Hypnobirthing | Hypnobirthing Natural Birthing | Warrington | Cheshire Our Warrington Hypno-birthing practitioners are members of the British Institute of Hypnotherapy, and are fully Registered Hypnotherapists

Whether you anticipate your baby’s birth with excitement and anticipation or you fear and dread it, we are here to help you and your birth partner to have a wonderful birth experience.

Childbirth is a natural process that a woman’s body is designed for – so why then do some women have such a tough time? Grantly Dick-Read found, way back in 1933 that if a woman feels fear and anxiety during labour, this translates into tension and pain during the birth. He also identified that “fear is directly responsible for many of the unpredictable complications of otherwise normal labour”.

Every woman and every birth is different so with that in mind we can help you to manage your own personal experience by teaching advanced self-hypnosis, relaxation, visualisation and breathing techniques which help with pain management and boost trust in your body so you feel calm, confident and in control.

What are the benefits of hypnobirthing techniques?

Hypnobirthing can:
Reduce or eliminate fear
Produce deep relaxation at will
Significantly diminish or reduce the need for medication
Increase the rate of spontaneous vaginal birth, reducing the need for intervention
Shorten the period of labour by reducing anxiety at each stage.
Make it possible to manage and control sensations of discomfort.
Promote a steady recovery.
Foster and increase positive emotions during the entire birth process.
Help you to create an experience which has positive memories attached.
Reduce incidence of post-natal depression.
Stimulate and maintain a strong energy level into the post-delivery phase.
Promote lactation for breast feeding
Result in a calmer and more laid back baby

Some people assume that using hypnobirthing means you choose to forgo any medical pain relief whatsoever, but this isn’t the case. The techniques you will learn on the course can go a long way towards reducing anxiety and pain and enable you to work with your body so you may need less medical intervention.

Frequently asked Questions:

Who are the classes suitable for?
The Calm Birthing classes are suitable for all mums-to-be and their birth partners who would like to work in harmony with their body to birth their baby in as natural a way as possible. You may be a first time mum or a mum who already has one or more children.
The classes will help you to manage your own unique experience whether you are planning a home delivery, a water birth or a hospital delivery, you and your baby will benefit from the hypnobirthing techniques taught.

What is hypnosis?
Hypnosis is a natural human state that we drift in and out of all the time. One of its definitions is that it’s a state of focussed awareness. You may be most aware of it as a feeling of drifting off, when you are daydreaming or engrossed in a really good book or film. We control this state and can ‘bring ourselves back’ any time we choose. Women who give birth using hypnotic techniques describe feeling ‘in the zone’, totally relaxed but completely absorbed in the task of giving birth, losing track of time and space, just being in the moment.

Hypnosis is about harnessing the mind-body connection. A relaxed and positive state of mind sends a message to the body so that labour is natural, progressive and likely to be more comfortable as the body produces its own natural painkillers.

How are the classes structured and what will I learn?

There are 3 classes in total, focussing on learning to reach a state of deep relaxation, maintaining perception of control over labour and developing a positive attitude in a way that helps the natural process rather than hinders it.

The Introductory ‘Confident Birth’ class lasts 2 hours and teaches simple relaxation and breathing techniques to be used during labour. It helps mums-to-be and their partners to eliminate anxiety which might otherwise hinder the natural process of childbirth. We look at anxiety management (things that might be particularly concerning you) and preparation of your mental state. 

The Advanced Hypnosis for Childbirth Course  (2 , 2 hour sessions) builds upon the knowledge from the introductory class and teaches everything you need to know in order to have a beautiful, natural birth feeling calm, confident and in control. Techniques include: self-hypnosis, visualisation, techniques, breathing techniques, anchoring positive states and partner support during stages 1, 2 and 3 of labour

Do you treat tokophobia (fear of childbirth)?
 Yes, we recognise that this is a very common fear and offer private fear release sessions for anyone who would like them.

Hypnobirthing – one to-one or small classes?

We offer tuition in small groups or on a one to one basis.

