Hypnobirthing utilises hypnotherapy to promote focused deep relaxation. Self-hypnosis is a natural calming state of mind achieved by conditioning our approach to birth in a gentle and comforting manner to optimise endorphin release. The Positive Birth Program incorporates tools and philosophies for childbirth including relaxation, breathing techniques, visualisation, optimal positioning, movement, affirmations and acupressure.
The Positive Birth Program acknowledges the important role of birth partners to advocate for choices in care and build confidence through praise, reassurance and continuous physical presence. Birth partners foster a nurturing, private and tranquil environment with the inclusion of soft tones, music, dim lighting, scents, touch and power of language. Mutual understanding of birth preferences communicates goals and desires to care providers and maintains family rights in childbirth.
Education nurtures the mind, body and soul. Knowledge encourages the understanding of safe, healthy and normal childbirth physiology to protect families, avoiding the overuse of interventions to achieve better birth outcomes and increased family satisfaction. A confident birthing experience empowers parental-baby bonding and the physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual transition during the postpartum period and into parenthood.
The Positive Birth Program prepares for a natural birthing experience and can be incorporated into any scenario allowing families a calm birthing journey even if special circumstances such as a Caesarean Section were to arise.
Course Outline
Unit One
Creating & maintaining a positive mindset
- Introduction to the positive mindset of hypnobirthing
- How the brain is wired to birth
- The role of caregivers
- Mind and body connection
- What is self-hypnosis and how it is used for birthing?
- The role of hormones
- The uterus and understanding the physiology of birthing
- Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome
- Causes of fear and how it affects labour
- Re-programming the subconscious
- The language for empowered birthing
- The power of affirmations
- Birthing environment
Unit Two
Our toolkit for birth
- Self-hypnosis tracks
- Birth music
- Conditioning with scent
- Hypnotic anchors and triggers
- Releasing endorphins through massage and touch
- Acupressure techniques for pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding
- Visualisation
- The importance of facial relaxation
- Relaxation breathing, a skill for life!
- Surge breathing
- Techniques to make surges more comfortable
- Breathing and bearing down
- Medical pain relief options, the advantages and disadvantages
- Birth preferences and communicating with caregivers
Unit Three
Preparation & choices for empowered birthing
- Bonding with baby
- Choices in maternity care
- Birth preferences to encourage open communication with caregivers
- Knowledge is power, researching common interventions and procedures
- Questions to ask to promote informed decision-making
- Birth partner as an advocate
- Guess date, the normal range of pregnancy
- Exploring induction of labour
- Achieving a natural start to labour
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Preparing the body by remaining active
- Optimising baby position
- Baby positions including breech or posterior
- Instant relaxation techniques
- Self-hypnosis and meditation
- Deep relaxation techniques and scripts
Unit Four
Birth - bringing it all together
- What to expect in the weeks and days leading up to birth
- Signs of labour
- Labour expectations
- When to call the midwife, go to the hospital
- Accidental home or car birth and what to do!
- Birth partner’s role
- Common procedures
- Therapeutic effects of water
- Upright positioning, movement and birth positions
- Special circumstances including caesarean birth
- Fear release
- Vocalisation
- Cord clamping and placenta delivery
- Undisturbed bonding, breastfeeding and skin to skin
- What to expect after birth?
- Self-hypnosis, a rehearsal for birth
- Practice routine and preparation for birth