as well as utilising your relevant health team that you may come into contact with…  

But, amongst it all, what we must never disconnect from, is the truth that our bodies have been labouring life since the beginning of time. Better yet, without medical healthcare and a health team for the most part of it, our ancestors knew exactly what they were doing.

As we all know, things don’t always go to plan, no matter how extensive our research, how robust our healthcare system, and how much knowledge we have, there may still be times where a professional’s advice takes a back seat, so that a passionate voice can take the front seat. 

Your intuition… So the more we embody the practices, teachings, tools and healing of Hypnobirthing, the more we know this voice is ours, those strong motherly instincts, rather than thought processes brought on through anxiety and fear.

M-Mindfulness: Now, this is where our tool-kit comes in. Within our SIMPLE Hypnobirthing method, our mindfulness practice is made up of breathing exercises, progressive relaxation techniques, an array of visualisations and affirmations which revolve around connecting to your baby and birth partner. 

The visualization benefits include setting the foundations for a calm, connected, educated and empowered birth. This can reduce the fears surrounding pregnancy and birth, reduce stress, decrease the use of pain relief, lower the risk of post-natal depression as well as leading to a stronger bond with the baby and birth partner.

P- Preparation for birth: Now, this is the excitingly meaty educational part: all aspects carrying unique learnings – but this part is made up of the science, the history, the healthcare practices, the individual environments we can birth our babies, which props are available for us to use for our comfort, the details of a birth wish-list as well as inspirational templates to guide us through the process.

This includes preparing your body with active birth positions you can use at your leisure, the different types of birth, as well as each stage. We underline the important role of our birth partner and how to create the most calming, empowering safe haven to bring our baby into the world.

L- Loyal birth partners: Whether it’s your baby’s father, mother, grandparent, sister, parent, best friend or anyone in-between, the role of the birth partner solidifies everything else- we call them Birth protectors.

The ones you can trust to be by your side, offering you the physical and mental support that you need, at each individual stage of labour. Even if the birthing mamma ends up going deep into her inner world, seemingly not needing anything at that moment, it’s vital to remember that you are still the one who is inspiring the feelings of safety and calm inside her, which is priceless.

Other than the powerful presence a birth partner brings, it’s also them who help to create the environment to be a calming, homely space, to protect the energy of the space and to make sure all involved are informed of the unique needs of mamma as she falls into the deep meditation of birth. 

E- Endorphins – The body’s natural painkiller is the last, but not least ingredient to our calming Hypnobirthing concoction; which are produced as a reaction to pain and stress, which can lead you to be relieved from pain and feel more at ease. 

Amazingly, endorphin levels peak along with each surge, helping to ease our baby into our world. In order to reap the benefits of this gift, we cycle back to our tool box; where guided imagery, breathing exercises, affirmations, calming playlists, candles, aromatherapy and the support of our birth protectors come in, to offer light touch massage, therapeutic words of encouragement, and above all, hold the retreat for mum and  baby.

All in all, leading to a surge in Endorphins, which eases any discomfort and strengthens the bonds between the whole process and everyone involved, leading to the most positively freeing birth possible.

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References: Jackie Heffer Cooke, ZenMuma, Hypnobirthing Teacher Training Companion.

The Benefits of Mindfulness in Pregnancy

The Importance of Following Your Intuition in Pregnancy and Birth

Endorphins in Childbirth: Body’s Natural Painkillers