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Hypnobirthing F.A.Q.s
Yes, KGHypnobirthing is suited to everyone. While the name may sound a little alternative, KGH is actually very logical, practical and evidence based. If crystals and a macrobiotic diet are you thing that's absolutely fine, but it's not a standard requirement. You just need to be pregnant and keen to experience a calm, confident, positive and gentle birth.
KGHypnobirthing is the original UK Hypnobirthing course, developed by Katherine Graves, founder of The Hypnobirthing Association. All KG trained practitioners have completed the widely respected in-depth KGHypnobirthing Teacher Training, which is accredited by the Royal College of Midwives. It is taught by senior midwives and experienced hypnotherapists with extensive knowledge of the techniques, as well as by highly experienced specialist hypnobirthing teachers who equally have a thorough knowledge of midwifery and hypnotherapy. KGH is the choice for midwives and birthing professionals.
While online courses and books can provide lots of information, nothing can replace being face to face with a trained professional who can support you, answer your questions as you learn, reassure you if you have any wobbles and ensure you understand all of the building blocks that make up KGH and how they can best be put to use. While the financial investment is naturally more, couples who have attended a course invariably say it was well worth it. Plus, if you chose to do a group course you make friends with others going through the same life stage as you, which both during a post pregnancy can be a wonderful and even lifelong support.
Absolutely. KGH is for all births, vaginal or abdominal. Learning relaxation techniques and how your baby can make a calm and gentle entry into the world, regardless of its route, is beneficial to baby, mother and birth partner and can have a huge, positive effect on post-partum feelings about the birth of your child.
Typically any time from 20 - 24 weeks onwards but quite honestly, any time during your pregnancy - or even before!
The earlier you take a course
- the longer you have to enjoy the benefits of Hypnobirthing
- the longer you have to practise and perfect your techniques
- the longer you have to build upon and expand on your birth education
That's not to say that starting your Hypnobirthing journey later on in your pregnancy isn't going to be as beneficial - even if you attend a course two days prior to giving birth, it will still be of great benefit.
Unlike your typical antenatal course, alongside the birth education, Hypnobirthing itself is a process of letting go of those horror stories from Great Aunt Gladys, the Hollywood & TV fuelled misconceptions and those fears, and tensions we hold about birth, so your body can give birth in the way it is designed to do.
As with anything you're preparing for, the longer you give yourself, the more time you have to dedicate to your practise, your learning and understanding. Think of it like planning for a big wedding or training for the Olympics!
Thinking of doing both NCT & Hypnobirthing? Great! The two rub along very well together. If you've the time to spread them out, look for a Hypnobirthing course running approximately between weeks 20 & 30 of your pregnancy and an NCT course between 32 & 37 weeks.
Forget pocket watches swinging on gold chains or clucking like a chicken when a showman clicks his fingers.
Hypnosis is perfectly natural; a state of mind we enter on a regular basis, slipping into a trance like state when we read a book or day dream for instance. Have you ever driven to work or another familiar route, got there and realised you don't remember the journey? You’ve slipped into autopilot using your unconscious mind, the route you’ve driven for years being second nature. Your conscious mind takes a back seat while your subconscious takes over.
Like those who attend hypnotherapy to stop smoking or lose weight, part (and only part) of KGHypnobirthing is based on gently accessing the subconscious through deep relaxation exercises in order to release any negative preconceptions about birth. The triggers that set off panic are removed and replaced with positive feelings to enable you to look forward to the arrival of your child.
By practicing the relaxation techniques you'll learn in class, they will become second nature, so when the time comes for you to give birth, your subconscious will be stimulated by familiar triggers, allowing you to relax and let your body do what it is supposed to do, without fear or tension.
That would be ideal. Birth partners play a central role in KG Hypnobirthing, it's a fantastic opportunity for you to bond as parents before the child is born and means you are both fully involved in the birth rather than the cliché image of the mother doing all the work, while the birth partner stays out of the way, feeling rather like a spare part.
It is completely understandable if a birth partner is sceptical at first but the course is very logical and practical and they invariably emerge convinced!
Absolutely. Plenty of mothers employ and benefit from KG Hypnobithing techniques on their own, or convey what they have learnt in class to their birth partners at another time. That said, if your birth partner is keen to be involved, they will get the most out of the experience and be better able to support you if they attend the course with you.
Before the course you will be sent Colour & Calmness, the pregnancy and birth relaxation MP3, so you can start to practise and develop a positive outlook on pregnancy and birth straight away. At the course you will be given The Hypnobirthing Book and a folder of handouts to support you during the rest of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby and little bag of extras from me to you.
Following the course, you'll be practicing all the techniques you have learnt in the sessions so you are well prepared for the birth of your baby.
You'll also be able to speak to me via, email , phone or WhatsApp to discuss any questions or concerns you may have relating to the course prior to the birth of your baby and naturally afterwards I hope to hear your birth story or even see you and meet your new addition!