Why Natal Hypnotherapy?
I first heard about Natal Hypnotherapy when researching ways to prepare for my second birth, which I wanted to be as natural as possible, after having had a previous Caesarean section. It was lovely in pregnancy, to have the opportunity to relax and take time out and bond with my baby whilst listening to the self-hypnosis CD's and also feel I was ‘preparing’ for the birth, but part of me wondered whether it would work. I knew it made me feel incredibly calm and confident and that I was really looking forward to the birth.
How it helped me in labour
I was amazed though, that this feeling stayed with me throughout the labour. It was challenging and long but throughly empowering and transforming. The birth itself was incredible, with me delivering my baby myself, onto my tummy (I had seen it done on TV) and everyone was amazed at how calm and positive I had remained during the labour.It was a euphoric experience for me and after the birth I decided to give up my job as a TV producer and find a way of helping and supporting mothers to have a more positive experience of birth.
How I used it as a Doula
First I became a doula, which is a trained birth companion that effectively mothers the mother, supporting her through pregnancy and labour. I was able to bring my own positive experience of birth to the role and hence my confidence in a mothers ability to birth with the minimum of intervention, in the right environmental and medical circumstances. Witnessing the benefits during pregnancy and in the birth experience of the mothers who also used Natal Hypnotherapy in their birth preparation, I was keen to do even more to share this knowledge. During my longest stay with a mother during labour (56 hours in total), we used hypnosis for 7 hours and managed to get through our second sleepless night in a 'hypnotic' sleep, whilst mum was contracting 2-3 times every ten minutes. I might add that she gave birth with absolutely no other form of pain relief, not even gas and air.
And then a Natal Hypnotherapist
So teaching Natal Hypnotherapy courses to couples was the natural next step. I love to see how parents can transform their thoughts about birth and their ability to birth or support their partners in just a couple of days.
For further information about Natal Hypnotherapy, Courses and CD's
visit http://www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk/ or contact: 01428 712615