[ozmidwifery] hypnobirthing

[Ross W Timbs]

I've been enjoying the debate about hypnobirthing.  I don't like the name, but like most people, I feel that anything that helps women birth without drugs is useful.   I use quite a lot of the Wintergreen (Common Knowledge Trust) techniques in my practice and have done for many years.  I find it interesting that these two approaches seem to come from opposite ends of the spectrum, but with the same goal.    My understanding of Wintergreen is that she believes that women can birth their babies regardless of what's going on in their heads - they just need to know how to work their bodies - including the breath.    I don't have much knowledge or experience of hypnobirthing, but it seems that it is all about what's going on in your head, and using the breath to calm the mind.   I just thought it was an interesting comparison.  I'm sure both techniques would be useful, and knowledge of them will give us a greater range of tools and knowledge to use in our practice.   Jacky Eales