Natal Hypnotherapy: your questions answered
If you are interested in using hypnosis to stay cool, calm and collected in childbirth, then read our webchat with Maggie Howell, founder of Natal Hypnotherapy.
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1 Will hypnotherapy help with anxieties?
I had a horrible labour with my daughter and am expecting again. This time I am terrified of giving birth and fear is really holding me back. Would hypnotherapy help and do you work with very scared and anxious mums?
My first response is absolutely yes – hypnotherapy WILL help you. Hypnotherapy was originally (and still is) used to help with overcoming trauma (in fact any post traumatic stress related issues). It can not change what happened last time, but what it can change is how you feel about it and it will help you to “let go” of the pain and negative feelings which you still feeltoday. By doing that it will enable you to clear the path for this baby so that you can start afresh. It will not only help to let go of the fear, but it will help you increase your confidence that the birth of this baby will be unique and in no way needs to repeat what happened before.
We have worked with many many women who are really terrified, traumatised and with severe Tokophobia (fear of birth) and always had extremely positive response. Have a look at our website form many stories of women who were terrified and then went onto have calm, positive births.
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I know you feel scared now, but you can make a choice to put that behind you and to stop it getting in the way of giving you and your baby a chance for a positive experience this time. Read some of the stories on our website.
2 Will I still be able to use pain relief?
If you decide to use hypnotherapy in labour, can you also use other pain relief? Do midwives know how to support you in hypnotherapy techniques? Do they think you are a failure if you end up with an epidural or c-section in the end?
Of course - you can use anything you like. Hypnotherapy DOES not put you in a state that you can not make choices or decisions, it is not a magic wand – it is simply a tool to help you manage the experiences of birth and to work with your body to help yourself stay calm, focused and in control of your responses.
For the vast majority of women using Natal Hypnotherapy they feel far more able to manage for longer, however, yes of course some women do go onto ask for additional support and pain relief and that is fine. It is a misperception that hypnosis will create a pain free experience. Yes, some approaches like to say that but it is mainly as a marketing tool. I would rather be more realistic as the vast majority of women they do feel very intense contractions – BUT they can work with them, accept them, ride with them so to speak.
I feel sad that women would see having an epidural or c-section as a failure. We know that birth can be unpredictable and that the “system” can make it more challenging to be able to really go with the flow and work with your body. No matter where your birth takes you, Natal Hypnotherapy is there to support you and help you have as positive experience as possible. We have had women come back to us who had a c-section but said they were the calmest person in the room, or that they still felt the birth was amazing and positive as the C-section was a necessity and had been there to protect them and their baby.
More and more midwives are aware of the techniques as they are seeing women coming into labour ward in a far more relaxed and calm state, and often misdiagnosing that as not being in labour, only to find that she is in fact in established labour. Over the last 6 years I and some of our senior Natal Hypnotherapy practitioners have been training midwives in how to support women using the techniques and along with speaking at conferences, writing articles, women spreading the word and lending midwives our books and CDs etc the word is gradually spreading. However there are still many midwives who may be skeptical or unsure how to support women. For that reason we have included a midwives data sheet in all our CDs so that you can give that to your midwife.
With the NHS funded trials into the use of hypnosis for birth taking place at the moment, I am sure that the NHS will begin to take it more seriously over the next few years. It is a bit like the TENS machine 20 years ago - many were skeptical about how placing electrical pads on your back can help with labour, but now it is main stream. I am sure that in a few years time Natal Hypnotherapy will become as main stream as the TENS and all student midwives will be taught how to support women using hypnotherapy.
3 What if I can't afford it?
Anything that takes away the feeling of anxiety I have over this second pregnancy (and the birth) will be more than welcome. However, our budget simply doesn't stretch to fancy books, dvds or classes so I guess I just have to try and hope for the best?
It is good that you recognise that taking anxiety away will help. I understand that classes can add extra strain to already tight budgets. But for the price of going to the cinema, a few cups of coffee or a take away the CD (£11.99) is not a huge amount to pay for taking away anxiety, helping you relax and helping you approach birth in a more positive and less frightened way.
If that is still beyond your budget there are lots of things you can do to help yourself. My book has masses of practical and easy techniques to help you overcome anxiety, create your own visualisation and even how to do your own and self hypnosis. You can ask your library for a copy of the book.
You have a choice - you do not need to let the anxiety take over and just hope for the best. You really can do something to help yourself and your baby have a more positive birth this time round.
