HypnoBirthing 'Side Effects'

I was teaching a HypnoBirthing course at the Union Jack Club on the Southbank yesterday. An extra bonus, apart from the radiant faces of the couples as they left, was that I was conveniently in London to go to a concert in the evening. It was inspiring music, played on the piano, flute and cello; the music of Gurdjieff which is not often heard. It was a great privilege to be there.

Private HypnoBirthing Classes

I'm off to do a private HypnoBirthing class tomorrow. This is for a mother who is having her second baby. Having found out the hard way what birth is like without HypnoBirthing first time round, this time she's decided to do the course. Second time mothers come to me with the phrase, 'If only.....' on their lips. 'If only someone had told me.' 'If only I'd known.' HypnoBirthing helps to remove the 'if onlys' before they happen.

With this mother I shall be doing a private class in one day instead of two, because second time mothers know a lot about birth already, so I don't need to talk about that side of it. They're amazed at the difference HypnoBirthing makes, because they have something to compare it with.

HypnoBirthing Weekend

A lovely weekend with two great HypnoBirthing groups. It's quite interesting the looks you get when you go out to lunch with seven pregnant women!

I always learn when I teach a HypnoBirthing class, because people ask such interesting questions. It's fascinating to find out that there is always a new way of looking at the work.

The Business of Being Born

Went to see the film, The Business of Being Born last night and, though very interesting, you felt it was to some extent more relevant to America than to this country. The main reservation I had was the emphasis on pain and, as a HypnoBirthing teacher, I know that birth can be gentle and comfortable. I have many, many birth reports telling me so from the mothers I have taught. If some women can do it, plainly it's possible for a woman's body to do it, and therefore it's possible for any woman to do it. HypnoBirthing shows you how, and, though all birth professionals support a natural and gentle birth, HypnoBirthing is the only way I have found of making it really happen.

Midwives Training Day

I had a great day yesterday. I had been asked to speak about HypnoBirthing at the student midwives' theme day at Bournemouth University. I was warmly welcomed, and the organisation was excellent. There were so many good speakers to listen to, and it was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet Mary Cronk, although sadly I had to leave before her talk. There was a huge emphasis on natural birth, although very few actual suggestions of ways to achieve it, so HypnoBirthing was unique in that it gives a mother the tools so she can actual have, for herself and for her baby, what so many mothers would like to have - a gentle, calm birth.

HypnoBirthing on Channel 4

Yesterday it was The Mail on Sunday. Today it's Channel 4. Had a long and interesting conversation about a documentary on preparation for birth that will include hypnobirthing. There's so much interest in hypnobirthing, and it's growing so fast which is really encouraging. Word of mouth really is the best advertising.

HypnoBirthing in The Mail on Sunday

Yesterday I was contacted by a journalist who is doing a feature on preparation for birth in The Mail on Sunday. He wanted to know more about HypnoBirthing, because everyone is talking about it, so we spend quite a long time talking about it, and I explained to him how significant it is

In terms of a gentle, comfortable birth for the mother

In terms of a gentle, calm entry into the world for the baby, and birth is the most formative experience of your life.

HypnoBirthing Training

I'm spending today preparing a talk for student midwives at Bournemouth University. On Wednesday I shall be talking to 200 student midwives about hypnobirthing which is a really great opportunity and I'm delighted to have been asked to do it. The only problem is that there's so much I would like to say that I'm not sure how to condense it into the time available. This year I'm having twice the enquiries for hypnobirthing that I had last year. Most of them come form personal recommendations of people who have done hypnobirthing themselves and know how it work. But more and more recommendations are coming from midwives and also doctors who have attended hypnobirthing births and are amazed at the difference it makes.

As well as welcoming the opportunity to tell the student midwives about hypnobirthing, it will also be a great opportunity for me to learn from the other speakers.

More HypnoBirthing

It's been a busy HypnoBirthing weekend with two lovely groups starting the course. One was at Triyoga in northwest London - the venue with the yummy smoothies. The other was at the Union Jack Club near the southbank where you can wander along the Thames in the lunch break. We'll finish both courses next week, and have some more wonderful birth reports soon.

