From what I have read on Hypnobirthing it seems to be an odd combination of things that are completely common sense and helpful strategies and stuff that sounds very much like new age hippy poop (in spite of how I look with all the tie-dye I eat meat, don't vote for the green party and homeopathy is just water!!!).
But the things that sound like great advice and common sense are the bits that I'm going to focus on, and hopefully will use successfully when having my little baby.
The basic concept behind it (from what I understand) is that fear of childbirth and in childbirth makes all your muscles tense up, which makes birthing painful, which makes you more scared which in turn leads to even more pain...it's a vicious cycle which makes your baby distressed and you worn out and in need of even more medical intervention. So a lot of hypnobirthing is about relaxation and breathing techniques along with meditative visualizations designed to make you relax and take control of your body to help ease your birthing and help you give birth naturally without any pain killers or other medical interventions. So it recommends things like, giving birth in a low light room, with relaxing music playing, and a supportive 'birthing partner' at your side to help guide your meditation. It says if possible use a birth pool because warm water helps alleviate discomfort and means you can comfortably hold yourself in positions that are easiest to give birth in, like squatting or being on all fours.
Hypnobirthing makes the point that being pregnant and giving birth are natural things, they are things women's bodies are built for, so they shouldn't be treated like a sickness or medical emergency, and that women in other countries that don't have such access to hospitals and medical treatment give birth a lot easier (this bit I am dubious about, and want to see the statistics on infant mortality and death in labor in the third world, because it smacks to me of 'noble savage' mentality.)
It also encourages you to bond with your baby before birth and put yourself in your babies place, to think about the food you are eating, the things your baby is hearing, the kind of atmosphere around you. And it encourages you to start your bonding as soon after birth as possible, to breast feed quickly and have skin on skin contact with your baby.
It encourages mothers and birth partners to question doctors and nurses during birth, so your not rushed or pressured into making decisions your not happy with later and aren't the best for you and your baby, but at the same time to know the signs for when you do need to accept medical intervention.
I have to admit though, a lot of the things that I've read about are also things that are encouraged by the NHS, so a lot of this is being accepted into the mainstream. For example, the birthing center near us has several birthing pools, birthing balls and birthing stools to sit on, and rooms so that you and your partner and your baby can stay over in, so you don't need to be separated after birth. I am slightly dubious when hypnobirthing promises a pain free birth...but I do think it's worth a shot, and I'm going to give it a go, just working from what I can get from books unfortunately, as the cheapest hypnobirthing classes we could find were £170!
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