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KG Hypnobirthing

Parent Courses Frequently Asked Questions

Course Dates.
Hypnobirthing Resources
Click on a question from the list below to view more information.
1. Why KGHypnobirthing?

We are the original UK Hypnobirthing course which is designed especially for mothers in the UK. The course is constantly evolving to keep up-to-date with the latest evidence and research, and is now taught internationally.

Katharine Graves has personally taught hypnobirthing to over 2,000 couples, probably more than anyone else in the UK and all KG Hypnobirthing teachers are knowledgeable and highly trained to support you in hypnobirthing.

A KG Hypnobirthing Course not only equips you with the hypnobirthing information, but uniquely gives you the knowledge to understand your options and the implications of the choices you make. As well as teaching you the techniques you need for a successful hypnobirth, it gives you the information to navigate the system in which you find yourself to achieve the best outcome for you and your baby.

2. How much is the course?

The fee for you to attend the course with Katharine Graves as a couple or individual is £435. Please contact individual teachers to find out the fee for their classes.

Payment can be made with instalments.  As you go through the checkout you will be given all the options to pay by instalments using Klarna.

3. When should I do the KG Hypnobirthing course?

Given the choice, I would advise doing the course in the second trimester of your pregnancy so you can enjoy the benefits during your pregnancy as well as at the birth of your baby. It is not so much a matter of learning facts so they are fresh in your mind, but more a matter of absorbing the information so that it becomes second nature, but KG Hypnobirthing works whenever you do it. I have taught a woman who gave birth two days later, and it worked perfectly well.

If you do the course earlier, you get the benefits of KG Hypnobirthing during your pregnancy as well as at the birth of your baby.

4. What will I learn on a KG Hypnobirthing course?
  • Breathing exercises
  • Deep relaxations
  • Visualisations
  • Very effective work to release fear and build confidence
  • Comforting massage
  • How the father can be your powerful protector and support
  • How your body is designed to give birth with efficiency and comfort
  • Knowledge and information about pregnancy and birth that you are unlikely to be told anywhere else
  • How ‘the system’ that you find yourself in works, and how to work with it to achieve the best result for you
  • A simple practice regime to support you at home
  • Understanding how the mind and body work together

Learn about the five Cs of hypnobirthing:

ConfidenceWhen you feel confident, you relax and work with your body in the way nature intended.
Control With the knowledge you have, you are enabled to take control of how you give birth.
Choice When you feel in control, the choices you make are the best choices for you and for your baby.
Calm When you feel calm throughout the birth you are relaxed and your mind and body work together in harmony.
Comfort The result is that your body works efficiently and comfortably. A KG Hypnobirthing birth can be the most wonderful and empowering experience of your life.
5. What course materials am I given?

Before the course you will be sent you will be sent Colour & Calmness the pregnancy and birth relaxation CD or MP3 so you can start to practice and develop a positive outlook on pregnancy and birth straight away.

At the course you will be given The Hypnobirthing Book and a folder of handouts to support you during the rest of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby.

6. Does the birth partner need to come to hypnobirthing too?

They don’t have to, but they will be very glad if they did. Most birth partners arrive at the course utterly sceptical and leave extremely enthusiastic. We don’t expect you to believe in it. Why should you? We do ask you to listen to the facts and the logic so you understand how important it is and the difference you as a birth companion can make. Have a look at the birth reports from fathers, and you can benefit from their experience.

A hypnobirthing birth partner will be knowledgeable and able to support her as she gives birth. They are a huge asset in the birthing room, and many mothers say, ‘I couldn’t have done it without them.’ They have practised together before the birth which brings them closer together, and they know they have played an important part in how the baby enters the world. For couples in a relationship, this deepens their connection as a couple, as well as their bond with their child.

7. Can I bring someone else to the course?

A close friend or family member who is going to be in the birth room to support you when you give birth can come to the course, as well as your partner. It is important that they understand what you are doing and how best to support you. There is no additional charge for this. This does not apply to birth professionals (including doulas).

8. Will hypnobirthing work for me if I come on my own?

Yes, definitely. Many women have come to the course on their own if they have a husband who is away on business, as a single mum, if it’s a second baby and they can’t find a babysitter for their elder child, or any other reason. Just remember that KG Hypnobirthing works, and you are very welcome. If your partner can’t come, we would welcome your mother, a friend, or whoever will be supporting you at the birth instead.

9. And after the course – what then?

Your KG Hypnobirthing teacher is always there for you. Please call or email if you feel stressed, are put under pressure, or we can help in any way.

10. What is the best format for hypnobirthing?

We teach the KG Hypnobirthing course in two days, sometimes in two consecutive weekends, and sometimes in one weekend. We have found this is extremely effective and is the preferred option of most couples. You will find hypnobirthing taught in different formats, 2 days, 4 short sessions, or 5 short sessions. Each format has its pros and cons, but there is no research showing that one method is better than another. The bottom line is simply that KG Hypnobirthing works, so choose the format that is most convenient for you. Contact your teacher to discuss the timing that suits you.

Katharine Graves teaches KG Hypnobirthing as a full weekend’s course. She has found this to be extremely effective and is most convenient for many couples.

