If you are looking for a holistic approach to managing pain during childbirth, morning sickness, breastfeeding, bonding with baby, anticipated premature labour, preparation for labour and birth, postnatal progress and infertility then taking use of the unique skills of a hypnotherapist which can help to compliment the pregnancy could be for you. Please note, this does not replace the role of the midwife but rather helps you using a holistic approach.
Hypnotherapy can give you the tools to help you take control by teaching you self-hypnosis tools, it can help you to give birth with minimum artificial intervention, it can help you to give birth calmly and gently which increases energy post birth and leads to happier, better adjusted babies better feeding and sleeping routines.
Hypnotherapists understand that the unconscious mind controls all body functions, breathing, heart rate, pain and it also affects sickness and feeling sick. We talk to the eating/drinking control centre of the brain and build up confidence and self esteem by placing suggestions and teaching self-hypnosis to help your unconscious control body functions. Of course if you are suffering from hyperemesis then this is more serious as a referral to your G.P would need to be made which is why I do an initial consultation with all clients to assess their suitability for hypnosis before we start the sessions.
Because the power of suggestion is so powerful and because the brain controls everything and knows exactly what to do to keep you safe, hypnosis is particularly powerful for creating calm and relaxation.
Hypnotherapy can be a great tool if you are struggling to bond with your baby and it can also be a great tool to help you to start bonding with your baby before the baby is born. With todays technology you could easily do a video or take photos of your bump, include older siblings with messages from them to the unborn baby to help bonding between the unborn baby and siblings, perhaps even composing a birth time message for arrival so the whole family can be involved both inside and outside of hypnosis.
If you have had previous baby loss or previous difficulties with pregnancy and birth, hypnotherapy can help you to go back and let go of problematic emotions, assist you with relaxation, staying calm and using visualisation techniques to help you to have a full length pregnancy that is stress free. We can work with the autonomic nervous system to reduce any fears around the birth and understanding how this works can help you to activate the parasympathetic nervous system when you get to the point of giving birth. You cannot activate the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system at the same time so you can learn how to coregulate your own nervous system.
Hypnosis can also teach you to be calm in unexpected circumstances and having the power of all this knowledge and the ability to use self-hypnosis through the birth process leaves you feeling more in control.
There are also hypnotherapy treatments for infertility and since it is thought that 14-16 % of UK couples are affected by infertility hypnotherapy can be worth exploring.
After birth breastfeeding can be an issue for many women and hypnotherapy can also help with this.
Through my voluntary work with Cruse I have also done specific training around counselling for baby loss and pregnancy after loss which can be invaluable if you have suffered from loss in the past.
I now offer packages that can be booked in group bookings of 4,6 or 8 sessions for hypnotherapy and blocks of 6 sessions for counselling and can be taken at any point within one year of the first session so if you are looking to book this is worth considering as paying for individual sessions can work out more expensive.
If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact me through my website or through private messaging me.