Hypnobirthing book

[nk1605]

Can anyone recommend a good book on hypnobirthing? Classes are quite expensive but I am really keen to try it. This is my 2nd pregnancy and I'm suffering quite a bit of anxiety this time round. Didn't have a particularly traumatic birth with my first, but I went to the hospital with the first contraction as I was so scared! So I would really like to try and manage things myself as far as possible this time before going in.

The Hypnobirthing Book by Katharine Graves is brilliant. You can get tips and relaxations on YouTube and the book comes with a relaxation MP3.

Best of luck!

Plus, if you speak to a local teacher they may be able to help with the cost. If you are feeling anxious about it then a face to face class would be really beneficial.

Sometimes they can offer discounts for testimonials etc.

Some also do Skype courses for a big discounted rate.

Thanks @usernomnomnom! I'll look into that book and also see if any local teachers about. To be honest I would prefer a face to face class but they seem to generally be upwards of £200

I definitely know that some teachers work via Skype for less than £200, and you get the same benefits as a face to face course. I've seen some prices around £150-£180. Also I have seen some online based KGH courses for around £90.

Perhaps worth having a look on the KGH website for a local teacher? There's a lot of them around and you really do get more from the personal interaction, you get to ask lots of questions etc.

The Calm Birth School book is good. I’d bear in mind that all hypnobirthing is, is mindfulness and breathing techniques applied to pain/labour so could look into that too. I don’t think you need a course unless you really wanted to but that’s your preference :)

I would agree with pp that mindfulness is also a really good place to start. I can recommend Mindful Hypnobirthing by Sophie Fletcher as a good way to explore both. It really addresses anxiety and fear around childbirth and how to reframe birth differently from our very western/modern view of glorifying the horror stories and wearing them like a badge of honour to terrify others.