Testimonials

Hypnobirthing is a structured and simple antenatal program which provides you with the information and tools to make informed choices around pregnancy and birth. When you understand how the birth process works, how it is influenced by others and how you can influence the process yourself, you are in control and you make your own choices.

The way we give birth matters because our birth experience affects our health and well-being and that of our infants. It is well known that stress can have adverse effects on pregnancy and labour and that stress also effects your baby. When the mind is calm, the body works as nature designed and the risk of interventions is dramatically reduced. Stress can also impacts on our ability to make effective decisions. Hypnobirthing trains you and your partner to block stress and access calm so that you are not only perfectly prepared for pregnancy and birth but you have tools to access calm in any emergency situation which may arise. Hypnobirthing is therefore not just about achieving natural birth without medication and intervention (although this is the goal of many who use it) but rather it is about being calm and present in your birthing experience so that you can make clear choices which are informed and NOT fear based. It is therefore just as useful to a woman who is planning an epidural or even a cesarean section as someone who wishes to have a home birth.

Hypnobirthing is thaught over 12.5 hours and uses cutting edge science and techniques drawn from a variety of disciplines including hypnosis, mindfulness, sports psychology and NLP. During the course you will learn relaxation techniques, breath-work, visualizations and positive affirmations to access instant calm, fine tune your intuition and stay present in the moment. You will also learn the physiology of labour, techniques for active birth and yoga positions for labour, You will become familiar with hospital protocols and procedures and all methods of pain relief available to you.

Workshops are delivered each month by Brenda Harkin, registered midwife and registered Mangan Practitioner. You can read more about hypnobirthing here and more about Brenda here.

Maintaining a healthy mind and body and eliminating stress will help you achieve the normal pregnancy and birth that you desire. Accessing calm during pregnancy can reduce the risk of complications such as high blood pressure and a small baby. While there is no guarantee of a pain free birth mothers do report higher levels of comfort in in labour and less after pains. Rates of epidural are reduced as are vacuum, forceps and cesarean section and labour is shorter (both first and second stage). Mothers also report feeling more confident, more in control of their birth experience and less fearful and anxious before and during the birth. They also report high rates of satisfaction with their birthing partner’s level of participation, more energy and feeling very calm both during and after giving birth.They also report high rates of satisfaction with breastfeeding and strong bonding with baby after birth.

Hypnobirthing is not only about producing babies. It creates strong, confident mothers, who learn instinctively to trust their own innate wisdom and the ability to achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth. Read more.