Chill-out like stars while giving birth

Hypnobirthing aims to educate mothers-to-be and their partners with simple, but specific, self-hypnosis, relaxation and breathing techniques all designed to aid a better birth.

And Amy Napier, a mum-of-two from Ashton, was one of the first in the borough to trial the technique with Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.

“When I was pregnant with my second baby I was worried about my labour and birth as I had needed an emergency C-section under general anaesthetic with my first son,” said Amy.

“I missed Brandon being born and was a little shaken for the first couple of days, so felt it impacted on initiating breastfeeding as I wasn’t awake to initially feed him.”

The 30-year-old, who lives with husband Ian and sons Brandon and Jackson, now works as a breastfeeding peer supporter at Wigan Infirmary.

“Having trained as a breastfeeding peer supporter and learning about the importance of the first feed after birth I wanted to do everything possible to have a ‘normal birth’, so I spoke to my community midwife Karen who had just started hypnobirthing sessions and she offered a home visit to do a taster session with Ian and me.

“The session was very relaxing and reassuring and it made me view birth more positively, rather than something that was going to be traumatic and unbearable; I was actually quite excited to go into labour and had the confidence that it could go well and I could manage the pain and have the experience I wanted.”

Hypnobirthing techniques show both parents how to relax and stay in control and to allow the mum-to-be to change the way she thinks about childbirth, from its being a pain to a natural process with a purpose: bringing a baby into the world. 

Each session is spent learning breathing techniques, visualisations and relaxation methods.

Midwife Karen Colquitt said: “We have a team of midwives who have been trained to lead hypnobirthing sessions and we are offering sessions for pregnant women and their partners that are around the 25th week of their pregnancy.

“The aim is to assist women to have a more natural birth and with hypnobirthing they are taught relaxation and deep breathing to help them feel more in control.”

The next sessions will are on Saturdays, July 29 and September 30.

They are priced at £50 per two-hour group session or £50 for a one-hour private session.

All proceeds will raise funds for the maternity unit.

For further information call Karen on 01942 778630.