As the founder of Natal Hypnotherapy I thought it would be useful to add in my thoughts on the differences. As I have not done a Hypnobirthing course I can not compare it exactly, I can only explain what we do.
I started Natal Hypnotherapy here in the UK 8 years ago with the Natal Hypnotherapy CDs and then the courses (started 6 years ago around the same time that HypnoBirthing came to the UK). The approach is very much about building a mum's confidence and trust in her ability to give birth. It is not at all about promising a pain free, perfect birth - it is more about helping couples to overcome fear, increasing your belief and feeling positive which in turn has been proven to help women have a better birth.
In addition the approach is based on helping mums to give birth in the UK maternity system and to work with the medical team to get the best outcome for the mum. I have trained hundreds of midwives around the UK and am constantly learning from them, so that our courses are adapted to fit with current research. In addition we are supported by over 2000 midwives and antenatal teachers who regularly ask for brochures on Natal Hypnptherapy.
Our courses are held over 2 days, over 4 sessions or as one to one sessions fitting in around the couples schedule, giving couples the maximum choice.
As each birth is unique and couples want different things, the content of our courses and the scripts we use are tailored to each couple rather than using fixed scripts so that each couple can individualise their hypnosis and relaxation techniques.
We do not expect a couple or their attendant midwives to change their language or use different words eg "surge" intstead of contraction. We teach couples to build the best rapport with midwives, as we know that a good relationship with a midwife can make all the difference.
We get continuous feedback from the mums who attend our courses and we know that the birth outcomes are far better than the national average - the c-section rate of course attendees is around 10% compared the the national average of 23%. However more importantly than that, 98% of our mums feel that they have really benefitted from using Natal Hypnotherapy.
Of course we also have the stand alone CDs which many women on mumsnet use and get great benefit from them. Over 20,000 women have now used them and again their feedback shows they have a really positve effect. My goal is for all women to have the ability to benefit from Natal Hypnotherapy - We have a recylcing scheme with Sure start so women who have finished with the CDs donate them back to us and we send them on to Surestart to give to mums who may not be able to afford them.
There are several approaches of Hypnosis to Childbirth and they are all growing in popularity which is great. The more women use hypnosis for birth the more the word will spread that women can do something positive about their birth preparation and hopefully, women will become less and less frightened about birth.
Hope that helps clarify what Natal Hypnotherapy is all about.