To Hypnobirth or not, that is the question!

From the first moment you see those two tiny blue lines confirming you are pregnant (yay, congratulations!) you will have a multitude of decisions to make. You will have choices to make on everything from where you would like to give birth to which travel system you want to buy for baby. You’ll find yourself awake and googling things at 4am such as ‘Can I really eat my placenta?’ and ‘What if I want an epidural?!’

You will likely spend many hours (and a lot of your hard earned cash) kitting out a dream Nursery for your impending little one’s arrival! You may have other concerns about how the pregnancy will affect you, or your relationship with your partner… will you make a good Mother? What about the financial side… Having a baby is quite an expense!

There’s regular appointments to attend & hospital classes scheduled, and before long, you find your mind is whirling around feeling a little overwhelmed in the midst of it all.

A friend mentions Hypnobirthing, so you do a bit of research & like how it sounds.. ‘A Calm, more comfortable pregnancy’ ’empowered & confident’ ‘positive birth experience’. These statements help you feel reassured… you think to yourself “this is how I want to feel! This could really help me be prepared mentally & physically for this journey to parenting…..right, I’m in!”

But there’s a cost involved in taking a Hypnobirthing Course… Prices vary from €200 upwards to around €350.

You may be working with a limited budget…With all you’ve got ahead of you & bills mounting you wonder is it worth the added expense? What if you have a c-section or scheduled induction? Or if you decide to have an epidural…? Anyway, isn’t Hypnobirthing just for those who want a natural drug-free birth?! Is it worth doing a Hypnobirthing course?! The answer is a big resounding ‘YES!’

The great news is that the skills & techniques you learn in Hypnobirthing classes are valuable in EVERY type of birth & birth setting. It’s a win-win! So even if your labour veers off on a different path to what you expected, you will have the skills & resilience to remain flexible and adapt to any changes that may come up on the day.

The icing on the cake is that your birth partner also gets to up-skill by taking the course alongside you! During the hypnobirthing classes the role of the birth partner is covered in detail and your partner will gain confidence in knowing how to support & advocate for you every step of the way.

Just as you would plan for any other huge life event (e.g a wedding, dream holiday, new business) you would invest lots of time & money to ensure sure that everything runs smoothly. You would look all the tiny details and carefully make all decisions so that things work out as closely as you planned and prepared for in the years, months or weeks before.

If you ask any women from the age of 20-100 about the day their children were born they will remember. You will remember your baby’s birth too, so isn’t it important that you have a good experience, that you feel in control and most of all prepared, not just physically but also emotionally? (Sophie Fletcher -author of ‘Mindful Mamma’)

Some things to consider if you are on the fence about Hypnobirthing & whether or not it’s for you:

Do you feel that investing time in preparing mentally, physically & emotionally for yourself and for your baby’s birth will bring you a sense of control, comfort & calm about what lies ahead?

Is making provisions for your mental health and postnatal recovery ahead of time something that would bring you peace of mind?;

Do you think that starting out your new life as parents feeling positive & empowered following your birth experience is valuable?

When you look back on the day of your baby’s birth, do you want to remember it as a day you felt you had the best, most positive birth experience you could have, and feel proud of all you achieved.

Hypnobirthing doesn’t guarantee you a particular birth or even a ‘perfect birth’ (whatever that is!), but you are stacking the odds in your favour massively to be able to have the best birth that you can. And a positive birth experience far outweighs a ‘perfect’ one.

Now that’s got to be worth the cost of a hypnobirthing course.

Virtual Group classes & 1-2-1 sessions now available.

5 week Hypnobirthing Course- taking bookings now.

For more information on Hypnobirthing;

http://www.bloomingbumpsblossomingbabies.com/hypnobirthing-classes

Links to research on the use of Hypnobirthing in labour;

https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-015-0659-0

https://evidencebasedbirth.com/hypnosis-for-pain-relief-during-labor/

https://www2.hse.ie/wellbeing/child-health/preparing-for-a-positive-birth-experience.html

Links to Birth Stories with the use of Hypnobirthing;

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.kghypnobirthing.com/birth-reports/mothers-hypnobirthing-stories/thank-you-kgh.amp.html

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.kghypnobirthing.com/birth-reports/mothers-hypnobirthing-stories/i-think-my-birth-is-probably-the-most-positive-testament-to-hypnobirthing-that-there-can-be.amp.html