Effective birth preparation - your practical guide to a better birth Maggie Howell

I would strongly recommend the Natal Hypnotherapy CD. So many people have negative birth stories to tell but I am convinced that my birth went so well because I prepared effectively for it. The CD has a little pamphlet which is comprehensive but concise and gives you everything you need to know to help you relax and realise that we were perfectly designed to have babies.

I had the natural, home birth of my dreams without medication, after being terrified of giving birth after watching ‘One Born Every Minute’.

I practiced with the CD almost every day for either 40 minutes or 15 minutes depending on how much time I had. When I went into labour, I was very confident that my body would be able to birth my baby, just as my body knew how to grow my baby. I knew that my body was perfectly designed to have my baby, if only I would relax!

I listened to the CD when I first went into labour. I had my favourite chilled tunes playing in the background throughout my active labour and the lights in the room were dimmed with fairy lights creating a calm atmosphere. The water was invaluable but the self-hypnosis gave me absolute confidence that I could do it. The Natal Hypnotherapy gave me a battery of tools to help me relax. Because I was well prepared and had practiced the techniques, these tools came to me easily and naturally when I was in labour.

There were several different visualisations that I used in conjunction with my breathing, for example I imagined a dial which could turn the intensity of the contraction down from 10 to 1. It gave my mind something to do other than panicking or focusing on the sensations. The sensations were definitely stronger than I ever imagined! Despite this, I found that I had all the tools to help me deal with the pain. The ‘natal hypnotherapy’ CD promoted the idea that the sensations could be enjoyed.
After each contraction, I knew the importance of welcoming each sensation as opposed to dreading it as I knew that it was bringing me closer to my baby.

My Mum was very sceptical about the benefits of using hypnotherapy for birth but she is now a firm convert and tells everyone how wonderful it was and how calm I was! The midwives could not believe it was my first baby. They said I looked like an old pro!

Having such a smooth confident delivery without medication enabled me to be up and about very quickly. People couldn’t believe it when I put her in the sling two days after giving birth and went for a walk with my husband, our first family outing!

Words cannot truly express just how invaluable I found the Natal Hypnotherapy Programme to be. I had a dream pregnancy and the natural birth I had longed for. I went 10 days over my due date but was able to genuinely enjoy the last few days of my pregnancy, remaining relaxed, active and optimistic that my baby would be born when my body was ready without any medical intervention. I spent three days in labour but can honestly say that thanks to the relaxation techniques I was able to stay calm throughout. Furthermore, I had a back to back labour - whereby the baby was on my sciatic nerves throughout labour - and thanks to the calm breathing and positive visualisation, that became second nature to me after listening to the CDs, I was able to avoid all pain relieving medication (with the exception of gas and air when I got to 9cms!!). My baby boy was born in his membranes in the birthing pool to the sound of the soothing birth music with an APGAR score of 9 at 1min and 10 at 5mins. All the midwives commented on how calm and alert he was and how relaxed I seemed (one asked if I was a nursery nurse because I appeared so comfortable and confident holding him!). And thanks to the Fast Postnatal Recovery CD I am really enjoying the first weeks of babyhood and I feel confident and relaxed...; If ever I find things overwhelming or I cannot sleep I just reach for my ipod and play the CD and everything returns to feeling manageable. I had some difficulty breast feeding, however, once my sister reminded me I should listen to the Postnatal Recovery CD whilst I fed him all the troubles seemed to melt away and (much to the midwives astonishment) my 10 day old baby is 940g heavier than when he was born! The best word I can think to describe Natal Hypnotherapy is magic and I truly give full credit to the Natal Hypnotherapy Programme for the success of my labour and birth experience and the confidence I feel as a new mother. I feel that it was thanks to the positivity that the CDs and book oozed that I had such a positive and enjoyable experience.

With regards to the book, I wish someone had given me a copy before I even fell pregnant. Every page is filled with lovely anecdotes of other women's positive birth experiences (completely the opposite to the scare mongering you get on some websites and in magazines) and powerful quotes relating the empowerment of becoming a parent. It's absolutely packed full of invaluable tips and hints like 'shaking the apples' - you'll have to read to find out! - and techniques used in other cultures during labour and birth (I spent a lot of time during my labour under my duvet in my very own Boab tree). It even has a whole chapter on the effective inclusion of your birthing partner so that they become a pivotal part in enhancing your birth experience. Even if I wasn't pregnant, I would have found this book a fascinating and empowering read!

This is a really practical, down to earth guide to help you prepare for the birth. It gives you loads of exercises, case studies and practical tips including breathing, relaxation, visualisation and self hypnosis techniques.

It does not baffle you with terminology, making it easy to read.