Misconceptions About Hypnobirthing

​I'm going to be completely honest. When I first heard about hypnobirthing I never knew a thing about it. I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it was some hippy style craze. The hypno part immediately made me think of all the stage hypnosis shows I had seen on TV where people make a complete fool of themselves for the entertainment of others.
I could not understand how this could be used in birth and why anyone would want to feel out of control. Boy was I wrong!

​​I first saw hypnobirthing in action as a student midwife in my final year of training. Up until that point I had only seen medicalised births where women were mainly on a bed and usually on a lot of pain relief.
On one particular shift, I was informed there was a lady in the pool room who was 8cm dilated and was using hypnobirthing techniques. I was assigned care of the woman along with my mentor.

 I was cynical but intrigued and curious to see what was involved in this "hypnobirthing”.
I walked into the room and the environment was so tranquil. The lights were dim and there was relaxing music being played in the background. What really stood out to me was how relaxed the woman looked. 
Her head resting on the side of the pool and she had her husband there holding her hand and stroking her arm. I couldn’t believe this woman was in labour! It was the opposite of everything in my training up to this point. 
Being with this woman and supporting her and her partner to be calm and confident had been my most enjoyable birthing experiences. It changed my life, my practice as a midwife and my belief in how amazing the female body can be!

There are many different opinions when people mention hypnobirthing and this is why I wanted to clear a few things up.
I do not have any special hypnotising powers! If I did my husband would run me a bath every night and do all the ironing.
Hypnobirthing is relaxation and breathing techniques to prepare women and their birthing partners for the most amazing day of their lives. I teach birthing partners how to support their labouring partners. To understand how they can make a huge difference in how women feel about their whole pregnancy and birth experience. It's something they go through together and can help them enjoy the pregnancy and bond with their baby even before it arrives.

The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme is a full antenatal education programme taught in the comfort of your own home. It teaches you how to become an expert in relaxation and the tools you’ll need for not only before but also after birth.
It allows you to not let things worry or stress you out and to take control of your emotions. 

You will watch some positive births throughout the course. These are great for empowering you and showing you birth can be a calm and relaxing experience. You will learn how the muscles of the body work and not importantly how to relax them. It's a birthday after all and should be looked forward to with excitement not filled with dread and fear.
There is no danger, no mind control and certainly no pocket watches swinging from side to side. It is a different way of looking at things and it can make a huge difference to your labour. The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme is stepping away from using the "hypnobirthing" word because of the misconceptions with it. It is a tool that empowers you and your birthing partner and gets you excited about labour.
It’s all about having the right birth on the day and I believe The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme is the way of achieving that!