"Birth is normal, natural, and healthy; it is not a medical event, HypnoBirthing® is not about science; it is not about anatomy; it is not about obstetricians or midwives or even childbirth educators. It's about mothers and fathers and babies - it's about families and respect for their rights and wishes to bring their babies into the world in a gentle and calm way. It's about making birthing 'better natured' for women and their babies." HypnoBirthing philosophy is rooted in the way that birthing was practised in ancient times – as a celebration of life. The inspiration for HypnoBirthing came from the work of English obstetrician Dr. Grantly Dick-Read in the early twentieth century. His principles and the work that he did to forward natural childbirth are also the foundation of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). Dr. Dick-Read noticed that women who were calm and had positive expectations of birth, tended to experience less pain than women who were frightened. Dr. Dick-Read hypothesized that the fear felt by a woman during childbirth caused blood to be diverted away from her uterus, so it could be used by the muscles for defence. As a result, the uterus was left without oxygen and could not perform its functions efficiently or without pain. This belief led to Dr. Dick-Read's theory that fear and tension actually cause the labour pains in approximately 95 percent of birthing women. He termed this phenomenon "the fear-tension-pain syndrome of childbirth." He believed that by eliminating the fear, women could return the uterus to its normal function and thereby eliminate pain. Dick-Read was also one of the first physicians to encourage bringing fathers into the birthing room Marie Mongan combined Dick-Read's theories, her own experiences of childbirth, and her knowledge as a Master Hypnotherapist to create HypnoBirthing®. Since then, over 30,000 women worldwide have experienced easier births with HypnoBirthing®.
Marie Mongan 1992
"According to physiological law, all natural, normal functions of the body are achieved without peril or pain. Birth is a natural, normal physiological function for normal, healthy women and their healthy babies. It can, therefore, be inferred that healthy women, carrying healthy babies, can safely birth without peril or pain."
Dr Jonathan Dye, 1891.
Birthing is so integral with life - so common - that choices surrounding it often get relegated to chance. We tend to go along with what everyone else is doing, assuming that must be for the best. Living in a technological society, we tend to think that the best of everything is the most expensive kind available. This is generally true, whether we are talking about cell phones, cameras, cars or computers. When it comes to birth, it ain’t necessarily so.
Wendy Headon
wendyheadon@hypnobirthing-in-kent.co.uk
www.hypnobirthing-in-kent.co.uk
www.hypnotreat.co.uk
01304 360649
0791 2208 196
... covering South East Kent
home visits available
