The Hypnobirthing Centre is proud to announce that Katharine Graves was quoted in The Times relating to Kate Middleton’s pregnancy.
Since the Duchess’s intentions for a natural birth have become known, there has been a flurry of media attention around hypnobirthing.
Below is a extract from the article in The Times, including the quote used from Katharine.
Article is written by Carol Midgley and last updated at 11:46AM, June 13 2013
“In 1853 Queen Victoria gave birth to her eighth child after inhaling chloroform from a handkerchief for an hour.Now the Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly considering a rather more natural way of dealing with the pain of childbirth. According to Grazia magazine, she is considering a hypno-birth.While the birth of Prince Leopold led the way in making it “acceptable” to anaesthetise labour pain with chemicals, a royal hypno-birth could lead a trend in an entirely different direction.
Hypno-birthing is based on the belief that fear and anxiety interfere with the natural process of childbirth, making it longer and more painful. It claims to help women to use their mind to seize control of the birthing process and learn techniques to facilitate the production of pain-relieving hormones including oxytocin, which stimulates the muscles of the uterus. Some call it a form of self-hypnosis.Although women are still free to have pain relief during a hypno-birth, some have apparently testified that the methods they learnt meant that they did not need it and that they experienced more “discomfort” than “pain”…
…Hypno-birthing encourages the father to become directly involved in the birth, not a traditional role for royal fathers. The Hypnobirthing Association says that the father is an “anchor” throughout the process.
On its website, Katharine Graves, a specialist, writes that the word “hypno” does the technique a disservice. “Hypno-birthing helps you release the fears and gives you the tool so that your body can give birth efficiently and comfortably in the way it is designed to do,” she writes.If, in the event, the Duchess ends up yelling for an epidural, however, few women who have been through the process would blame her.”
The full article can be found on The Times website but you need a subscription to view the article in its entirety.
