• About Hypnobirthing

    Working with nature to achieve the birth you desire

  • Hypnobirthing

    "It is my experience that the issues which affect pregnancy and childbirth are the same the world over and that the presence or absence of fear is the single-most important determinant of birthing outcomes. I am thrilled to have discovered this program and to have the opportunity to help so many expectant mothers. I would love to help you"

    Brenda

     

    Having a baby is one of life's greatest gifts. The ability to create, nurture and birth a brand new human being is nothing short of a miracle. Yet, when many women think about the process of giving birth, fear of pain (and how to avoid it) is at the forefront of their minds. Many women have come to believe that this is just part of childbirth. Hypnobirthing takes a different approach: that birth is a natural and non medical event which is not to be feared but rather embraced. Though practiced deep breathing, visualizations and positive affirmations together with prompts from their partners and labor comfort measures mothers can train their brain to elicit a deep relaxation response on demand.

     

    Workshops are delivered each month by Brenda Harkin, registered midwife and registered Hypnobirthing Practitioner (Mongan Method)

    Why Hypnobirthing

    Empowerment from within
    Focusing on the mind-body-spirit connection you will learn to trust your own innate wisdom and your ability to achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth. You will learn to create the outcomes you desire and develop the confidence to achieve them.

     

    Calm pregnancy

    Learn highly effective techniques to achieve a relaxed, uncomplicated pregnancy. Stress produces chemical reactions in the body which can lead to complications such as high blood pressure, P.E.T. and preterm labour. Through hypnosis you will learn to release the fears, worries and anxieties which cause stress.

     

    Calm Baby
    Use deep relaxation techniques to help protect, support and nourish your baby. Catecholamines, the hormones produced by stress, can cause tension in your body and reduce the blood flow to your baby. They cross the placenta and can impede your baby’s growth (Intra Uterine Growth Retardation). Hypnobirthing babies have healthier growth rates and higher APGAR scores. Care providers report that hypnobirthing babies are of a very calm disposition, feed well and settle better.
     

    Shorter labour
    Learn simple but powerful techniques to enhance the natural physiological process of labour. Labour has a natural rhythm and flow. Breathing and visualization techniques enable you to work with your body and your baby to enhance, rather than resist this process, resulting in significantly shorter first and second stages of labour.

     

    Calm, Comfortable and even pain-free birth
    Fears around pregnancy and childbirth lead to resistance in the body producing tension and unnecessary pain. This is referred to as the Fear Tension Pain Syndrome. When you are relaxed, let go of fear and trust in your ability to give birth, labour is calm, more comfortable and even pain free. Many women even enjoy their experience.

     

    Empowering Dads
    A hypnobirthing dad has a central and clearly defined role both leading up to and during birth. As a couple you will learn and practice hypnosis techniques. He too will learn to release any fears and anxieties as you prepare to birth your baby together. You will watch him grow in confidence as he learns valuable techniques to support you. Hypnobirthing women consistently report high rates of satisfaction with their partners in pregnancy and during birth.

     

    Drug-free baby
    Using HypnoBirthing during labor helps mums avoid exposing their babies to any pain medications. This leaves them alert for early feeding and gives them the best possible start in life
     

    Confidence to avoid unnecessary interventions
    By asking the right questions at the right time, HypnoBirthing families are often able to avoid interventions. In the event that intervention is necessary, hypnobirthing gives them confidence because they have knowledge of alternatives, and are often more satisfied with their birth experience as a result.

     

    Calm in special circumstances
    Ensure the best possible outcome for you and your baby. Learn techniques to keep you calm in the unlikely event that pregnancy or labour takes an unexpected pathway.

     

    Life skills
    You will gain understanding of the laws of the mind and the power of your thoughts to create both positive and negative change in your life. This knowledge, along with the instant relaxation and deepening techniques taught in the course, are an invaluable tool for relieving stress in everyday life and helping you achieve optimal health.

     

    Hypnobirthing recognizes the desire of all women to have a safe, gentle, and satisfying birthing experience for themselves and their babies. It promotes relationships: between mother and baby, between the mother and her partner and between baby and father. It is about empowering women from within and helping them to call upon and trust their natural birthing instincts.

     

    The birthing partner has a pivotal role in the process. He is no longer an observer but an active participant, an advocate for the mother, a guide, a coach and above all a father.

     

    “A calm birth is the right of every baby and perhaps the best gift a mother can give to her baby”,

    Marie Mongan

     

    Use hypnosis to prepare your mind and body for birthing. Draw on your own innate wisdom and your natural ability to achieve a safe pregnancy and birth. Learn techniques to keep you and your baby calm in any situation.

    Fear leads to Tension Leads to Pain

    Hypnobirthing is based on the hypothesis that normal birth has a natural rhythm and flow. That mother’s and baby’s bodies are perfectly designed to achieve a natural birth. When a woman trusts in her ability to give birth and when fear is absent, the muscles of the uterus like all other muscle groups of the body work in perfect synchrony and pain is diminished or even absent. Labour when left to unfold is quicker, more comfortable and even pain-free.

