FAQs

Birthright Hypnobirthing

Frequently Asked Questions

Birthright Hypnobirthing

Some of the things people most often ask me. If yours isn't here, just ask.

ABOUT HYPNOBIRTHING

Is this the same as stage hypnosis?

Not even slightly. Stage hypnosis is entertainment. What we use is hypnotherapy — a completely different thing with a completely different purpose. In the course, we use hypnotherapy in two ways. First, we learn how to move into a deeply relaxed state, because this is when your body functions most efficiently during labour. Second, we use specific hypnotherapy techniques to release any fears you're carrying about birth and to build genuine confidence in your body's ability to do this. Nobody is going to ask you to cluck like a chicken. You have my word.

Will I be out of control? Will I even know what's happening?

You'll be completely in control — and completely aware — at all times. The best way I can explain it: you know that feeling when you're driving a familiar route, you arrive at your destination, and you think, 'How did I get here?' Your conscious mind was elsewhere, but the part of you that needed to be alert — to a car braking suddenly, a child running out — was right there, ready. That's the state we're working with. Your body functions beautifully in this state. And if something needs your full attention, you're back in an instant.

Is hypnobirthing only for hippies?

Hippies are absolutely welcome — but no, it's not a prerequisite! This is an education programme grounded in psychology and physiology. You'll learn exactly how your muscles and hormones work together during pregnancy, labour and birth — so you can work with your body rather than against it. Some hypnobirthing classes are taught in lovely yurts with candles and crystals. Mine tend to be surrounded by books and evidence — though I can crack out the diffuser if you like. I've taught CEOs, engineers, anaesthetists, midwives, holistic therapists, teachers, and people from every walk of life. The science is for everyone. The yurt is optional.

Is hypnobirthing only for natural or pain-free births?

No — and I want to be really clear about this, because it's one of the biggest misconceptions that stops people coming. Hypnobirthing is not a club for a particular kind of birth. It's preparation for whatever birth you have. The techniques are adaptable whether you're planning a home water birth, a hospital induction, an epidural, or an elective caesarean. The breathing still helps. The calm still helps. The knowledge of your rights and choices still helps — arguably even more so in a complex or medicalised birth. A significant part of the course is learning how to navigate the maternity system: your options at every stage, how to ask the right questions, and how to make decisions that feel right for you.

I'm having a caesarean. Is this still relevant to me?

Definitely — and this is something I feel strongly about. If you're having a planned caesarean, there's a great deal we can cover: what a gentle caesarean involves and how to ask for one, how to stay calm during the procedure, how to keep your hormones flowing for you and your baby, and how to feel genuinely in control of an experience that can otherwise feel like something that's just happening to you. A caesarean birth is still your birth. You deserve to feel prepared for it.

I'm high risk. Is there any point?

Yes — and I'd argue that the more medically complex your birth might be, the more valuable it is to go in feeling calm, informed, and clear on your choices. Get in touch and tell me your situation. We'll work out the right approach together.

My first birth was traumatic. Can this help?

Yes. And this is some of the most important work I do. Last time, you made the best decisions you could with the information you were given. Which, in most cases, wasn't much. That isn't a failing — it's exactly why you're here now. We don't go back and try to change what happened. What we do is meet it honestly, release the fear it left behind, and build something different for this birth — with better information, better preparation, and a clearer sense of your own power. Many women find that this birth becomes a healing experience. Not because it erases the last one, but because they finally get to meet birth on their own terms.

What if things don't go to plan?

This is the question I want to answer most carefully. The goal of this course is not a perfect birth. It's not a natural birth. It's not any particular outcome. The goal is that you meet your birth — whatever it turns out to be — with calm, with knowledge, with your voice, and with the ability to make clear decisions in the moment. Women come back to me having had fast births and forty-hour labours, straightforward births and complicated ones, and they feel the same thing: that they were prepared, that they had their voice, and that they met it with everything they had. We're not building a plan. We're building readiness.

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Birthright Hypnobirthing

When should I start?

Whenever feels right — there is no wrong time. If birth (or even pregnancy itself) is something you've been anxious about for a long time, come early. We can always do a top-up session closer to your due date. Most people find me somewhere between 15 and 35 weeks, when the reality of how the baby is going to arrive starts to feel a bit more pressing. If you're reading this at 39 weeks, please still get in touch. I've worked with women days before their due date. We use whatever time we have.

Does my partner have to come?

I'd strongly encourage it — but I understand it isn't always possible. Partners who come discover that they have a real, active, essential role — not just hand-holding and nodding, but genuine tools and a clear purpose. The transformation is often quite remarkable. Many partners have told me afterwards that the course changed their experience of becoming a parent in ways they hadn't expected. If your partner genuinely can't attend, we make it work. Talk to me.

I think differently — will this work for me?

Almost certainly yes. A significant number of the women and birthing people I work with are neurodivergent - often only recently diagnosed or still working it out. I find this more often than not, actually. If you experience the world with intensity, if you find it harder to let go of control, if you need to understand the 'why' before you can trust something — you are going to find this course particularly useful and, I hope, particularly satisfying. The depth of explanation we go into, the 'why does this work' behind every technique, tends to land well with those of us who think the way you do. Please tell me if there's anything about the way I teach that I can adjust for you. I want this course to be as accessible to you as possible.

How much does it cost?

•       Foundation — Group Course (12 hours, 4 evenings or weekend): £250
•       Supported — Group Course + ongoing support: £350
•       Personal — Private 1:1 Course (online or in person, fully tailored): £495
•       Refresher Course (approx. 4 hours, 1:1, for returning students): £150
•       Pregnancy Relaxation Sessions (Tuesday evenings, Narberth): drop-in or block of 4

Payment plans available on all courses — please just ask. Early bird discounts available when booked 8+ weeks ahead.

I still have a question.

Please just ask — especially the ones that feel too basic or too strange. There's no such thing.

CONTACT ME

Based In

Pembrokeshire

EMAIL ADDRESS

nancy@birthright-hypnobirthing.co.uk

TELEPHONE

07817 233480

FAQs

Birthright Hypnobirthing

Frequently Asked Questions

Birthright Hypnobirthing

ABOUT HYPNOBIRTHING

PRACTICAL QUESTIONS

Birthright Hypnobirthing

CONTACT ME

Based In

EMAIL ADDRESS

TELEPHONE

SOCIAL MEDIA