How HypnoBirthing® can help you during labour

This is one of the methods I recommend to my expectant yoginis to try and practice, to help them have a smooth, easy and fearless delivery. Although I haven’t been on the course, but have been preparing from Mary F. Mongan’s HypnoBirthing^® book for the big day, and the breathing techniques helped me a lot to have a natural, drug free delivery.

I’ve met up with HypnoBirthing^® practitioner and teacher Jasmine Collin to find out more about her and this wonderful birthing method.

Tell me about your birthing experience and what made you become a HypnoBirthing^® teacher

I live in Dubai with my husband Alex and 2 children, Amber and Indiana. Both my babies were born calmly, naturally and with no drugs or interventions using deep relaxation techniques and self hypnosis.

Amber was my first baby and I prepared using a book and CD called The Gentle Birthing Method by Dr Gowri Motha. Her birth was wonderful and so empowering. I was amazed that birth could be so transformative and discovered that it didn’t need to be the traumatic and fearful experience that we so often hear about. Through this experience I gained a new found respect for my body. It also helped me to bond with Amber right from the very beginning and eased my journey into motherhood.

With Indiana I followed HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method and again had a wonderful birth. Since then I have wanted to help other mothers and couples bring their babies calmly and joyfully into this world and so I became a HypnoBirthing^® Practitioner.

How does it work?

HypnoBirthing^® enables women to break this Fear – Tension – Pain cycle by teaching them to relax and connect with their birthing body. It de-hypnotises them from any old conditioning and replaces it with positive beliefs and thoughts about birth and their bodies.

Hypnosis by-passes the critical conscious mind so that the subconscious mind can literally be reprogrammed to believe that birth will be comfortable, easy and joyful. By listening to the HypnoBirthing^® CDs and practicing the techniques daily you will program your mind and condition your body to birth easily. You will also be teaching your body and mind to go quickly and easily into a very deep state of relaxation and to create your own natural anesthesia whenever and wherever you need it.

What are the benefits for the mother?

Some of the benefits include: mothers become confident and empowered; a shorter and more comfortable labour and birth; less need for intervention (including episiotomy, medication or surgical birth);  less need for an induction; fewer drugs or no drugs at all which means less risk of side effects on mother and baby, a calm, peaceful birthing environment; an awake, energized mother, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process; a more satisfying experience with faster recovery rates, improving maternal confidence and bonding

Why is it good for the baby?

• A calm and relaxed pre natal period
• A calmer birth with less trauma
• Higher levels of alertness at birth
• Ability to sleep and nurse well due to fewer drugs in their systems
• A confident and relaxed mother

What do you teach at the classes?

I teach group and private classes. There are 5 classes and each class is 3 hours long. They are held weekly over a 5 week period usually on weekend mornings at my home in Jumeira 1 or in your home if you opt for private classes. You can start classes at anytime, but we recommend that you start after the first trimester and preferably before 36 weeks so you have enough time to practice the techniques.

Some of the topics we cover in the class:

• Introduction to the remarkable HypnoBirthing^® philosophy
• The History of Women and Birthing
• Why and how you can have an easier, more comfortable, and safer birthing
• Visualizing gentle births by viewing beautiful birthing videos
• Falling in Love with Your Baby/Preparing Mind & Body
• The remarkable mind of your newborn baby—Prenatal bonding techniques
• Rapid and instant self-relaxation techniques and deepening techniques
• Breathing techniques for labour and birthing
• Hypnotic relaxation and visualization
• Preparing your body for birthing with massage and toning
• Preparing the Body for Birthing
• Light Touch Labour Massage
• Avoiding artificial induction and achieving a natural start to labour
• Releasing negative emotions, fears and limiting thoughts
• Family bonding with your baby

If you would like to book the course with Jasmine, please contact her at jasmine.strutt@yahoo.co.uk or by phone 050 1323669. The next course starts on March 1^st, 2013.