What is Hypnobabies®?
Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis is a method of childbirth preparation that teaches hypnotic techniques, imagery and visualization to re-program the inner mind in a very positive way, which helps to lessen and in many cases eliminate, discomfort and fear from the birthing experience. With adequate preparation, and in the absence of complications, our Hypno-mothers can experience comfortable, shorter, easier births.
What are the benefits I get from a live Hypnobabies course over the home-study course?
This page has a very complete and helpful answer to that question. In just a sentence I would answer: more information, help from a certified instructor who is trained to recognize hypnotic depth and can answer your hypnosis and birth-related questions, encouragement to practice, more involvement with your birth partner in the whole process, a birth rehearsal to practice all your hypnotic cues - oh, and more fun!
How is Hypnobabies® different from other "hypno-birthing" programs?
The answer to that question, can be found on this page, which explains all the unique benefits of Hypnobabies.
Does Hypnosis really work?
Hypnobabies has compiled a list of scholarly articles which have looked at the efficacy of Hypnosis. You can find all those, here.
What are some of the benefits of Hypnobabies®?
Although not every woman will have a completely pain-free unmedicated birthing experience, many of our HypnoMoms do and our satisfaction rate is far above other natural childbirth programs… Hypnobabies® is a very successful 6 week complete childbirth education course (the only hypnotic childbirth class that meets DONA certification requirements) using Gerald Kein’s Painless Childbirth techniques instead of simple relaxation, breathing or guided imagery. This allows our HypnoMoms to employ “Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis”, easily remaining deeply in hypnosis while walking, talking, changing positions; being as mobile as they would like to be during childbirth. Our Hypno-moms enjoy much shorter, easier & more comfortable labors, making childbirth the joyful experience it was meant to be.
Hypnobabies® uses the same kind of powerful hypnosis techniques that people employ when preparing for surgery without any medication, which is called hypno-anesthesia. Our classes also teach our Hypnobabies® Birth Partners how to fully support our Hypno-moms, although Hypnobabies® can also be used very successfully by single mothers.
How does Hypnobabies® work?
Hypnobabies® is software for your mind! When our Hypno-moms listen to hypnotic childbirth suggestions every day by way of hypnosis scripts, (which are read to them by their Birth Partner) or listening to CD tracks on their own, their inner mind becomes "re-trained" to perceive childbirth as easy and comfortable, birthing waves as pressure, stretching or pulling sensations, and the pushing phase as efficient and easier. This is just like programming a computer or entering a document into it and giving it a file name so that later you can find and edit or print out that document.
Hypnobabies moms use these hypnosis suggestions, techniques and mental cues during their Birthing Time, and having been already integrated into the subconscious, they are instantly available. Similar to accessing a specific folder name in your computer and opening up a saved file or document, Hypnobabies® hypnosis techniques are accessed with mental and physical cues and are automatically functional.
One of the main cues is a mental "lightswitch" that each Hypno-mom can use herself; her own "Enter" key on her mental computer. Since hypnosis is cumulative, each time she practices her "lightswitch", she automatically becomes more deeply primed with Hypnobabies® hypnosis cues, just like editing (adding to) a document with more text each time, for later use.
When they are in their Birthing Time, our moms simply use their cues, enter hypnosis and become immediately relaxed, calm, confident and comfortable in mind and body. With the very first sensations that a birthing wave is beginning, Hypnobabies moms are already deeply in hypnosis and able to become much more relaxed as the wave builds in intensity, and use other mental techniques to create comfort exactly where it is needed. Hypnotic suggestions for instantly deepening hypnosis and remaining deeply in hypnosis in between pressure waves allows movement, positional changes, eating, drinking and talking.
During childbirth, some women listen to their Hypnobabies CD's and some just want to hear short verbal cues to reinforce their Hypnobabies techniques. Some moms prefer to simply tune everything else out and use their hypnosis cues and techniques by themselves, inside their minds, or by vocalizing spoken cues.
