Hypnobirthing Kent and South East London

But doesn’t birth have to be painful?

For many women all they seem to learn about childbirth, be it from their mums, grandmothers and aunties growing up, or as their friends, sisters, cousins and colleagues have children, is that it is going to be very painful and even a traumatic experience. Not to mention the ridiculous birth dramas that are shown on TV. In fact even the dads-to-be are filled with horror stories of standing by helplessly whilst the woman they love screams in agony.

It is not that they mean to frighten you for most they feel that are helping you to prepare by ensuring you know what to expect.

The problem is - they are WRONG - birth does not have to be this way

You do not have to experience great pain during childbirth. How can I say this with such confidence? Because, I have had the most amazing birth with my daughter Evan, as have many of my clients and thousands of other women throughout the world, all of whom have discovered the simple truths about birthing taught during HypnoBirthing® classes.

HypnoBirthing® teaches women that they don't have to be in great agony during labour and birth, that they can indeed have a calm, relaxed and comfortable birth experience that they are very much in control of.

Hypnosis? I don’t want to lose control?

For many people the word hypnosis conjures up images of people being made to do silly things with an apparent loss of any control. You may therefore be wondering if "HypnoBirthing®“ means that you will have to let someone else take control of your mind.

Absolutely not—you are always in control. You will not do something during the hypnotic state that you would not do otherwise. Hypnosis simply allows you to access the more powerful part of your mind, where you can make changes that will benefit you. In fact even during a stage hypnotic show however it may appear no-one can be made to do anything against their will. When people go to a stage hypnotic show they go with one of two purposes in mind, either to be entertained or to be part of the entertainment. Those that want to get up on stage already have a firm suggestion in their mind that they will be asked to do silly things. They are willing volunteers and very much want to be part of the fun.

When you are in the state of hypnosis you are still aware but more inwardly focussed and less concerned with what’s going on externally. In fact we go into this trance like state naturally often throughout the day whenever we have our focussed attention on something or are daydreaming.

You may also be thinking does it mean that I will have to be lying still with my eyes closed the entire time. Again, no! You will learn how to enter and remain in hypnosis whether your eyes are open or closed, laying down, sitting up or moving about.

So what is HypnoBirthing® about?

* HypnoBirthing® teaches you the truth about how your body is designed to work during childbirth and how fear and anxiety (caused by the horror stories you may have been hearing for years) can affect the muscles of your uterus function properly.

*The knowledge you gain, together with the simple but specialised relaxation techniques that you and your partner will learn, enables you to trust that without special circumstances birth can be a relaxed and natural event and not a medical one as we are so often led to believe. In fact many women in other cultures have their babies safely and without all the drama and intervention that we believe is the norm. You will learn why their birthing experiences are so different.

*The techniques will help you trust in your natural birthing instincts and keep you calm and relaxed and making your labour and birth easier and more comfortable.

*You don’t need to have a particular set of beliefs or previous experience of hypnosis to succeed with HypnoBirthing®. Just an open mind and the motivation to succeed. I often find that the dads-to-be in particular attend the first session very sceptical but with a willingness to support their partners in anyway they can. After the first session during which they learn that HypnoBirthing® is based on medical and physiological fact not some ‘airy fairy’ nonsense they are ALL completely convinced.

Imagine the scene- instead of the sounds of your screams due to pain and fear and a stressed out partner looking on. There is a gentle, peaceful atmosphere with both of you relaxed and calm. Your partner knowing how to support you as you welcome each surge and smiling up at them as each one brings your baby closer to you.

Great for your partners too

Instead of looking on helplessly your partner is an integral part of your baby’s birthing and has a very real role to play helping you to stay relaxed and calm. They will also learn to let go of any fears of their own and how to stay relaxed themselves, which is important because if they bring fear or tension to the labour room it can adversely affect your birthing experience.

