So I think we have established that hypnobirthing does work….for some. But what about the people who feel that for whatever reason it didn’t work for them on the day. From the work I have done with thousands mothers over the last 18 months there are definitely common themes for the mothers who find The Calm Birth School course second time around after not experiencing the kind of hypnobirthing experience they were expecting first time around.
1. They thought hypnobirthing was just about positive thinking.
Don’t get me wrong having a positive mental attitude towards birth and hypnobirthing is vitally important. But simply believing or (even worse) wishing and hoping for a positive birth experience does not a hypnobirth make. Sorry to burst the bubble.If it were that easy why would you even sign up for a course? All you’d need to do is think:
Yep birth is great, I’m going to have a great experience, the main thing is to stay calm and at ease and I’ll be flying.
Sorry, it doesn’t work like that.
Think of it like this, you’ve been driven around in a car for eighteen years, your mum or dad have told you the principles. Do you think you’re just going to be able to hop in and do a three point turn or navigate a round-a-bout with ease? What about if you think positively about not crashing and burning? Still no, right?
Yes you need to think positively, yes you need to watch positive and inspiring stories, more so than that you’ve got to put the work in.
2. Not enough practice.
Leading on nicely from point number one what does practice even mean? Within The Calm Birth School course I teach three key breathing techniques and one self-hypnosis practice. So if you only practiced the above you would be off to a great start.
But although a large component of hypnobirthing is about understanding how to use the breath, there’s a huge difference between practicing your breathing when you’re lying in bed at night and incorporating your techniques into the chaos of everyday living.
And on top of the breathing, hypnobirthing is about re-training a lifetime of conscious and subconscious beliefs about your capability to birth calmly and positively. This means
+ listening to your mp3s
+ reciting and thinking about your
+ rehearsing your birth mentally both whenever you have a spare minute AND when you carve out the time to dedicate to yourself, your body and your baby.
3. Pre-determined ideas of what hypnobirthing is
This is a biggie and maybe even the biggest thing for me. I’ve talked about it at length here, but it’s just so important.
When a couple, particularly mama-to-be, believe that in order to hypnobirth that the birth has got to be a text book, natural, vaginal birth many women are being set up for a big fat fail. And for low risk women enjoying low risk pregnancies there’s absolutely no reason on this earth why they should go into birth expecting to have a straight forward birthing experience.
Sometimes there are special circumstances where mum or her baby need a little assistance. When you have studied hypnobirthing on a great course with a fab instructor, you’ll know that no matter how baby enters the world, should you feel calm, positive and in control you have just rocked an amazing hypnobirth.
It’s not about whether you needed an epidural or baby required forceps, it’s about how you feel about your birth experience that dictates whether you had a hypnobirth or not.
So get these three super common gremlins out of the way and you really will be on your way.
If you’re ready to join thousands of women from across the world on their hypnobirthing journeys today. Sign up to receive 3 FREE hypnobirthing videos straight to your inbox here.
