Choosing Your Hypnobirthing Course Carefully

The Importance of Informed Choice

With so much choice in the world these days, it’s becoming increasingly important to inform yourself so you make the right decisions, especially when you are investing your time and money.

That’s why, when you first start looking into Hypnobirthing, it’s important to look for a Teacher/course that is well established and accredited by the Royal College of Midwives, so you are aware and properly informed when comparing different Hypnobirthing courses in your area.

The Importance of Affiliation

HypnoBirthing was first introduced by Marie Mongan in the US in 1989 and the word HypnoBirthing is a registered trademark in the US, so clients over there know exactly what they are signing up to.  There is no trademark here in the UK, so in this country, anyone can put together a programme and call it ‘Hypnobirthing’.

This is important to understand. I am extremely passionate about ensuring the best possible birth experiences for my clients – they always come first.  Not convenience, not profits, but what is best for the parents I teach and their babies.  And on more than one occasion over the years, I have been contacted by parents who have attended un-affliated ‘Hypnobirthing’ courses and found their experience lacking so they have to seek further teaching and support.  Not everyone is clear in their marketing about whether they are offering a full Hypnobirthing course or simply Hypnosis for Childbirth, which is completely different (more on this in a mo).

The Importance of Blogging

With such an important investment of your time and money, this has compelled me to write this blog and highlight the issue to parents who won’t necessarily know the difference between all the different advertised Hypnobirthing courses in their area.

For me, the most important aspect of teaching Hypnobirthing is ensuring the parents who attend my courses get the best and most up to date information, as well as being taught a full KGHypnobirthing course correctly – the UK’s leading and most popular Hypnobirthing offering, fully accredited by the Royal College of Midwives.

The KGH Accredited Teacher logo on my website tells you that I am fully approved and certified by the KGHypnoBirthing, which means you can have the security of knowing I will teach you the full KGHypnoBirthing course that has been helping couples in the UK for over 15 years. The course is designed to ensure you have all the tools necessary to help you have a better, more comfortable and empowering birth experience.

The Importance of Time Management 

Some practitioners disagree with the principle of 4 weekly classes and will offer weekend ‘crash’ courses, or reduce the course to just 2 or 3 extended sessions, but experience and evidence shows that parents often struggle to take on all the information when the course is condensed and can have a less successful birth outcome as a result.  That is why I only offer condensed courses to couples who really need them (those who start the course after 36 weeks pregnant) and I don’t offer ‘crash’ courses routinely.

Hypnobirthing is not a simple ‘attend the sessions and you’ll be fine’ course – parents need time to understand and practice the techniques over the 4 weeks, with full support from me as their teacher along the way, and their practice continues during and after the course right up to the birth.  So, unless there are special circumstances or you are signing up to Hypnobirthing within your last month of pregnancy, think carefully if your busy life and commitments tempt you to do a shorter course – consider your investment and the benefit of this in the long run.

The Importance of Clarity

And most importantly, look carefully at what the course involves and includes if you are considering a Hypnobirthing course by a practitioner who is not affiliated to a proper Hypnobirthing organisation as it may not be a full and proper Hypnobirthing course at all, but simply Hypnosis for Childbirth sessions that lack all of the antenatal and birth education a full Hypnobirthing course gives you and often does not include any of the proper breathing or relaxation techniques.  That’s fine if that’s what you’re looking for, but misleading if the practitioner calls it ‘Hypnobirthing’ and you don’t understand the difference.

I experienced the HypnoBirthing – The Mongan Method myself and had a wonderful birth as a result and I continue to see amazing and inspiring births with the couples I teach, furthering my offering with affiliation to the UK’s best Hypnobirthing programme, KGHypnobirthing.  I am proud to display KGH logo and confident that the Hypnobirthing Courses you will experience with me will give you confidence and allow you to have the best birth experience possible.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like any more information on the options out there and the differences that will make your choice an informed one – whatever you decide and whoever you choose to book with.