Teddington HypnoBirthing

A great course this weekend! Quite a small group but really dynamic, and in the lovely venue that overlooks the Thames we had a great time. I'm never quite sure how much the class is watching the boats, and how much they're listening to me.

Natural Birth

I had a rather puzzling birth report from a mother who did my HypnoBirthing course recently. She had a wonderful and inspiring birth, calm, gentle and drug free - except for the fact that she took two paracetamol. Now I've never heard of anyone taking paracetamol in labour before and I was utterly puzzled. Maybe she had a headache at the time?

HypnoBirthing bookings

I'm busy preparing for the HypnoBirthing course in Teddington today, made slightly more complicated by the new on-line booking system. It's working very well now, and it means that people can register for a course on line and pay by credit card, BUT there's one small hiccup. At the moment the system tells me who has booked, but not which course they've booked for, so I have to email back manually to find out.

Of course, this will be sorted out very soon but, in the meantime, if this has happened to you, I apologise. Automated are wonderful when they work properly - and it will soon.

HypnoBirthing Celebration

This weekend I'm not teaching HypnoBirthing - yes, really! Today's a very important day. It's a celebration of the arrival of my hypnobirthing grandson last October. Family and friends are gathering for a picnic. The sun's shining, and I'm looking forward to a wonderful day. He's a true hypnobirthing baby. His mother was fully dilated when she arrived at hospital and he was born half an hour later. Since then he has been very calm and cheerful, as are so many hypnobirthing babies.

Fathers and HypnoBirthing

I was reminded today how much HypnoBirthing (quite rightly) is about mothers and the needs of fathers can be overlooked. Of course fathers have an important role in the HypnoBirthing method, but what about their needs? It was brought home to me a little while back when I was talking to a father who had ME and who was deeply distressed that he was unable to provide for his wife and new baby.

A father's natural instinct to provide and protect is often overlooked, but it is a very deep instinct. In my HypnoBirthing classes I am often touched by the care with which the fathers treat their pregnant wives / partners, and maybe the fathers need a little more acknowledgement for this.

HypnoBirthing Baby

HypnoBirthing is wonderful, and it is enormously satisfying to see the difference it makes to mothers, but last weekend I had a different sort of satisfaction. I took a weekend off to be with my family and played with my hypnobirthing granddaughter as well as my three year old grandson (born in New Zealand so I wasn't able to teach his mother hypnobirthing). There's a lot to be said for playing on a sandy beach with small children.

Breech Baby

A little while ago I worked with a mother to turn her breech baby, and the baby duly turned, as it does in 80% of the cases when you use hypnotherapy to turn a breech baby. Last week I heard that the baby had been born by c-section because the baby's heartbeat had slowed in labour due to the cord being round its neck. This set me thinking again about interventions in labour. Was the baby breech originally because a combination of baby's and mother's instinct knew that, in this case, it was safer to be born this way round. After all, the baby is the only person who knows where the cord is and the exact position of the placenta, and it's extremely presumptuous of us to think we know better, because we don't.

In the modern world, a breech baby is almost automatically delivered by c-secion, but I know hypnobirthing mothers who have easily delivered a breech baby with no drugs, no pain and with a gentle and easy labour.

The modern assumption that having a baby is a medical emergency and that we know better than the baby what should be done is dangerous and arrogant. A healthier assumption could be that all is well unless proved to the contrary, rather than that we should intervene unless it's proved to be unnecessary.

A mother will always do the best she can for her child. Maybe that's why we use the phrase, 'Mother' Nature.

HypnoBirthing Baby

I spent a couple of days with a HypnoBirthing baby earlier this week; my grandson. Everyone tells you that HypnoBirthing babies are calm, develop quickly and thrive. I know he's my grandson, so I'm biased, but it is still remarkable to see the subtle differences in a HypnoBirthing baby. Midwives have been know to remark: "I've never seen such a chilled out baby." It's difficult to define the differences, but it has to do with being more alert, sleeping better, feeding better, and generally being ready to move forward after birth because there are no drugs and no trauma to recover from.

