Unit 1
Creating & Maintaining a Positive Mind

• Introduction to the positive mindset of hypnobirthing
• How our brain is wired to birth
• The role of our caregivers
• Mind/body connection
• What is self-hypnosis and how will we use it for birthing?
• Our hormones are our friends
• My amazing uterus – understanding the physiology behind birthing
• Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome
• Causes of Fear (including history) and how it affects our labour
• Re-programming the Subconscious
• The language for empowered birthing
• The power of affirmations
• Birthing environment

Unit 2
Our Toolkit for Birth

• Self-hypnosis tracks
• Birth music
• Conditioning with scent
• Hypnotic anchors and triggers
• Releasing endorphins through massage and touch
• Acupressure techniques for pregnancy, birth & breastfeeding
• Visualisations for pregnancy, labour & birthing
• The importance of facial relaxation
• Relaxation Breathing – a skill for life
• Surge Breathing – the best tool ever!
• Techniques to help make your surges more comfortable
• The ‘urge’ to push/bear down – Breathing/Bearing down

Unit 3
Preparation and Choices for Empowered Birthing

• Birth Preferences – having open communication with your caregivers
• Knowledge is power – researching common interventions and procedures
• Questions to ask, to assist in making informed decisions
• Birth partner as advocate
• ‘Guess date’ – a normal range of pregnancy
• Inductions – things you’re not always told
• Achieving a natural start to labour
• Maintaining a healthy diet
• Preparing the body – staying active
• Optimising baby’s position
• Breech or Posterior – options & positions
• Instant relaxation techniques
• Self-hypnosis, meditation and deep relaxation techniques & scripts

Unit 4
Birth - Bringing it All Together

• What to expect in the weeks and days leading up to birth
• Signs that labour is starting
• What to expect through labour (membranes releasing etc)
• When to call the midwife/go to the hospital
• Accidental home/car birth – what to do!
• Birth partner’s role
• Common procedures
• Using water during labour and birth
• Upright positioning, movement and birth positions
• Special circumstances (including caesarean birth)
• Fear release
• Vocalisation
• Cord clamping & placenta delivery
• Undisturbed bonding & breastfeeding time – skin to skin
• What to expect afterwards
• Self-hypnosis – Rehearsal for Birth
• A practice routine – preparation for birth!