4 Can it bring on Braxton Hicks?
I am using Natal Hypnotherapy but have to be careful as have been having terrible pains and Braxton Hicks since. Is this a problem and how what should mums to be do if they start noticing more Braxton Hicks after practising the techniques?
The hypnotherapy should in no way bring on Braxton Hicks. I have not heard of this happening before. With all my pregnancies (I have had 5 babies) I got strong Braxton Hicks through out the later part of my pregnancies, whether I was practicing my NH or not. I would suggest that if you are getting them then use the techniques on the CD, - stop, breath down to your baby for a few deep breaths, say the words 321 relax and allow you shoulders to drop and your muscles to relax.
5 Can you use hypnotherapy with a c-section?
Can you have this if you due an elective section? I've had elective section with my last child and I was so worried and stressed I honestly believe it's why she came out in distress not breathing when she'd been fine entire pregnancy.
Absolutely – I created a specific CD called “Prepare for a Caesarean” which is designed to help women prepare emotionally, physically and mentally to give birth by caesarean. It is similar yet different from the other cds in that it teaches you the basic breathing, relaxation and visualization techniques but the suggestions also incorporate ways to manage the medicasliation and physical challenges of having an operation and dealing with the healing afterwards. You can read about women’s experiences of using this CD on our website page Prep for a C-section - I am sure this will help both you and your little one with your caesarean birth experience.
6 How does it work?
How does hypnotherapy work and is it guaranteed to help during labour? Also, how do I find local classes and is there any help with fees or can you get them on the NHS?
How it works is quite a long one! The state of hypnosis is a completely natural state, just like day dreaming, when your active, conscious brain takes a back seat and you drift into the other part of your thinking called the subconscious. In a day dream like state we stop analyzing, rationalizing and criticizing so much, and we become very receptive to positive suggestions. Hypnotherapy is the use of this day dreamy, relaxed state for a therapeutic outcome.
It is used in many many walks of life such as sports, performance, presentations etc, in all cases it is about giving yourself a new, desired way of responding to things e.g. being focused, prepared, confident and so on. It is a bit like uploading a new version of software, so that you replace old, unwanted thoughts and patterns with new, more useful and beneficial ones.
With Natal hypnotherapy, you firstly experience and so learn how to completely relax, how to use your breathing effectively and then when you are in this nice state, you listen to a series of suggestions about how your body can respond to events – in this case birth. The suggestions focus on in increasing your confidence and trust in the bodies natural ability to give birth and so your ability to work with your body. By listening to the suggestions over and over again IN ADVANCE, your mind accepts this new way of responding, gradually overcoming fears and replacing that with confidence so when the first contraction occurs, the automatic response is to follow the suggestions that you have given yourself – ie to relax, to feel excited, to breathe down to your baby and so on. This way your body is able to stay in the optimum state to help you manage the physical exertions of birth.
Natal Hypnotherapy DOES not guarantee anything. It does not (and in my opinion SHOULD not) make claims about a “pain free” experience. Nothing worth doing in life is pain free- falling in love, running a marathon, being a parent!. It is not a magic wand…BUT what you can do with Natal Hypnotherapy can be quite magical. Millions of women naturally go in to a hypnotic state during labour, and naturally cope beautifully. However sadly in our society many women have become so fearful due to lots of factors, and this fear has stopped them trusting their instincts and so labour becomes a fearful, tension filled and for many very traumatic experience. Natal Hypnotherapy helps those women to take a step back, deal with many anxieties, build trust that they CAN do it, feel more confident and so in turn avoid the fear and tension and trauma. They have learnt the real basics of how to relax their body instinctively, how to breathe effectively and connected back in with the inherent trust and belief that our bodies really are designed to birth our babies.
In terms of classes. For Natal Hypnotherapy please go to our website and that will show you the areas we have teachers. At the moment it is not available on the NHS however we have several NHS trusts who are and will be offering Natal Hypnotherapy courses to their women under the trust although a fee will still be charged.
However, my main recommendation is that you start using the Natal Hypnotherapy CDs and if possible read the book which explains everything in far more detail and has dozens of great birth stories to help put it into context. Listening to the CDs on a regular basis is the core behind the Natal Hypnotherapy approach. All women attending the workshops will also listen to them and they are the foundation for the many thousands of successful birth stories we have. Of course you and your partner will learn loads more great things by attending a workshop, but the CDs will give you the main hypnotherapy techniques.
7 Do you get positive feedback from other mums?
Have you found that a lot of mums you teach come back to you after their births and tell you they had a great birth experience?
Absolutely, we have had thousands of birth stories come back to us. The vast majority say how well it worked, but we also get the few stories who felt that it had not helped them as much as they had hopes, or that they needed a c-section and so could not put them into practice.
