Hypnobirthing

Finding out about Hypnobirthing can be a real turning point for pregnant women. It's a bit like the best kept secret in the world. And if you're lucky, in your pregnancy you might stumble across someone who knows about it and tells you all about it. I found out about Hypnobirthing during my first pregnancy at the end of my first trimester and it stopped me in my tracks. Pain-free? No drugs? Really?! I haad my heart set on a hyper medicalised, drugged-up labour up until that point because I thought that was how birth was. I never realised that it could be any different. So when I discovered Hypnobirthing I dived right into it to find out everything I could. It was the trigger for my own birthing education, and to be honest, that in itself can help to quash many childbirth fears just on its own.

I never went on to adopt hypnosis during my first birth though, as I began to develop my own approach, Fearless Birthing So I figured that for this podcast episode, it was best to get a Hypnobirthing professional on the show to explain exactly what it is.

My guest today is Dr Eva Detko PhD. I met Dr Eva through her podcast, the Holistic Path to Health Podcast. She has extensive expertise in the field of human physiology, psychology, biochemistry and nutritional sciences. Over the last 15 years, Dr Eva has successfully supported clients with anxiety, depression, weight problems, chronic pain, compromised immune function, as well as digestive, skin and cardiovascular conditions. In addition, as a Hypnobirthing Teacher, Dr Eva helps couples turn the birth of their child into an empowering and positive experience. Understanding of the physiological, psychological and emotional aspects of birth, combined with self-hypnosis, relaxation, breathing and massage techniques, enables parents to experience birth in an atmosphere of peace and calm, free of fear and tension.

Dr Eva is also an author of two gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free cookbooks.

One thing that Dr Eva is very clear on is that Hypnobirthing is very much a holistic approach that also includes a lot of birth education, breathing techniques and mindfulness.

During our chat, Dr Eva also sheds light on the impact that a traumatic birth can have on baby and how that might manifest as an adult, as this is something she encounters a lot in her work as a Clinical Hypnotherapist. But she also shares her own personal story how her own traumatic birth affected her life until she was able to confront it and move through it. Fascinating! But especially worth bearing in mind when you plan your birth. Dr Eva shares how c-sections and use of interventions can affect the outcome of birth and how this might then affect baby's mental wellbeing.

Dr Eva promised to share some hypnobirthing videos.. well here they are!

If you would like to find out more about Dr Eva's work visit her website: www.dr-eva.com.

Have you used hypnobirthing? If so how did you find it? Did you do a course? Read a book? Share your hypnobirthing experiences below in the comments!