Even those who have never given birth are aware that it is a painful and stressful experience, even if it is one of the most wonderful and mysterious events of our lives. Hypnotherapy is a very powerful way to reduce stress, anxiety and pain before, during and after giving birth, and to promote mother-baby bonding, so that you can focus on what is important and enjoy the experience.

The childbirth package includes a minimum of 3 hypnotherapy sessions, including recordings to take home and use to reinforce my teaching, plus a very gentle background music recording to take into delivery with you, to assist your own self-hypnosis. One of the sessions will be about 3 to 4 weeks after the birth to aid your relaxation, healing and reinforce maternal bonding with your baby.

Conceiving naturally

It is important to reduce stress when a woman is trying to become pregnant because stress can prevent conception. Stress can suppress the immune system, alter hormone levels and raise blood pressure. In terms of survival, it is far less likely that the body will conceive when in danger (stressed). If a woman is relaxed and confident, she will be able to relax and enjoy conception naturally, allowing her reproductive systems to do their job.

Many of the uncomfortable symptoms of pregnancy can be relieved by hypnotherapy, including:

• Significantly reduce or even eliminate morning sickness and heartburn.
  

• Relieves insomnia and tiredness through experiencing and learning deep relaxation techniques
  

• Leg cramps / muscle aches in the body - reducing muscle tension and helping blood-flow to all parts of your body, including your uterus.
  

• Relieving tension headaches.
  

Some of the many advantages of using hypnotherapy during pregnancy and labour:

• Hypnotherapy can help reduce fear about the birth, and afterwards, for the anxious mother-to-be. As relaxation reduces tension, I can help to make her physically, mentally and emotionally much more comfortable about her condition and expectations. Very importantly, she will feel much more in control during the birth.
  

• By relaxing the mother-to-be, relaxation in hypnotherapy reduces the production of adrenaline, which makes the muscles tense. This can affect blood flow to the uterus and make contractions more painful. Relaxation therapy reduces pain in childbirth because adrenaline also counters the pain-killing endorphines we produce naturally.
  

• Hypnosis reduces the need for chemical anaesthesia, because of the reduced pain and the mother feeling more in control. Her body is able to do its job more naturally.

• When able to practice the self-hypnosis techniques that I can teach you, women experience a shorter labour. Amazingly, hypnosis can shorten the first stage of labour by up to three to four hours for first time mothers. Adrenaline produced by our fear and pain neutralises oxytocin, the hormone responsible for stimulating the uterus to contract, so that the body slows or even stops the birthing. Also, the tension in the muscles tightens the cervix, which slows the birth. Therapy teaches you to counter these problems, especially by easing breathing and promoting relaxation. (Oxygen stimulates production of oxytocin, helping the uterus to do its job.)
  

• Women recover much more quickly after the delivery and feel less emotionally and physically tired during and after the birth of their baby, as a result of a less stressful pregnancy and childbirth experience.
  

• The reduction of stress and chemical use on the body, enables the body's natural mechanisms to stop the bleeding at an appropriate time.
  

• The powerful suggestions in the therapy sessions support the natural bonding process with your baby. The experience of therapy is calming, relaxing and focuses on you feeling in control of your experience.

Hypnotherapy is a wonderfully effective way to make your birth experience less stressful, less painful and more enjoyable.

* Hypnotherapy is also helpful to alleviate post-natal depression (supporting your GP's treatment advice) and to assist with mother-baby bonding when, for any reason, the natural process has been disturbed or delayed.