Congratulations, you have found hypnobirthing and are really excited about how it will have the power to transform your birth experience. But are you struggling to convince your partner this is the right way to go?
Do any of these statements sound familiar?
“Meditation and hypnotherapy is not really my thing”
“It is all a bit mumbo jumbo and hippy like for me”
“I do not think it will be worth the money”
“I am really happy if it is something you want to do but don’t think I will be able to help”
You really are not alone in this, I have met numerous couples that are in a similar situation.
So how do you persuade your birth partners that hypnobirthing is the best avenue to go down? Here we have a run-down of what to expect and some tips to help you convince your birth partner it is not only the right thing for you both to do, but will also help strengthen your own bond together at this important time.
Understanding All About Hypnobirthing
Hypnobirthing provides the tools, skills and knowledge to release fear and build confidence in birth. It is designed to help you achieve the best birth for you. Birth can be and is for many women, a beautiful, pain- free, enjoyable, comfortable and everything else in between occasion to remember. Learning about hypnobirthing will put you on the right road to enjoy this experience. This is a very brief overview of hypnobirthing, to find out more visit our hypnobirthing parents course page.
A hypnobirthing Dad compares two different birth experiences:
“Being able to see both sides of the delivery experience has made us very much hypnobirthing evangelists.”
How to Convince Your Birth Partner
Initially, convincing dads-to-be can be somewhat of a challenge, yet more often than not, whilst fathers may only agree to come along to please their partners, following their first class; they do a complete u-turn and are actually excited about labour! Here are some ideas to help them to discover that this is the right choice and keep him involved on your journey to meeting your baby:
- Encourage him to be sceptical. The course is worth doing, and stands up to logical examination. It makes sense to ask questions about all aspects of your care to make sure it is right for you.
- Suggest that he finds out what other men have to say, so ask him to read these testimonials from other fathers.
- Keep your passion and confidence in the process. Hypnobirthing is very powerful and your confidence will be infectious. He undoubtedly wants to do everything he can to support you and the course shows him how.
- Find an experienced and recommended KG Hypnobirthing teacher. If you need help convincing them that it is a good idea, ask to have a private chat with your potential teacher to help with any questions before you book a class. We have hypnobirthing teachers located all around the world, visit our hypnobirthing directory and there is also Katharine’s popular hypnobirthing parents’ online course.
- Fathers are so often sidelined. A well trained hypnobirthing father is a massive asset in the birthing room.
- Fathers who come to a hypnobirthing class say they want information but they don’t know where to find it. Hypnobirthing is a full antenatal preparation, educating you and him about the birth process, your choices, and how ‘the system’ works so he can help you have the best possible experience.
- Because a hypnobirthing father knows he has played an important role in how his baby enters the world, it gives him a deeper bond with his own child.
“I can’t thank you enough for all your help. I am so glad I managed to convince Joe to attend the course. He was completely sold by hypnobirthing and is a massive advocate of the approach, so much so that he tells all our ‘expecting’ friends about it.” Hypnobirthing Dad
Times are evolving and one particularly positive aspect of hypnobirthing is how it strengthens relationships with birth partners and dads by making birth education and the event itself, a real team effort. Communication, touch, information and for dads especially ‘jobs to do’ help them to understand exactly what mum needs to feel supported, calm and relaxed so that she can allow her birthing hormones to take over, safe in the knowledge that her partner has her space guarded and will deal with the outside world on her behalf.
If you are still struggling to convince him do watch this video of actress Suzanne Shaw and her fiancee Sam Greenfield. Suzanne had her last child using KG Hypnobirthing and Sam was a sceptical dad at first. To the extent that when they discussed what would happen if the midwife did not get to them in time at their home Sam commented ‘I kind of don’t mind if that happened, just you and me on our own.’ Suzanne was astounded about the complete u-turn he had gone through and this was thanks to the knowledge learnt on a KG Hypnobirthing course.
I will leave you with a quote from one of our hypnobirthing dads. Read their full stories.
“As the husband (and birth partner!!) I felt in complete control of the room and discussed with the midwife our exact ideas for the day and how WE wanted it to progress.” Hypnobirthing Dad
