Hypnobirthing in Spain

HypnoBirthing® is a complete birth education programme, that teaches simple but specific self hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques for a better birth. Mums in Spain brings you two stories from Hypnobirth Educators based in Spain. This technique could hold the answer to a calm and enjoyable birth experience.
HypnoBirthing® is said to be much more than just self hypnosis or hypnotherapy for childbirth, its advocates claiming that those who choose to pursue this “technique” will discover that severe pain does not have to be an accompaniment of labour, with birthing mothers learning how to release the fears and anxieties that they may have about giving birth and how to overcome previous traumatic births. Primarily it is about learning how to put yourself back in control of your birth - rather than blindly turning your birthing experience over to your doctor or midwife.
We all have a stereotypical view of hypnotherapy, perhaps from what we have seen on TV in recent years where sometimes unsuspecting “patients” don’t appear to know what they are doing or why. HypnoBirthing® however doesn't mean you'll be in a trance or a sleep. Rather, you'll be able to chat, and be and in good spirits - totally relaxed, but fully in control. You'll always be aware of what is happening to you, and around you.

Mums in Spain brings you two stories from mothers, both living in Spain, who not only turned to HypnoBirthing® for their own births, but were so impressed by its benefits they decided to become fully qualified HypnoBirthing® educators themselves. Please read Zoe and Juliette’s stories below. For those who might be interested in exploring this concept further, full contact details can be found at the bottom of the article for both Zoe and Juliette.

Zoe Prendergast - Barcelona

“Hello, my name is Zoe, I am mum to Osip who is now four, and we live in Barcelona. I really want to share my birthing story with all of you. I became pregnant whilst living in Spain. I wanted to have a natural birth, but as my pregnancy progressed I became aware that birthing in Spain is a very medicalised event. I heard alot of stories from other mothers who had experienced a great deal of intervention in hospital, from inductions to cesarians, when all they really wanted was to be left alone to birth in peace. There seems to be little understanding or tolerance of women who choose to birth their babies naturally amoungst medical caregivers in this country.
I finally decided that, to have the natural birth I wanted, the only realistic option was to find a private midwife and plan for a home birth, which I did. However, although this made me feel well prepared in a practical way, I did not feel at all prepared or supported emotionally. I reached the fifth month of my pregnancy with the realisation that I was actually carrying a great deal of fear about giving birth, not only fear about pain, but also the huge worry of ending up in hospital and getting into the downward spiral of one intervention leading to another.
On my last trip home to the U.K. at about 28 weeks pregnant I was flicking through a natural health magazineand I saw an ad for Hypnobirthing. As I had successfully become a non smoker using Hypnotherapy before I became pregnant, this ad caught my eye.So I gave them a call.
The course was amazing. I learned all kinds of simple self hypnosis and deep relaxation and breathing techniques that were especially tailored to birth preparation. I was relieved to find that alot of the course focussed on fear release using visualisation, really getting to the heart of my fears and helping me to find practical solutions to face any turn that my birthing might take. I came to understand that pain and discomfort came out of fear and anxiety, and without fear, pain could be eliminated.. We also looked at how to diplomatically deal with medical caregivers, how to write a good birth plan, and the birth itself was gone through in every detail. I left the course feeling very well prepared and relaxed.
In the last two months of my pregnancy I practised Hypnobirthing every day for about 30 minutes.This involved listening to C.D's and relaxing.
Osip's birth began one sunny morning in June with the show. I called my midwife and she told me just to get on with a normal life as I could be up to a week away from birthing.. I pottered around on the terrace planting marigolds! About 6 pm I realised that my contractions, or expansions as the are called in Hypnobirthing parlance, were coming every 10 minutes, although I was not experiencing any discomfort, only tightening sensations. I listened to my Hypnobirthing CD's and put myself into a state of deep relaxation. At 9pm my waters broke, I called my midwife who said she was on her way. I was still only experiencing tightening sensations, no pain at all. Expansions were now every two or three minutes. I went to the toilet, and there was Osip's head!!! My partner immediately calledan ambulance, and Osip was delivered by the lovely, kind ambulance lady about 5 minutes after she arrived. No pain, no pushing, no tearing. A wonderful ,calm, joyous home birth!
Osip was a very calm baby. Alot of Mums who have had babies using Hypnobirthing say their babies are calm and serene, no colic, no breastfeeding problems, good sleepers. it is obvoius that a good, calm, happy birth means calm, happy mothers and babies.
I was so impressed by Hypnobirthing that I decided to train as a Hypnobirthing educator. I am now running classes in Barcelona! Please do get in touch if you would like to know more about Hypnobirthing.”

Juliette Brooks - Costa del Sol

“Hello my name is Juliette and I have been based in Estepona, Spain for the last 9 years with my husband.

