7 things you should know about HypnoBirthing

Ask any pregnant woman and they'll likely tell you that they spend every second of every day dreaming about meeting their baby; imagining what they'll look like and what little personality they'll have.

But almost all of them will likely tell you they are anxious about the actual birth.

Yes, you can get drugs for pain relief - but it's not called labour for nothing!

The natural approach

There are women who would prefer a natural approach to drugs or an epidural.

And that's where HypnoBirthing comes in.

In a nutshell, HypnoBirthing teaches self-hypnosis to combat fear and pain during labour.

It's a natural form of pain management and can give you a calmer, easier and more relaxed birth experience.

What you need to know

Here are seven things you should know about hypnobirthing.

1. Based on the work of Grantly Dick-Read, M.D., the English obstetrician who wrote Childbirth Without Fear in 1944, Hypnobirthing is the use of hypnosis to help laboring women break what he termed the "Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome" which makes labour more difficult.
2. The HypnoBirthing program is built around an educational process that includes special breathing, relaxation, visualization, meditative practice, attention to nutrition, and positive body toning.
3. Creator Marie Mongan believed that with the aid of hypnosis, a woman can bring her body into a state of deep relaxation in which the muscles can work the way they're meant to during childbirth.
4. A woman can self-hypnotise or she can receive assistance from a hypnotherapist.
5. Hypnobirthing classes are particularly helpful for mums who are anxious about childbirth because it is their first pregnancy or for those who have had a bad experience in the past.
6. Each hypnobirthing class will reduce your levels of fear about childbirth and give you the tools to relax, stay calm and be in control during your birth experience.
7. Deep breathing techniques can help with a gentle, safe birth which can help manage pain and reduce the need for pain relief.

Natural anaesthetic

Through Hypnobirthing, you learn how to release endorphins to increase the natural anaesthetic of your body.

This could help reduce your need for medical intervention and C-Section.