Natal Hypnotherapy™ Manchester

 

Dot Parry 

Understanding Natal Hypnotherapy™ from a Midwives Perspective

Dot has been a midwife since 1998 and has a wealth of experience in providing midwifery care for families in hospital, in their communities, in the lovely birth centre at Salford Royal (Hope) Hospital and at home. Dot qualified has a Natal Hypnotherapy™ Practitioner in 2007 and runs sessions for women and couples in groups and on a one to one basis. Here are her top tips to help midwives to support a Natal Hypnotherapy Mum.

Dot Parry's Top Tips for Midwives

• Relax -the mum will tell you what she needs from you.
• Triggers - mums might have special phrases and physical cues which help them to sink in to hypnosis at the beginning of a contraction. Their birth partner can help them with these.
• Music -Natal Hypnotherapy™ mums might choose to listen to the NH Birth Music -it reminds them of their pregnancy hypnosis sessions and act as a powerfully relaxing trigger. You can leave it on repeat.
• Peace and quiet make it easier for her to let go -only talk when you need to support a calming environment -dim the lights, keep the room warm, maintain her privacy, sit rather than stand.
• Keep the clock out of her line of sight if you can.
• Hypnosis works in high tech situations too - encourage the mum to keep using her techniques even if she needs assistance -it will keep her and her baby calm and well oxygenated.
• Use positive language whenever you can -"good, strong, powerful contractions", "beautifully relaxed", "strong woman". You can use the words "pain" and "push" with NH mums but you probably don't need to.
• If she seems to be overwhelmed by the sensations maybe she is nearly there? Maybe she just needs a little time, support and encouragement to allow her endorphin level to rise and help her with increasingly powerful contractions? We talk about passing through a periods of “self doubt” and she will have practiced how to manage these emotions.You know how to handle this - buy a little time, encourage her to sip some juice/eat a little/go for a wee, tell her she's brilliant.
• Be prepared for lovely surprises: It can be more difficult to "read" where an NH mum is at in her labour by her behaviour. I sometimes can't see when the contractions are unless I sit beside the mum and watch her belly rise and fall.

• If she says her baby is coming get ready to catch!