Mindful Hypnobirthing: Hypnosis and Mindfulness Techniques for a Calm and Confident Birth

by Sophie Fletcher

Hypnotherapist and experienced doula Sophie Fletcher shares with you the secrets to having a safe, natural and positive birth. Using a powerful combination of mindfulness, hypnosis and relaxation techniques, Sophie will ensure you feel genuinely excited and completely prepared for birth.With stories from women who have successfully used the tools in this book, and downloadable hypnosis and relaxation tracks, discover how use your mind and body together to stay focused and in control- draw on visualisation and breathing techniques to help birth progress- feel positive and empowered, before, during and after you give birthReassuring, practical and based entirely on what works, Mindful Hypnobirthing is your essential guide to giving birth the way you want to.

Genres: Nonfiction, Parenting, Audiobook, Self Help

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 6, 2014

About the author

I'm a clinical hypnotherapist, doula and lecturer who also loves writing. My work relates to all areas of women's health. I'm always happy reply to questions and am interested in the process of change that happens internally as you learn about options and the power of your mind, rather than just giving people a set of techniques. This helps with resilience and flexibility which is especially important when it comes to individual experiences of pregnancy, birth, motherhood and peri-menopause.

From fertility through to post-menopause, using tools such as mindfulness, hypnosis, visualisation and lots of reframing can change experiences! Everything I write aims to inspire women to be able to see opportunities to change their perspective in pivotal moments of their lives, so that they can live wholeheartedly.

These moments of change are powerful. If we engage with them fully, however vulnerable we feel and however challenging they are, it somehow frees us to enjoy our lives more fully.

I train and lecture hypnotherapists and midwives around the UK, and also see some private clients.

I'm mum to two wonderful boys and live in Grantham, Lincolnshire in the UK.

My other passion is tennis, so if I ever have a spare moment I spend it on a court with racket in hand.

You can find more about the classes that accompany the book at http://www.sophiefletcher.co.uk or find me on instagram @mindfulhypnobirthingbook or @mindfulmenopause

Reviews

[Layan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hypnobirthing part is mediocre. That’s about half the book. It is vague and she keeps referencing her website rather than making this book complete.

But what really did it for me is the medical aspect, which is the other half of the book. Let me preface this by saying that I am an OBGYN and maternal fetal medicine specialist. So I know the medicine.

Ms Fletcher is not a physician nor a certified nurse midwife. She has no formal medical training in obstetrics. Yet she and her publisher found it acceptable to continually spew medical advice throughout her entire book. The vast majority of medical advice she gave out is just incorrect. She keeps saying to not allow your physician to help you make medical decisions. She completely ignores all the risks of stillbirth, preeclampsia, infection, death, that accompany her dangerous notions. She demonizes modern medicine and perpetuates mistrust in the medical community, which is frankly dangerous.

Skip this book.

[Emily Forster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really reassuring

I found this book and the accompanying audio tracks really reassuring. I was actually recommended this by the consultant anaesthetist. I would recommend that you read it earlier in pregnancy so you have time to practice the relaxation exercises and become familiar with the techniques.

[Rachael Reid Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutly love this book read it twice already find it so helpful to get me feeling positive about birth rather than feeling scared of it. highly recommend 👌

[Mythili · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear, this one was not for me. It mostly angered me and stressed me out (clearly not the intended effect), though it did make me laugh very hard in a few places. But having heard so much about hypnobirthing, reading it was ultimately better than not reading it and wondering if I should read it! It’s a bit like Spiritual Midwifery but without the truly entertaining trippy hippie plot digressions of that classic of the genre. I think the mind-body connection is real and important but a lot of the language used to talk about women’s bodies and pregnancy and labor drives me nuts. No more books about labor, I think.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could feel myself growing calmer and more confident as I read this book and listened tk the tracks it points you to (free to download). The techniques aren't revolutionary for someone who already practised mindfulness and meditation, but the subtle twists and the adaptions to this often anxiety provoking life event makes a big difference. It doesn't matter what kind of birth you prefer or what kind of surprises life might have in store for your labour, knowing how to stay calm and focused through it all is useful for anyone.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and helpful without making claims like similar books do that labor is a breeze.

[Saulėtoji Vapsva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gimdymas atrodo pats baisiaus dalykas pasaulyje, kai laukiesi. Darbe jeigu kažkas apie tai prakalbdavo, iškarto prašydavau, kad pakeistų temą. Tačiau sužinojusi apie "hypno-birth" ir daugiau į tai įsigilindama, supratau, kad ne taip viskas baisia atrodo. Gal yra šioks toks nepasitikėjimas savimi, ar aš tam pasiruošiu laiku ar užtektinai visko žinau. Bet viso šito ir yra esmė: pasitikėti ir dirbti su savimi.
Rekomenduoju

[Alexis Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book definitely helped me overcome some mental hang ups with my experience with my son! I’m feeling more confident for #2.

[Alixe · Rating 4 out of 5]

It felt like a good, relax yet empowering approach to childbirth

[Farah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It helps me during pregnancy, to remain calm and visualise the labor process as a natural process and relax.

I thought I have prepare to follow everything being said in this audio book... But...

I can't remain calm during labor. 8 hours of intense contraction because I was induced. First baby and don't know what to expect. With the labor room totally not privacy at all.

Anyway, this book is totally awesome.

