Effective Birth Preparation: Your Practical Guide to a Better Birth: Ultimate guide to Hypnobirthing

We looked into Hypnobirthing a bit too close to our son's arrival so we weren't able to attend any classes. However, I don't feel we needed to as this book did a really good job of preparing both myself and my wife for the birth. The book does an excellent job of covering the history of childbirth around the world to demonstrate how far we have come but moreover how we've overcomplicated a very natural process. It provides really good support and ideas for fathers and birth partners; covering all aspects of the birth. There's a lot of stories and testimonials from people who have used hypnobirthing and I skipped through a lot of these as I found it a bit boring and stale compared to the rest of the book. Even without these stories, the book makes very strong, compelling arguments for the advantages of hypnobirthing. I personally was very sceptical about the whole Hypnobirthing idea, passing it off as some 'hippy nonsense' but this book did a really good idea of making me come around. My wife was really surprised by it too and did all the exercises covered in the CD that was purchased separately to accompany this book. Despite leaving it to the last minute, we felt like the book did a good job of preparing us and we believe this did contribute to a fantastic, calm birth experience. I felt it really prepared me as a father and birth partner in supporting my wife for the birth of our son. I'd thoroughly recommend this approach to anyone, especially those who are worried about the prospect of giving birth as it really approaches this from a different angle and does a lot to quell concerns and focus on the positive aspects.

i previously wrote a review on this book when i was 38 weeks pregnant. that was just over 6 months ago now and i wanted to edit it to let everyone know how amazing natal hypnotherapy book is!! i read this book over n over - 7 times to be exact. i didnt get bored of it.. i absolutely loved it!! heres abit about my labour (if u dont mind reading): i went up to 42 weeks with my lb n opted for monitoring, i had a s&s at 42 weeks n the midwife nicely put that my waters were bursting n i was already 4cm dilated.. the girl is the bed next to me said she was 2cm n wanted morphine so she didnt know how i just look normal haha! but i did, i felt fine (like i wasnt in labour atal) so me n my partner left for home, everything was fine - that was at 6pm! 9.15pm i knew this was labour.. it all suddenly changed n my back killed! by half 9 an ambulance was called.. i was actually gunna give birth at home - im a first time mum n i wasnt even fretting! 36 mins later at 10.03pm my son was born! yes thats right 36 minutes of labour lol! while i was labouring i was listening to the natal hypnotherapy birth preparation cd, i was aware of everything that was going on.. i had no gas n air, although at one stage, when the head was coming out i did say i need drugs but my partner knew this was the 'self doubt phase'. this book was so helpful. i was even talkin to the paramedic guy as it was his first time at a birth. the midwife didnt arrive until 10 minutes after my baby boy was born - i think everyone was a lil shocked at how fast my labour was.. next time the hospital may listen to me when i say 'im in labour' n not tell me to take a paracetamol lol. i loved my birth n i do think if it wasnt for natal hypnotherapy all could of been so different! this book is truly amazin! 2 of my friends actually gave birth a week after me n there labours were totally different to mine! i actually need to lend my friend this if she has another baby cause her birth was so traumatic n i think my labour was awesome because of natal hypnotherapy - without it, it could of all been different! big thank you to Maggie Howell! i cannot recommend this book enough! it tells you facts, you understand it so much, the mums/mums to be, dads n midwife real life stories in it are fab too! i seriously LOVE this!!

This book is simply AMAZING! It gets you to challenge any of your preconceptions about childbirth! I have recommended this book and its accompanying music/ audio to everyone I know who is pregnant! My first experience of childbirth was simply awful, this book and accompanying audio guides were fantastic (purchased separately via iTunes), I genuinely believe that this and the audio guides/music were the key to a much improved birth of my second child! I think this book should be provided to every pregnant woman! It's just that fantastic! I really can't rate it enough! However, I must say that this didn't change the pain felt! However, I highly rate it because it empowered me and helped me feel in control and helped me manage the pain. If in doubt, buy this book..... you won't regret it! Simply fantastic advice and a wonderful way to prepare for labour and to accompany you through your journey!! Some of the other reviews have mentioned the books promotion of the accompanying cd/audio guide, although you don't have to buy this and I have no doubt that this book can help on its own, I believe it was the combination that worked for me. Also other reviews mention about dedication/work being involved for this to work, this is true! Yes you need to read the book and in my opinion listen to the accompanying audio regulary, especially in the final weeks of pregnancy but it is very, very worth it! As for price, for any critics I challenge them to compare this to the price of any birth preparation course or hypnotherapy course as it not only works but is also very much cheaper!! Other reviewers also mention about the book promoting home birth, I agree that it does but both my pregnancies were 'high risk' and I gave birth to both my babies in hospital. There are also accompanying audio guides for caesarian delivery available. As a side note I had every pain relief method going for my first child and it didn't help! (To note my epidural was unsuccessful) With my second with the help of this book I had nothing! If I were to recommend anything to pregnant ladies this is it! Just buy the book and give it a try!

