Together, we are going to look at:
- Hypnobirth essentials for a positive experience
- How your birth partner can support you in your birth
- What hypnobirthing teaches us about your body and your baby
- Hypnobirth work you can do together with your birth partner
Your birth partner and their role in labour for a positive birth
Being a birth partner is one of the most important jobs to a labouring mum. The birth partner is essential in creating a positive birth experience so that all of the hypnobirthing work that has been done in pregnancy can come to fruition during labour.
Women have been supported during birth for centuries. Yes we can labour alone but we would have been supported by women in the community who would have gathered round when labour began. Labour normally kicks off at night and so women would be called to the home of the woman in labour to provide emotional and physical support.
In our modern day, the vast majority of us give birth in hospital and this means that we select someone to be present during the birth. This can be your partner, your friend, a member of your family or even a neighbour – it can be anyone who makes you feel safe, calm and comfortable.
What hypnobirthing teaches us about your body and your baby
Hypnobirthing teaches us the power of our incredible bodies and how they are designed to give birth. It teaches us the process of labour, how your hormones work and what you need to do to enable a positive birth experience. The Butterbean hypnobirthing course covers everything you need to know from how labour starts to when to head to hospital. We also cover feeding, newborn behaviour and how to manage things if your plan doesn’t work out. By taking a hypnobirthing course you are giving yourself the best chance at a positive birth experience!
Your birth partner’s role in hypnobirthing is essential. They can learn a lot from taking a hypnobirthing course with you so that they understand what might happen and how they can best support you. Long gone are the days of the birth partner pacing the halls waiting for the first cry – the birth partner is one of the most important jobs to a labouring woman.
The hypnobirthing work you can do together with your birth partner
Here are 5 ways you and your birth partner can do your hypnobirthing work together so that when in the birting room the birthing person can maintain focus and deep relaxation:
- Giving you time and space to listen to your hypnosis tracks. The more you listen, the more it’ll help you, but it can often be hard to find the time to spend 40 odd minutes laying down in deep relaxation. Your birth partner can help you by taking some of your to-do list off your hands, so while you relax and practise hypnosis – they crack on with the to-do list!
- Knowing the way to the hospital – whether you plan on having a hospital birth or not, knowing the way there is useful to know, just in case. Your birth partner is responsible for getting you there and so knowing the route and having a full tank of petrol is pretty important. This is one less thing for you to worry about which will help you to concentrate on birth instead of giving directions.
- Packing the bag – the person who is having the baby often is the one who packs the bag – makes sense, it’s all their stuff. But what happens when you’re in the middle of birth and you want something from your bag but your birth partner can’t find it? Well – annoyance, that’s what! Lay everything out, but don’t pack it. Let your birth partner pack the bag! This way, they’re much more likely to remember where everything is.
- Knowing your birth plan!! This is so important. Your partner needs to be involved in writing the birth preferneces so they can understand your wishes and be your advocate during birth.
- Blocking out horror stories. People love theatrics – and they love telling pregnant women all about what could go wrong. Your birth partner can stand up for you by suggesting that you may not want to know!
Preparing for a positive birth experience with your birth partner
It is absolutley vital in hypnobirthing that your birth partner takes the hypnobirthing course with you. By taking the course with you, you will be working as a team to understand the process of labour and prepare to be parents together.
During birth, you need to be deeply relaxed so that your hormones can flow and work to birth your baby. This is likely to make your birth experience more manageable and less painful which can result in lower chances of birth trauma and higher chances of being able to breastfeed. You cannot be deeply relaxed if your birth partner doesn’t take charge of your birth preferences plan. They need to advocate for you and be your cheerleader.
Whether your hypnobirthing course is in person or online, your birth partner will be encouraged to do the course too and then take charge of the birthing room when the big day arrives!
Videos to watch with your birth partner to prepare for a positive birth experience
Watching videos of a baby being born can give a good insight into how hypnobirthing birth works. Your birth partner or a birth partner might benefit from a hypnobirth taster in the form of videos on YouTube. This will help them to understand how birth works and how it can look very differernt from what we see on TV. Whether you’re partner is a hypnobirthing mother or a hypnobirthing father, they can support you both emotionally and physically when the big day comes. And what can they do in advance of birth? They can help with deciding what to pack and when to head to hospital (if that’s where you plan on giving birth!).
To help your birth partner prepare for birth, we have linked a video below of a physiological homebirth where the birth partner plays a key role!
How hypnobirthing can empower you and your birth partner
Hypnobirtyhing opens and window for dads, mums, partners – whoever is supporting you during birth. The window gives them a sneak peek into what birth might look like and opens their eyes to how different it is to what they might expect.
Birth partners have the potential to make or break a birth – they are SO important for a positive experience. Having a birth partner present who is able to calm and soothe the birthing person will enable hormones to flow, dilation to progress and for the baby to be born without complications.
If a birth partner make the mum feel uncomfortable or unsafe then that will impact birth which could mean that unnecessary medical interventions are introduced. Avoiding this is so important for the mums physical and mental health. Hypnobirthing will help the birth partner know how to support the labouring woman throughout birth.
Your birth partners role in hypnobirthing
No matter how many weeks pregnant you are, you and your birth partners can take a hypnobirthing course. You can learn the positive impact of hypnobirthing in just a few days! Your birth partners role in hypnobirthing is to keep you calm and relaxed. They do this by taking charge of:
- Take a hypnobirth course with you
- Helping to pack the hospital bag
- Driving you to hospital (if that’s where you plan to give birth)
- Setting up the space you plan to give birth in
- Holding your hand and reminding you to breathe
- Coaching you through transition
- Telling you you’re amazing!
- Protecting the mother and baby diad immediatley after birth
The NHS has some very helpline tips for birth partners. Click here to see them!
In summary, hypnobirth courses can help your birth partner to feel positive about birth and to understand the process and their role. We want you to feel calm and in control of our body and your birth so that when you become parents it’s with a sense of joy and not sheer shock.
If you would like to take an online course with your partner then be sure to check out the Butterbean hypnobirthing course which is linked below. We include all of the tools your partner needs to feel confident and in control. You can watch all of the videos at your own pace and contact a midwife in the UK whenever you have questions or concerns. Head to the menu to shop our courses today.
Share this article with the mum, dad, neighbour or best friend who you plan on having with you during the birth of your baby.