Be prepared

A famous midwife Ina May Gaskin once said, “Whenever and however, you give birth, your experience will impact your emotions, your mind, your body, and your spirit for the rest of your life.”

Pregnancy and birth are one of life’s miracles with the arrival of a new baby being particularly precious however sadly, we often hear stories of women who have been far from happy with their birth finding the birthing process long and painful.

Sharon Magrath is founder of Pure Serenity Hypnobirthing (also part of Pure Serenity Life Coaching), who offers a preparation for birth course with Hypnobirthing. Hypnobirthing can help promote the release of natural hormones in labour which in turn helps ease discomfort during birth and can shorten the length of labour.

“What is Hypnobirthing?” I hear you say.

Hypnobirthing originates from an observation made in the 1930’s by a British obstetrician named Grantley Dick Reid. He noticed that when a woman was calm and relaxed during her labour, she required little or no pharmaceutical pain relief. Dr Reid went on to pioneer a childbirth programme that taught relaxation techniques to eliminate stress and fear of childbirth which is now known in different formats today as Hypnobirthing.

Hypnobirthing includes a full programme of antenatal education including the physiology of labour and potential variations of labour and birth. The course gives women and their birth partners information on what to expect and how to deal with complications should they arise. Simple relaxation techniques are taught and practiced by mothers and their birthing partner enabling them to remain calm and focussed throughout their birth. Birth partners have an important role to play and often feel more connected to their partner and confident in supporting the mother with her birth preferences as a result of attending the course.

It is important to note that Hypnobirthing is not pain relief or just for women who want a natural birth. The simple tools and techniques taught on the course help to reduce discomfort in labour and promote calm, these are tools that can be used for life and are relevant for every type of birth.

The benefits of attending an Antenatal Hypnobirthing course extend far beyond birth itself, helping women with other stressful and painful experiences and can help to promote emotional wellbeing.

Sharon (a former midwife and nurse) says, “I am passionate about supporting women and their partners to have a positive empowering birthing experience and believe this course offers huge opportunities for parents to take control and be confident in making informed choices about their birth. In my experience, women who prepare for birth and ask questions are more likely to feel relaxed during birth which in turn promotes the release of oxytocin, the hormone required for labour to progress effectively.”

The Antenatal Hypnobirthing course is offered online via zoom or face to face in a group or 1-2-1 setting. The course is approximately 8-10 hours and is currently offered one evening each week over a period of 4 weeks. The course can be started any time after a woman reaches 20 weeks pregnant.

A 20% discount will be available for couples booking in July and August.

Other services offered as part of Pure Serenity Life Coaching include:

• A 6-week mindfulness parenting course called Beyond Birth which aims to support the emotional well-being of parents.

• Individual Life Coaching

• The Birth Awareness 3 Step Process which supports women who have experienced birth trauma.

If you are interested in finding out more about any of the courses, contact Sharon on 07427 720520 or email pureserenity50@gmail.com Instagram @pureserenity_ hypnobirthing