For many expectant parents, the buzz at the moment is all about hypnobirthing and all it’s benefits to an informed, calm and empowered birthing experience.
Today we are talking to Hypnobirthing practitioner, Jess Lowe from “Path To Birth” about why so many couples are using hypnobirthing in preparation for their labour and beyond.
Hi Jess, can you explain what exactly is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is a practice that is all about positive birth.
It combines a tool kit of evidence based and proven skills and techniques for relaxation, pain management and fear release with a detailed understanding of the birthing process to enable birthing mothers and birth partners to go into labour feeling excited, empowered and prepared.
What are the benefits of hypnobirthing?
There are so many benefits of hypnobirthing!! For me one of the biggest is that birth becomes something to be excitedly anticipated in the lead up to the birthing day, and something joyous and empowering to look back on once the baby has arrived.
Some of the other key benefits I would highlight are:
- It gives the birth partners an active and supportive role in the birth
- It can reduce labour time
- It provides a detailed set of tools to stay relaxed and manage pain
- It puts you in control of your birth
- It helps you work pro-actively with your body and natural birthing instincts
- It empowers you to know all your birthing options
- It helps both mum and birth partner bond with your baby before, during and after birth
- It can lead to a quicker physical recovery after birth
- It can lead to fewer interventions during birth
- It takes you into your birth feeling confident and excited rather than fearful!
What should you expect from a workshop?
Hypnobirthing workshops are a 12 hour workshop (across two days) packed full of education about birth, labour, your rights, choices and options as well as the toolkit of resources to create a beautiful, relaxed birthing experience!
Couples also receive a detailed folio of resources to take home along with four mp3 tracks of guided meditation, affirmations and birth music.
The workshops are a great place to come and learn about birth – air any fears, have open and honest conversations about birth/birthing options, learn wonderful evidence based and effective techniques to manage pain during labour….and to also interact with other couples who are often birthing around a similar time to you.
There is a combination of practical activities, guided meditation and relaxation, birth videos and discussion.
What training is involved to be a hypnobirthing practitioner?
I run my Hypnobirthing Workshops as a Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner.
To become qualified with Hypnobirthing Australia you undertake a specialised course covering childbirth education, hypnosis and also the Hypnobirthing Australia curriculum.
Most practitioners also bring an additional area of expertise – mine is in psychology and life coaching – a lot of birth is about managing mindset and emotional state, which is something we teach in the workshop so this background is fantastic for that aspect of the workshop!
We are all also first aid trained and most of us are Hypnobirthing mums ourselves so we have put what we teach into practice!
In your experience, what are some of the best things your clients have taken away from hypnobirthing classes?
The biggest thing I think mothers to be take away from the course is a wonderful positive birth experience. I just love all the amazing beautiful birth stories that come my way after the workshop is completed!
This positive birth experience is both in the lead up to birth, feeling clam, prepared and excited and also during and post birth. From my own experience I can say there is nothing better than feeling empowered and exhilarated by your birthing experience, and like you have given your little one the best possible start in life!
For the birth partners (who are a very important part of the workshop and birth) it is feeling like they have an active, important and practical role in the birth, they are not a spectator, they are a key part of the birth before during and after!
Jess is now running hypnobirthing workshops at our Beyond Windsor space. For further information or to book in please visit http://www.pathtobirth.com.au/