Hypnosis for childbirth is easy to learn, practice, and use with a little bit of education and guidance, and as with any new program we learn in life, is best done as directed. We can't program our own computers without guidance from the experts, and the same is true for childbirth hypnosis!
What makes Hypnobabies® so successful at producing easier, more comfortable births?
In Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis, during birth preparation and childbirth, we focus greatly on several elements that assist with making childbirth easier and more comfortable. They are:
1.) Hypnosis is the most important element for easier, more comfortable birthing and takes moms far beyond deep relaxation and breathing techniques. The deep somnambulistic hypnosis used in Hypnobabies® actually re-trains and conditions the inner mind to convert birthing sensations from painful sensations to comfortable, even pleasurable ones. Normal birthing sensations are still experienced by our mothers - sensations such as pressure, stretching, pulling, pushing and tightening, as well as the movements and position of the baby, and they can be experienced with little or no discomfort.
2.) Deep Relaxation: The muscles of a birthing woman's body, especially the ones around her baby must be completely and totally relaxed so that they can work efficiently and without any added discomfort from the Fear/Tension/Pain response. Practice is therefore mandatory and must be taken seriously. Hypno-mothers need to instantly accomplish becoming completely limp and loose like a dishrag when prompted to relax their body. This is one of the reasons we do progressive relaxation inductions, and in every Hypnobabies hypnosis script, CD track, cue and technique, deep relaxation is practiced so that it becomes a completely automatic response. It is our Hypnobabies hypnosis training which "implants" suggestions into our Hypno-moms' subconscious minds for instant and very deep total body relaxation.
3.) Fear Clearing Sessions: Through hypnotic suggestion, our moms are gently guided to release and re-program a lifetime of not-so-encouraging expectations about childbirth. Every birth story an expectant woman reads, sees on TV or in the movies, or listens to during people's stories about their own birth experiences, helps create her belief system about the process of birth.
Hypnobabies Fear Clearing sessions helps our moms to let go of prior cultural conditioning, and to re-program any fears or concerns they may have about childbirth, into a sense of confidence and happy anticipation for their baby's birth. Releasing fears about birth and the resulting stress reduction, helps the body to relax and function well, to enjoy a restful sleep, and to actually enjoy pregnancy.
When should I begin my class series?
You can begin your class series as early as you would like in your pregnancy, and as late as 32 weeks. Be aware that you will need to continue to maintain your hypnosis practice on a daily basis up until the time you give birth (About 35 minutes per day.) Some women will like starting earlier to give them more confidence and lots of additional practice, some may feel they won't be able to maintain consistent practice up until baby's birth if they start before 28 weeks. Most women feel that the ideal time to start is somewhere between 28-32 weeks, but the choice is a personal one. This blog post has more helpful details in the answer to that question. **Please note: Hypnobabies no longer offers a shortened schedule.**
Hypnobabies® Childbirth Hypnosis is a method of childbirth preparation that teaches hypnotic techniques, imagery and visualization to re-program the inner mind in a very positive way, which helps to lessen and in many cases eliminate, discomfort and fear from the birthing experience. With adequate preparation, and in the absence of complications, our Hypno-mothers can experience comfortable, shorter, easier births.
What are the benefits I get from a live Hypnobabies course over the home-study course?
This page has a very complete and helpful answer to that question. In just a sentence I would answer: more information, help from a certified instructor who is trained to recognize hypnotic depth and can answer your hypnosis and birth-related questions, encouragement to practice, more involvement with your birth partner in the whole process, a birth rehearsal to practice all your hypnotic cues - oh, and more fun!
How is Hypnobabies® different from other "hypno-birthing" programs?
The answer to that question, can be found on this page, which explains all the unique benefits of Hypnobabies.
Does Hypnosis really work?
Hypnobabies has compiled a list of scholarly articles which have looked at the efficacy of Hypnosis. You can find all those, here.
