Natal Hypnotherapy vs HypnoBirthing

Why, Why, Why does Maggie Howell from Natal Hypnotherapy feel the need to compare her Natal Hypnotherapy course to HypnoBirthing! Do car manufactures compare and discount their competitors - NO!

If you haven't trained or are not involved in HypnoBirthing and have never attended a course HOW can you then "know" what is or is not covered or how the course works!

• Does it matter where a course originated!! Do you only buy English? Where is your tv,washing machine or car made! Is this relevent or is the course content and expertise of the practitioner or originator more relevent?
• HypnoBirthing courses are not run over 2 days for the same reason I believe from the website that natal hypnotherapy sessions are now not held on consecutive days - its too much in one go! people are known to learn better in shorter chunks, ask any teacher! This also gives you the opportunity to practice techniques and come back and ask any questions face to face, not over the phone or by email, but in person! HypnoBirthing practitoners can do shorter sessions or over shorter periods where needed if a mum only has a couple of weeks before her due date when obviously 5 weekly sessions is a nonsense! Flexibilty is required which is what HypnoBirthing practioners can do when and if needed!
  
• Yes HypnoBirthing uses proven effective relaxation scripts so everyone gets the same however if mums have specific fears, concerns or anxieties these can be altered to accomodate personal differences therefore tailoring to individuals!
  
• I'm sorry but of course if the mums birth partner that has attended classes with her can be at the birth then that is ideal, but i laboured alone throughout my hypnobirth with nothing other than my HypnoBirthing Cd and i had a fabulous birth. I have had a number of single mums, or mums that dad will not be at the birth or even that will but they could not attend the classes so they rely on being able to relax themselves. Anyone who knows anything about hypnosis and relaxation knows that the only person that can send you into hypnosis or relax you is YOU! All hypnosis is self hypnosis and doesn't neccasarily need anyone to guide you once you have learnt the techniques!
• Timing on breathing techniques is there as a guide! And one that is proven! All the mums that have taken my classes have said the breathing techniques were amazingly helpful through the labour!
• HypnoBirthing practioners are monitored yearly have to reattend training yearly if they do not reach the cpd levels and have to complete cpd reviews to maintain their qualification. Case studies have to be completed and are dependent on relevant qualifications and experience!
• You do not HAVE to change your language but it helps to instill more positivity into thinking about birth which in turn helps to change your perception of birth, Mums do not have to use set words they are a suggestion, many of my mums choose there own words which they find relaxing and positive. Women are very suggestable in labour so avoiding words with negative conoatations in labour only makes sense!
• Practioners work independantly but are monitored and regulated by the Hypnobirthing Institute with feedback from all courses being sent directly to Marie for review.
  

HypnoBirthing Do Not feel threatened enough by other Hypnosis for childbirth organisations to try to discount them in any way, we are not experts in those companies so are not in a position to discuss what they do. Funny how you can mislead the public by implying cetain things about alternative courses. We don't feel the need!

HypnoBirthing speaks for it self, speak to a hypnobirthing mum or read a testimonial, watch a hypnobirth and you will see how passionate Hypnobirthing mums and practitioners are.

Everyone is capable of doing their own research and making their own choice about what is right for them.

Rant over!

Cx

HypnoBirthing Classes in the West Midlands available to more mums to be!

When you are expecting a baby its all "money, money , money" Cots, baths, swings, nappies, pushchairs and travel systems and then if you decide you are not happy with you NHS Antenatal Classes you then are expected to fork out even more money on private antenatal classes!

In the Birmingham area HypnoBirthing antenatal classes can cost upwards from around £250 for a group class, even more for private! We have always tried to be reasonably priced in comparison, often offering classes for around £195 for a group HypnoBirthing course, but now we have decided to make HypnoBirthing antenatal classes even more affordable! We follow up perspective couples if they don't book on the course to politely ask why - Feedback is really important to us! Lots of mums are finding the course fees just too hard to justify when there are so many other items to purchase. It's great that the government give mums the maternity grant of £190 but even that doesn't go a long way to helping, so we are going to do our bit to help couples get the birth they want and deserve without breaking the bank!

We are now offering couples the chance to come to our group HypnoBirthing Antenatal classes - the full 12.5 hours, for only £105 when booked and paid for in full. We are going to put on more classes to enable couples to get a class not only at a great price but at a time that suits them!

So if you are living in the Birmingham area why not take a short trip up the M6 on a Sunday when traffic is minimal, Come for a few hours of deep relaxation in the beautiful Staffordshire Countryside! Why not enjoy a pub lunch whilst your here too! Ask me for a good one!

You'll have more money in your pocket, a fantastic toolkit of relaxation techniques and information for the birth as well as some new friends to share your new family experiences with!

Please Join our facebook page, which there is a link to from our website, to be kept upto date with birth stories, top tips for pregnancy birth and beyond and much more!