We want to hear all the feedback as we have developed over the last 10 yeas by listening to our customers’ ideas and feedback and changing things to reflect what we are told. Our workshops have changed organically over the years from learning more about the maternity system, adapting to changes in guidelines, learning from feedback of what has and has not worked. I have worked with and trained hundreds of midwives and have learnt so much from them and again made adaptations and improvements from what I have learnt. I believe that nothing should be fixed in stone- we can all learn and improve.
I think this is one of the reasons that Natal Hypnotherapy is so popular as it has been developed alongside the UK maternity system, so has the backing of thousands of birth professionals and has adapted and changed to make sure we are really meeting womens needs.
8 How clued up are midwives about it?
Do you find midwives in maternity wards know a lot about hypnotherapy? Do you ever train midwives in the techniques so they can support any mums who want to use it in their labour?
Midwives are becoming more and more aware of and open to Natal Hypnotherapy techniques which is great. I have trained in excess of 1000 midwives over the last 6 years. Myself and several of our senior practitioners regularly get asked to go into trusts and run bespoke in house training so a large number of midwives in their hospital will be aware of how best to support women. We also have a few NHS trust who are or are looking to offer NH workshops. We have over 2500 midwives who have contacted us and who are happy to tell women about Natal Hypnotherapy which is great. In addition the NHS is funding a major trial into the use of hypnosis in birth which is due to end later this year. It will be a great way of getting more NHS trusts to take this on board as it really can help to reduce intervention rates and make women’s birth experiences more positive.
9 How is it different to Hypnobirthing?
I tried Hypnobirthing with my first baby; it was ok and I didn't use pain relief but I still felt a lot of pain. I'm now pregnant again. Can you tell me how Natal Hypnotherapy is different?
Essentially both methods are about empowering and teaching women / couples techniques to help them stay more focused and relaxed so that her body can get on with the business of birthing.
There are however differences in the approaches which is useful to explain as of course we get asked this a lot. The term hypnobirthing has become a bit of a generic term – like the “Hoover” and “vacuum” and many people refer to Natal Hypnotherapy as “hypnobirthing”.
However, HypnoBirthing is a trade marked approach developed by Marie Mongan on the US and was developed predominantly within the US maternity system. Therefore the language, voice and approach are Americanized. Natal Hypnotherapy has been developed in the Uk and uses words, language and a voice which is British.
Hypnobirthing is mainly done through going on a course followed by using scripts and cds. Within the programme the premise is that you should aim to banish all negative thoughts about labour and to change terminology such as the word contraction to “surge” and not to use the word pain – this is not something that we do with Natal Hypnotherapy.
Anecdotally I have been told that women are also led to believe that if the techniques are done properly then birth should be pain free. I am not sure if this is the standard teaching but I have heard it time and time again. This is somewhere that I feel we really differ.
As I have said in an earlier post I do not believe that using hypnosis should purport to enable you to have a pain free labour. For the many women it will result in a feeling of failure or “not working” as when the sensations really kick in you feel that you are doing it wrong – there is no right or wrong – every woman will experience birth in a different way.
Maybe this is where it will differ for you – in the expectation. I would rather women learnt how to work with pain and how to accept and allow the sensations to work for them, than for them to assume there will be no pain.
Natal hypnotherapy is based on women using the CDs and then following that up with doing a course to take it to the next level. Partners do get involved but are not essential to the success of the hypnotherapy. I believe that if you are able to use and practice the techniques yourself then you can give birth anywhere and with anyone – you do not necessarily need someone else to take you into hypnosis. I believe that Hypnobirthing place more emphasis on the birth partners role in taking you into hypnosis.
For the workshops Natal Hypnotherapy tailor the course to the individual and include personalized scripts rather than a one size fits all. Couples are taught to write their own suggestions and affirmations, to have their own birth mind map and so to work on areas that are specific to them. We also have cds for home births, twins birth, VBAC, caesarean birth, hospital birth etc. so again ensuring the hypnotherapy preparation is as tailored to the woman as possible.
10 When is it too late to start it?
I am 35 weeks and have only just discovered this concep. Is it too late to really get the best from the technique at this stage?
Not at all. Now is a really great time to start. In our initial research we found out that women who listened to the CD 20 times or more got the most benefit from them. If you were to start in the next couple of days and listened to it most days you will get tremendous benefit from it.
To attend a workshop, we have had women come in their 38th and even 40th week so there is still time for that if you want to learn more in depth and personalized techniques.
