“Pip gave me all the knowledge, tools, confidence and positive mindset that I really needed to be an effective and supportive birthing partner. The classes were so much more educational than I could have imagined and the birth was such a team effort as a result.” ~ Dan
“I loved attending Pip’s hypnobirthing class. I was a little unsure to start with as I am planning to give birth in private hospital but she aims her course at women who are going to a birth centre or hospital and she equips you with a set of tools that you need for a calm relaxed birth. She is supportive of midwives and doctors but also empowers you with knowledge to aim for the birth you want. I am now so excited about the birth of my baby and I can’t wait to meet him/her! I am so glad I did this course – I think everyone giving birth should do it!” ~ Liz
Meet Pip (and why she chose to be a Hypnobirthing practitioner)
I am a Registered Midwife and an Advanced Childbirth Educator (CAPEA) and for years I have been teaching women how fear impacts on labour and ways of overcoming these barriers.
Over recent years I have noticed an increase in how much birthing parents are affected by these fears and a decrease in their feelings of confidence and empowerment.
Birth is meant to be an amazing experience, after all nature wants us to do it again and again!
However, through misrepresentation in movies, ‘horror stories’ from family, friends and colleagues and the ever present Google, parents are bombarded with fear-filled messages about birth.
I realised I needed to address the consistent messages of despair parents were receiving by imparting better information and giving more resources to birthing parents.
Plus, with recent research showing that a Fear of Childbirth can increases the risk of postnatal depression by 3 times, it is so important to start reducing this fear in pregnant women.
This is why I chose to become a Hypnobirthing Australia™ practitioner.
Hypnobirthing reduces the fear of childbirth in some really concrete ways:
* It is a complete childbirth education programme that helps reduce the fear of the unknown.
* It uses relaxation techniques, breathing, visualisation and self hypnosis to further reduce the fears around childbirth by replacing all the negative images and language around birth with positive ones.
Hypnosis, or being in an hypnotic state is a naturally occurring experience and happens many times over a regular day. It is daydreaming, it’s driving in the car on auto-pilot, it is being totally absorbed in a book or it’s my youngest son watching ‘Adventure Time’ and not hearing a word I’m saying!
It is the ability to shut out what is going on around you and focus on the task at hand.
This is actually the state we are supposed to be in when we give birth. Nature actually delivers us the perfect hormones during pregnancy and labour to help us get to this state. Unfortunately, the way that most women birth now means that it is incredibly difficult for them to find, and remain in, this state.
Hypnobirthing teaches women how to get there and stay there during labour. And how to (this is the Hypnotherapy bit) use this state to embed positive messages and images about birth. Because in a deeply relaxed, hypnotic state we are able to accept and incorporate the idea that birth is a normal, natural process and our body is beautifully designed to give birth.
Hypnobirthing is fantastic for partners too. So many men have an overwhelming feeling of fear around childbirth. They also have fear of the unknown, the fear of seeing the woman they love in pain and their biggest fear is being helpless to do anything. Birth companions are very important in Hypnobirthing; they too will become experts in normal birth and they are taught skills and techniques to help their partners go into a deeply relaxed state. They learn that their biggest role is to make the birthing mother feel safe, loved and protected.
BOOK NOWPip from Perth Hypnobirthing in the Media
Hypnobirthing on the Big Couch