During my pregnancy, I came across the term “hypnobirthing” quite often but I honestly did not think twice about it. “Hypno” got me thinking about “hypnosis”. Oh how little did I know!
Tip of the day: be curious, read, and don’t dismiss methods simply because they sound strange to you! Keep your options open, always!
If you are looking for a drug and intervention free birth, this is for you.
Inger shares with us below what hypnobirthing actually is, its benefits, and her experience with this method.
What is Hypnobirthing?
Hyphnobirthing is a birth education programme that teaches simple self hyphnosis, breathing and relaxation techniques for a better, more natural birth.
What are the benefits of hynobirthing? Is it for everyone?
The benefits are less pain (though this is not guaranteed!), a more calm and relaxed mindset, less medical interventions and more involvement of the father. Some women also experience shorter lanour and birth using the hyphnobirthing techniques.
I would say hyphnobirthing is for anyone, yes! It will make you understand that giving birth is totally natural and that it does not need to be a medical procedure. As long as you let it, the body will know what to do, and being relaxed enough and trust that it will, the birth experience will become better.
Why did you chose to pursue Hypnobirthing? How was your experience with it?
Before I even knew of this thing called hyphnobirthing I was wondering why everyone was asking me if I was nervous or scared of giving birth. I mean, my grandmother gave birth in her house and everything went well, and I had a hard time believing that the drama we often see in movies etc happens when for instance a tribal woman in Africa gives birth. Birth is a completely natural thing, and I didn’t understand all the drama about it.
Therefore I was very happy when my friend told me about Hyphnobirthing. I wanted to do a birth preparation course anyway, so this seemed like the one to go for.
To be honest some of the technicues we learned was a bit “out there” for me, and I don’t think I really used any of them during the birth of our babygirl. Still I would do it again in a second and would recommend it to anyone.
What I loved so much about it was how everything was focused on having the birth as natural as possible. No drugs or medical interventions. Just the female body doing what it is made to do. It also helped a lot with information of what qestions to ask, and what tomexpectmof the hospital. Especially in a place like Dubai where you can “order” a c-cection if you wish (that would never happen in Norway!) I appreciated this knowledge extra much. My husband did all classes with me, and he was also taught techniques on how to help keep me calm during birth. We both felt prepared and excited about the birth instead of anxious and scared, and this feeling alone was worth the entire experience.
Giving birth was painful. So, so painful. I don’t know if it was because of the hyphnobirthing but I had totally underestimated how painful it would be. Or rather, I totally overestimated how well I would handle the pain! My goal was to have the birth completely drug free, and I managed this. But I am very glad no one asked me if I wanted the drugs during, cause I might have said yes 😉
Inger
