Yay, you’re pregnant! Where do you go from here?

You’ve intensely stared at that test and had those long awaited double pink lines appear, you’ve done the blood test and you may have even had your dating scan by now and you are well & truly pregnant… congratulations! You have approximately 8 months till that beautifully perfect little human is placed into your arms and you get to love it for the rest of your life.

Early pregnancy can seem like a whirlwind of building excitement, appointments, planning and organisation for what is to come. While you will be kept pretty busy for a while, there is an end game here, and that is birth. I believe it is essential to first consider how you want to give birth before taking any other planning steps because this visualisation will influence other decisions along the way, for example, where you want to give birth and who you want to attend your birth.

It is best not to just “wing it” if you want your version of a positive birth outcome. If you don’t know your options, well then, you don’t have any.

When you visualise your birth, use these questions to guide you:

• What does a positive birth look like to you?
• How do you feel about your birth?
• Do you have fears/worries? Where do you think they stem from?
• Have you been conditioned to think of birth in a certain way?
• What tools or resources might you need for your best birth?

It can be difficult when you’re pregnant to navigate a maternity system that doesn’t always give clear direction, nor give priority to the birth Mother’s emotional safety. You might at this point be feeling a little overwhelmed or anxious and that is normal and OK!

It is vital for all women to achieve their version of a positive birth no matter the circumstances, so if you haven’t yet thought about it, consider Hypnobirthing!

Hypnobirthing is a comprehensively researched and evidence based antenatal program that is leading the way in educating women and their birth partners in everything from birth and anatomy to labour strategies and effective pain management. Best thing is, Hypnobirthing caters to all births and all birthing women!

Hypnobirthing has 4 foundation areas to prepare you and your birth partner(s) for your positive birth:

Knowledge – Informing you about your choices, instilling confidence through learning and teaching about the body and birth process.

Tools – Your birth tool kit will include things such as breathing, self-hypnosis, light touch, massage, affirmations, acupressure, and visualisations.

Support – Finding care providers that are supportive of your choices, coaching your birth partner on their role and your Hynobirthing Practitioner continuing to support your journey.

Preparation – Giving you the resources and education to practice the tools and techniques.

When you see the big picture first, you can then get to work on the little details.

I want to inspire a positive birth that is uniquely you. If Hypnobirthing sounds like it aligns with you, click here to find a practitioner closest to you or click here for more information about our online birth program. 

This blog is written by Cassie Cuthell who is both a Training Manager and a Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner in New South Wales, Penrith. CLICK HERE for more details. 

For all other locations for face-to-face classes  find your closest Practitioner here.

We also have online options available. Click here for further info.