About hypnobirthing
Not hippy dippy nonsense, not just for a ‘natural’ birth – hypnobirthing is scientific, evidenced based birth preparation, for any kind of person and any kind of birth.
Giving birth is a magical thing that women are innately designed to do, and do with ease. Unfortunately, for many reasons, society has conditioned us that birth is scary, painful, dangerous, traumatic (insert other suitable dread-inferring adjective here). The truth is that birth doesn’t have to be this way – it really doesn’t!
We, as mammals, are designed to give birth quickly and easily. Fear and stress are what stop us from doing so. Fear and adrenalin have no place in labour! In a nutshell, fear=adrenalin=pain. Through discussion around how your birthing body works, the process of labour and addressing any specific concerns you might have, I work with you to remove your fears. Take away the fear, take away the adrenalin, you reduce the pain, your uterus can work efficiently and birth is a lot smoother. It really is that simple! OK, I’m not promising you a pain free birth, but hypnobirthing mums regularly report significantly less pain and discomfort and often quicker labours.
In addition, KGHypnobirthing gives you the knowledge to understand your options for medical intervention during pregnancy and labour and the implications of the choices you make through evidence based, myth busting, cold hard facts.
As a result, you are able to confidently take back responsibility for the birth of your baby and make informed decisions to achieve the most positive outcome physically, mentally and emotionally for you and your baby.
The course is constantly evolving to keep up-to-date with the latest evidence and research, so you can be assured that you will be receiving the most current and relevant information.
Add in to that effective relaxation techniques, powerful birth affirmations to get you thinking positively about your upcoming labour and beautiful relaxation scripts and LOTS of pointers for how your birth partner can support you (whether that’s baby’s dad, your mum, sister, the milkman, whomever) and you have a profound, all encompassing antenatal programme that will have you ready to give birth like the goddess you are! If you need more convincing (then good for you for looking for evidence!) – have a look at my testimonials to see what my clients have said about the course and please do get in touch if you’d like to know more xx
So that’s all about what hypnobirthing is, but how about what it isn’t?
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Hypnobirthing is only for mums planning a ‘natural’ birth
Nope – for a start, all birth is ‘natural’, however it happens, but hypnobirthing is about empowerment, about taking responsibility for your birth and having a positive experience. This can look however you want it to, at home in a pool surrounded by candles and fairy lights with Joni Mitchell playing in the background, or in delivery suite with all the drugs going and Game of Thrones on your tablet, whatever you view as your ideal birth. It is true that often during the course mums change their mind about what their ‘ideal’ birth will be, but birth is birth, however it happens, and the techniques learnt in hypnobirthing are useful for everyone and anyone.
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‘If my birth doesn’t go how I want it then I’ve failed’
Again, not true. There is no ‘failure’ when having a baby – if you’ve done it, you’re a superstar, end of. It may well be that we’ve planned our ideal birth, the stage is set, the pool has been tested, the playlists made and we are good to go, but…for whatever reason, things take an unexpected turn. This is fine. Hypnobirthing is about managing the unexpected and still staying on your oxytocin train and in your happy calm bubble. Make a Plan A, then a Plan B, then a Plan C…all the way down the Z if you need to. That way, you can keep using your hypnobirthing techniques, retain your control, stay in your zone and have a positive experience no matter what labour throws at you.
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If I’m being hypnotised will I even know I’m having a baby?!
OK – you are not being hypnotised. Self-hypnosis is COMPLETELY different to stage hypnosis. There will be no trances, no chicken clucking, no finger snapping, none of that business. The hypnosis element of hypnobirthing refers to the body’s ability to operate autonomously, to progress into deep relaxation where our sub-concious takes over, like when we are engrossed in a film, day-dreaming, making a baby. You are not in conscious thought but are quite aware of what is happening and are able to snap out of it should you need to. That’s as ‘out of it’ as you will be during labour.
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Hypnobirthing doesn’t really sound like my kind of thing…isn’t it a bit ‘out there’?
