Why is having a positive birth experience important?

Giving birth is a monumental part of many women’s lives and one that has a profound effect on many areas of their life. Evidence shows that there is a link between negative birth experiences and post natal post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as depression and fear/delays in experiencing childbirth again. This is heartbreaking, considering birth is something we only experience a handful of times in our life, and is something that shapes our life forever. Of course, it only makes sense that we actively try to achieve a positive birth!

So, how do we make our birth experience positive?

A “positive” birth will of course, mean different things to different people. This can be influenced by so many things - our personal beliefs, our upbringing, religion, societal norms where we live… the list goes on!

But research has shown that the key to the positive birth can really be quite simple. Often, a positive birth is not so much about it being “all natural” or pain free, or whether or not it looks exactly like you expected it to. Often, it is actually more about how it all feels rather than what happens. We want to feel like we are still in control of our bodies and have a say in the care we receive. We want to be the ones that make the decisions that affect us, our babies and our birth.

This is where Hypnobirthing comes in. The whole ethos of Hypnobirthing is promoting informed choice, so we know what we want going in to birth, and how to achieve it. We know how to work with our healthcare professionals but also know how to trust our bodies. We know what our preferences are, but know when to accept some help if we do need it. But the key here, is that it is us, exercising body autonomy and making informed choices about our bodies and our babies. As it should be.

I can’t pretend Hypnobirthing can make your birth perfect, but can I know it certainly can help tip the scales in your favour.