BirthFriendly – Offer the most popular and longest running HypnoBirthing® classes covering Cambridge, North Essex, Hertfordshire and Suffolk.
BirthFriendly have taught HypnoBirthing® to OVER 700 COUPLES in these areas to date and are frequently the course provider of choice for midwives and doctors expecting their own babies.
BirthFriendly hold group HypnoBirthing® classes in Royston, Herts and Saffron Walden, Essex.
What is HypnoBirthing®?
HypnoBirthing® - The Mongan Method, is a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth education, enhanced by hypnosis techniques. The HypnoBirthing programme comprises of 12.5hrs of tuition which covers topics such as the history of birth, how hypnosis can be helpful during pregnancy and birth, how birth affects the baby, ways to strengthen bonding, special massage and breathing techniques, demystifying medical language, understanding your options in pregnancy and birth and ways your birthing partner can help you during labour.
So How Does Hypnosis Help?
The major hormone released during labour, oxytocin, is incredibly fragile. If a woman feels scared during labour she will release catecholamines, the most well known of these being adrenaline. The release of adrenaline during labour causes two things to happen, firstly it inhibits the release of oxytocin, this causes the uterus to stop contracting effectively and can cause the labour to become erratic and slow, secondly when we release adrenaline we cannot release beta endorphins, nature’s own natural anaesthesia and feel good chemical. The contracting uterus also becomes starved of oxygenated blood which leads to a build up of lactic acid and thus pain (ever experienced severe muscle cramp?) and combined with the lack of release of our own natural pain killers labour becomes harder, longer and more painful (often known as “failure to progress”). By ensuring that the birthing mother releases as little adrenaline as possible we can help the birth to progress easily, safely and comfortably.
As is now obvious, fear is the enemy of the birthing room, HypnoBirthing aims to remove that fear through the use of hypnosis. Hypnosis is nothing more than a deep feeling of relaxation (much like a daydream) it is a very natural state to be in, it isn’t spiritual in any sense, you won’t feel out of control and everybody can experience a hypnotic state (even if you think you “won’t be able to be hypnotized”) – We all experience this state every single day in fact!
In HypnoBirthing® you will be working with nature, not against it, in a calm and fearless state of mind, your body will be working with you, not against you!
Can Anybody Do It?
Yes! With time, patience and practice HypnoBirthing® will work for anyone. Some may find they are more susceptible and may find that the effects are much stronger for them, but HypnoBirthing® can benefit anyone, it’s not a case of saying “I can’t be hypnotised” or “I have a low pain threshold”, hypnosis is a natural state, as is childbirth – anybody can do it!
Will I still be In Control?
Yes! Lots of people worry that HypnoBirthing® will be similar to stage hypnosis or that seen on TV where people are made to impersonate chickens and the like. The fact of the matter is, with HypnoBirthing® you are in complete control, all hypnosis is self hypnosis, it is not something that is done to you, it is not therapy, it is not spiritual in any sense, and it is just a naturally relaxed state. Nobody can make you do anything you do not want to do whilst in hypnosis and you will remain alert and lucid throughout the whole of your birth experience, just very very calm.
I’m having a Caesarean Section – Will it still benefit me?
Yes! HypnoBirthing® isn’t just about natural, drug-free, vaginal births; it can be used for any type of birth experience! It is wonderful at helping prepare you for the birth itself, but the benefits do not end there. HypnoBirthing® can help you experience a happier, more relaxed pregnancy, will help with bonding with the baby, with lactation (should you chose to breastfeed) and with life after the birth.
I’m planning a VBAC - Will HypnoBirthing help?
Very definitely! In fact HypnoBirthing is perfect for VBACers! Especially for those who had caesarean’s because of “failure to progress” or “failed inductions”. HypnoBirthing will help you to regain your confidence in natural birth and your own body and will help you to regain control of the birth process. BirthFriendly is very experienced at teaching VBAC mums.
I’ve Seen Hypnosis for Birth CDs and Books for Sale on the Internet, Why Can’t I Just Use These?
HypnoBirthing® is a registered trademark, used only for the official HypnoBirthing® – Mongan Method. Anything else is NOT HypnoBirthing®
A CD or a book could help you to relax and may be of small benefit, but in order to experience the full benefits of HypnoBirthing® it is strongly recommended that you attend classes with an officially recognised HypnoBirthing® instructor. We do give you 2 CDs and a book as PART of the programme but these are only a small part of the programme – as you can imagine we cover a whole lot more than just listening to a CD and it is for this reason that HypnoBirthing is the longest established and most widely respected hypnosis for birth programme in the world.
A list of official practitioners can be obtained from here:
http://www.HypnoBirthing.co.uk/HypnoBirthing_classes.php
If a practitioner is not on this list, then they are NOT official HypnoBirthing® practitioners!
When Should I Start?
Ideally you should start as soon as possible, often 28wks is the recommended start time, but you can start sooner or later, we have taught people as early as 17weeks into pregnancy and as late as 38weeks. The sooner you start though, the longer you have to practice!
Does My Partner Have to Come Too?
Ideally your partner will come with you, HypnoBirthing® is designed to be taught to couples and this is one of the keys of its success, this could also be a female friend or relative though. Birth Friendly has taught single mums though and it’s still perfectly possible to follow the programme alone.
If I Learn HypnoBirthing® Am I Guaranteed a Pain Free Labour?
59% of BirthFriendly’s prior clients gave birth with no pain relief at all.
37% used only Entonox (gas and air).
One thing is for sure though, even if you do require some form of pharmaceutical pain relief, your birth will definitely be calmer and more positive!