HypnoBirthing Really Does Work

Yesterday a mother who has just booked up to the HypnoBirthing class in July emailed me to say she was feeling nervous about the birth and asking me if I would send the course CD to her so she could listen to it in advance and relax. By chance (?), it just so happened that she lived in the same street as my son, daughter-in-law, and their HypnoBirthing son who I was visiting at the time. It also just so happened that I had the CD she wanted with me. Within 10 minutes of receiving her email, I had walked down the road, and dropped the CD in to her. HypnoBirthing really does work!

The only thing is, the CD has relaxed her so well that she's never heard the end of it.

HypnoBirthing for Birth Comfort

I read a really funny article just now about HypnoBirthing. It said:
HypnoBirthing - for decreasing birth disomfort.
Why not be positive and put: HypnoBirthing - for increasing birth comfort.
Or, better still: HypnoBirthing - for allowing birth to be comfortable as nature intended.

Record Number of Doctors Learn HypnoBirthing

The HypnoBirthing course which started at Triyoga in Primrose Hill yesterday holds a record. Five doctors attended the class, so news of the effectiveness of HypnoBirthing has definitely penetrated to the medical profession, showing a truly open-minded approach. It was a great class, held on a beautifully sunny day.

Next week we plan to have a picnic on Primrose Hill.

The Night Before

I love teaching HypnoBirthing. That's why I spend so much of my life doing it. I love knowing what a difference it has made to people's lives.

However, I don't love the night before a course. The floor is covered with folders being made up. The photocopier is red hot with duplicating handouts. I've loaded the car with folding chairs, TV, cushions and boxes of books. And usually there's a lot of midnight oil being burnt.

But it's all worth it on the day.

Summer HypnoBirthing

Today's HypnoBirthing class had an added bonus. It was a private class for a mother whose baby is due in two weeks' time, and it was the most beautiful sunny day, so at lunch time we took a break and sat outside at a pavement cafe in Primrose Hill enjoying the sunshine.

I've had two more lovely HypnoBirthing birth reports in the last couple of days, so I'll either add them to the website or post them on the blog (or both) in the next few days. It gives me such delight to hear the birth reports from mothers I've taught, and I know couples who are thinking of doing the course enjoy reading them.

Different View of Health

Most of my life is spent looking at what makes a healthy and gentle birth through HypnoBirthing. On Friday I spent the day taking a slightly different view of health by attending the 'Energy 4 Exmoor' symposium run by the Exmoor Trust at Ralegh's Cross. It was a fascinating day, with lots of useful information on the viability of various forms of generating energy. There was an excellent presentation by Mukti Mitchell on reducing your carbon footprint while still maintaining your lifestyle, and a fascinating talk by Prof Sir Ghillian Prance, former director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, on conservation.

It really struck me how the principles from which I work in HypnoBirthing, apply in these other areas as well. Altogether a refreshing and inspiring day.

Learning from Lambs

At the beginning of April the field behind my cottage was full of ewes in lamb. They were about to be moved to another field as the grass was getting very low, when one night the first one lambed. It was a freezing cold night, and when I awoke in the morning the flock was at the far end of the field where the farmer fed them every morning, and the one ewe that had lambed was at the end near my cottage right up by the hedge, far away from the rest of the flock, with little twin lambs huddled underneath her to keep warm. She had quietly separated herself from the flock during the night, and given birth at a time when sheep, being diurnal animals, are not normally active. All mammals will naturally give birth at a time when they can be alone, unobserved, and away from their peers. It was a time and place that she felt safe. We could learn a lesson from that ewe. How many mothers travel across town in labour, to go to a strange place where they feel nervous and where they are observed by many strangers? A recipe for a difficult labour.

And there she stayed. She moved very little for several days. She didn't go to feed with the rest of the flock. She simply stayed quietly in her own little enclave, sheltering and feeding her lambs.