In 2005 I fell pregnant with our first child. I initially had all my care privately in Spain but soon realised my options for birth were quite limited. I was shocked and scared to find out that my only option regarding pain relief was an epidural. I really am not keen on needles and also knew the increased risks of intervention were much higher with the use of an epidural. I really wanted to try for a natural birth. At 24 weeks gestation we decided to birth at St Bernards Hospital in Gibraltar. Four days prior to my due date my contractions started at 7 minutes apart, we made our way down to Gibraltar and checked into the hospital at about 5pm, at about 10.30pm my waters broke and then things really picked up! It was at this point that I was asked if I wanted any pain relief. I had some pethadine and used entinox (gas and air) for the next few hours. My contractions were almost on top of each other for the last 3 hours!! Our daughter was born just before 3am. With a first labour that only lasted about 12 hours - I thought this was a great birth until I experienced my second.

We had to spend a short period of time in the UK in 2007. I was pregnant for the second time and wanted to do a refresher ante natal course. I contacted the NCT (National Childbirth Trust) in my area but all the classes were full!!! I was advised to look around for something else on the internet. You have no idea I lucky I feel today – if they had not been fully booked I would have never had the amazing birth that I did with HypnoBirthing.

I contacted a HypnoBirthing practitioner near to where I was living and she invited me along to one of her coffee mornings to meet other mums who had HypnoBirthed. I went along and had an amazing morning. I met 3 separate women all with different birthing stories but all who thoroughly enjoyed their births. They all birthed naturally and with little pain. There was another woman there who had had “special circumstances” ..... Or complications as most people know it. She also said that she would not have made it through without the HypnoBirthing – it enabled her to stay calm and make the right decisions without panicing. She also said she felt she had an amazing birth thanks to the HypnoBirthing.

I went home and that night I told my husband that I had decided to do HypnoBirthing. Needless to say he thought I was a complete fruit cake!!! But he said he would support my decision and attend the classes with me but not to expect too much from him.

On our first class – he was the one asking the questions and really got into it. By the 3rd session he turned to me and asked me why we had not thought about a home birth!!

I had to listen to the Rainbow Relaxation CD daily and began to read the book. There were all sorts of things to practise with each week but they were easy to do and did not take long. I used to listen to the CD when I went to bed at night – I do not think I ever got to the end of it without falling asleep!

My entire feelings changed towards birth. Although my first birth was incredibly painful, I knew that this birth would be completely different. After the course I had no doubt in my mind that I would be able to birth easily and comfortably.... and that is exactly how it happened.

My surges (contractions) started at about 5.30pm, I was comfortable and just getting on with things until about 8.30pm. My sister in law came to pick up our daughter just before 8pm and at around 8.30 I put on my Rainbow Relaxation cd and lay down on the sofa. The surge breathing (taught in the class) was amazing and I was comfortable all the time. The midwife arrived about 9ish, she checked my blood pressure and listened to the baby’s heartbeat. I had no internal checks at all. At about 9.15pm I asked if I could get into the birth pool, I knew if I didn’t get it then I may not be able to after as my legs were beginning to ache a bit. The feeling of the water was amazing.... it really helped me to relax even more. I now had to really focus on the CD that was playing and the breathing techniques. The visualisation techniques taught were a real help as well. I was still comfortable at this time although my legs were really aching now. I had 2-3 more surges and I thought to myself if this feeling in my legs gets any stronger I may have to have some entinox. Moments later I called out “she’s here”. I felt her move down. At 9.55pm the midwives added more hot water to the pool and I gently breathed her down- there was no forced pushing. At 10.03pm her head was out and she was born at 10.06pm.

Just over 4.5hrs of labour, with no pain relief. It was the most amazing experience of my life. No one ever wants to talk about good birth stories – all you ever here about is the bad and gruesome ones. I loved every moment of my labour and birth and 3 weeks after I decided to train as a HypnoBirthing practitioner so I could teach and share this knowledge with other women and birth companions here in Spain.

The HypnoBirthing course is a complete education programme for mothers and birth companions who want a calmer, gentler and easier birthing experience. It is nothing weird and certainly nothing new. HypnoBirthing has now been running for 20 years. Most people are sceptical at first and think they will feel out of control, when in actual fact hypnosis heightens your senses. It enables you to become deeply relaxed thus helping you to work with your body and your baby and not fight against something that is so natural.

It is suitable for all types of birth as well.... not just natural birth. Great for VBAC’s and Caesarean. What it achieves is a calmer birthing experience for you, your birth companion and your baby whatever the circumstances. 75% of natural births are with No Pain Relief.”

Zoe Prendergast

http://acupunctureforpregnancyandchildbirth.blogspot.com

Email: zoeprendergast@gmail.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Mobile: +34 654 986 735 Tel: +34 93 319 7414

Juliette Brooks

Love Your Birth http://www.loveyourbirth.org

julie@loveyourbirth.org This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Mobile: +34 630 131 349

Further Reading and Recommended Links:

HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method – http://www.hypnobirthing.co.uk