Do you have Any Other Statistics?
The following (and above) data is based upon the last 150 births of BirthFriendly clients:
9% emergency caesarian rate (UK national average is 23%)
6% perineal damage (UK average is 60%)
93% spontaneous onset of labour (UK average of non induced labours is 79%)
46% homebirth rate (UK average is 2.3%)
8hr average length of labour (UK average is 14hrs for a first timer)
39wks 5days average gestation at birth (UK average is 41+1)
…and just for fun, the last 150 BirthFriendly babies born resulted in:
81 boys
69 girls
and 2 set of twins!
How Much Do You Charge?
For group sessions in Saffron Walden, Essex £175
For group sessions in Royston, Herts £195
Group classes are limited to a maximum of 5 couples.
For private one to one sessions in Saffron Walden £295
For private one to one sessions in Royston £345
For individual one to one sessions in your own home £395
A £50 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your booking, with the remainder payable either in full at the end of the first class or split into weekly installments over the duration of the course.
Course fees include:
- A copy of the official HypnoBirthing® book.
- Affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation official HypnoBirthing® CD.
- CD of HypnoBirthing® endorsed relaxing birth music.
Why are your classes so cheap compared to others?
Because I strongly believe that HypnoBirthing should be accessible to all, regardless of their income and also feel the class fees should be in line with other antenatal classes in the area, such as those offered by the NCT. I am a huge advocate of HypnoBirthing, especially since using it so successfully for the birth of my own children, however do not believe it warrants the ridiculously high course fees charged by many. As my classes are so in demand I am able to run two group classes per month, this enables me to offer the course for a very realistic fee, which can also be paid in installments to help you further financially.
Where are the Classes Held?
Group classes are held monthly in Saffron Walden, Essex on a Monday evening and Royston, Hertfordshire (at The Royston Center for Complementary Health) on a Friday evening. Both locations are easily accessible from most of Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, London and Suffolk.
Private sessions can be taken in Saffron Walden, Essex or in the comfort of your own home, providing it is within a 10 mile radius of Saffron Walden (this includes Bishops Stortford, Dunmow, Duxford, Cambridge, Haverhill, Linton, Sawston, Stansted, Thaxted and The Shelfords). Private Sessions are held on a weekday evening, on a day to suit you.
When should I book?
As the area's most popular HypnoBirthing classes, I usually get booked up quite far in ahead, so early booking is advisable. I prefer you to wait until after your 12wk scan before booking and would advise you book somewhere between 12 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. Don't worry if you are past 20wks though, please give me a call as I'm sure we could work something out!
What Experience do you have?
- Do not underestimate the importance of finding a good practitioner to learn HypnoBirthing with, the client/therapist relationship is extremely important and often poor birth outcomes reflect a lack of understanding and experience of the practitioner rather than a failure of HypnoBirthing. Do spend time to research HypnoBirthing classes rather than simply choosing the cheapest or nearest classes.
- I have been trained by the official HypnoBirthing® Institute and have been practicing as a HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator since 2005. I have mentored many newer practitioners in this time and my name is well known in the HypnoBirthing community and also with local midwives and hospitals. I am regularly asked to run study days for local community midwives and for student midwives at Universities in Cambridgeshire and Essex.
- Most importantly, I am a mum to four and have experienced birth pretty much every way possible from a hospital birth flat on my back with an epidural in 2002, to a drug-free home water birth of an 11lb 3oz baby in 2005 using HypnoBirthing techniques! So not only do I teach from knowledge gained in a professional capacity I also speak from experience. Many clients comment on how nice it is to learn from somebody with personal experience of the techniques and an understanding of both traumatic medicalised birth and ecstatic natural birth. I find clients are willing to travel great distances to me because of this and my other highly relevant experience.
- My career background is in Psychology and conventional medicine and therefore I am at ease with the use of hypnosis and its related issues, the theory of the mind, the anatomy and physiology of normal pregnancy and birth and related obstetric concerns. I am also a hypnotherapist and am therefore able to work with you to create a perfectly tailored programme to suit your needs.
- I am also a practicing, experienced, recognised birth doula and therefore have an incredibly in depth knowledge of pregnancy and birth, over and above the usual required for a HypnoBirthing practitioner, not only do I teach HypnoBirthing I see the effects first hand when I doula for clients. I undertook my doula training with the world famous obstetrician Michel Odent in 2007 and Developing Doulas in 2009 and incorporate my knowledge gained from these teachings in my HypnoBirthing® training.
“Hi Sarah,
I would just like to take this opportunity to say thank you for a truly enlightening course. Mark as a scientist was most sceptical before we started, and now seems to have more faith that I do! We both really enjoyed sharing the experience with each other, and have found that we are even closer than before, and both looking forward to birthing our own child ourselves, together”.
Suzie from Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire. May 2008.
"Hi Sarah,
Just wanted to say Thanks very much for such a great course, it was thoroughly enjoyable, inspiring and professionally run. I have even noticed how much more confident Richard seems about the upcoming birth. We now feel really together and involved, and confident to have the birth we want. It was lovely when I overheard him talking to another couple about the benefits of hypnobirthing and homebirths...
I look forward to attending one of the coffee mornings when I finish work, and will be sure to notify you and let you know how the birth went. We were chatting on the way home Sunday night and saying how hard you work, doing all that you do for your clients whilst having 4 children as well. You must have so much energy. Its all really appreciated anyway.
Look forward to updating you soon.. "
Sophie from Halstead, Essex. May 2008.