One to one sessions at Cheshire Natural Health:
The content of the sessions will be tailored to your specific needs. Circumstances where the mum-to be has experienced problems in the past , has fears about childbirth that are towards the tokophobic end of the spectrum or who has specific anxieties about pregnancy or the transition into parenthood finds one to one support especially beneficial. We also offer support for turning breech babies, needle or hospital phobia, ante-natal depression, and PTSD from a previous birth experience,

Groups:
This can be a great way of building support networks with others in your area who are having their babies at a similar time to you. Groups are restricted to 6 so you can be assured of our full attention at all times Please contact us for latest information about dates, venues and availability.

I’ve seen on the internet that there are various hypnobirthing methods. Which one do you use and why?

We use the easibirthing® method because, unlike other methods, it is a UK based model, developed in conjunction with midwives and so it complements UK birthing practices perfectly.

When should I start the classes?

We suggest you begin your hypnobirthing classes around the beginning of the third trimester, completing one class per month. Having said that, it is never too late to gain benefits, please call us to see how we can help.

Is there anything else included in the course?

You will receive CDs and notes to accompany the course, all included in the price.

Who runs the courses and what are her qualifications?

Rosemary Reeves BSc (hons), PGCE, SQHP MasterHyp, Cert Hypnotic Birthing Process Partner, EFT (Adv), Cert Stress Relief and Stress Hypnotherapy. is a highly qualified and experienced Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapist. She is accredited by the British Institute of Hypnotherapy (BIH), holds Senior Status with the General Hypnotherapy Register and is registered with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council. She is a certified easibirthing® Hypnotic Birthing Practitioner, as recognised by The National College of Hypnosis and Psychotherapy.
Rosemary is a mother of two boys - one who was born without using hypnobirthing techniques and one who was and so she knows first hand how effective these techniques can be and what a difference they can make to the whole birthing experience.

How much does it cost and how do I pay?

The cost for the entire course, CDs and course notes is £149.00 if you attend the group sessions.
Private sessions are charged at £297.00 for the entire course, CDs and course notes.
Payment is in advance by cash, cheque or credit or debit cards through Paypal.

Clinical Evidence For The Benefits of Using Hypnosis in Childbirth.

Effect of antenatal anxiety on the foetus and developing child:

Children whose mothers experienced significant stress or anxiety during pregnancy have a greater vulnerability to psychological problems, even 10 years later, according to a study conducted at the University of Bristol. The study suggests that foetal exposure to prenatal maternal stress or anxiety affects a key part of their babies' developing nervous system - leaving them more vulnerable to psychological and perhaps medical illness in later life.
The study involved 74 children, as part of the Children of the 90s project. (O’Connor, 2005)

Children born to mothers reporting stress in later pregnancy were found to have slower mental development at 18 months of age and they showed more fear & anxiety. (Glover, 2006)

Pregnant women who were more anxious or stressed had significantly abnormal patterns of blood flow through the uterine arteries. The findings suggested that “the psychological state of the mother may affect foetal development and therefore birth weight”. 27% of the most anxious group had a resistance index high enough to be of “clinical concern”. Only 4% in the less anxious group had similarly impaired uterine artery blood flow. (Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital, 2006).

Babies born to calm mothers have higher APGAR scores, and tend to be calmer and more laid-back. Fuchs et al. (1987) evaluated the influence of maternal hypnosis and noted a significant increase in foetal activity as a result. This, they believed was due to a reduction in maternal anxiety and improvement in placental blood perfusion.

Reduction of anxiety using hypnosis:

Mothers who used hypnosis for anxiety and stress management had foetuses who moved in a much more active manner than a control group (Zimmer, Peretz, Eyal & Fuchs, 1988)

NICE guidelines:

This is in line with National Institute of Clinical Excellence guidelines from April 2007, which discussed the benefits of teaching relaxation and self help/coping strategies to pregnant women especially in reducing depression and anxiety for those who are vulnerable to suffering these mental health problems.