I really enjoyed this book and it was great to read something that was woman centred and not promoting the 'birth is scary' message. I was so frustrated that every app, magazine and article was telling me that I should be feeling scared when this was not the case, I found it hard to relate to all these things that were meant to be helping to prepare because they didn't reflect me or what I was feeling. However I would imagine that if you are worried then this will also benefit you to learn and understand and de medicalise the process and bring it back to your body and evolution have got this. Our bodies are designed to do this and I think we've lost touch with that. I brought the companion guided meditations on iTunes but they are also available as physical CDs. I found the whole programme very relaxing and when it came time for me to give birth although it wasn't the totally natural birth I wanted (due to complications with me) the book gave me the courage to speak out and I was given time to see if things would progress rather than the next stage of intervention. It also helped me to cope as my ideal birth slipped away. I managed a great deal of labour with no pain relief beyond breathing and mediation and then gas and air, progressing to diamorphine as I was exhausted and needed rest. I credit this program for not finding my birthing experience traumatic (again complications). If I am ever blessed with another miracle then I will certainly re read the book and get back to the guided meditations, I actually miss the meditations, they were a lovely dedicated to me time and used to help me to sleep. The only down side is the cost, ideally you need to buy the mediations to go with the book, yes the book explains how you could do your own but I wouldn't have felt confident and each stage costs £7.99 to £10 depending on where/how you buy. You can of course buy these at the appropriate stages to spread the cost which is what I did.

As a birth professional I recommend this book to all my clients as an essential read in line with their birth preparation. It is simply written for parents to understand yet comprehensive enough for professionals too. It is well researched and evidence based however written from experience and not just from theory - Maggie Howell has had 5 babies at home using self hypnosis and developed the Natal Hypnotherapy brand through her tried and tested method. This book gives a great overview of the physiological side of childbirth as well as what both mum and dad can do to support the process. It also goes through the principles and the process of self-hypnosis for labour and birth. So even if you haven't decided if self-hypnosis is for you and you want to know more, or you simply want a good book to help you prepare for birth this book really is a great choice. To get the most out of the Natal Hypnotherapy system I would highly recommend the CDs which are the practical side of the system. Listen to an English voice (rather than an American one like Hypnobirthing) taking you through hypnosis which if used regularly in preparation will enable you to experience the natural pain relief that is gained by self-hypnosis during labour and birth by just using the music CD if you do not want to listen to the narrated one. It is important to point out that birth is unpredictable and there are no guarantees to your birth experience, this system can be used in all environments and birth situations. However, research has shown that mothers that have used self-hypnosis for labour and birth especially if practised in advance have a better birth experience, with less pain, quicker, less intervention, less risk of a Caesarian, better recovery, and gives the baby a gentler and calmer welcome to the world. If you buy just one book this should be it.

This book is really easy to read, simple to understand and absolutely essential reading for any mums to be. It made me realise why I was fearful about giving birth and importantly, why I dont need to be and how I could overcome the fear. It also helped me understand how my body works when in labour (muscles and hormones and things!) and how to help it do its job.. seeing as we are designed to give birth. I came across this book from listening to the natal hynotheraopy CDs (which are also brilliant) and having a pretty relaxed, problem free birth with my first child and then I found this book before I had my second. I hear you can also go to workshops now where you can learn techniques and self-hynosis to help with the birth. The book also has some great tips on how your partner can help out during labour so they are not feeling completely helpless, I got my hubby to read this bit and some other bits in the book and he says that really helped him during the birth of my second. In fact, I firmly believe that this book should be read by all pregnant women and their partners! please buy it and spread the word!

If you read nothing else whilst pregnant, then read this. It is everything you need to know about what to expect in labour and gives you all the tools and techniques you would need to stay calm and focused to give you the best birth experience you can have. This book helps both expectant mothers and their birth partners to effectively prepare for the birth of their baby. It takes you through the stages of labour, both emotionally and physiologically, helping you to understand and gain control of the process. It will give you the confidence that your body instinctively knows how to birth your baby, as mammals have been doing since the beginning, and will help you to create the right environment for it to be able to do that. It teaches you breathing and relaxation techniques to help you remain calm and focused, to reduce pain and minimise the need for medical interventions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Maggie is a real inspiration, having given birth to 5 boys using these techniques and principles, you cannot doubt that that they work!

NOT A KINDLE BOOK - no way to refund

Me ha encantado, con Aina, en mi segundo parto, tuve una tranquilidad absoluta y confianza en mí misma, tal cual pasó con Sergi, hace casi dos años.

Its definitely a good book which gives you a deeper understanding of labor and ways to manage it, but every two pages there is a loud message to buy the natal hypnotherapy CD.