Today we're exploring the idea of 'having a hypnobirth'; what the stereotypical idea of a hypnobirth is and how useful I think that is! Spoiler - I don't think a hypnobirth is a thing. If you have found listening to The Hypno-WHAT Podcast helpful, I would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to rate & review the show. It tells the podcast gods & goddesses that you are enjoying the show and helps it reach more people, spreading the good word of birth far &...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 6 in the series explores three different distractions for labour: TENS machines, cold flannels & physical touch. If you want to hear more from me you can find me...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 5 in the series looks at the different ways your labour might begin. If you want to hear more from me you can find me on instagram @birthingparentsclub. Check out...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 4 in the series explores why being calm matters for birth - one of the fundamental theories of hypnobirthing. If you want to hear more from me you can find me on...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 3 in the series explores the importance of the birth environment, creating familiarity in a maternity unit & why you should to prepare to labour at home. If you...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 1 in the series explores a very brief outline of how birth works, looking first at what contractions are and then finishing by looking at birth hormones. If you want...

Welcome to Summer School! Summer holidays can be hectic; kids off school and generally life is just busier with holidays, weddings etc. But you still want to try and squeeze in some birth prep?! I hear you! My summer school episodes will be a maximum of 15 minutes long, hopefully meaning you can cram them at some point. Episode 1 in the series discusses why you should bother preparing for birth in the first place. Some of my favourite birthworkers mentioned in the episode: Anna | Hackney...

This bonus episode is a guided breathwork practice and accompanies episode 4 of The Hypno-WHAT Podcast, where I teach you about the ways in which your breathing affects the functioning of your body. If you are enjoying the soothing sound of Scotland in your ears as your relax during pregnancy, you can now buy more of my hypnobirthing mp3s on my online shop. They are a bargain £4 each and cover topics such as anxiety, confidence building, fear release & preparing to breastfeed. Check it...

This week we are talking about breathing and why it’s one of the most well-known hypnobirthing tools. Our breathing can help us to take control of how our body is reacting to a situation and how you breathe really does impact on the chemistry of your body. We briefly look at different techniques to use in labour & birth and alongside this episode there is a bonus episode with a guided breathwork to help you practice. If you have found listening to The Hypno-WHAT Podcast helpful, I would...

This episode will be discussing how to prepare for chest or breastfeeding your baby and we are going to be mostly discussing what normal newborn behaviour looks like for babies who are not bottle fed. This is something I think is super important to understand before baby arrives, because with the UK’s breastfeeding rates being amongst the lowest in the world, very few of us actually know what that looks like or what to expect - and that also goes for our support network. Human milk is...

Warning - this episode contains a bit of swearing, so if that's not your vibe maybe give this episode a miss. The very first guests on The Hypno-WHAT Podcast are my brilliant pals Jade & Alix who run The Birth Uprising, who I trained with back in 2021. The TBU approach is 'no fluff, no bull'; Jade & Alix tell it like it is, there's no pretension with this pair at all, and they are fiercely passionate about making hypnobirthing accessible to all. TBU content is always inclusive,...

Your first bonus track of Series 2! This 15 minute body scan is designed to help you find softness and stillness whenever you need to. If you enjoy The Hypno-WHAT Podcast, I would really appreciate it if you could take a couple of minutes to rate & review the show. It tells the podcast gods & goddesses that you are enjoying the show and helps it reach more people, spreading the good word of birth far & wide! I would also love for you to connect with me over on instagram at...

The Estimated Due Date... that magical day your hit 40 weeks and fully expect your baby to arrive then or shortly after. As does everyone you shared the date with. The texts flood in - Have you had the baby yet? How long are they going to let you go? Get a sweep. Eat 14 pineapples. None of it is ill intended but it can sow the seeds of doubt and have you questioning your body - why hasn't it gone in to labour by now? Well today I'm going to talk you through the due date and why you should...

