Introduction to Hypnobabies
Welcome Reno/Tahoe/Carson Valley Moms-to-Be!
Imagine giving birth calmly and easily without medication... You can! Hypnobabies is a method of childbirth preparation that uses hypnotic techniques, imagery and visualization to teach the inner mind to eliminate pain and fear from the birthing experience. This is different from any other kind of hypnotherapy or childbirth education that is available!
Hypnobabies uses the same kind of hypnosis techniques that people employ when preparing for surgery without any medication, which is called hypno-anesthesia. My classes also teach our Hypnobabies Birth Partners how to fully support our Hypno-Moms, although Hypnobabies can also be used very successfully by single mothers.
Pregnancy is an amazing time of a woman's life when she becomes part of the miracle of birth. As a Hypnobabies instructor I am pleased to show women how to achieve a comfortable birthing using hypnosis. I offer my services to families from Reno/Tahoe/Carson Valley areas in Northern Nevada and California. I look forward to showing you how I can help make your pregnancy and birth a truly magical experience, that you will remember forever!
Why Choose Hypnobabies
- The Ultimate Reason: a calm, comfortable and easy natural birth!
- You and your partner will be more relaxed during pregnancy, labor and birth.
- Shorter labor due to lack of resistance in your birthing muscles.
- Fewer complications and interventions, as your body and mind stay completely relaxed during labor.
- Proper positioning of your baby during pregnancy and birth: Posterior and Breech babies can be turned with hypnosis.
- Fewer drugs or no drugs at all, means less risk of harmful side effects for you and your baby.
- Elimination of the Fear/Tension/Pain Cycle.
Yeah... but does it really work?
The following are statistics from our founder's class students over several years:
- Comfortable labors - 70-75% Women who report that they felt mostly pressure or tightening sensations. Most of these women describe their labor as "pain-free"
- Comfortable until transition - 10-15% Pressure only, until the 10-60 minute transitional period, with mild to intense degrees of sensation thereafter. "Very manageable."
- Comfortable until active labor - 10% with mild to intense degrees of sensation thereafter. This group can have any number of things that affect their birth experiences: posterior or mal-presentations that do not resolve, other labor complications, emotional issues, lack of support, or they simply did not do their homework (30 - 35 minutes a day)! Hypnosis won't help someone that is not willing to do the work involved in preparing for her baby's birth.
Why take a live Hypnobabies class?
There are many unique advantages to taking a live class. Here are some features that are exclusive to Hypnobabies classes!
- Instant feedback and personalized help from an experienced Hypnobabies instructor.
- Motivation, accountability and support from other expectant couples.
- Full LIVE practice of our Hypnobabies Lightswitch techniques, Peace cue, Release cue, Birth Partner's cues, and Moving Hypno-Anesthesia Around Your Body.
- In-depth Birthing Rehearsal using all Hypnobabies Techniques, Birth Balls, Walking, Positional Changes and Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis where our Hypno-Moms and Birth Partners practice their Hypnobabies cues and techniques together, in hypnosis, culminating with "giving birth" using Hypno-Anesthesia.
- Five Hypnobabies scripts in print and spiral bound so your partner can learn how to guide you into hypnosis and practice with you regularly.
- CD just for your partner: Birth Partner Be Calm & Confident
- Extra CD: Visualize Your Baby's Birth
HYPNOBABY: Conner
Jim and I were recommended to Hypnobabies by our friends Jim and Lori. I did not know anything at all about hypnosis for childbirth and I wasn't sure if it was something that could actually work. We decided to take the class and go for it. My attitude going in was: if it could help at all, it's better than nothing. Boy, was I in for a great experience that changed my whole view on the birth process. Our Hypnobabies class educated my husband and I on what procedures were unnecessary in the hospital. She equipped and empowered us to go into the hospital room and make decisions for ourselves. She encouraged us and helped me believe in myself, which gave me the confidence I needed to feel good about natural childbirth. The CDs and scripts she gave to Jim and me to listen to were great. At first it seemed like a lot to do but I soon looked at it as an opportunity to sit down and force myself to relax each day... I truly believe that our Hypnobabies class prepared me to have a smooth and gentle childbirth. When Conner was coming out, the feeling was incredible, knowing that my body was created to have this baby without any intervention. And because I was relaxed and ready, Conner was ready to come. Was it painless? Yes. Pain would never be a word I would use to describe my experience. It was beautiful!