[Dolce Sundramoorthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful Book

[Solange Vidal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un libro que nos prepara para el momento en que el bebé nacerá y el proceso de trabajo de parto. Tiene varios consejos útiles para poner en práctica ese día tan esperado e incluso en otras circunstancias de nuestras vidas. Es un libro que me ha ayudado a encontrar tranquilidad durante el parto.

[Words More Words · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring!

Well worth the time and money invested in reading this! I'd recommend this book to any couple looking for a positive irth experience.

[Daisy Souster · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book helpful and reassuring for labour. I would recommend for anybody that wants to know more about hypnobirthing and practice methods. It offers a free portal to download hypnobirthing images and soundtracks too.

[Jenny Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of people - yoga teachers, midwives and friends - have encouraged me to look into hypnobirthing, and I had previously done a non-pregnancy related mindfulness yoga course which I enjoyed. While I don't think I'll be using full on 100% hypnobirthing techniques, this book (and the free cd I won!) is very calming, positive and relaxing, and I will definitely be using some of the tips and recommendations I hope!

[Jo Hewson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great intro to hypnobirthing, this was all I needed for a successful birth using the technique. It's not only for natural births, I ended up having a c-section, but it was incredibly useful for pain relief during labour and for calming the nurves for the c- section

[Sam a.k.a Rory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This (audio) book is a gemme. It's pratical, very educational and science based. The audio relaxation tracks are amazing, and so is Ms Fletcher's voice :). I wish I would have found this (audio) book sooner!

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is written in a gentle and nurturing way with lots of great advice throughout each chapter. Very informative and empowering. Will definitely be recommending this to friends.

[Audrey G. Perreault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and all the tips, but I have given birth yet. So I might update this review once I will!

[Carrie D___ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An empowering read.

[Keeley Gillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting reading.

This book is great for helping people realise that birth isn't meant to be scary and that it is possible to have a positive experience giving birth.

[Sophiebeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some good tips and advice to help keep you calm during labour.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical, I found it a valuable read as a first time mum to be

[Rebecca Durrant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting tidbits and helpful tools to keep in your back pocket, no matter which way you decide/ need to safely bring your little one into the world.

[Dancingsocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and put together.

[Daniel LaVelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My wife is pregnant with our first baby, and this was the first baby book I read. I’ve been practicing hypnotherapy for 12 years, so I wanted to brush up on some skills and see how others apply child birth to the practice. Fletcher is incredibly knowledgeable. This book was both practical and informative. It gives very thorough instructions on starting a hypnosis practice and applying it to birth. The audiobook is highly recommended, because Fletcher reads it herself. She made several hypnosis tracks that you can listen to over and over again.

That said, reasons why I gave this book four stars instead of five are because there were a few moments where she endorsed interventions that aren’t evidence based, like chiropractic. Also, it was very clear the more you read her that she’s a huge advocate for “natural birth,” and seemed resistant to any medical intervention. While I appreciate the idea of an unassisted birth, I don’t think it’s medically necessary, and the more a professional harps on the ideal the more potential there is to make a new mother feel like a failure for needing assistance.

[Nikki Sunshine · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are parts of this books that I LOVE and think are very valuable. I would say the first 30% of the book is awesome for all women in their birthing era. There are MANY golden nuggets of wisdom in the first few chapters.

If you are planning a hospital birth the rest of the book is relevant to you as well. There is a lot of hospital/medical talk in the next 70% of the book the isn’t relevant to women planning a freebirth or truly undisturbed homebirth. Also, she talks a lot about UK midwifery care and the NHS, which isn’t relevant to women anywhere else in the world. (American authors do that all the time though)

With that being said, I still think that it could be worth reading for any women, especially women who attend births and/or teach about birth. Also, there is also a lot of complication/intervention talk at the end of the book that might not be beneficial for many pregnant women to hear during pregnancy.

Overall, good book, but maybe skip through some parts.

[Sarah Denton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook version. It helped me to relax and prepare for the birth of my first child. I found the accompanying meditation tracks useful but found birth affirmations tracks I found more useful on YouTube.

I found the practicing the breathing and relaxation techniques very helpful in stage one of labour. However, the preparation for stage two was less helpful. After a very long labour of over 29hours I was exhausted and ended up with a forceps delivery when my baby got stuck. I do think the mindfulness techniques helped me roll with the changes to my birth plan and deal confidently and calmly with an emergency situation.

Overall I would recommend but accompanied with a more detailed birthing course like NCT classes.

[LRS · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most important message of the book is: trust your body; your body already knows how to give birth. This message also applies to the book itself - you don’t need this book to have a positive birth experience!

Nevertheless, the book provides lots of information and resources to support a positive birth. For me, it was more of a reinforcement of information and the benefits of mindfulness, rather than introducing a lot of new concepts.

One criticism I have of the book is that it, in places, it left me with the impression that midwives and doctors are more interested in getting babies born as quickly as possible, rather than respecting parents’ birth choices. I have to believe that this is not the case!

[Huong-Giang Nguyen]

Sách viết dễ hiểu cực. Kiểu như mình đọc mấy quyển sách tiếng Anh về pregnancy cảm thấy xoắn hết cả não lại, đọc một tí là nản nhưng sách này viết rất nhẹ nhàng dễ đọc. Nên đọc nhanh, thư giãn và muốn áp dụng các phương pháp mà sách đưa ra.
Hôm qua mình đã thử bài Relaxation track khi ngủ và chỉ khoảng 10-15 phút sau chưa kịp nghe hết đã ngủ và ngủ rất sâu. Lâu lắm rùi mới ngủ sâu được như vậy. Như là thôi miên vậy á.