The farmer also knew from experience what works best. He moved the rest of the flock to a different field where he had intended the lambing to take place, but he left the one ewe and the newborn lambs undisturbed. He knew that, if he interfered, he would disturb establishing feeding, and the ewe's supply of milk, and the ewe might reject her lambs.

As far as giving birth is concerned, we are simply another mammal. What works for other animals works for us too, and we would do well to remember this.

Last Minute Arrival

No, it wasn't a baby. It was my arrival at this evening's HypnoBirthing class in Wiltshire. Having worked in London in the afternoon it seemed that a 4pm departure from London would give me plenty of time to reach the Wiltshire class this evening. But an accident on the M4 involved a detour around Wokingham which added an extra hour to the journey and I arrived at the class with timing that would have done justice to Phineas Fogg, at exactly 7pm.

Fosbury Discovery

We had a slight emergency at the Fosbury course last week. No, it wasn't that one of the babies arrived during the course. It was simply that I usually hold the course in my cottage and the sitting room accommodates a maximum of four couples. I live in the depths of the country and, though it's easy to get to from towns like Newbury, Andover, Marlborough, Swindon and Hungerford, there are very few people who live within five miles, so this system usualy works very well. Last week four couples had booked onto the course and then, at the last moment, two more wanted to come.

I wanted to find somewhere which is a pleasant place to be and close to where I live so that the people who had booked already would not be inconvenienced. Church halls came to mind, but they're generally lack atmosphere, but then I had a brainwave. I remembered that there is a lovely converted barn which is available for hire in Shalbourne. It's set back from the road in a delightfully quiet position, with views over open countryside. Perfect!

Fortunately they were free so, after last minute emails and phone calls to make sure that everyone knew about the change and didn't turn up at my cottage wondering where I was, we all met at the barn at Westcourt Farm. It was idyllic; spacious and quiet. Perfect for a HypnoBirthing course and, now that I've found it, somewhere that I shall doubtless use again when numbers are two big for my cottage.

Lunchtime Coincidence

Very often we decide to have lunch together on the second day of a HypnoBirthing course so that everyone can get to know each other better and maybe want to keep in touch and meet up after the babies are born. Yesterday we all went out for a light lunch near the Union Jack Club where we were doing HypnoBirthing. There was a table of 19 of us including 9 very pregnant women. Next to us was a group at another large table, and they all seemed to be couples who had small babies.

So on one side there were the pregnant women and on the other were the mothers with new babies!

It raised as smile.

Riverside Relaxation

Today was the first really sunny day of the year so the riverside venue for the Teddington HypnoBirthing course was absolutely perfect. We sat in the sun by the river for lunch, and watching the boats go by added to the relaxed atmosphere of the course.

How Every Birth Should Be

I had a lovely phone call yesterday. The sort that makes me extremely happy. The call was from a father whose wife had just given birth to a lovely baby girl, their second baby. The first labour had been long and difficult. In fact it was so bad that it was some time before they had a second baby. This time round she did a HypnoBirthing course with me in Teddington. She also decided to have a home birth and hired a birthing pool; both very sensible and practical decisions, and the best possible scenario for a gentle birth. The baby was born in four and a half hours, in water, and the comment from the midwife was: "It was amazing. It's the way every birth should be."

I'm looking forward to her birth report to add to the website http://www.thehypnobirthingcentre.co.uk/.

Our new HypnoBirthing Website is ready

Well its happened at last - my brand new HypnoBirthing web site has gone live! We have switched over to a content managed system so I can actually go in and add course dates myself. We also have an on-line bookings system, which should help make it a little easier for those booking onto our HypnoBirthing Courses.

We've included a pile of new features, but kept the best of the old site including the fantastic natural childbirth testimonials and stories that all you ladies have sent me over the years.

The site has been built by Channel Computing - Web Development, marketing and SEO, and uses an amazing Opensource product called "Joomla!" if you want to get a similar site up and running yourselves.