11. Is The Hypnobirthing Book and the Colour and Calmness relaxation audio sufficient?

People sometimes ask if buying The Hypnobirthing Book and the Colour and Calmness CD is sufficient without coming to a course. The honest answer is, ‘I don’t know’. For a few mothers it is, for many it isn’t (though it will always make a difference). The trouble is, you don’t know which category you come into until after your baby is born.

You undoubtedly get more information and feel more supported from attending a course. How many people have bought a series of audios to learn a language and then found that going to a course is far more effective?

12. Does the fee cover both of us?

Yes, there is no additional charge for the birth partner to attend, and most do come to support the mother.

13. I can’t do both days together.

Your teacher will do all she can to accommodate you. Call her to talk it through.

If you are doing a course with Katharine Graves and you can’t manage both days of the course, just select the first day from one course and the second day from another, and let us know what suits you best. Give us a call, and we’ll do a registration form just for you. Computers are wonderful but rather inflexible and they can’t cope with anything out of the ordinary; we can! Just call us and we’ll sort it out. We know the difference HypnoBirthing makes and you don’t yet, so we will do everything we can to make sure you get the benefits of this wonderful system.

14. How many couples are there in a group?

If you prefer to set up a one-to-one course, there are many teachers who work in this way. Just visit the KG Hypnobirthing teachers’ list to find someone near you with whom you feel rapport and who works in a way that suits your diary.

The size of the groups classes vary, depending on a great many factors including the venue, the time of year, and imponderables that I shall never understand. It can be lovely to do hypnobirthing in a group because you can meet other like-minded expectant couples, exchange ideas, and learn from their questions. The groups are kept small enough to be personal, and large enough to be friendly.

15. Answering all your questions – ‘What if…..? If only…..’

If you are expecting your first baby, you may have the phrase on your lips, ‘What if……’. The fears you have are often derived from the dramatic emergencies you have seen on television or the movies. KG Hypnobirthing helps to explain the ‘What ifs’ so you can safely leave them to your midwife. She is highly qualified in ‘what ifs’, but you need the knowledge to understand this.

From women who are expecting their second or subsequent baby, I often hear the words, ‘If only…’. ‘If only I had known, I would have made a different decision.’ ‘If only someone had told me.’ KG Hypnobirthing saves you from saying ‘If only…’ after the birth, and helps you let go of a previous bad experience, so that the birth of your second baby can be a wonderful and empowering experience. You may find this hard to believe, but there are many mothers who can vouch for this. It is the second time mothers who REALLY know the difference that KG Hypnobirthing makes as they have experienced the difference.

16. Can I book a private hypnobirthing Course?

Yes you can. Many teachers on the KG Hypnobirthing teachers’ list will work with you one-to-one, often coming to your home to teach the course at a time to suit you.

However when Katharine provides a private class she gives you the most exclusive and personal coaching in the Hypnobirthing and Natural Childbirth technique, and offers you her undivided personal attention and expertise for the two day course.

A private Hypnobirthing class is held at your home at a time to suit you; the price of the course is £2500.

Please contact us to find out more about booking a private course.

17. Where did hypnobirthing come from?

“Hypnobirthing is soundly based on established medical knowledge.” – Midwife

In 1957, after two years of study by eminent neurologists and psychoanalysts, the BMA issued a statement that ‘hypnosis is an effective method of relieving pain in childbirth’ and proposed that all doctors should train in hypnotherapy.

The seeds of the natural birth movement were first sown with the work of eminent obstetrician Dr.Grantly Dick-Read. After witnessing a homebirth in the slums of the London Docks in 1913 where the mother refused any pain relief and then proceeded to give birth quickly and with no pain, Grantly Dick-Read was truly amazed.

The mother’s comment after giving birth when he asked why she refused the pain relief was “It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t meant to, was it, Doctor?” This experience was defining, and after a career of working on the battle field in the first world war and subsequently in hospitals as an obstetrician he theorized that fear was the overriding cause that led to the pain in childbirth. At the end of his career he wrote the book “Childbirth Without Fear”. He hypothesized that when you are fearful, you tense up and the natural birth process is inhibited and becomes longer and consequently more painful.

Over the years his theories have been fully vindicated with research into how hormones work during childbirth. His principles have been further developed by a number of natural birth practitioners with Hypnobirthing being the most notable and widely practised. Today KG Hypnobirthing is known by every midwife in the UK and many have trained in KG Hypnobirthing, including professors of midwifery and NHS heads of midwifery. Obstetricians are also beginning to understand the significance of the work we do and are coming to be trained too. KG Hypnbirthing is practised internationally and rapidly spreading throughout the world.

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“You can find good information about babies and birth in many places, but hypnobirthing is the only thing I know that actually makes a difference to your experience of giving birth.

I cannot promise the perfect birth.  Nothing can, and to do so would be ridiculous and not true.  However my experience is that KG Hypnobirthing always makes a difference, and a very big difference too.

It is a privilege to be a teacher and to be invited into your life at such a special time in order to make it even better.”

Katharine Graves,
Founder of KGHypnobirthing
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