Today is World Hypnobirthing Day!
As flowers begin to bloom and our days become longer, we welcome a time for new beginnings. We are greeted with fertility and birth, both from Mother Nature and our own personal growth. March 21st marks the beginning of Spring and a day to globally celebrate World Hypnobirthing Day.
“World Hypnobirthing Day is a day for all hypnobirthing parents, teachers and programmes to come together and celebrate this life-changing education.”
— Tamara Cianfini, Founder of The Wise Hippo & World Hypnobirthing Day.
Tamara chose the 21st March as WHD due to resonating with the symbolic meaning of Spring and also as a representation of her own personal birthing journey with her daughter Alana who turns 15 today. After the trauma of her firstborn, Tamara’s second birth opened her eyes to new and unimaginable possibilities, a reason why many pregnant couples also turn to hypnobirthing the second time around. In honour of WHD, we want to dive deep into all things hypnobirthing and celebrate this beautiful birthing method.
History of Hypnobirthing
Turn back the hands of time to the early 1920s when Dr Grantley Dick-Read explored the "Fear-Tension-Pain" cycle. He suggested that fear causes a woman to become tense, and that tension increases pain that in turn, increases fear, and the cycle repeats. Dick-Read suggested interrupting this cycle in two ways:
- Reduce fear by educating women about what is happening during childbirth
- Reduce tension by promoting relaxation, thus reducing the pain.
Drawing from this theory, an amazing woman named Marie Mongan coined the phrase ‘HypnoBirthing’ when her daughter, Moira birthed the very first ‘hypnobirthing baby’ in 1990. Tamara met and trained with Marie Mongan in 2007 long before The Wise Hippo was born in 2013.
“I know it is possible to have a pain free birth because I had one however this is never something we can ever promise. There certainly is a lot of power in knowing that it is possible for some to achieve a birth like this and for those that join a future Wise Hippo course they will witness firsthand Wise Hippo parents using the techniques to stay calm and relaxed as they birth their babies smiling and sometimes even laughing.”
— Tamara Cianfini
What is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing aims to help parents deal with any fear or anxiety they have around pregnancy, birth and parenthood. It involves various relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques to help relax the body before and during labour and birth. The idea is that when the body and mind are in a completely relaxed state, birth can happen more easily and more comfortably.
Hypnobirthing parents learn to embrace the unexpected and feel prepared to handle anything that crosses their path on the day.
Preparing for birth with hypnobirthing
Hypnobirthing has come a long way, especially over recent years with more and more parents choosing to educate themselves with this beautiful birthing method. Awareness is growing with more and more midwives recommending it and more and more celebrities endorsing it. Not only does The Wise Hippo birthing programme prepare you for ‘the right birth on the day' - it also gives parents tools and techniques that can calm them down in any and all situations. Whether it’s stress related to parenting or something personal you are going through yourself, you’ll have a deep understanding of how to explore your emotions and take time to respond mindfully rather than react without thinking.
Benefits of hypnobirthing
The beauty of hypnobirthing delivers an array of benefits and has had a huge positive impact on many families worldwide. Let’s take a closer look at the perks of hypnobirthing as these passionate hypnobirthing teachers share why they love to teach it so much:
Our Mental Health Mission
Hypnobirthing will ensure that new parents are in the best place mentally by removing any lingering fears and worries before starting their parenting journey.
Mental Health and wellbeing is important to us and it is one of the main reasons why we choose to teach this particular type of education. Everything we teach is transferable to life in general and this is the true value of this kind of education. We love receiving stories years down the line how the techniques have helped parents remain emotionally in control when dealing with their children. Wise Hippo parents also share this knowledge with their own children when they are old enough to understand the importance of their thoughts and feelings. The Wise Hippo ‘Thought exchange’ and ‘Cloak of protection' are particularly popular tools to master for any school age child.
“We go beyond preparing you for a positive birth experience…The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme will empower you and your birth partner with the wisdom and insight to guide you towards achieving the right birth on the day. We are here for you every step of the way, offering emotional support and tools for life as you welcome your precious baby into the world with confidence and Trust.”
— Tamara Cianfini
When the entire hypnobirthing community comes together on this one day we can and we will create more awareness for all. Hypnobirthing should not be something that we stumble across purely by chance; it is life-changing wisdom and knowledge that all parents need to know about. Let's work together and share the joys of hypnobirthing on this very special day!
Happy World Hypnobirthing Day!
The Wise Hippo x