Please let me know if you like the new site, and keep sending in those wonderful HypnoBirthing stories. Finally I have been warned that there could always be a few teething problems with a new site like this, so please bear with us during the first few days!

Birth Bliss - story from TIME Magazine

Hi All,

Here's a great hypnobirthing story from TIME magazine, tells you all about Marie Mongan and how the movement started, as well as some of the benefits. We're really getting everywhere aren't we!

Birth Bliss - TIME: "The phone rang at 7:30 a.m. and I stumbled out of bed, bleary-eyed and eight months pregnant, to find a message from Dan Gilman: his wife Laura Beth was in labor. I had never met the Gilmans, but they had generously invited me to witness the birth of their third child. They were using a pain-control technique I was learning myself: hypnobirthing."

How Marcie missed the second day of her HypnoBirthing Course....

Hi Everyone, I just wanted to share this lovely birthing story from Marcie and Mike, who missed the second day of their hypnobirthing course - because they'd already given birth! Luckily even one day appeared to be enough to give them great help with the process - please enjoy Marcie's story.

"Dearest Katharine.

We hope you're well. We're so sorry we missed our second hypno-birthing session on Saturday - but you could say i was putting what we'd learned the previous week into practice!!

My waters broke on Saturday morning at 2.30 am and so, as you were teaching more hypno birthing we were delivering our new son, Blake Nathaniel Evans!!

I have to say, and from the bottom of my heart, that even just the one session of hypno birthing and listening to the CD in the week before, helped immensely.

We went to the hospital after the waters broke as surges had not began and they sent us home. I went into my "hypno zone" as Mike calls it, breathing, being in touch with my body and letting it do what it knows how to do and just helping it along. 4 hours later when we were back in the hospital, the midwife couldn't believe that i was fully dilated and ready to push!

Blake was born and on the breast just over 9 hours after my waters broke. No pain relief apart from a tens machine in early labour. Not even gas and air!! (apart from for the few small stitches i needed)!

So, we wanted to say thank you. What an amazing, lucid experience!

Sorry we missed the second workshop!

Fondness

Marcie, Mike and Blake."

The new venue for a HypnoBirthing course at the Union Jack Club turned out to be a huge success. The room was ideal - with plenty of daylight but quiet, and the staff were unfailingly helpful and courteous. I hadn't realise just how very convenient it would be. From the east of London it was just a few stops along the Jubilee Line and it was very easy for people to reach it from anywhere served by Waterloo. We had a couple who came from Guildford and it proved to be extremely convenient for them.

It was a lovely group, and I'm looking forward to meeting everyone again next weekend.

Howard Ludwig was initially sceptical about HypnoBirthing....

Another great article from the US, Howard Ludwig gives an entertaining account of his discovery of HypnoBirthing, and the birth of their children. Enjoy...

The SouthtownStar :: Howard Ludwig: "To say I was skeptical about Hypnobirthing is an understatement.

I first heard about the technique of pregnant women using hypnosis to achieve pain-free labor two years ago. The flower child teaching our childbirth class briefly explained Hypnobirthing and showed a video on the method.

'Yeah right. That's gonna work,' I said to The Wife while rolling my eyes.

'You're getting sleeeeepy. Verrry sleeeepy--' I said jokingly, gently swinging my imaginary pocket watch in her face.

The Wife delivered our son without hypnosis. Several months later, she learned a friend in her book club successfully used Hypnobirthing to deliver her son. Then, I learned her instructor lives in Chicago's Beverly community.

Tricia Fitzgerald became a Hypnobirthing instructor after using the technique during the births of her three children. Until recently, Fitzgerald's clientele was exclusively in the north and west suburbs. Her first class in the Southland was held this summer. Her second class is under way in Chicago's Mount Greenwood community.

I initially spoke with Fitzgerald before the birth of our second son on Nov. 24. She explained Hypnobirthing is not the sort of hypnosis that makes you quit smoking or cluck like a chicken, but rather a deep state of relaxation.

