Our hypnotherapist, Kerry, explains how hypnobirthing can help you to achieve a calm and gentle birth.
Hypnosis is simply a state of suggestibility and that doesn’t only occur in the hypnotherapist’s chair, lulled by the slow, soothing pace of their voice. We are all susceptible to suggestion from any trusted source in our lives: TV, advertising, partners, teachers, doctors, relatives and friends.
As children, we are easily influenced by any adult who takes on a cameo or starring role in our lives. Prior to the age of 8, we don’t develop the critical consciousness that later acts as a firewall of sorts protecting us, in part, from the constant barrage of influence. But even in adulthood, messages slip through, unbidden.
The drip, drip, drip of hypnotic suggestions of long labours, painful births and drastic interventions can begin long before we are even aware of them. They shape our view of birth and our expectations of how we will birth.
Women’s bodies and the way they birth have long been misunderstood. The medical picture often misses out the crucial influences of positioning, hormones and a woman’s connection to her own unique body. Birth is as intimate as lovemaking and involves many of the same hormones. A woman who feels safe, respected and loved during labour will birth more easily and comfortably than one who feels ignored and disempowered. Imagine trying to make love under bright lights with unfamiliar strangers shouting orders and manhandling you and you will understand how some women feel during labour.
More often than not, my job is more about dehypnotising, unpicking the beliefs and programs that do not serve you.
Hypnobirthing is a process of unlearning much of what we think we know. You and your partner will learn about your amazing body and how it works in labour and birth and master techniques which will help you to connect with and support your body to birth your baby.
As a qualified hypnotherapist (surprisingly, not a requirement for hypnobirthing practitioners), I often work with couples who have not had an easy path to pregnancy. Sometimes it is necessary to ease past traumas and rebuild a trust with the body. Where possible, classes should be spread over a number of weeks to give you time to shift perspective and practise your new skills.
‘My previous experience of childbirth had been heart-breaking so, when I became pregnant with my daughter, I was extremely anxious…Kerry was fantastic and worked through my anxieties with me using hypnobirthing techniques. I was sceptical at first but then began to feel calmer, sleep better and enjoy my pregnancy.
Using the relaxation techniques I had learned, I remained calm, I required no pain relief and at no point did my daughter or myself become tired or distressed…it took one and a half hours from my waters breaking to holding her in my arms. The experience for all of us exceeded my expectations and my beautiful daughter remains a calm, contented baby. Thankyou Kerry.’ Sally
Kerry teaches one to one and also in small groups. If you are curious to find out more about how hypnobirthing and other mind/body techniques can help you to move past fear to an empowering birth, call Kerry on 07748660703 or email her at
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