Sure you’ve probably heard of hypnobirthing at one time or another. You may have pictured Duchess Kate in the royal suite, breathing calmly, and in three pushes or less, out comes the royal baby. You may have watched a YouTube video of a woman birthing her baby in a big round inflatable tub. You may have thought that hypnobirthing is something that only certain people do, like maybe the ones who have a naturally high pain tolerance. Or someone who has practiced meditation for a long time and simply knows how to “zen” their way through anything. In real life, hypnobirthing doesn’t have to be any of these things. It’s true that it is often misunderstood. Now that our doula group has partnered with HelloBirth hypnobirthing for childbirth education, it seemed like a good time to break down some of the common myths and help you to understand that hypnobirthing can be accessible and helpful to anyone… with the right approach.

That’s right… hypnosis for birth is a skill that anyone can learn. However, trying to pinpoint the essence of hypnobirthing is virtually impossible by doing a Google search. With 12 search results, you’ll get approximately 12 different answers. That’s because hypnosis does in fact mean different things to different people. But in the context of HelloBirth hypnobirthing, it’s really pretty simple: attend a 4-class series with an instructor to receive a thorough education on the birthing process, and in the midst of that, we’ll lead your group on a very pleasant journey. Well what the heck does that mean? OK, so during your class time, we’ll do the practical, real-life learning part first. In the first class, we’ll talk about prenatal care so that it feels less overwhelming. Then at the end of class, we’ll do our first in-class hypnosis session. Your instructor will invite you to find a very comfortable position, take a few slow, deep breaths, and then just simply listen to their voice as they read the week 1 script. During the script, you’ll be practicing a technique that you can work with to become an expert at intentional progressive relaxation, focusing on muscle groups from the top of your head down to your feet. After class, you’ll listen to a recorded version of this script. It’s this repetition that will allow this technique to become easier for you.

During week 2 of class, we’ll learn all about the consumer’s experience in the system of giving birth. This is necessary whether you attempt to avoid most of the “bells and whistles” of the modern system, or whether you would prefer to use those tools. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. And HelloBirth’s goal is to inform you so that you can make your own best choices. At the end of class, we’ll do another hypnosis session similar to the first, but this time we’ll teach you a very powerful technique that goes beyond simply having a relaxing time. This technique is something that your brain can actually use to decrease the perception of discomfort. Notice we said decrease discomfort rather than eliminate pain. Taking a realist’s approach to birth, we acknowledge that the birthing process is different for each individual. There is no shame in admitting that pushing a whole baby out of your body can be quite a powerful, even intense experience that sometimes involves pain and discomfort. But it should not involve suffering. These classes and the techniques can help the experience to be more manageable and more comfortable than it is with other forms of childbirth prep, like breath work (only takes you so far), or even just skipping the skills practice altogether. The HelloBirth tools will help you work with the advantages that your body and your environment can give you (hormones like endorphins, active positions to use gravity and help make more space for your baby, the loving and/or expert support of your birth team). All of these things help increase comfort and decrease fear and tension. It’s all helpful as you birth your baby, even if there’s not one magic combination or solution that works for everyone to make their births pain-free. The HelloBirth tools add a very effective layer of help on top of the environmental and physiological factors, and that’s the training of your mind to enhance that mind-body connection. Call it “woo” or pseudoscience. If that’s your understanding of it, then it’s unlikely to benefit you personally. Believe us, we totally understand that hypnobirthing can sound like weird Jedi mind tricks! But as doulas and birth educators, we’ve come to understand that birthing individuals need as much support as they can possibly get! And the HelloBirth tracks are AMAZING! Seriously. Developed by a clinical hypnotherapist, Lindsey Vick at Sunflowers Healing & Wellness, you will absolutely love listening to her soothing voice teaching you new things that will really help to smooth out your birthing experience. There’s no trick to it, really. It’s just using the power of our language, our imaginations, and a deep understanding of how the human brain works to optimize the way people experience birth. There are even audio tracks to listen to if the birth plan changes: Change of Course Affirmations, affirming your decisions to change up that birth plan so that you and your baby can stay safe and healthy. My Cesarean Birth will be a great comfort for those who need to have a planned or an unplanned C-section.

So back to the classes! Class 3 will guide you through the labor process from start to finish, so you have a great understanding of those hormones, environmental factors, and birth partner support that we referenced above. This is a great opportunity to build confidence that you can handle this! You will explore what forms of support resonate with you the most. Class 4 will teach you all about your newborn, caring for them, and caring for yourself during the postpartum healing process.

If you’re interested to learn more about what HelloBirth classes and materials cover, check out the Class Outline and the HelloBirth Audio Library. And if you want to check out a fun, nourishing and non-judgmental form of hypnobirthing, sign up for a class!