She compared the feeling to that of zoning out in front of a bonfire. The subconscious mind takes control of the labor and delivery while in this relaxed state. Nature is allowed to run its course.

"It is just very different than the medical culture of childbirth here in the U.S." Fitzgerald said.

I remained skeptical. I told The Wife what I had learned about Hypnobirthing and was surprised that she seemed open to the idea this time. I still felt it would be easier to teach a squirrel to string Christmas lights than give birth under hypnosis.

Then, it happened......

(Read the rest here)

Convenient New Course Venue

I've just found a great venue for a course which will help people in Surrey or South London. This week I visited The Banstead Centre which is in a really convenient position just off the M25. There's plenty of parking there, and I'm delighted that The HypnoBirthing Centre can start courses there in the summer. It plugs a gap in the provision of courses in that area, and is in a relaxed and quiet setting. Have a look at the website for details of dates www.thehypnobirthingcentre.co.uk.

Sticking to your guns to achieve a beautiful HypnoBirthing child-birth

Hello again,

I wanted to reproduce this story in full, as its something quite remarkable and very inspiring for those of us that believe strongly in the benefits of natural child-birth, for both baby and mother. Liz did a HypnoBirthing course with me a few months ago, and ended up walking into a hospital situation she wasn't happy with. However she had the courage and conviction to take things into her own hands and achieve a healthy natural birth on her own terms.

Here is Liz's remarkable HypnoBirthing story...

"Being told that your waters have broken and that you are putting your baby's life at risk by not following professional advice is hard to hear. The strange thing is, a woman's intuition is much stronger than a doctor trying to take control and do what they think is best.

Trying to explain to them, however, that you know that your baby is fine and well is another matter. After giving mixed reports of whether my waters had gone or not I was sent to Bath hospital to discover the truth. I was examined after 3 hours of being on a machine, listening to Alfie's heart and watching my surges be printed - no you are not in labour I was told - what is that then I thought?

Three days before I was 3 cms dialated - what is labour then? I don't think they believed me as I was so calm and in minimal pain. They examined me and explained that yes my waters had gone and then the flurry of information - disease, infection, responsibility, harm, care - words thrust thoughtlessly into the air - as if I was for one minute going to put Alfie's life at risk? I knew that he was fine and would continue to be fine if I kept my nerve. I asked to see the delivery room above screams next door that sounded as if someone was being murdered and doctors running up and down the corridor asking for emergency blood supplies. I looked at the room - cold, medical and unfriendly. I would not be allowed the bath as I would be connected to electricity - that is dangerous you see? Do I look stupid? The possibility of induction scared me senseless. I asked if the drip could be removed after 'getting going' and was informed no as I would just stop again.

After feeling near to despair I asked for my notes and said that I would be back at 7 if necessary. The midwife rolled her eyes and sighed as if I was such a pain in the arse. An hour wouldn't make any difference - I would love to see her to explain that my baby was born at 7 on the dot!

I walked out with a sense of fear - not for giving birth but that someone could try and control me. I rang Liz for advice and was told to pray - excellent advice. I rang my homeopath and was told what remedies to take. I picked up my mum from the station, who just so happened to be in Bath and within 10 minutes was having surges every 3 minutes. We went home and ate Spaghetti Bolognaise amidst my mum saying every 5 minutes 'anyone for a cup of tea?' My husband could see that things were getting closer and suggested we take the trip to Paulton. Upon arrival I was so calm that the midwife waited to examine me - she was used to my false starts! The look on her face when she discovered that I was 8-9 cm dilated was a picture.

Within 3 1/2 hours Alfie was born calmly into the world feeling no stress and not crying at all. The experience was magical and beautiful. I will never forget those first precious moments when Alfie was looking around the room wondering about life outside the womb and who his parents were. My whole family came into the delivery room to welcome him too.

Alfred Tom on his first day

I have had flashbacks to the time I spent in Bath and it still upsets me greatly that they said what they did. If I hadn't been strong enough to follow my intuition, our story would have been a
completely different one and I don't think Alfie would be the peaceful baby that he is. The HypnoBirthing course helped me to believe in myself and follow my intuition - it has been amazing and the best £270 we have ever spent!