--Karlene
HYPNOBABY: Valerie's Son
"...I did not need anything for pain because I did not feel any pain. So I'm living proof that it's true. You can give birth without so much as an aspirin. I did it thanks to the loving support of a trained doula and midwife, a supportive and engaged partner, and the mental tools (that came from my Hypnobabies practice) to have the birthing I was hoping for. The biggest gift I feel that I gave to myself and my son in this process was being fully present, in both mind and body, for the incredible experience of his birthing. It is my hope that all women can take back their own innate strength to empower themselves through their births, and this is one way to do it! Before I had my baby, there were plenty of people that were polite when I told them of my plans to deliver him "naturally" but clearly doubtful that I would actually be able to do it. After my incredible experience, no one in my circle is a skeptic any more. There are times I worry that my desire to share the tale of my son's birthing verges on religious zealotry, but when I hear women who have been so sadly disappointed by their less-than-empowering births (and there are so many!), I want every woman to have the opportunity to experience the birthing I did."
--Valerie
HYPNOBABY: Pilar's Son
My experience with Hypnobabies was great and I would like it if everybody could find a natural way like this one to bring their babies to this world because that is one of the best presents we can give them. I took a Hypnobabies class, which my husband and I loved, and practiced the scripts, Cds and finger-drop technique. It gave us time each day to concentrate on our baby's birth, and relax together. We both felt very confident and ready to enjoy our baby's birth! Nobody could believe it was so calm and comfortable, so fast and without any drugs or medical interventions, and even the doctor was late! I guess they thought the "labor" was going to take longer. So I had a healthy, beautiful little boy who arrived into this world with any drugs or any medical interventions and I enjoyed every moment of my birthing time, trusting in my body and in my mind. I wish every woman could do the same and give themselves this opportunity."
--Pilar Ocampo Varessi
HYPNOBABY: Abram
My first son was born nearly 6 years prior to Abram's birth. He was exactly 14 days overdue by the time he was born. I used Hypnobirth (Mongan method) during my pregnancy to prepare and also hired a Hypnobirthing doula. My birthing time began in a freestanding birth center. I stayed there for 24 hours. By the time I transferred to the hospital I had been "birthing" for about 30 hours. I was physically exhausted and desperately needed some rest. I received pitocin and an epidural. I was finally able to rest and sleep some. My son was born after 46 hours of total labor. It had been difficult due to the exhaustion, but was overall a very pleasant experience. I really enjoyed the actual "pushing" and felt absolutely elated when he was finally born. Although I really dreaded going to the hospital, the experience was still very wonderful. My doctor did not insist that I have a c-section even though many other doctors would have at that point. He gave me time and allowed me to rest and I was able to successfully push out a 9 lb. 4 oz. baby boy without even a tear or episiotomy. My recovery was wonderful and easy. I truly believed that without the hypnosis preparation I had my very long first birth would have been unbearable and probably ended in a c-section. My ability to cope with the difficulty had definitely been improved by my relaxation practice throughout pregnancy.
My second birth was starting out much the same way as my first.>>>
Click to read the rest of Abram's story.
Miya Mae: Lines of love!
HYPNOBABY: Mila
Hello dear all! Just to let you know, I gave birth to a beautiful baby Mila, my first baby/Hypnobaby! :)
Birth was amazing (although I did expect an amazing birth, this blew even my expectations) : at home, waterbirth, with my dear husband, a midwife and a doula.
