Take a look on Google Trends data and you’ll see a notable and consistent interest in Hypnobirthing over the years. Searches for "hypnobirthing" also show spikes, especially around certain times of the year, indicating heightened interest likely due to media coverage. 2018 for example saw a spike searches after Harry Kane and Kate Middleton both were in the media talking about how great Hypnobirthing is.

Often the first thing people associate with Hypnobirthing is letting go of the fear of childbirth. For me that was what attracted me to doing a course back in 2012 when I was pregnant with my first baby.

I was dreading giving birth. I was terrified of the pain I might feel, the lack of control and the potential for it to happen in a way I didn’t want it to.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that fear of birth is the only reason women, and their birth partners decide to do a course. In fact, there are many other reasons people seek out these in...

This is a question I asked myself when I first found Hypnobirthing, 12 years ago, pregnant with my first baby.

‘If I’m Hypnobirthing, will I be able to have an epidural?’

I loved the idea of Hypnobirthing and certainly needed it with the amount of fear I had about childbirth.

Yet, I was scared that if I committed to a Hypnobirthing course, I’d somehow not allowed to have an epidural if I wanted one.

As someone who considered myself to have a VERY low pain threshold, this played on my mind A LOT.

This worry likely came from my association with Hypnobirthing being an alternative to medical intervention. So, I saw Hypnobirthing and epidurals as opposite ends of the scale.

What I found was Hypnobirthing aimed to empower women to have a positive and calm birth experience. Yes, I learnt all about the incredible work of the body during birth and ways I could naturally remain as comfortable as possible AND...

Starting a Hypnobirthing business of your own is not only an incredible way of spreading the word that childbirth can be incredible but can also become a flexible way of earning money doing something rewarding.

Where do you start though, when thinking about becoming a Hypnobirthing Instructor?

I’ve broken down 5 steps to launching your own Hypnobirthing business, even if you have never done it before…

1. Get clear on your motivation

Take a pen and paper and list the many benefits of bringing Hypnobirthing to more parents. Think of this for the pregnant women and birth partners you’ll work with, PLUS the benefits to your own life too.

Getting focused on your motivation in this way will decrease the fear that is so natural when doing something new. As I say to my students “Make the mission bigger than the fear”.

You might think about how Hypnobirthing will allow women to enjoy their pregnancies more with...

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…

1. 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 gave this zero thought when I first trained in 2015. I called myself a Hypnobirthing teacher. If I’m honest this was because others that offered Hypnobirthing also called themselves this.

I’ve noticed these days, women who run Hypnobirthing courses call themselves a variety of things and I think this is wonderful.

It got me thinking about how a title can convey so much. We know language is powerful, right?!

So, I’m writing this blog to get you thinking about which title you choose to go by and what this could do to amplify your brand.

Here are some of the titles I’ve seen…

Hypnobirthing Teacher

Birth Hypnosis Specialist

Birth Coach

Hypnobirthing Practitioner

Hypnobirthing Instructor

Hypnobirthing Facilitator

Birth Educator

Hypnobirthing Specialist

Birth Guide

Pregnancy and birth Mentor

Antenatal teacher

These alternative titles can help get across the focus and expertise of the practitioner while also...

Are you wanting to get bookings on group Hypnobirthing courses this year?

I hear you! When I first started my Hypnobirthing business, as much as I loved working one-to-one with clients, my intention was to have a birth business with consistently full groups.

I wanted that bustling atmosphere that comes with groups and I really wanted my clients to get the extra perk of meeting other expectant parents too. Plus, I knew it would be a more profitable use of my time. As a mum of young children, this was super important to me.

Here are 5 essentials to consider to maximise your chances of filling those groups:

1. Timing

Unless you’ve got a massive following of pregnant women eagerly awaiting your next course you are going to benefit from advertising group courses 6-12 weeks in advance. I honestly wouldn’t go any less than 6 weeks. This gives you time to promote your Hypnobirthing groups and makes it more likely that those that enquire...

Teaching skills for Hypnobirthing Instructors

I once heard someone say “Be so good at what you do that they can’t ignore you” and I thought YES, this has been my philosophy throughout these last 9 years of running a Hypnobirthing business.

When you trust that what you offer is so great, you are able to talk about it with certainty and confidence. This magnetises clients. Plus, you benefit from word-of-mouth recommendation that allows bookings to come your way with more ease long-term.

I’m in the anti-more brigade though.

No, I don’t think you need to add a whole new session on biomechanics or baby care or even self-advocacy.

More isn’t more. More can be overwhelming. It can mean you are skimming through things. It can mean you scrape on the things that make your courses more of an incredible experience too.

So, here’s how you can enhance your teaching skills so that your Hypnobirthing courses are...

I actually hate the term 'Birth worker'.

I've never used it to refer to myself, despite running a thriving Hypnobirthing business for the last 9 years.

Why?

Hmmm maybe actually it's a bit of imposter syndrome?

Perhaps its feelings of not fitting a stereotype I associate with the term?

Or maybe it's more to do with how I saw my business?

I saw what I did as education, guidance.

I associate birth worker with a doula or a midwife, those that actually attended birth.

That wasn't me.

8 years ago I saw an event for Leeds Birth workers. It would have been a great opportunity to meet likeminded people and network too.

I didn't go. I didn't think it was for me.

In all honesty, I just never thought I fitted in.

I didn't belong.

I'm not crunchy enough

I'm more stilettos than dungarees

I'm not very political

Now this next bit sounds bonkers, hold on tight...

I have on occasions considered adopting a persona that I thought I should.

I wondered if dungarees...

When you are about to go to sleep, you adjust the room.

You make it more comfortable and quieter. You change the lighting and maybe even the temperature.

You understand that the environment is going to make a big difference to your ability to fall asleep and have a good sleep.

The same is true for birth.

Your birth environment matters.

Imagine your friend’s pet cat is pregnant. She tells you she’s had her kittens. Where are you picturing that she birthed them?

Are you imagining she took herself off to the under stairs cupboard, the old shed in the garden or even under the bed?

Most of us would expect other mammals to take themselves off somewhere dark, small, and familiar to them.

We are mammals too. We need similar conditions to birth more easily too.

I’m not suggesting that you take yourself to the old shed in the garden or squeeze yourself into the under stairs cupboard along with the vac. However, thinking about how to create a birth friendly environment helps...

My heart started pounding, I broke out in a cold sweat. It was just ten minutes before 5 couples were about to turn up at my house for their first group Hypnobirthing session.

I was in a state of panic as I’d stupidly started scrolling on Facebook and noticed a big Hypnobirthing brand had introduce a pre-recorded Hypnobirthing course for little more than £30. The likes and comments were flowing.

That’s it, I’m doomed, I thought. How can I compete with a course that’s less than a Friday night takeaway?

Now, that was a good few years ago and today these digital, low cost Hypnobirthing courses are everywhere.

To cut a long story short, it did NOT decrease the demand for my courses that were ten times the price. My Hypnobirthing business continued to thrive.

I don’t believe these cheapo courses that are so very different from the courses that you want to offer are competition for you either. I do,...