Class registration fees
HypnoBirthing registration is $150 per couple in a small group setting. This includes 12 hours of training over four weeks, the HypnoBirthing book by Marie Mongan, and a CD.
Private sessions can be arranged for an extra fee.
My birth story
My career exploring mind-body healing and hypnosis all started back in 1996 with the birth of my own son. I knew I wanted a natural birth, but I also felt I needed some guidance. My midwife was new to HypnoBirthing, but she'd recently seen a very successful HypnoBirthing birth in a situation with a lot of special circumstances to it. Her interest inspired me, and I agreed.
I was young, healthy, and expecting my first born. Without knowing much about hypnosis or birth, I signed up with a can-do attitude but few expectations. "After all, my body has been 'engineered' by nature to do this, right?" I reasoned. Little did I know that this was the perfect attitude to have in preparation for a calm, natural birth. HypnoBirthing supported and reinforced this belief.
During each class my husband and I attended, I would feel surprisingly relaxed during the exercises, but I wasn't sure I was really being hypnotized. I could hear every word she said, although I would catch my mind wandering sometimes, or I would notice her voice had faded in my awareness. (This experience helps me relate to many of my clients today who feel the same way!) Still, my husband and I went faithfully to our classes, and I gave the program the benefit of the doubt.
Finally, the big night arrived. I remember vividly when my water broke shortly before midnight. I immediately and automatically went into a relaxed state, and the "surges" became steadily stronger and quicker. Time seemed to stand still, as the process unfolded on its on.
I found myself in the hospital laying on my side, a position I had never expected to use but which just naturally felt right. At one point, I remember having the thought that I just couldn't continue doing what I was doing anymore, and that's when I heard my HypnoBirthing's teacher in my ear as clear as day.
"When you have the thought that you can't go on anymore, you know that is a signal to you that your baby is almost here! You feel happy and you know in just a couple more little surges - 10 or 15 minutes - and your baby will be born!"
Sure enough, she was right. Our red-headed baby Ray was born in 4 hours -- on Thanksgiving morning -- and not only did I not feel tired, I felt like I was ready to conquer Mt. Everest!
I look back on my birth as a true "peak" experience. I was calm, and my husband and I were in synch with each other. We trusted the powerful biological process that was unfolding, and we acted instinctively according to my body's queues. My experience also included a spiritual aspect; I felt connected and in harmony with something Greater that was Present with us.
Now I understand that because I had no fear, because I was conditioned to go into hypnotic relaxation, and because I had deep beliefs that welcomed and felt safe with the birth process, my body's natural and wondrous abilities were simply doing their job. Natural endorphins and all the other birthing hormones were being delivered to me automatically, and I was in a blissful altered state.
Many women have had similar stories to share.
My teaching philosophy
Over the last decade, I've learned a lot about hypnosis, healing, and the mind. In the birth setting, I appreciate helpful medical interventions when they are truly needed, and I teach couples to communicate respectfully and clearly with their healthcare professionals to ensure that they can "roll with the punches" in a clear, informed way if special circumstances occur.
I believe every birth is sacred and women should never be made to feel as though they have somehow "failed" if the do not have the "perfect" natural birth they expected. That said, my goal is to encourage, support, and educate couples who want to experience the miracle of natural birth in a safe, comfortable way. My belief is that, except in special circumstances, the natural birth process is safest way to birth for mom and baby, and that it is a gift of initiation into the role/stewardship of parenthood like no other.
HypnoBirthing FAQs
For more information, please read these Frequently Asked Questions from the HypnoBirthing® website at www.hypnobirthing.com:
- What is HypnoBirthing®
HypnoBirthing is a childbirth method that focuses on preparing parents for gentle birth. In HypnoBirthing classes, you will learn proven techniques in a well-thought-out program of deep relaxation, visualization, and self-hypnosis. All of these are designed to help you achieve a more comfortable birth. HypnoBirthing encourages a calm, peaceful, and natural pregnancy, birth, and bonding experience for families.
- How does HypnoBirthing differ from other childbirth preparation methods?
Unlike other childbirth methods that teach you how to cope with and manage pain, HypnoBirthing is based on the premise that childbirth does not necessarily need to be painful if the mother is properly prepared and relaxed. When women understand that pain is caused by constrictor hormones, created by fear, they learn, instead, to release fear thus creating endorphins, the feel good hormones. They are then able to change their expectations of long, painful labor and are able to replace them with expectations of a more comfortable birthing. Rather than exhausting, shallow breathing and the distraction techniques of typical "prepared childbirth" programs, HypnoBirthing parents learn deep abdominal breathing and total relaxation, enabling the laboring mother to work in harmony with her body and her baby. This allows her to achieve a shorter and more comfortable labor for herself and baby.
- How is the Birth Companion involved?
The Birth Companion of the mother's choice is an integral part of the HypnoBirthing experience. He or she practices with the mother in helping to prepare for deep relaxation. During labor the Birth Companion guides the laboring mother through hypnosis prompts, relaxation techniques, deepening methods, and visualizations, provides comfort measures, and joins in welcoming the new baby, often by receiving the baby as he emerges.
- Will I be unconscious or will I remember my birth experience?
Despite misconceptions and misinformation, you are definitely not unconscious during self-hypnosis. The HypnoBirthing mother is deeply relaxed, but she is also an active participant in the labor process. Though she is deeply relaxed, she is totally aware and may return to a conversant state or choose to become mobile whenever she desires. HypnoBirthing mothers often find that they experience time distortion and are not distracted by other people or their birthing environment, while they focus on their birthing and their baby.
- Will HypnoBirthing be useful to me if I don't opt for a natural childbirth or if circumstances necessitate medical intervention or a surgical birth?
Absolutely. The things you will learn in your HypnoBirthing classes will help you to learn relaxation skills that will be useful to both you and your baby, regardless of your birth experience. In the event that medical intervention of any sort is needed, you will find yourself better able to remain calm and in control. Mothers who have needed scheduled cesareans for medical reasons report that they were totally relaxed before, during and after the procedure. Many report that they needed little or no medication following the birth, and they were able to return to normal functioning in a very short period of time.
- Is it true that I will experience a pain-free birth with HypnoBirthing?
HypnoBirthing does not promise painless birthing, though many HypnoBirthing mothers do report having a relatively pain-free birth or one that they were able to manage easily. When the cause of pain--fear that constricts the birthing muscles--is eliminated, birthing can be accomplished in a shorter period and much more comfortably. A relaxed mother's body will produce more endorphins, nature's own relaxants. HypnoBirthing mothers may still experience sensations of tightening or pressure; but most describe their birth experience as working with their body through the sensations, and thus avoiding the excruciating pain that is frequently spoken of by women who choose other methods of preparation for birthing.
- What if my doctor/midwife is not familiar with HypnoBirthing? Can I still use this method and how can my healthcare providers help me to achieve my HypnoBirthing goals?
More and more care providers are becoming aware of the benefits of HypnoBirthing. Many hospitals offer HypnoBirthing as an option in their childbirth education programs, and HypnoBirthing is now taught in some schools of medicine to student doctors. If your care giver is not knowledgeable about HypnoBirthing, take the opportunity early in your pregnancy to discuss the techniques you will be using and the type of calm birthing environment that you desire. In class, you will learn how to create a plan of Birth Preferences, which will help you to communicate your birthing goals and preferences to your doctor or midwife. Also, your HypnoBirthing instructor will contact your provider with information on HypnoBirthing.
