Hypnosis for Childbirth

Let me teach you how childbirth with hypnosis can be faster, more comfortable, with less chance of intervention and resulting in a relaxed, happy baby and mother. When you use hypnosis in the process of birthing you stand to gain so much. Research has shown that childbirth with hypnosis can help to achieve the following:

• Faster labour
• Efficient labour
• Less pain relief
• Less interventions
• A relaxed and healthy baby/less chance of distress
• Faster recovery
• Reduced incidence of post-natal depression
• Breast-feeding success

Isn't this what every pregnant woman wants?! A comfortable birth, with a healthy baby and a swift recovery. So how does hypnosis help birth?

• Relaxation. The state of hypnosis is highly relaxing for the mind and body. In this state the entire body relaxes and so do the blood vessels. This relaxing or dilation of the blood vessels ensures a better blood flow throughout the body and especially to the womb.

• Efficient Birth. During labour, blood is diverted to the uterus in order that it can contract efficiently and progress labour smoothly and swiftly. A relaxed mind and body will ensure that the womb has the blood supply it needs Post-natally a better milk supply is encouraged.

• Calm the Emotions. The effect on the mind and emotions is profound. With hypnotherapy a woman can relieve stress and anxiety. This relief can help to achieve a calm birthing experience and later calm the emotions during the post-natal period.

• Overcome Fear. Fear is the single greatest factor that you can change about your labour. Fear inhibits labour, constricts the blood supply and increases the perception of pain. This leads to the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle, where fear creates tension, which creates pain, which creates more fear of pain and so it goes on. If you can remove fear then you can aid your own body to do what comes naturally and that is to birth a baby comfortably and easily.

• Stress Relief. When we are stressed or fearful we release adrenaline and other stress hormones into the blood stream. This tenses our bodies and a tense body feels pain and creates its own pain. Blood rushes to the arms and legs ready to fight or run, taking blood away from the uterus where it is needed to help the uterus to contract. If there is not enough blood flow to the uterus, it works less efficiently and slower and blood flow to the baby can be disrupted, resulting eventually in distress. Other blood vessels can be constricted, again stopping the uterus from working well. You can see that when hypnosis removes stress from the experience of childbirth, then a swift, comfortable birth will normally result.

By using hypnosis, a mother in labour can help herself to remain calm. Blood flow is improved and comfort increased. A relaxed mind and body can ease a labour to feel in control and positive. This good perception of labour and good blood flow will help post-natal recovery and the production of milk.

How can I learn to use hypnosis for childbirth?

I will work with you over 4 or 5 sessions, depending on your needs and requirements. The sessions are one to one so you get my full attention and the sessions are tailored to you individually and YOUR needs alone. Partners are welcome to attend and should definitely attend one later session if possible, although it might be easier to discuss aspects or fears with me alone for the earlier sessions.

You will learn:

• Instant deep trance
• Pain relieving anchors
• Time distortion techniques
• How to banish fears

You will receive:

• CDs to practise hypnosis at home
• CD of music to play in labour, which is the same as we will use in our sessions together
• Supporting notes and material

If you have had a previous difficult birth, the sessions will be tailored to helping you to move beyond any fear that remains from that experience.

The techniques work equally well if you have a vaginal operative delivery, an emergency C-section or a planned C-section.

For an in-depth discussion of exactly how hypnosis helps women to give birth comfortably, please click here to read an article I have written, which has been published on several websites. References are available on request.

Midwives - please contact me for a discussion of the methods I use. The work I do is highly individualised and I do not discourage comunication with the midwife and other care-givers whilst in labour. I am very happy to work with you on any aspect of care for your ladies, whether in pregnancy or preparation for birth.

I see clients from around the East Midlands for hypnosis for birth preparation - Northampton, Milton Keynes, Leicester, Rugby, Leamington Spa, Towcester, Brackley and beyond, throughout Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire. I am a member of the NHS Directory of Complementary and Alternative Practitioners so a GP, Consultant or Midwife can refer a patient to me. See the NHS Directory for more information.

So how much does this cost? The entire course of 4 individually tailored sessions, hypnosis CDs & labour music CD costs just £240, with further sessions charged at only £40 each, a substantial reduction on my usual fees.

For a no obligation discussion of how I can help you, contact me:

Helen McPherson DCH GQHP NRH

Telephone: 07771 822602

Email: info@northamptonhypnosis.co.uk

Golden Health Therapy Centre,

21 Sheaf Street,

Daventry,

Northamptonshire NN11 3AZ

For further information on childbirth see my Links page