     

    “We don’t promise births that are completely free of discomfort but we firmly believe that comfortable birthing is possible for 95 percent of birthing mothers through this philosophy and program”. MARIE MONGAN (founder of Hypnobirthing)

    Fear or worry activates the body’s primal fight or flight causing the production of stress hormones. Tension in the mother’s body, creates resistance in the uterine muscles leading to pain, slowing or even stopping labour. The phenomenon was first identified as ‘fear tension pain syndrome’ in 1946 by prominent obstetrician Dr Dick Reid. Stress effects the unborn baby as stress hormones enter the fetal bloodstream via the placenta, altering the distribution of baby’s blood flow and causing fetal distress.

     

    Relaxation supports the normal physiology of labour by inhibiting the fight or flight response and promoting the woman’s own production of hormones, principally endorphins.

     

    You would not dream of doing a marathon without training. Why leave your birthing to chance? Learn everything you need to know about pregnancy and childbirth from a registered and experienced midwife. Take control of your pregnancy and be confident to make the best choice for you, your baby and your family. Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method is a complete antenatal education program with a registered midwife and much more.

    Benefits

    No matter what the circumstances, hypnobirthing will help. Maintaining a healthy mind and body and eliminating stress will help you achieve the normal pregnancy and birth that you desire. Learning hypnosis techniques will help you and your baby keep calm throughout pregnancy and during labour. Mothers are more confident, more in control and less fearful and anxious before and during the birth. They also report high rates of satisfaction with their birthing partner’s level of participation, more energy and feeling very calm both during and after giving birth.They experience shorter stages of labour, dramatically reduced need for medical interventions, higher rates of breastfeeding and stronger bonding after birth.

     

    Hypnobirthing is not only about producing babies. It creates strong, confident mothers, who learn instinctively to trust their own innate wisdom and the ability to achieve a healthy pregnancy and birth.

  • What We Do

    Two short video clips from Brenda

    About Hypnobirthing

    An overview from Brenda on what to expect from hypnobirthing.

    Brenda Harkin Live on Rte Radio 1 - Ray D'Arcy Show

    Brenda chatting with Ray on the topic of Homebirths, Hypnobirthing and Women's Choice in relation to birth.

  • About your Hypnobirthing Course

    During the hypnobirthing course you and your partner will learn to access the calm response and block stress. Drawing from hypnosis, mindfulness, meditation, sports psychology and NLP hypnobirthing teaches you techniques which calm your body and your baby protecting you from the harmful effects of stress. Research shows that preparation and education are key to achieving positive birth outcomes. I will walk you through the physiological processes and different pathways as labour unfolds and what to do when faced with sometimes difficult decisions. I will provide you with up to date best practice research. I will offer you support throughout your journey if you wish to seek extra advice or assistance. In the end I wish you a joyful and positive birth experience and I hope that you will share your journey with others so that they too may benefit from a calm birth.

     

    Course content:

    • How the mind works and how the body responds to it

    • Tapping into your body's natural hormones

    • How your baby develops and what (s)he might experience

    • Physiology of the three stages of labour

    • Self hypnosis for relaxation

    • Breath-work for birth

    • Visualizations and affirmations for labour

    • Partners role and how your partner can support you

    • Fear release

    • Understanding and negotiating the hospital system

    • Induction of labour-what is it, why does it happen  and how can we work with the process

    • Natural means of induction

    • Protecting your perineum

    • Breathing your baby down

    • Delayed cord clamping and why it matters

    • Birthing your placenta

    • The fourth trimester

    • Breastfeeding

    • Formulating your birth plan

    Hypnobirthing is a full antenatal program and reimbursable by healthcare insurance when taught by a midwife. Check with your provider. Non insurance rate available. Workshops are delivered each month by Brenda Harkin, registered midwife and registered Mongan Practitioner.

     

    Weekend workshops are delivered on the first Saturday and Sunday of each month. Evening courses available on demand (2.5 hours a week over 5 weeks).

    Benefits

    Hypnobirthing can help you to maintain a healthy mind and body and so help to reduce the risk of complications in both pregnancy and birth. While there is no guarantee of a pain free birth, mothers do report higher levels of comfort in labour and less after-pains. Rates of epidural are reduced as are births by vacuum and cesarean section and labour is shorter (both first and second stages). Hypnobirthing mothers report feeling more confident, more in control and less fearful and anxious before and during the birth. They also report high rates of satisfaction with their birthing partner’s level of participation. feeling more energetic and calm both during and after giving birth and satisfaction with breastfeeding and bonding.

  • Upcoming Courses

    Hypnobirthing Online: 2 day course with midwife and hypnotherapist

    Hypnobirthing Online: 2 day course with midwife and hypnotherapist

    This is a standalone birth preparation course with midwife and physiological birth expert. It is packed with information, research, nueroscience and practical tips. It will give you everything you need for your birth, regardless of whether its your first of fifth baby, or you are planning a natural or medical birth.

    View more details...
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  • “A calm birth is the right of every baby and perhaps the best gift a mother can give to her baby”, Marie Mongan