Many women using HypnoBirthing® have said how important the support of their partner was to their success. In fact it’s very often a Dad who rushes out and tell the world how amazing HypnoBirthing® is. My husband was so impressed after attending the classes that he told the mid-wives about it when we went for our scan. He was so enthusiastic that the midwives temporarily forgot why we were there in their urgency to find out more.

“I’m still on a high after 24 hours. I’ve been a midwife for over 30 years and have never seen anything like it”

Trish Oswald (midwife who attended the birth of my daughter)

To read my story click here

“My husband and I took HypnoBirthing classes to assist with a more natural birthing experience for our first child. We both found the techniques very calming and I found them a great way to relax in the final weeks of my pregnancy. Whilst we planned as natural a birth as possible, we always had a very open mind about what could happen. Unfortunately, our entire birth plan was turned upside down when an emergency c-section was required, but our open approach and the techniques I’d learnt with Dany certainly helped to keep me calm when all around seemed chaos and I was still able to enjoy the birth of my beautiful son”.

Iolanda Hudson, Mum to Oscar 7 weeks old.

Does it matter how many weeks pregnant I am?

I’ve taught mums-to-be Hypnosis for Childbirth techniques as late as 38 weeks and they have still achieved the birth that they wanted, so within reason, no! Obviously the earlier you attend a course the more time you have to practise and enjoy the techniques which are also useful to you during your pregnancy. However, if you are over 34 weeks pregnant you my choose instead to book private Hypnosis for Childbirth sessions enabling you to concentrate on the techniques for preparing your mind for a comfortable birth.

Does success depend upon where I have my baby?

You can use HypnoBirthing® successfully whatever plans you may have regarding the birth of your baby, homebirth (for some the confidence to go ahead with a homebirth comes from attending HypnoBirthing® classes), midwife led unit, hospital, water birth...whatever. It's your choice what kind of birth to have - HypnoBirthing® helps them all.

Is it good for the baby too?

Yes. mums often tell me that they have a very calm, contented baby who feeds and sleeps well.

This all sounds great! Anything else?

You gain so much from attending a HypnoBirthing® course and here are a few more of the highlights:

* Many women report that the lengths of their labour was greatly reduced in comparison to the ‘norm’.

* You will be able to help your baby get into the optimal position for birth by learning how to 'turn' them into the correct position using posture and self-hypnosis.

* Using the relaxation techniques after you have had your baby will support more comfortable breastfeeding.

* Woman who have had a positive birth experience are far less likely to suffer from post-natal depression.

* Your hypnosis techniques will also help you recover physically from the birth much faster.

When are the classes held?

The HypnoBirthing® classes run as four 3 hour sessions (totalling 12 hours), one per week on a Saturday or Sunday morning. Classes are kept to small groups to ensure that I can support everybody's needs.

Where are they taught?

Classes are held in the relaxed comfortable atmosphere of my home in Sidcup, Kent.

How much does it cost?

Packages start from £250 and will all include a minimum of:

* 12 hours of instruction for you and your birthing partner.

* The HypnoBirthing® (The Mongan Method) Book

* An audio CD Birth Affirmations & Rainbow Relaxation plus 9 x mp3s written & recorded by myself.

* Manual (including many scripts and useful information).

* Support from me either by email or telephone up until you have your baby.

* Free attendance at my monthly Hyp ‘n Happening Mums and Mums to be group.

Final thoughts!

Whilst you will be learning techniques to help you for this baby’s birth you will be able to use them so much more widely.

* You can of course use them again and again, no matter how many children you have (refresher sessions are available if required).

* You can use the techniques to help calm and relax you any time you feel upset, tense or stressed out.

* You can learn how to promote positivity and let go of negative thinking patterns generally and not just for birthing.

* Hypnosis is a skill for life and I aim to teach you how to use it successfully to gain huge benefits for birth and beyond...

Wow, this is amazing! How do I book a course?

Please, don't hesitate to call me to find out more about how you to can have an amazing birthing day for you and your baby and to check dates and availability of courses.

