• What is HypnoBirthing?
• Some Benefits of HypnoBirthing...
• What HypnoBirthing Teaches Expecting Mothers...
• When to Register for Classes...

For Upcoming HypnoBirthing® Classes:

Please check schedule below.

(Other Hypnosis classes are also offered;
please see the "Workshops & Events" page.)

HypnoBirthing® Classes
for Expecting Parents

What is HypnoBirthing?

HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method is a comprehensive, holistic approach to natural childbirth developed in the 1980's by Marie Mongan that was based on the work of English obstetrician Dr. Grantley Dick-Read.  It is a program designed for the 95% of pregnancies that fall into the normal (low- or no-risk) category, offering a simple, relaxed, natural approach to having a safer, easier, more comfortable birth experience for both mother and baby.  It is based on the philosophy that the mother’s body is perfectly equipped to birth her baby easily, naturally, safely, and often in a pain-free manner, because in the absence of fear and tension, her body is able to work properly by releasing hormones that relax and allow easy birth.  It teaches methods to help prepare both body and mind to work in harmony during pregnancy and labor by means of relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques, proper nutrition, and education of the birth process.  It is a family-focused approach that facilitates the parents’ journey together into parenthood, empowering them with confidence and to trust both in the natural process of birth as well as in themselves and each other.

Contrary to what many people may think, HypnoBirthing® mothers are definitely not unconscious during the labor and birth of their baby.  The self-hypnosis, guided imagery, breathing, light touch and other techniques taught enable the birthing mother to achieve a state of profound relaxation, but she is fully aware and in control.  Though deeply relaxed, she is an active participant in the labor process, able to communicate easily with her birthing companion and care providers, and can choose to move around whenever she desires.  HypnoBirthing® mothers are not distracted by other people or their birthing environment, easily able to focus inward on their baby and their birthing body, and often they experience time distortion (a sense of being outside of time).

Although most expecting mothers desire to have natural, drug-free, vaginal births, HypnoBirthing® can be used for any type of birth experience. HypnoBirthing® does not promise painless birthing, though many HypnoBirthing® mothers do report having a relatively pain-free birth or one that they were able to manage easily.  Approximately 60% of HypnoBirthing® moms give birth with no need for pain relief at all, while a further 20-25% only use milder forms of pain relief. Additionally, recent statistics show that HypnoBirthing® has reduced the frequency of cesarean sections, with only 16% of HypnoBirthing® mothers birthing via c-section, compared to 32% of other mothers, as well as a significant reduction in the need for having IV fluids administered during labor.  Even if some form of pharmaceutical pain relief is required, or other special circumstances arise (such as requiring induction, cesarean or other procedure), the mother will experience a birth that is definitely calmer and more positive. And the benefits do not end there. HypnoBirthing® helps mothers experience a happier, more relaxed pregnancy, helps them in bonding with the baby, with breastfeeding, with facilitating better sleep, and the benefits continue long after the birth in easing the transition into their new role as a mothers (or in welcoming another new member into their family).

HypnoBirthing® Classes teach Expecting Mothers:

• How her body is naturally designed to conceive, nurture and birth her baby with ease and comfort;
• How she and her birth companion can begin bonding with baby even before birth;
• How to eliminate harmful emotions that lead to pain-causing tension and fear;
• How to relax deeply and trust her birthing body to function as it was designed to do;
• How to work with her body through the sensations, assisting rather than resisting, thereby alleviating pain;
• How to use her body’s natural birthing instincts to bring her baby into the world in a way that most mirrors the way that nature intended.

Some Benefits of HypnoBirthing® are:

• Eliminates or greatly reduces the need for chemical painkillers, anesthesia, episiotomy and other interventions;
• Shortens labor time;
• Lessens fatigue during and after labor;
• Allows more rapid postnatal recovery;
• Creates a more integral role for the birthing companion;
• Promotes special bonding of mother, baby, and birthing companion;
• Empowers women so they can create the birth experience they want;
• Welcomes babies into the world in the most peaceful, relaxed manner possible;
• Even if a pregnant mother has special circumstances, the HypnoBirthing® techniques allow her to approach them calmly and more comfortably;
• Techniques learned can continue to have life-long value long after the birth.

When to Register for HypnoBirthing® Classes:

The HypnoBirthing® program consists of 5 classes, each 2.5 hours long, held once a week for five weeks. Expecting mothers can take this course at anytime during their pregnancy, although they usually are encouraged to take HypnoBirthing® classes while still in their 2nd trimester, so that through practice, the techniques learned become second nature and can be called upon automatically to produce calm relaxation in both mind and body.  Even if a mother is late in her pregnancy and is just finding out about HypnoBirthing®, she should still contact me – many mothers desiring to birth their baby naturally have learned these techniques effectively even with only a couple weeks to practice, and have had wonderful birth experiences.  For group classes, I strongly recommend mothers start classes at least 8 weeks minimum before their due date (especially in case the baby decides to arrive early).  When closer to the due date, or traveling a long distance to my area, I can arrange to teach private classes over a shorter period of time.

Small group classes as well as private classes are available. The cost includes all class materials for the mother-to-be and her birthing companion—a book, two CDs, relaxation scripts, and a number of useful handouts to assist in one’s learning of these techniques.

For more information about HypnoBirthing® classes, including the course syllabus, please visit: www.HypnoBirthing.com.

Serving Towns in North Central Massachusetts
(Acton, Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Bedford, Berlin, Billerica, Bolton, Boxborough, Boylston, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Clinton, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Harvard, Holden, Hubbardston, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lincoln, Littleton, Lowell, Lunenburg, Marlborough, Maynard, Northborough, Oakham, Paxton, Pepperell, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shirley, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Sterling, Stow, Sudbury, Templeton, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsborough, West Boylston, Westborough, Westford, Westminster, Winchendon, Worcester)

and Southern New Hampshire
(Amherst, Brookline, Fitzwilliam, Greenfield, Greenville, Hollis, Hudson, Jaffrey, Lyndeborough, Mason, Merrimack, Milford, Mont Vernon, Nashua, New Ipswich, Pelham, Peterborough, Rindge, Sharon, Temple, Wilton).