Although it might sound a bit ‘alternative’, hypnobirthing is really anything but. To use an analogy, hypnobirthing is like organic food, it’s birth, as it was, as nature intended, before society started messing with it. Years and years ago most would have given birth without fear, but in our over-medicalised and fear driven society we have forgotten, or didn’t even know, that fearless birth is possible. Hypnobirthing provides scientific knowledge of the human body and the human mind. Provided you have both of those things (which I’m assuming you do) then hypnobirthing is for you.
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My partner is skeptical, they don't need to come do they?
I’m sorry but they can’t get out of it that easily! Birth partners are a hugely significant part of your pregnancy, labour and birth experience and the course is specifically tailored to include them. Many partners feel pretty useless during labour but they will be taught how important their role is, how they can assist with birth preparation, relaxation, massage, protecting your space during labour and birth and get oxytocin flowing to really make a difference to both of your experiences. Birth partners get just as much out of the course as mothers do and often come away feeling just as empowered and excited as mums.
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I’ve heard that I won’t have any pain, is that true?
Wellll, as much as I would love to, I can’t promise that. Pain is a completely subjective sensation and everyone experiences it differently. Certainly some mothers using hypnobirthing have reported ‘pain free’ births, some have even reported waves of pleasure during birth, but we cannot guarantee there will be no pain at all. Hypnobirthing is there to teach you how to cope with your contractions using deep breathing and relaxation, reducing your stress and boosting your natural pain relieving hormones. Practice your relaxation techniques regularly and you will have the best possible chance of coping with whatever experience you have.
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Hypnobirthing won't make any difference to my baby
This couldn’t be further from the truth. During labour, if a mother is in a state of fear or stress she will be producing adrenalin. This puts her body in ‘fight or flight’ mode, during which her oxygenated blood will be directed away from the uterus to her limbs, in case she needs to run away, or fight. This deprives the placenta and therefore the baby of much needed oxygenated blood. Whilst most mothers will come to hypnobirthing for a relaxed and gentle birth for themselves, remember that it also means a relaxed and gentle birth for your baby. A baby who enters the world drug free and alert, to be greeted by a mother who is also alert, loving and confident, starts life and forms its first relationship in this world in the best possible way. This is the blueprint for all the other relationships it forms throughout its life. You simply cannot over-estimate the importance of that.
Stories
We can’t thank or rate Charlotte enough, who was very friendly, approachable and made the whole experience a really pleasant learning curve. 100% recommend to any expecting couples, whether it’s your 1st or 10th.
Jakub – second time dad
My partner and are knew nothing about hypnobirth or the process of birth at all and now we feel confident and informed.
Alice & Jack
We learnt a lot more about the choices available to us and giving us the confidence to put in place how we would like our birthing experience to go, making sure we were also prepared for a sudden change of plan and the ability to keep calm.
Lucy & Paul
Charlotte was absolutely fantastic, she was on hand every step of the way. She helped build our confidence surrounding all aspects of my pregnancy and labour.
Stacey & Mike
I cannot thank Charlotte enough for all the work she has done with myself and Daniel to get ready to meet our bubba in 8 weeks. We opted for the 1:1 sessions and they are fantastic! Anyone pregnant or planning a baby, this is the lady for you!! Totally amazing, thank you for everything x
Becky & Daniel
We came out of each session feeling really inspired and empowered. We can’t thank you enough for instilling us with a sense of positivity and excitement approaching the most important event of our lives!
Sophie & Josh
I had no idea what hypnobirthing (or really actually birth in general) involved and my wife booked us onto this course. This course really highlighted what I didn’t know that I didn’t know, which was a lot. It completely changed my perception of labour, which had been passively constructed over the years from overheard stories and of course – TV. Charlotte’s advice has left me feeling confident as a husband and birthing partner as to my role and what I need to be doing to support my wife.
Mark
I highly recommend Bloom to anyone who has any anxieties about giving birth: Charlotte had lots and lots of time for my particular questions and worries, and she has really helped me feel very positive and relaxed about my upcoming birth.
Jo
We really cannot recommend Charlotte and her course enough! You won’t find a friendlier, more approachable and professional individual if you tried! Thanks so much.
Penny
Charlotte very kindly tailored her course to make a bespoke one for our situation. She did a lot of work with us to learn about the process, release my fears and give us ideas on how DH could best support me. With her help, we also planned a lovely day for the day before to get the oxytocin flowing.
Kathryn