Mother’s mind over matter

Apparently the Duchess of Cambridge has been studying hypnobirthing to help her with her impending labour. Catherine Scott talks to some women who have benefited from it.
Claire Marron with son Alfie and community midwife Sue SymondsClaire Marron with son Alfie and community midwife Sue Symonds
Claire Marron with son Alfie and community midwife Sue Symonds

Clare Marron was sceptical about the benefits of hypnobirthing. She’d had three children already and knew pretty much what to expect.

But when she was pregnant with her fourth child she decided to give it a go.

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“I was a very nervous pregnant lady,” says Clare. “But I had a calm, positive, empowering birth with no problems and no pain relief. I could not believe it. I just managed the pain using the hypnosis skills.

“My husband could not believe the difference – he said it was like he was watching a different lady! I just wish I had found out about it with my first baby.” Alfie is now 16 months old. Clare is one of a growing number of people, including reportedly the Duchess of Cambridge, turning to hypnobirthing as an alternative to traditional pain management in labour.

She learnt the techniques which helped her through childbirth at natal hypnotherapy workshops run by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

The classes focus on relaxation techniques to help women feel calm, in control and fully prepared for the birth of their child.

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Those opting to take part are taught about natural ways to reduce pain during childbirth, self-hypnosis skills to overcome any fears or anxieties and effective breathing and relaxation techniques.

“It’s about understanding how the body’s working and how you can help it,” said Sue Symonds, community midwife for South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. “Most people’s perception of hypnosis is stage hypnosis, but self-hypnosis occurs naturally to all of us such as when you read a page of a book but cannot recall what you have just read or when you are driving the car and suddenly realise you can’t remember the last part of your journey.

“Fear and anxiety can have a negative impact on your body during birth but the self-hypnosis can help reduce this. It’s about learning how to achieve that deeply relaxed state of mind.” She said that natal hypnotherapy compliments the trust’s existing aromatherapy and massage in pregnancy service. Aromatherapy can be used before, during and after the birth to help relieve everything from back and pelvis problems to stress and anxiety.

Rachel and David Evans of Ingleby Barwick have both attended natal hypnotherapy workshops to prepare for the birth of their baby.

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“The workshops opened my mind and provided me with lots of different ways of helping my partner to remain relaxing and in control in labour,” says David.

“I used massage, affirmations, triggers and visualisation techniques to help her stay calm.”

“I was so terrified of pregnancy and birth that I put off starting a family for many years,” says Rachel. “The natal hypnotherapy workshops helped me enjoy my pregnancy and kept me calm throughout, especially in the last few weeks before the birth. They gave me the tools to keep calm and feel in control.”

www.thehypnobirthing association.com

Banishing fear for an easier birth

Hypnobirthing is an antenatal education programme with a focus on natural birth. It uses the power of positive language to combine methods of deep relaxation, breathing techniques, visualisation and affirmative positive thinking to reduce anxiety, stress, fatigue and fear, and, as a result, also reduce pain. The six-hour workshops at James Cook and Friarage hospitals in North Yorkshire are held within the maternity departments and cost £80 per couple. Contact the community midwives office on a Wednesday or Friday morning between 10am and noon on 01642 854880.

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