Is hypnobirthing for me?

What is hypnobirthing?

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Hypnobirthing is a type of birth preparation that focuses on how you can use your hormones to help your birth go more smoothly. Hormones play a massive part in birth, and whilst the term “hypnobirthing” might seem a bit “woo”, it really is just science. The techniques taught in hypnobirthing help to reduce any anxiety you might have in pregnancy helping you to feel calm and confident as you approach birth. It then gives you a toolkit of techniques to use during labour and birth to support you throughout.

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What are the benefits of hypnobirthing?

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Hypnobirthing focuses on increasing oxytocin and reducing the fight or flight response. Oxytocin has so many benefits. It helps to produce pain-relieving endorphins, responsible for contractions, helps you feel calm and also promotes bonding ready for when baby arrives.

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The fight or flight response is a response that used to stop us from getting eaten by sabre-toothed tigers. It was a trigger telling our body that things were unsafe and we either needed to fight or flight (flee). In birth, the fight or flight response tells our body that the environment we are in is not safe for birth. So if we begin to feel anxious, our body will panic too. This trigger can stall labour, increase pain levels, hinder your uterus from working effectively, and begin a vicious cycle that is not optimum for birth.

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Hypnobirthing teaches absolute gems that you can begin in pregnancy to increase oxytocin, reduce fear and anxiety, and stack the odds in your favour for birth. These gems range from changing your narrative around birth in ways like reading positive birth stories and learning what is happening to your body during birth, to practical things you can do such as how to ensure baby is in an optimum position for birth.

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What type of birth is hypnobirthing suitable for?

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ALL TYPES OF BIRTH! There’s still a myth that hypnobirthing is for “unmedicated, vaginal births”. And don’t get me wrong – it is for those types of births. But it’s also very relevant for inductions, assisted vaginal births, caesareans – ALL TYPES OF BIRTH. In fact I sometimes think that the techniques of hypnobirthing are even more important if birth is deviating from “the plan” because these are the types of situations that can make us feel a loss of control and fear – and elements of hypnobirthing can help to retain some of that control.

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So hypnobirthing is just a different type of birth preparation, with the focus on having a positive birth. It is rooted in science and focusses on reducing the fight or flight and increasing those good hormones like oxytocin, which are amazing for birth.

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This article was written by midwife and mum of four, Beth Kitt. Beth founded The Bump to Baby Chapter, an online course the combines hypnobirthing with her 10 years of NHS midwifery practice. If you’d like to learn more about hypnobirthing, take a look at Beth’s blog What is Hypnobirthing. Or, if you’re ready to dive straight in with birth prep then check out Beth’s course The Birth Chapter. It contains everything you need to get fully prepared for birth, to feel calm and confident and to stack the odds in your favour for an amazing birth.

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