If you know in your heart that you are right, without a doubt, then stick to your guns, so that more babies are born peacefully and calmly, with a mother's love and intuition, not technology and fear.

Thanks again and lots of love to you

Liz, Jim and Alfred
xxx"

Fantastic HypnoBirthing News from the US

A US hospital has started offering HypnoBirthing to its mothers for the first time, and the first birth has been predictably a great success. A great story here in the New Jersey Times, it looks like sanity may finally be catching on!

Story follows.....

"The Hopewell Township woman was in paradise -- not as a result of frequent-flier miles or winning a contest. She reached the imaginary place through self-hypnosis -- and did so while in labor, opting for the self-induced state over pain medication to deliver a healthy baby boy, her first child, after four hours of labor.

Giller is the first to deliver her baby at University Medical Center at Princeton after completing the hospital's new HypnoBirthing course. The five-week course teaches expectant mothers self- hypnosis techniques such as visualization, guided imagery, special breathing techniques and positive affirmations. It can result in a faster, less painful and less stressful experience during a time traditionally distressing for the mom-to-be.

Says Linda Stout, certified Hyp noBirthing instructor and class teacher at UMCP: "Often the discomfort and pain felt in labor is brought on by tension caused by a mother's fear of pain. A woman who learns how to decrease her anxiety through techniques of Hyp noBirthing can also reduce the pain she feels."

For Giller, it couldn't have gone more smoothly. The pain of labor was manageable, she said, using hypnosis to work with her body instead of against it.

"The breathing technique helped me tremendously, and when I let go of the fear and pain, it was as if someone had just given me drugs," she says. "It totally re laxed me. I pictured a place where I was happy and a beach in the Caribbean is a happy place. In between the contractions, I pretended I was there."

Childbirth changes The business of birthing has changed over the years from the traditional hospital setting to one that now includes involvement by a midwife and the use of hypnosis as a way to reduce or eliminate pain medication. Some clinical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of hypnosis in reducing pain following surgery, as well as provid ing relief from cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, headaches, arthritis and other conditions.
The HypnoBirthing program taught at UMCP was developed 18 years ago by New Hampshire hypnotist Marie Mongan and has since grown in popularity. Today, it is taught internationally by more than 1,700 doctors, nurses and midwives, including Stout, a registered nurse, who were trained and certi fied by Mongan's institute.

For the excited parents-to-be, the big moment arrived at 5:35 p.m. Dec. 16 when Susanne and husband, Oliver, welcomed a baby boy, Alexander Heinz Giller, who weighed in at 8 pounds, 4 ounces.

Four hours of labor.

No pain medication."

More of the story here.....

What is HypnoBirthing?

What is HypnoBirthing?: "Graves, Katharine. (2007, October 22). What is HypnoBirthing?. EzineArticles. Retrieved January 18, 2008, from http://ezinearticles.com/?What-is-HypnoBirthing?&id=794366"

A Well Lived Life: Amazing 67 Hour HypnoBirth Story

Hello everyone,

For this post I have found a nice HypnoBirthing story posted by Carol Yeh-Garner from San Diego in the US, on her "Well Lived Life" blog. Please read and enjoy this post - yet another great story about HypnoBirthing.

Of course I particularly liked the bit at the end where the mother said:
"It was really amazing. HypnoBirthing was awesome! I still had lingering doubts that it would work beforehand & I have a lot a practice using meditation for other things, but it turned out to be a great experience. He's a really mellow baby & he's so alert. I wouldn't have been able to have a 67 hour birth without HypnoBirthing." She said the midwives were very impressed & said they've never seen a woman talking through the transition stage. One midwife said "I've never seen anything like that...smiling & talking while you were pushing!".

Here is a link to the full story.......

A Well Lived Life: Amazing 67 Hour HypnoBirth Story: "Hi-

I wanted to share a really amazing HypnoBirth story from one of my class participants:

Kristin & Will (July 2007 class) shared their birth story with me. I spoke to Kristin over the phone & took detailed notes.