What are some of the benefits of Hypnobabies®?
Although not every woman will have a completely pain-free unmedicated birthing experience, many of our HypnoMoms do and our satisfaction rate is far above other natural childbirth programs… Hypnobabies® is a very successful 6 week complete childbirth education course (the only hypnotic childbirth class that meets DONA certification requirements) using Gerald Kein’s Painless Childbirth techniques instead of simple relaxation, breathing or guided imagery. This allows our HypnoMoms to employ “Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis”, easily remaining deeply in hypnosis while walking, talking, changing positions; being as mobile as they would like to be during childbirth. Our Hypno-moms enjoy much shorter, easier & more comfortable labors, making childbirth the joyful experience it was meant to be.
Hypnobabies® uses the same kind of powerful hypnosis techniques that people employ when preparing for surgery without any medication, which is called hypno-anesthesia. Our classes also teach our Hypnobabies® Birth Partners how to fully support our Hypno-moms, although Hypnobabies® can also be used very successfully by single mothers.
- Hypno-moms are deprogrammed from the typically negative childbirth stories and scenarios they've always heard, by participating in Birth Hypnosis classes or by listening to audio CDs that have positive birthing messages. This encourages women to remain relaxed and confident during pregnancy and to enjoy preparing for childbirth.
- Many Hypno-mothers have shorter births since hypnosis training can minimize discomfort and fear, and create less resistance between the birthing muscles. All muscles in the body are conditioned to remain very deeply relaxed, which allows the uterus to work more effectively.
- Problems created by "labor" drugs can be easily avoided when using birth hypnosis techniques. Because post-hypnotic suggestions can eliminate the Fear/Tension/Pain cycle, Hypno-moms request fewer drugs or no drugs at all, which means less risk of side effects for her or her baby.
- Since hypnotic suggestions for a smooth, easy birth are built into most childbirth hypnosis programs, there are fewer interventions for failure to progress and therefore fewer fetal and maternal complications in childbirth.
- Birthing mothers generally have much more energy throughout first and second stage, because they are able to relax throughout the birthing process. Since hypnosis techniques and cues keep our Hypno-mothers comfortable, it is unnecessary for them to move constantly to remain comfortable. They rest more and have more energy to push their babies out.
- The birthing environment is much more calm and peaceful when the natural childbirth mother is comfortable. Birth partners, family members and medical caregivers remain more relaxed, calm and confident when our birthing mother uses hypnosis to enjoy a serene birthing.
- Breach and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis. Blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature can be lowered and nausea, back and hip pain eliminated with hypnosis during pregnancy and birth.
- The deep relaxation taught in Childbirth Hypnosis sessions has also helped many a nervous birth partner to enjoy their partner's pregnancy and childbirth, and the skills that the Hypno-couple learns for relaxation and hyposis benefits both of them for the rest of their lives. (Hypnobabies Birth Partners also get their own hypnosis CD which allows them to feel calm and confident about pregnancy and childbirth.)
How does Hypnobabies® work?
Hypnobabies® is software for your mind! When our Hypno-moms listen to hypnotic childbirth suggestions every day by way of hypnosis scripts, (which are read to them by their Birth Partner) or listening to CD tracks on their own, their inner mind becomes "re-trained" to perceive childbirth as easy and comfortable, birthing waves as pressure, stretching or pulling sensations, and the pushing phase as efficient and easier. This is just like programming a computer or entering a document into it and giving it a file name so that later you can find and edit or print out that document.
Hypnobabies moms use these hypnosis suggestions, techniques and mental cues during their Birthing Time, and having been already integrated into the subconscious, they are instantly available. Similar to accessing a specific folder name in your computer and opening up a saved file or document, Hypnobabies® hypnosis techniques are accessed with mental and physical cues and are automatically functional.