Tell you friends!

Clare xx

HypnoBirthing with Beautiful Births in the West Midlands

Benefits of Group Classes with Beautiful Births!

Our HypnoBirthing group classes offer the following benefits:

• FREE COURSES WITH YOUR FOLLOWING CHILDREN! Book one HypnoBirthing course and you are welcome to come back to the whole of another course with your 2nd / 3rd / 4th child! You only pay once. Many other practitioners will offer you a refresher session often at a charge to yourself. You then don't get the chance to meet up with other mums and dads, or get the full 12.5 hours of practice and information.
  
• FREE refresher session prior to your birth on a 1-2-1 basis, either in your home or at Clare's home in Gnosall, This can also be arranged to take place at a therapy room at a small charge to yourself if you prefer.
• FREE breech turn relaxation session if your baby is breach! Clare has experience of doing this session and has helped babies to turn!
  
• FREE book library and video library for you to borrow
• Telephone and email support upto and through your birth when ever you need it!
• New mum visit whereever possible so you can hear it from the horses mouth! Ask questions and here their experience.
• We have birthing balls for mums to sit on, or try out birthing positions, Airbeds so you can lie down and relax comfortably, Blankets to help keep you warm,
• Birthing Pools - La Bassine for you to try out for size, practice your birthing positions in, ask questions etc
  
• Group classes offer more interaction, more ideas, more tips from other mums, more fun! We often have 1 mum on each course who have already used these techniques on a previous birth!
  

And in addition to HypnoBirthing you will also recieve:

• FREE babywearing demonstration and the opportunity to try on various styles of baby slings, from wraps, mai tais, ring slings, pouch slings etc!
• FREE advice on real nappies if you are interested as Clare is a real cloth nappy agent for Babykind
• FREE demonstration on Baby calming - Clare is a Happiest Baby educator
• FREE tips on supporting a birthing mum, Clare is a experienced Doula
• FREE postnatal support by email or phone if you are struggling with Postnatal deppression. Clare is a postnatal depression volunteer support person for a national charity, as she has suffered with Postnatal Depression following the birth of her 2 children.

We are ideally placed just of the M6 junction 13 for easy access on Sunday mornings when traffic is minimal!! Come and relax for the day in Staffordshire!

HypnoBirthing antenatal classes and midwives

Just been chatting online to a midwife that is intending to train in HypnoBirthing and take classes. Not sure if i am absolutly 100% sure thats a good idea.

Why?

Well, Yes I do 100% agree all midwives should have training in hypnobirthing to help them to support couples throughout their births without reference to pain, medication etc. This way midwives will understand where the couple is coming from and appreciate the couples informed decisions. However...

In my opinion the midwife is in a strange position. On one hand with her midwife hat on she should be following the NHS and hospital guidelines e.g 4 hourly VE's ( Vaginal Examinations) but with her HypnoBirthing Hat on she should be advising couples to only have VE's if they are right for them and on their terms, not necessarily to follow medical advice but sometimes to question it, to enable them to get all of the information to make an informed choice themselves with the help of the medical staff. This enables couples to feel more involved in the birth and not simply an onlooker or someone birth 'happened to'.

I think they are in a slightly awkward situation, i can only think of a handful of midwives that i have come into contact with, that i think would truly be willing to use common sense and for example refuse to do a VE if they couldn't see the need at that particular point- What do you think?

Would your midwife be a good antenatal teacher and unbiasedly give you all the information or would she even subconsciously guide you down a certain path?

I want to be convinced please! What are your thoughts!

Homebirths

Had an interesting discussion during my group HypnoBirthing antenatal class on sunday this week, 3 groups had to each discuss the benefits and negatives of one of the folllowing Homebirth, hospitals and birthing centres and then present back to the group on their topic.

We started with Homebirth which had lots of positives such as more relaxed, better birthing environment, more comfortable, more confident in your own surroundings, no traveling to disrupt the flow of the labour and lots more versus not having emergancy assistance and no pain relief being the main concerns.

We then discussed Hospital births and the couples were suprised to find they could only come up with two possible positives - doctors to hand if you need them, pain relief available and with both of these possibly leading to more intervention they could even be a negative!

Birthing Centres came off fairly well offering a good alternative to a home birth / hospital birth without as many risks of intervention as no consultants are present whilst offering more personalised care then a hospital generally. A great alternative to homebirths if you would panic more being at home.

We decieded it was a very personal choice and what was right for one couple wouldn't always be right for another, and that both mum and dad both have to be happy with where they intend to have their baby as if one is worried or stressed this will pass on to the other, compromise may be the name of the game!

