Course outline
Unit 1: Creating & maintaining a positive mindset
- Introduction to a positive mindset of hypnobirthing
- Causes of Fear (including history) and how it affects our labour
- The role of our caregivers
- Mind/body connection
- What is hypnosis and how will we use it for birthing?
- Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome – how fear affects labour
- My amazing uterus– understanding the physiology behind birthing
- Our hormones are our friends
- Re-programming the subconscious
- Birthing Environment
- The language for empowered birthing
- Creating a Calm birthing space
- The Power of Affirmations
Unit 2: Choices, knowledge & tools for empowered birthing
- Conditioning techniques leading up to your birth
- Hypnosis tracks, birth music, aromatherapy
- Releasing endorphins through touch
- Choices in maternity care
- Maintaining a healthy diet
- Staying Active – exercise during pregnancy
- Tips for Optimal Foetal Positioning
- Introducing our toolkit for birth
- The importance of facial relaxation
- Relaxation Breathing – a skill for life
- Surge Breathing – the best tool ever!
- The ‘urge’ to push/bear down – breathing down
Unit 3: Preparing mind and body for birth
- Visualisations for pregnancy & birth
- Pre-birth bonding
- Bonding with your baby at birth
- ‘Guess date’ – a normal range of pregnancy
- Artificial Inductions – things you’re not always told
- Achieving a natural start to labour
- Instant relaxation techniques
- Self-hypnosis techniques to practice alone
- Using triggers, anchors, suggestion, self-hypnosis during pregnancy & birth
- Hypnosis/Relaxation Scripts & Prompts for partners
Unit 4: Birth – bringing it all together
- Birth Preferences – the importance of open communication with your caregivers
- Special circumstances
- Membranes Releasing
- Questions to help you make good decisions
- Birth companion as advocate
- Your rights as a childbearing woman
- Breech or Posterior – options & positions
- Hypnosis for releasing fears
- What to expect through labour and birth
- When to call the midwife/go to the hospital
- Birthing positions
- The birth partner’s role
- Cord clamping & placenta delivery
- Undisturbed bonding/breastfeeding time – skin to skin
- Hypnosis – rehearsal for birth
Listen to Pip talking about HypnoBirthing on the Big Couch