One of the main cues is a mental "lightswitch" that each Hypno-mom can use herself; her own "Enter" key on her mental computer. Since hypnosis is cumulative, each time she practices her "lightswitch", she automatically becomes more deeply primed with Hypnobabies® hypnosis cues, just like editing (adding to) a document with more text each time, for later use.
When they are in their Birthing Time, our moms simply use their cues, enter hypnosis and become immediately relaxed, calm, confident and comfortable in mind and body. With the very first sensations that a birthing wave is beginning, Hypnobabies moms are already deeply in hypnosis and able to become much more relaxed as the wave builds in intensity, and use other mental techniques to create comfort exactly where it is needed. Hypnotic suggestions for instantly deepening hypnosis and remaining deeply in hypnosis in between pressure waves allows movement, positional changes, eating, drinking and talking.
During childbirth, some women listen to their Hypnobabies CD's and some just want to hear short verbal cues to reinforce their Hypnobabies techniques. Some moms prefer to simply tune everything else out and use their hypnosis cues and techniques by themselves, inside their minds, or by vocalizing spoken cues.
Hypnosis for childbirth is easy to learn, practice, and use with a little bit of education and guidance, and as with any new program we learn in life, is best done as directed. We can't program our own computers without guidance from the experts, and the same is true for childbirth hypnosis!
What makes Hypnobabies® so successful at producing easier, more comfortable births?
In Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis, during birth preparation and childbirth, we focus greatly on several elements that assist with making childbirth easier and more comfortable. They are:
1.) Hypnosis is the most important element for easier, more comfortable birthing and takes moms far beyond deep relaxation and breathing techniques. The deep somnambulistic hypnosis used in Hypnobabies® actually re-trains and conditions the inner mind to convert birthing sensations from painful sensations to comfortable, even pleasurable ones. Normal birthing sensations are still experienced by our mothers - sensations such as pressure, stretching, pulling, pushing and tightening, as well as the movements and position of the baby, and they can be experienced with little or no discomfort.
2.) Deep Relaxation: The muscles of a birthing woman's body, especially the ones around her baby must be completely and totally relaxed so that they can work efficiently and without any added discomfort from the Fear/Tension/Pain response. Practice is therefore mandatory and must be taken seriously. Hypno-mothers need to instantly accomplish becoming completely limp and loose like a dishrag when prompted to relax their body. This is one of the reasons we do progressive relaxation inductions, and in every Hypnobabies hypnosis script, CD track, cue and technique, deep relaxation is practiced so that it becomes a completely automatic response. It is our Hypnobabies hypnosis training which "implants" suggestions into our Hypno-moms' subconscious minds for instant and very deep total body relaxation.
3.) Fear Clearing Sessions: Through hypnotic suggestion, our moms are gently guided to release and re-program a lifetime of not-so-encouraging expectations about childbirth. Every birth story an expectant woman reads, sees on TV or in the movies, or listens to during people's stories about their own birth experiences, helps create her belief system about the process of birth.
Hypnobabies Fear Clearing sessions helps our moms to let go of prior cultural conditioning, and to re-program any fears or concerns they may have about childbirth, into a sense of confidence and happy anticipation for their baby's birth. Releasing fears about birth and the resulting stress reduction, helps the body to relax and function well, to enjoy a restful sleep, and to actually enjoy pregnancy.
When should I begin my class series?
You can begin your class series as early as you would like in your pregnancy, and as late as 32 weeks. Be aware that you will need to continue to maintain your hypnosis practice on a daily basis up until the time you give birth (About 35 minutes per day.) Some women will like starting earlier to give them more confidence and lots of additional practice, some may feel they won't be able to maintain consistent practice up until baby's birth if they start before 28 weeks. Most women feel that the ideal time to start is somewhere between 28-32 weeks, but the choice is a personal one. This blog post has more helpful details in the answer to that question. **Please note: Hypnobabies no longer offers a shortened schedule.**