Hypnobirthing Kent / Hypnobirthing South East London / Hypnobirthing International via Skype

All treatments and classes are held in the relaxed comfortable atmosphere of her home in Sidcup, Kent, the location of which is a few minutes from the A2, 10 minutes from the M25 and 15 minutes from the A20. The practice is therefore in easy reach of surrounding towns within Kent, Essex and London, for example, Sidcup, Eltham, Bexley, Bexleyheath, Dartford, Greenhithe, Swanley, Gravesend, Thurrock, Blackheath, Greenwich, Orpington, Sevenoaks, Bromley, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Docklands and Rotherhithe.

What will I learn?

Whilst there is a structured format the classes that I run are informal and fun and during these antenatal classes with a difference you will learn:

* The emotional as well as physical elements of birth.

* 3 specific techniques for breathing to help you through the different stages of labour and birth.

* Specialised yet simple massage to help promote endorphins, your body’s natural pain relief, 200 x the effect of morphine.

* How to avoid unnecessary intervention by gaining the confidence to ask appropriate questions should the need arise (also knowing when it's time to let the medical team take charge).

* How to release any fears or negative emotions that you might have about childbirth.

* How to avoid unnecessary chemical induction of labour and how to induce your own labour using natural methods, should you reach a point in your pregnancy when it is appropriate to do so.

* And last but by no means least, how to enter and maintain a deep state of relaxation enabling you to stay calm and in control, regardless of what's going on around you

What if things don’t go to plan?

Even if your birthing takes a different turn due to special circumstances, perhaps even ending up in caesarean, you can still utilise what you have learned. I don’t have all my clients reporting back that their births were perfect. It would be impossible to promise that. But I do have 100% feedback that the techniques were useful no matter what turn their birthing took.

“We can't tell you how lucky we felt to have found you! Thank you so much for Saturday (I hope we didn't over run too much!) but again we left feeling totally elated and very much looking forward to welcoming our little Peanut into this world. You made us both feel welcome and at ease from the moment we walked into your home and I can't even begin to tell you how much I/we have gained from the experience.

There is a side to Piers I had never seen- he really surprised me and is being totally supportive and seems to be enjoying his role. He feels much more involved in the pregnancy. I am convinced he would not have felt so involved in the birth had we chosen different birthing options- I am sure he would have felt useless (as so many of our friends husbands state) – with HypnoBirthing he feels totally involved and that's special alone.” - Clare and Piers

What is HypnoBirthing®?

Antenatal Classes with a Difference!

Do the techniques work if I have a long labour?

For some women, even though they were calm and relaxed their labour progressed slowly. However, the techniques gave them the confidence and control to ensure that they were able to have the birth that they wanted. In fact one of my clients had a 4 day labour with her first and a 3 hour labour with her second. She looks back more fondly on her first experience.

Finlay Jeremy Griffiths arrived on 26th September at 6:10 pm - 7lb11oz The good news is that I went through my whole labour without any pain relief. I laboured in the birthing pool and at one point I did try the gas & air, but by that time i was so into my own breathing rhythm I didn't bother with it.

I really believe the HypnoBirthing techniques helped me as my contractions started almost 48 hours before he was finally born and I was able to focus, relax & be positive - basically it is what got me through the whole thing! Matt was brilliant too, he really played his part reminding me to visualise my balloon, relax and focus. we played our affirmations & rainbow technique on the ipod too and tho I didn't stick with them from start to finish, there were points throughout that was helpful to dip in and out of.

The midwife was well impressed too! As you no doubt know, I wasn't allowed in the pool till 7cm dilated. I laboured in the bath till I was actually 8cm and then they thought I was far too relaxed so couldn't be as far along as I was. I was still walking around at 9 1/2cm and she said I was the calmest she'd seen - followed by another two mums - who were also HypnoBirthees.

Thanks again for all your help

Sheona

“Of all the antenatal classes that I took, yours was the most helpful since I left it in a positive optimistic state of mind. “