 Reduction of anxiety using hypnosis:

Mothers who used hypnosis for anxiety and stress management had foetuses that moved in a much more active manner than a control group (Zimmer, Peretz, Eyal & Fuchs, 1988)

Prevention and treatment of preterm labour:

Pregnancies resulting in premature labour have been shown to be more common in pregnancies complicated by higher levels psychosocial stress (Newton et al., 1979). Omer (1987) and others have shown that hypnosis combined with conventional pharmacologic therapy can significantly prolong the duration of pregnancies threatened by premature labour. Omer found that adding hypnosis to the treatment regimen prolonged pregnancies an average of 18.8% longer than patients treated with medication alone.

Hypnosis effects on turning foetuses from breech position:

One hundred pregnant women whose foetuses were in breech position at 37-40 weeks gestation and a matched control group. 81% of breech babies were successful conversions to a vertex position compared with 48% in the control group. The success was thought to be down to psychophysiological factors which may influence the breech position. (Mehl, 1994)

Reduction in length of labour using hypnosis:

Jenkins and Pritchard (1993) found a reduction of 3 hours for prim gravid women (from 9.3 hours to 6.4 hours) and 1 hour for multi gravid women (from 6.2 hours to 5.3 hours) for active labour (262 subjects and 600 controls). Pushing was statistically shorter for first time mothers (from 50 min to 37 min). These women were more satisfied with labour and reported other benefits of hypnosis such as reduced anxiety and help with getting to sleep.
Abramson and Heron (1950) & Gallagher (2001) found a shorter first stage of labour for 100 women trained with hypnosis (by 3.23 hours) compared to a control group of 88 women.
Forty-five Hypnosis for Childbirth clients (first time mothers) had an average of 4.5 hours for the active labour, a significant reduction compared to the usual 9 hours. (Harmon, Hynan and Tyre, 1990)

Medication use:

Bobart and Brown completed a study (2002) using 72 mothers, 36 of whom had received hypnotic training compared to a control group of 36 who delivered on the same day without such training:

At birth Baby Apgar scores were found to be significantly higher.

In a British study, 55% of 45 patients (first and second time mothers) required no medication for pain relief. In the other non-hypnosis groups, only 22% of 90 women required no medication. Two research pieces reported on 1,000 consecutive births: 850 women used hypnotic analgesia resulting in 58 percent rate of no medication. Five other research pieces reported an incidence of 60 to 79 percent non-medicated births. (Harmon, Hynan and Tyre, 1990)

A meta-analysis compiling data from 14 studies that included more than 1,400 women showed that hypnosis reduces the need for drug pain relief in labour, lessens the need for medications that augment labour and increases the number of spontaneous vaginal births (Smith et al., 2006)

Harmon, Hynan and Tyre (1990) reported more spontaneous deliveries, higher Apgar scores and reduced medication use in a study of 60 women.

Rates of Intervention:

Thirty-eight out of forty-five Hypnosis for Childbirth mums, delivered spontaneously without the use of caesarean, forceps or venteuse. This rate of 84% is higher than the average rate of normal birth for the general population of first time mothers (Harmon, Hynan & Tyre, 1990)

Postpartum depression:

McCarthy (1998) provided five 30-minute sessions to 600 women and found a virtual absence of postpartum depression, compared to the typical rates of 10 to 15 percent. Women with a history of postpartum depression did not develop this condition, even though an estimated 50 percent eventually do. Harmon et al also reported lower depression scores in the hypnotically treated group.
Harmon et al (1990) reported a reduced incidence of postnatal depression in women who had been taught hypnotic analgesia for childbirth.

Effect of suggestions during labour:

In China, Hao et al (1997) measured the effect of nursing suggestions to labouring women and recommended that the conversation of the nurses be "controlled carefully for the purpose of advancing the birth process". This randomized control trial examined 60 first time mothers with a matched control group of 60 first time mothers and found a statistically significant reduction in the lengths of the first and second stages of labour.

Promoting lactation:

Rosemary Reeves BSC(hons), PGCE, MCMasterHyp, MCDipHyp SQHP, Member of The British Institute of Hypnotherapy, Registered Senior Hypnotherapist (GHR). Cert Stress Relief and Relaxation Hypnotherapy. Member of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council