I often receive requests for information about my "hypnobirthing" classes. As the name of a common and long-standing program, the use of the word "hypnobirthing" has made it's way into every day vernacular to refer to the use of hypnosis for childbirth. However, it is important to clarify that HypnoBirthing© is the registered trademark of the Marie Mongan Method. HypnoBirthing©, HypBirth, the LeClaire Method, and Hypnobabies^TM are all programs of childbirth hypnosis, but the content and hypnosis tools taught in each program vary considerably. Keep reading to find out why Hypnobabies^TM is the most complete birth hypnosis program available.

We are asked many times what is the difference between Hypnobabies^TM and other natural childbirth or birth hypnosis programs, and here we answer that question by telling you what we do well. Other natural childbirth courses have excellent programs and benefits that have helped many women have better, more relaxed births. We recognize that and celebrate them and what they do every day for birthing women!

n Hypnobabies^TM, our objectives are to help our pregnant couples bond with their baby in utero, teach you how to stay healthy and low-risk and be an excellent consumer, trust in your body, mind and baby, as well as become self-reliant and confident about birthing your own way; unmedicated, safely and in comfort. We overcome negative belief systems and programming, get you in touch with your own beautiful pregnant body, guide you through your own excellent birth experience and give you skills that you will use for the rest of your life. Birth Partners are brought into the preparation process and have their own hypnotic relaxation cues, as well as a special role to play as they await the birth of the precious newborn with our hypno-mom. Since we use real medical hypnosis techniques, addressing the mind, body, and spirit of both Mother and Baby, our success rate is wonderful and very gratifying!

Hypnobabies^TM is very detailed and successful, uses medical hypnotic anesthesia techniques from Gerald Kein's amazing Painless Childbirth program (as opposed to simple visualization and imagery) and contains the same kinds of hypnotic scripts used by people who undergo surgery successfully with hypnosis as their only anesthetic.

We also *fully* train our birth partners by giving them their own Birth Partner’s Hypnosis CD for a calm and confident attitude towards pregnancy and childbirth, and their own detailed Birth Partner's Guide booklet for labor, which allows them to fully grasp their role in the preparation for baby’s birth as well as easily helping the hypno-mom during birthing. This is unique to Hypnobabies^TM and we are very proud of this feature.

Hypnobabies^TM can also be very successfully used by single mothers or those whose partners will not be participating in their birth preparation process. All of our hypno-anesthesia techniques can be easily learned, practiced and used alone, or with a birth partner or doula. We have specific CD sets and help for single hypno-moms, to make their Hypnobabies^TM journey easier and more fulfilling.

Hypnobabies^TM classes also provide excellent and complete childbirth education, and we are the only birth hypnosis program that does so. Providing our complete childbirth education ensures that our wonderful students will not have to take other natural childbirth classes whose philosophy is so different that it negates what they have learned in our birth hypnosis class. "Pain management and coping skills" are actually opposite of what is learned in Hypnobabies^TM; we teach pain elimination by using real hypno-anesthesia.

Long before they ever step foot in their first Hypnobabies^TM class, our hypno-moms get to meet their baby and bond with him or her by listening to a CD track called Your Special Place. The second track on the CD is Painless Childbirth, which helps teach how childbirth can easily be so comfortable by de-programming our hypno-moms from the usual childbirth horror stories. Each hypno-mom is able to learn deep relaxation and hypnosis skills for several weeks (or months!) before Hypnobabies^TM class even starts. This makes it much easier to learn her Hypnobabies^TM hypno-anesthesia techniques in each class and how to use hypnosis for many other things: nausea elimination, back and hip pain, insomnia, pre-term labor, pre-term bleeding, perineal massage, internal exams, turning a breech, etc.

One important difference between Hypnobabies^TM and other programs is that our students participate in a hypnosis script each week in class and then have that same script to work with for reinforcement during the next week, which makes a huge difference when programming the inner mind for success. It is called "compounding" in the world of hypnosis, is necessary for hypnotic suggestions to be retained by the woman's subconscious, and is unique to Hypnobabies^TM classes.

Hypnobabies^TM teaches "Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis", which allows each birthing mom to walk and talk and move around freely yet remain very relaxed, fully present, aware and in touch with her body and baby and remain completely comfortable while doing so. Other programs rely on immobility for focus and concentration, which can severely impede the progress of labor and the descent and positioning of the baby. An upright hypno-mom means a faster and easier birthing!

We do a birthing rehearsal in class #6 so that our hypno-moms can experience using their actual Hypnobabies^TM techniques and many different labor positions while in hypnosis in class which is invaluable, and also shows the birth partner hands-on exactly how to use his or her cues and assistance. What a confidence builder, and has made a huge difference in success rates here at Hypnobabies^TM!

Also unique to Hypnobabies^TM is our very successful Hypnobabies^TM Birth Visualization, in which you can mentally and emotionally practice entering labor, experience your comfortable birthing techniques and give birth easily and in a very detailed and personal way. This mental birthing rehearsal is very important to the process of easy and comfortable birthing and is done many times until your baby is born, helping program the subconscious mind to produce exactly the kind of birthing you want. Athletes like Tiger Woods and public speakers of all kinds do this to prepare with great success, and so do our hypno-moms!

Our students also never have to guess how to make a cohesive plan for birthing using their Hypnobabies^TM techniques; our program is very clear and concise and includes a Quick Reference Guide for each birthing couple to use during their labor. We also include our wonderful Birth Guide CD which keeps our hypno-mom deeply in hypnosis with constant hypnotic relaxation and anesthesia suggestions for both the first stage of labor and the pushing phase as well as offering positive birth team hypnosis throughout. Birth professionals are shocked at how completely relaxed and physically comfortable our hypno-moms are, how easily they are able to move around and communicate and still be deeply hypnotized, and how in control they are of their bodies, minds and emotions. Our Hypnobabies^TM students tell us that our Birth Guide CD is "Pure Gold!"

We require that our Certified Hypnobabies^TM Instructors have a trained background in Childbirth and 50 hours of hypnosis training before becoming trained as a Hypnobabies^TM Instructor, so that all childbirth questions and concerns from each student can be addressed, hypnotic depth can be assessed, and problems such as resistance and abreaction can easily be dealt with.

Hypnobabies^TM includes 18 hours of childbirth hypnosis training (compared to 8 - 10 hours of class in other programs). While other birth hypnosis programs may contain some excellent hypno-tools for birthing, none contain the amount of information, in-depth hypno-anesthesia, training, practice and support of Hypnobabies^TM. All elements have been carefully designed to work together and the results are amazing even to ME. Not all of our hypno-moms will have a completely pain-free birthing, yet for most it will be very close to it, and this makes all the difference in the world to so many women. Very gratifying!

Hypnobabies is an excellent choice for any woman wanting Hypnosis for Childbirth that works easily and beautifully!

~ Kerry Tuschoff, HCHI, CHt
Founder of the Hypnobabies Network