11 How do I start natal hypnotherapy?
After a horrendous labour with my son, I'm really keen to do this. Where do I start?
I am sorry you had a horrendous birth with your son. As to where to get started, it will depend on how many weeks pregnant you are, where you are and if you want to go on a workshop. To get started we have a Pregnancy Relaxation CD which you can use from the moment you know you are pregnant. This will teach you the basic breathing, relaxation and visualization techniques but will not focus on the birth - the suggestions are more about well being, sleep, eating well, bonding etc. Then from about 32 weeks on you can move on to one of the birth preparation cds - we have them for home birth, hospital birth, twins etc. listen to this 2 - 3 times a week leading up to every day for the last 2 weeks. There is a 26 page guide that comes with the cd with lots of tips and suggestions on making the most of the cd. Each CD costs £11.99.
We also then have CDs to listen to during the birth as well as ones to help with breastfeeding and one for general post natal recovery. In addition you can get the book.
If you want to book a course then go to our website and look for your nearest practitioner. There are 2 workshops - the first is on "natural pain relief" and the second on "practical birth preparation".
12 Is it working?
I am doing natal hypnotherapy and finding it fantastic. The only thing I am concerned about is that I am falling asleep every time I listen to the CD. Is this ok to do so and is it working?
Forgive me if this has already been answered but don't worry, you are not falling asleep. you are entering into a hypnotic state (which can feel pretty similar sometimes!) Do you wake up when you are told to on the CD? If yes then you are not asleep - if no then your body obviously needs the rest. Either way your subconscious mind is taking in all the suggestions and because you are so near the date of your baby's birth your subconscious is super ready to absorb all the positive suggestions you are hearing on the CD so when you do go into labour your body and mind will know exactly what to do. If you want more info check out the Natal Hypnotherapy website.
13 Do you have to go to classes?
Do you have to go to a classes to learn about natal hypnotherapy or can you learn from a CD or book?
The answer is you can do both. There are 3 levels – one is to use just the CD which is the core of natal hypnotherapy. The next is to read and complete the work book which will back up a lot of the subconscious learning that you have done on the CD. it also explains most of the techniques and teaches you how to do them yourself. Probably about 80% of the women using Natal Hypnotherapy will just use the CDs and book and will be likely to go on to have a really positive birth.
The workshops really take your practice and learning to the next level, teaching more in depth relaxation and self hypnosis techniques, many practical tools and techniques for your partner to help you with, gives you a deeper understanding of the physiological as well as emotional map of labour, increases your partners confidence to work effectively with the medical team, helps you to personalize your hypnosis and approach to your birth and so on. The workshops are also a wonderful, self indulgence for you and your partner to immerse yourself in a personal, tailored and motivating few days to think, plan, prepare and look forward to the amazing journey ahead of you.
14 How can I convince my other half to try it?
My hubby is a bit unconvinced by natal hypnotherapy. How do I persuade him it is something we should consider giving a try? I might feel like I am holding back if he is poo-pooing me or laughing at me. Do you work with partners too?
I so completely understand your concerns about your hubby. If I am honest the majority of men who come on the workshops turn up looking rather closed, skeptical and fed up at being dragged to another antenatal course . BUT it is often the partners who have the biggest turn around as we explain birth and how to manage it in a way that is so simple, basic and easy. By doing this, and giving them some really practical, hands on techniques - both physical and mental, they come away feeling like the know what to do and how to support you to stay in a calm relaxed state.
Yes the word “hypnotherapy” can really put people off , believing that you will act like chickens and be made to do silly things or it is a flakey hippy dippy, earth motherey sort of thing to do and they are worried that everyone will be on bean bags with incense and herbal tea! Our workshops are SOOO not like that. Men very quickly feel more at ease when they are presented to in a professional (using power point, flipcharts and post it notes), yet relaxed, practical and down to earth way. Yes we do do hypnosis and the men are encouraged to participate, however, they do not have to (although they all do and are usually snoring before the practitioner even starts !). The bulk of the workshop is more the practical, hands on tools that he can use so that he feels an integral and important part of the process rather than a spare part, not really having a clue how to support you yet knowing that that is expected of him.
However at the end of the day, you are the one giving birth, and even if he is not fully on board with you doing the hypnotherapy, you can quietly get on and listen to the CD on your own and reap the benefits yourself. He may even begin to notice a change in you and how you are handling the pregnancy in a more positive way.
Maggie is a mum of five and has helped over 100,000 women have a better pregnancy and birth experience. Here she explains the birthing benefits of hypnotherapy. Will you give it a go?
