Weird Things About Teaching Hypnobirthing
Teaching Hypnobirthing has been part of my life more than 9 years now and it’s been incredible.
There’s been some weird things in that time though…
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The postman’s reaction
Picture the scene. I’m teaching a couple Hypnobirthing from my living room. It’s 25 degrees outside, so I’ve got the window open.
To post a letter, the postman must walk in front of the window and of course he can’t help but have a peek in. You would, wouldn’t you?
So that’s what he does.
There he sees a woman bent over a birth ball with a man behind her (her partner). He can’t see that he’s simply practicing some soothing strokes guided by me.
He hears her demand “you can do it harder than that”
There I am stood next to the couple, making eye contact with the postman, with an awkward smile.
2. The clients that say it’s like relationship therapy
Now, I’m a firm believer that there’s some incredible unexpected benefits of Hypnobirthing.
This one I wasn’t expecting though. Yet, I can’t even tell you the amount of couples that have told me this.
The first woman that said it commented, “we’ve really loved this couples counselling, I mean Hypnobirthing” and then laughed. She went on to explain that the course had the added benefit of being like couple’s therapy.
Now, at first, I was taken a back a little. On reflection though, I get it.
A Hypnobirthing course allows for communication about expectations, fears and aspirations between couples. This can deepen their understanding of one another.
The course helps them to approach childbirth as a shared experience, strengthening their sense of unity. It also enhances their feelings of being supported.
So, perhaps not it’s not a weird comparison at all!
3. Pets!
Now, I love animals. But there’s been some interesting moments with them.
The cat that always started “singing” when I read a Hypnosis script. The licky pugs that wouldn’t sit anywhere else but on my knee for the whole session. The time I had to pretend not to be freaked out by the tank with a snake in behind my head. And the house rabbit just casually hopping around the room during the session.
4. Other peoples’ responses to what I do
When I tell people I teach Hypnobirthing, I’ve been met with some strange responses.
“Oh, and what do you wear?”
Hmmm. At first, I had no idea what they were getting at here, so I said, “just my regular clothes.”
“Even in the birth pool?!”
Then I got it! They thought what I do is something to do with birth pools and that I attend women’s births (plus, actually physically get in a pool with them ha).
Then there was the other person who asked me to show them my pocket watch!
I get it though, there is still a lot of misunderstanding around what Hypnobirthing actually is and when people hear a long unfamiliar word like ‘Hypnobirthing’ they jump to all sorts of conclusions.
It certainly has given me some laughs over the years.
If you are considering venturing into this hugely rewarding path with a few funny moments thrown in, come along to my free event coming up next month where you can really see if becoming a Hypnobirthing instructor is for you.
Abby x