In this episode I’ll be discussing using water during your labour - and that doesn’t necessarily mean you plan to birth your baby in the pool. Birth pools & showers can be brilliant tools for relief during labour, even if you want to birth your baby out of the water. There are lots of big claims about birth pools - they make labour less painful and can reduce your risk of intervention... but what does the evidence actually say? Let me break it down for you in today's episode. If you’d...

Never tried a guided relaxation before? The short tracks on this podcast are a great place to start. This track is just over 6 minutes long and designed to be used wherever & whenever you need a quick reset and to check in with yourself & baby. The intention of this practice is for you to connect with your body & baby, recognising where you are at the present moment, acknowledging that & accepting it. I encourage you to notice not only the negatives, as our brains are so...

Today's episode is going to be focusing on contractions - what are they? And how does our uterus actually work? Most people in the beginning know very little about what contractions are. They just think 'Right I’m going to have contractions, whatever they are, and they will get bigger and harder until my baby is born' ...and that’s just not true for everyone. Not all contractions are made equal; we have different kinds of contractions which do completely different jobs, at different stages in...

It’s all very well to be told about the importance of building a positive mindset for birth, but how do you actually get to a place where that feels realistic? For some people, they hit pregnancy feeling pretty neutral about birth, others even feel good and excited about the experience of giving birth, however, there are a great many people who don’t fall in to either of those camps. If that is you, you are not alone. In fact, I’d say you’re maybe in the majority group! If you are currently...

Today we’re on episode 10 and we are talking all about how to tailor your environment for birth. In the previous episode of the show we looked at choosing where to give birth, now we’re thinking about the considerations for how to make that environment supportive of birth. We talk about the importance of remembering that the majority of birth begins at home - unless you are having a caesarean or induction then you will be labouring at home, so what can you do to support yourself there? I also...

Today’s episode I’m introducing you to one of my favourite aspects of birth preparation - and what I also think is the most important thing to make sure you do - and that’s get yourself some birth plans sorted out! Yes plural!!! There is definitely an element of being able to ‘go with the flow’ when it comes to your experience of birth, but the process of writing and researching your birth plans is not something you want to overlook. It’s a really powerful way to become familiar with birth,...

In today’s episode I take you through a bit of the process of choosing where to birth your baby and explore your options for midwife led units, labour ward, theatre & home birth. There's quite a bit to get through, and it's a bit juicy! Hence why I'm chatting for a bit longer than usual this week. We also touch on your right to choose where you give birth, and this right is protected by law. The organisations mentioned are AIMS UK and Birth Rights who provide an incredible free resource...

This episode I’m answering some questions from the listeners. The topics we cover today are: my experience of hypnobirthing What to do with your placenta When to book your birth prep courses How to know when to go to hospital Is it really bad to birth on your back I’ll be doing regular Q&As so if you want to make sure your question makes it on to the next one then please fire me an email at [email protected] or drop me a line on instagram -...

No one wants to be a crap birth partner do they? Today I discuss with you why your birth partner is important, as well as how to get them on board. I also introduce the idea of doulas and what they can bring to the party. If you’re wondering where to start with preparing for birth with your partner I am running a birth planning workshop on Saturday 17th of September. It will kick off at 1030am and run for around 2 hours. We’ll be going through all the ins & out of how to go about writing...

Creating the perfect practice and fitting it in to already busy lives is something that can put a lot of people off exploring hypnobirthing. Today I want to give you a few tips on how to go about getting your Hypnobirthing practice in without having to carve out hours every night creating the perfect place for it. We also explore the idea of anchoring - tools that you can use to help your brain & body relax with more ease. These will form the basis for creating your birth environment...

Never tried a guided relaxation before? The short tracks on this podcast are a great place to start. This affirmation track is designed to be used in the evenings as you're getting yourself settled down, ready for bed. Don't worry if you fall asleep. Your brain is still listening and relaxation is what we're after, and asleep usually means relaxed, so the track is doing it's job! The intention of this practice is for you to connect with your body & baby, recognising any worries that may...