It all started on 23rd of September, some gentle pressure waves, and I was just relaxing, talking to dear husband, getting some rest. Doula arrived around 11PM, midwife around midnight, and she did not really believe I was going to give birth anytime soon :). Of course, there were no standard signs that midwives look for : I could talk just fine, there was no "vocalization" and my body was pretty relaxed, although it was visible when I had pressure waves - just by looking at my belly. :)
My Hypnobabies CD was playing, and it even put my midwife in a meditative state, she was so relaxed, even fell asleep for a good hour. :)
Mila arrived at 4:44AM, and I enjoyed every minute of it - I was in the zone, remembered that I should push between pressure waves, and after couple of seconds I heard "wow, she's swimming!".. . Who is swimming ?- went through my head, I looked down, and in clear water saw a baby :) (did not even feel when she slipped out).
I'm still floating, 10,000 meters above Earth :)
Love,
Tamara Srdanovic (NYC)
Hypno-Articles
ARTICLE: A Woman's Nation: Reclaim Your Right To Birth Right
The times have truly changed. According to the newly released The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything, women now make up half the work force for the first time in written history! This means that our voices and skills are impacting all areas of society more than ever before. The Shriver Report also found that for both men and women, health is their number one priority! Since women make the vast majority of healthcare decisions in their families--and have the buying power to do it--we women are in a very powerful position to influence the future of healthcare in America. Nowhere is this more critical than in the area of pregnancy and birth.
As an obstetrician/gynecologist, I have spent the last 30 years educating women about the wisdom of their bodies, including their innate ability to birth normally. Yet our so-called healthcare system, which is a direct reflection of the beliefs of our culture, sees the female body and its processes (like labor) as an accident waiting to happen. Media images of birth as an emergency play right into this. The truth is that labor and birth need not be the emergencies we think they are. And the medicalization of birth actually does more harm than good.
Continue reading at HuffingtonPost.com...
Classes & Rates
2010 Hypnobabies Classes
Stay tuned for the next class date! Contact me to register or to request to join a future session!
Registration Details
Group classes are $400, which includes the Hypnobabies course materials:
- Your 175 page Hypnobabies workbook
- 7 CDs for the Hypno-Mom
- 1 CD for the Birth Partner
- The Hypnobabies Quick Reference Guide for Labor
- The Birth Partner's Guide Booklet
- 5 Hypnobabies scripts in a spiral bound book and quite a few other goodies! (a $140 retail value!).
Classes are limited to five couples to insure personal attention. The class series is six weeks, and a total of 18 hours... that is 40% more class time than other childbirth hypnosis methods!
Private Hypnobabies classes are available, but must be taught in the same format (once a week for six weeks). Please contact me for more information if you are considering private classes.
Just for Birth Professionals
Are you a nurse, doctor, midwife, doula, or other birth professional in the Reno/Tahoe/Carson Valley areas interested in learning how to best support Hypnobabies students? I prefer to refer my students to providers who know the unique needs of hypno-moms. In fact, when students sign up for my classes, I send them a list of hypno-friendly providers.
Schedule a Free In-Service
I would love the opportunity to explain Hypnobabies live and in person. Please contact me to set up an in-service for your midwifery or obstetrical practice, hospital labor and delivery unit, or birth professionals group.
Attend a Hypno-Doula Training
Do you attend births? Do you want to make your job easier? Encourage your clients to take Hypnobabies! As a hypno-doula, you will experience how much easier your job of providing labor support becomes when moms really know how to relax. Hypnosis is a very powerful tool that is becoming quite popular with today's birthing mothers. Attend a Hypno-Doula Training so that you will have specialized knowledge in supporting these unique clients. Please contact me to inquire if I have any scheduled trainings.
Audit a Hypnobabies Class
I welcome observers in my Hypnobabies classes. You will get to learn exactly what Hypnobabies students are taught. Please contact me to inquire about auditing a class.
Hypnobabies Products
Stay tuned for Hypnobabies Products, offered through Amazon.com.
