BENEFITS OF HYPNOBIRTHING
Hypnobirthing has been used for over 100 years, with its main purpose to help women deeply relax, reduce fears, let go and prepare for labour. Preparing for a hypnobirth provides endless benefits for the mother, father and the baby – a family unit as a whole. This preparation provides the woman with a stronger emotional and spiritual connection with her body, far deeper than any other antenatal education session. These elements may surprise her, as it may bring to her awareness aspects of birth she hadn’t yet thought of. By being mentally and emotionally strong, she will be in more control of her choices and birth. The Hypnobirthing Australia™ program is uniquely designed for Australian mothers and their birth companions. Hypnobirthing Australia™ classes prepare you with knowledge and confidence and teach you the tools and techniques required to have a positive and empowered birthing experience.
Overall benefits for all involved include:
- Reduction in issues with pelvic floor
- Eliminated or greatly reduces the need to medical intervention
- Fosters more rapid postnatal recovery
- Shortens the first stage of labour by several hours
- Eliminates fatigue during labour, leaving mum feeling energetic and awake
- Promotes special bonding of mother, baby and birth partners
- Eliminates the risk of hyperventilation from 'shallow' breathing methods
- Creates a more integral role for the birthing companion
- Results in a calm and alert baby who feeds well
- Returns birthing to a beautiful, peaceful experience nature intended
- Promotes fewer special circumstances requiring interventions
- Creates and calm and positive birth experience
- Lifelong relaxation tools and techniques
Benefits for mum
As your pregnancy progresses and the birth of your baby is drawing closer, you begin to focus more on the ending, whether it excites you or scares you, rather than focusing on being pregnant, buying furniture or clothing, or decorating the nursery. Pregnancy is a time of physical and emotional changes for women, which is occurring without you being aware. Without you telling your body what to do. This is all happening subconsciously. Changes are also occurring on the outside, which your conscious mind is aware of. Your tummy will grow larger and you may be more aware of baby’s movements as he/she grows bigger. These physical changes brings us to fear and anxieties about birth. “Does it hurt?” “Will it fit?” “How does the baby come out?” are some frequently asked questions I have heard. These anxieties are real, and very common, but are mostly related to women being unaware of how the body softens, expands and prepares for birth, just like in pregnancy. If your body was made to birth, why not allow is to do so? These anxiety provoking thoughts may take away your control, allowing you to believe that you have little control over your birth and that it is a medical event in the hands of the obstetricians. Birth is a very powerful occasion, which enables women to prove to themselves how capable and strong they are. By preparing for a hypnobirth, you are able to take back that control and re-establish the moments that helped you grow into who you really are, allowing you to become more in-tune with you strengths and feel more empowered. Could there be any better preparation to motherhood?
Benefits in Pregnancy
By preparing for a birth using hypnotherapy and practicing daily, you are also preparing to become more relaxed, a better sleeper, physically comfortable and be able to become more in-tune with your body. Women have also reported insomnia and heartburn disappearing as they take time to listen to their hypnosis tracks. Hypnobirthing is one of few non-invasive treatments, allowing troublesome thoughts in your conscious mind to drift while you let go, allowing your subconscious mind to fill with positive messages. Hypnobirthing provides you with comfort, the feeling of safety, while also providing awareness of surroundings and connections with your baby as he / she grows and develops. The more you become conditioned to these feelings, the easier is will be to manage any worrying or troublesome thoughts, and the easier it will be to adapt them to your birth.
Benefits for Baby
Hypnobirthing benefits the baby as much as it benefits the mother. The benefits for baby occur much before birth, in the final weeks of pregnancy as the brain is growing. Research suggests stress can affect the baby in the womb by impacting long term development. What baby hears in the womb can also trigger reactions following the birth. Your baby feels you react to your emotions – if you’re asleep, baby is relaxed. If you’re jumping around to your favourite song, baby is dancing and energised too. If you’re relaxed, baby is relaxed. These emotions are also felt during labour, and during the weeks leading up to labour. By remaining calm, focused and in control of your birth, just like you've practiced, you are sending positive, comforting messages to your baby. Research has shown that baby’s born in relaxed conditions, such as hypnosis, are calmer, easier to settle, and don’t cry as much following birth. They also feed better and sleep better as they are gently breathed into the world at their own pace. When mum is relaxed and in a good state of mind, it shows in her baby. If mum is anxious, baby is anxious, leading to a drop in the baby’s oxygen and a rise in the baby’s heartbeat, a reaction to the increase in stress hormones. By using hypnosis, you will be able to establish a connection with your baby and body during birth, allowing a more instinctive experience.
Benefits for Dad
Many fathers feel left out during their partners pregnancy, as they feel it is all about the baby and the mum, and that they are not included. Your partner may be preparing for the practical stages, such as having the birth bag ready, preparing the nursery, or installing the baby seat, but what goes unnoticed is the emotional preparation aswell. He may have just as many fears and anxieties as you have. The benefits of hypnobirthing is the connection between the three of you, giving your partners the feeling of connection and engagement with your pregnancy and the birth of your baby. By learning the techniques together, and sharing the experiences of practicing, he will feel more involved in your pregnancy, and understand how important it is to allow you space to let go and relax. It will also give him insight into what his role as a birthing partner is and how he can best support you in the lead up and during the birth. Your partner will also become your birth advocate, and by sharing the journey together he will know what needs to be done to create an ideal environment for you to birth your baby calmly and instinctively.