Here is Oliver's birth story:Tuesday 11/6/07--Kristin's mom arrived in town. She had been eagerly awaiting her arrival.


Wednesday in the middle of the night--felt surges start, tried to sleep

Wednesday day--all day the surges were about 4 minutes apart,"

From a first time HypnoBirthing Mum

embracing ennui: "To Those Medical Personnel Who Will Be Attending My Labor and Delivery:
I’m a first-time, hypnobirthing mom, and I’d appreciate any consideration and thoughtfulness in working with me and with this birth plan. I understand that I am nowhere as experienced and knowledgeable as the hospital’s nursing staff when it comes to labor and delivery, but there are a few things which I would like to work for in my own personal labor and delivery experience."

Hello my little boy

A really nice story which talks about Independent Midwives and HypnoBirthing:

Hello my little boy: "The other thing I invested in was going on a Hypnobirthing course. I am so glad I did this as well because the techniques and tips we learned there helped make my labour a chilled out and manageable one.

Now,

Although the baby's head had been about 2/5 down in the pelvis since week 37 I had absolutely no other signs of imminent labour right up until I woke up at 1am on Sunday the 30th (having slept for only two hours, doh!) with strong, regular contractions 4 minutes apart. To be honest I had been expecting labour to start itself off more slowly and that I'd be able to drift off between contractions in the latent phase but no, it was all systems go from the beginning."

A week in the snow!

This is just to say that I'm away for a ski - the first time in years and I'm so looking forward to it. I'll be back on the 14th of January ready for the next HypnoBirthing Courses, which start:

• In Teddington on January 19th.
• At the Triyoga Centre in Primrose Hill on January 20th.

Please keep your questions and comments coming, I may be able to check emails while I'm away, and if not I'll answer promptly on my return.

Fearless Birthing: Great HypnoBirthing interview and testimonials!

Here is a link to a great HypnoBirthing site in the USA. Kim Wildner pracices HypnoBirthing in Wisconsin USA, but here has an interview and a little other information that should interest anyone considering HypnoBirthing.

See extract from a post below from Kim....

"I've been far too busy to do the blogging I've been wanting to do! However, one thing I did do recently was this interview with Sheri Menelli (link below), author of Journey Into Motherhood: Inspirational Stories of Natural Birth, and it turned out great! She called a couple of my past clients to talk about their experience, and the link here is the end result."

Fearless Birthing: Great HypnoBirthing interview and testimonials!

January Blues? - not in Wiltshire.

Not here, because I'm off skiing for the first time in several years on Sunday, but there's lots to do before then. Since the New Year the phone hasn't stopped ringing for HypnoBirthing couples, and it looks like I'll have to cut down a little on 1 to 1 client work just to keep up with the HypnoBirthing demand!

I did do a nice course yesterday however - it was a one-off evening workshop for a lovely couple in Bath yesterday who had done HynoBirthing for their first birth 18 months ago, but then found themselves on the induction conveyor belt so had been unable to have the natural birth they had planned. They wanted a specially designed refresher course so that their second baby can have a calm and natural birth in February.

Then I did Part 1 of an HynoBirthing course at my home this evening because the couple will be away for the first day of the course at the end of the month so I laid on a Part 1 especially for them so that they wouldn't miss out.

I'm planning the summer programme and on into the autumn and waiting for the venues to come back to me with approval of the suggested dates, so we'll put them on the web site as soon as they start coming through. There have also been lots of new bookings and courses filling up fast now that Christmas is over and mothers are enquiring who will be having their babies as far ahead as May and June, so things are looking good for 2008 so far.

On the home front I'm trying to get ready to go skiing (did I mention that!), spent a whole day moving furniture so the house could be tidier, had lunch with Alice in Stroud today too. I'm going to Qigong in Bath tomorrow, a workshop on Saturday and is flying out early Sunday. I'll let you know how the skiing went when I get back - I'll see if I can get any photos!