Interesting to see the article in the Telegraph , were mums are being put off from homebirths, unfortunatly not all but a large number of mums in my classes have had to fight to get their homebirth for one reason or another, shortage of midwives, BMI being slightly higher, Age
I even attended one birth where Dad was being told a midwife wouldn't be attending and they must go to hospital for the sake of their babies health, talk about putting mum under stress when shes actually in labour and had been told homebirth wouldn't be a problem, I am glad to say midwives did attend eventually, but mum had to work hard to stay relaxed by then!

If you are thinking of a homebirth, plan ahead as much as you can, be strong, know what you want and stick to it. Unfortunatley you are often told you cannot have homebirth agreed untill you are 37 weeks incase your or your babies health changes, this adds stress to mums at the end of their pregnancy when the should be relaxing and enjoying it! Why can't midwives agree a homebirth asap as long as nothing changes and mum and baby are still well! I am sure any mum to be would happily go to hospital if there were any true medical concerns anyway!

No matter where you are giving birth there is tons of information on bith in general and pregnancy complaints on www.homebirth.org.uk

Why do couples hire Doula's?

Why hire a Birth / labour Doula?

• Extra pair of hands at a home or hospital birth
• To fill the pool
• Support mum and dad to be
• Liase between mum and the medical staff
• Take the pressure of Dad or the mums main birth companion
• To assist with relaxation techniques
• Suggest comfort measures
• Allow dad a comfort break and a brief rest!

A birth Doula is NOT there to take over Dads role but rather to support him, allowing him to fully support you without worrying about things like does the birthing ball need inflating, are the midwives ok at your homebirth, is the pool the right temperature!

Then following the birth to help empty the pool, tidy the birthing environment and help mum to bath or shower. All of this allows you as a couple to bond with your baby.

You may like the idea of having a continuous support and a familiar face throughout your birth, which is known to increase satisfaction with the birth experience for both mum and dad, reduces need for chemical pain relief and can speed up labour!

Why hire a postnatal doula?

When Dad has gone back to work and the many visitors have gone, mum is often left with a small baby, learning to understand each others needs.

Many mums appreciate the extra support both emotional and physical of either a close friend, their mum or sister, this isn't always possible during weekdays when the majority of people are working, or with families living some distance apart.

A post natal doula would take over that role.

How would a post natal doula support you?

Look after baby whilst mum has a shower or bath in peace for half an hour. Perhaps you had little sleep during the night, again a doula would care for little one to allow you to rest for a short time.

Is it company you need, a coffee, a chin wag and a friendly and supportive ear can do wonders.
Washing need folding?
Run out of bread and milk?
Not sure how to bath baby or have a colicky baby - Doulas can suggest a host of things known to calm them and keep you sane!

All little things but they can feel gigantic when you are sleep deprived and have a little person relying on you and your partner is at work.

Don't struggle alone, 2 hands are better than one!

Networking, Venues and spellings

Blimy what a busy day yesterday!

Got an appointment sorted out first thing to get my carpal tunnel sorted, as typing all day with numb or tingly fingers is driving me insane!

Blimy no wonder some people are against HypnoBirthing, when some people are going round promising painfree births, being told they should have no drugs! if ever you hear me say that scream at me! HypnoBirthing is about taking control of your experience and making it suit you and your baby. Doing the right thing for you and your baby and if that means having pain relief so you can relax and enjoy the experience because of other factors or whatever, in my eyes that is fine! If you are calm and making decisions whilst in control and you have a better birth experience who cares what pain relief you have. It's when mums are stressed, feel out of control and don't understand their options and the positives and negatives of those options and they make a decision they go on to regret that worries me. Please If you here anyone say otherwise that is there opinion at not one i would personally agree with. Rant over!

Next off to the WiRE networking meeting in Newport - why have i waited so long! I was a member for a year till a couple of months ago and never got round to going - nerves! What a lovely bunch of women, all keen to promote businesses and help each other - if you run your own business, whatever it is go! There was a wife of a bee keeper who ws going to set up a company making and selling things to do with honey, like soaps etc, a virtual PA, photgraphers, hypnotherapists, NLP practitioners, shop owners and more! Fascinating getting to learn about everybodies businesses and obviously tell them about my own too!

Whilst in Newport i popped over to 4d Babyface and met Amanda, we are exchanging leaflets and 4D BabyFace will be the new venue for my private classes and hopefully a shropshire group class! Looking forward to working with Amanda to promote both our enterprises!

Next onto the Back and Body clinic in Newport to have a chat with Claire to organise studio room hire for a relaxation session to be held there once a month. Also got some leaflets as they offer pregnancy chiropractic!

Got back to homework :( spellings to learn for today, spent the evening and then this morning, writing and singing spellings to my son who is desperate to get 10/10 - fingers crossed!

Plan for today - design flyer for doula services both birth and postnatal and get them ordered quick! Also need to rejig HypnoBirthing flyer and prepare to harvest festival baskets for tomorrow!

Better go get busy!

C x
Got home and