Pain is what we fear the most about birth because we don’t always know how to handle it. When it comes to experiencing the sensations of birth, it helps to understand why they happen in the first place. Believe it or not, it is this small change in mindset that can bring you closer to achieving a more positive birthing experience. Pain in labour is a mixture of physiological changes in the body and emotional experiences. I will help you get familiar with your body, the tools and the principles that help you better react to it. In this short guide, I’ll try to get down to the fundamentals briefly, but you are welcome to give me a call to truly explore the natural strength that is already within you. 

Exploring birth sensations and their association with pain

What we perceive as pain during birth is not always a symptom of injury or illness. In most cases, what you are experiencing is your innate capacity to give birth. Your body is working hard, as it should, for the safe delivery of your child. Your uterine muscles are like most muscles in the body because they will not hurt unless they have to work harder and stretch more. The sensation you feel will usually come from the stretching of the cervix, vagina and surrounding tissues as the baby passes through. 

Unless you have been through this before, these are all muscle movements that your body is not used to! Thankfully, there is an end to labour, and we know it won’t last forever. You will also notice that the sensations are rhythmic and wash over you periodically. This rhythmic pattern should already show you how natural this process is and give you the peace to know that everything is flowing as it should. Hypnobirthing classes will help you to predict and prepare for each contraction and rest between them. Our bodies already have very capable pain control systems that just need your cooperation to interpret the sensations positively. Our in-class guided support methods will simply help you to gate control how to take advantage of this. 

Tips for hypnobirthing

1. Establish your needs with your care provider

It’s important to confirm these things because you won’t be in the best state of mind to make your own decisions once labour begins. Many participants in our hypnobirthing course say that they achieved an empowered birth by finding the perfect birth attendant – which isn’t an easy feat. Establishing this relationship early makes sure that you won’t have to waste a single ounce of energy worrying that your care provider won’t follow through with your needs and preference for a birthing environment and labour. 

2. Create A Calm and Relaxing Environment

Another hypnobirthing technique that many underestimate is setting your preferred stage for birth. This is something you may discuss with your chosen care provider, but the aim is to create an environment that makes you feel safest. Taking the time to plan and prepare your ideal environment can help you stay focused on the process at hand. This means different things to different birthing persons. 

Will I still need pain relief during a hypnobirthing?

Once you fully explore how to practise hypnobirthing, you’ll realise that there is nothing you HAVE to do and that it is all about what you want. It is up to you to make the empowered decision to choose pain relief interventions during labour. Our classes only aim to give you the tools for carrying out non-medical comfort measures but that doesn’t mean that any medical intervention is strictly forbidden. The techniques and principles we’ll explore will help you harness your body’s innate natural relaxant to bring about a more comfortable birth. One of the tools is helping you achieve a focused state of deep relaxation which is the hypnosis element and on the other end of the spectrum, there is the magic of breathwork.