When is the best time to start The Wise Hippo birthing programme classes?
We advise that the programme is suitable from 20 weeks of pregnancy, to 34 in usual circumstances, although have taught women post 40 weeks who have gone on to achieve a wonderful birth! This approach is a little unorthadox and requires swifter teaching, but the skills are so simple to learn and easy to use that they work, with little practice. I began my classes at 28 weeks, after doing some research into hypnobirthing around 20 weeks, once I'd felt my daughter move and the pregnancy became more 'real'. We attended a taster session (which I run for FREE each month) which made so much sense to me and assured me that my decision was right for me. I wasn't so bothered about how I would experience labour, initially,it was more about how my baby would expereince it, and I knew, with hypnobirthing (or deep relaxation) her birth would be less stressful and calm.
28 weeks was a good time for us to start. We'd passed that elusive 20 week scan, baby was good and wriggly, but we'd also just been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. This proved quite aconcern during the pregnancy, but the hypnobirthing classes taught us, not only how to manage our birth, but also to allay our anxieties during the pregnancy too about the condition and its effect on me and the baby.
12 weeks was also a good amount of time, for me, to feel confident and comfortable with the techniques. The 4 week programme was great too, as we could ask questions as they arose and ensure with each week's class, that we were doing them correctly.
I've taught women at different points in their pregnancies, from those so concerned about the labour that they've started fresh off the back of their 20 week scan, to those who have been busy during their pregnancy and not wanted to concern themselves with labour until nearer the time. And all have emerged at the end of the classes more confident and more prepared for their labour day.
We say it throughout the course; "what feels right, is right". This goes for your pregnancy, your labour and even, when to attend the classes.
If you're anxious early on, then perhaps the best time for you to consider your training is early on. It gives you lots of time for practice, as well as setting you on a more positive path from the outset. Your mind will be well and truly focussed on how wonderful birth can be, the longer you prepare for the fact that it is a normal, natural process.
Generally speaking, most women do start the courses, I've found (and according to a recent small poll of current Wise Hippo mums-to-be which averaged 28 weeks), towards to tail end of the second trimester or around the start of their third...I suppose that labour is more on your mind as you enter that final furlong.
However, if you're busy during your pregnancy, or preferring to stay a little in denial, or perhaps you've only discovered hypnobirthing as a concept later on; don't worry, you can still achieve a wonderful birthing experience regardless of your stage of pregnancy.
The programme is designed to be delivered over 4 weeks, well, 4 classes, and at Birth Wight we offer a fast-track programme if you do find yourself post-36 weeks. In fact, Tamara, one of the founders of The Wise Hippo discovered hypnobirthing herself at 36 weeks, during her second pregnancy and following a very traumatic first birth...and look how it changed her life! It is now her career, and she's helped to make it mine (and she was also my tutor when I learned during my pregnancy!).
I look forward to welcoming women at any stage in their pregnancy to learn more, and am looking forward to being able to offer an early and pre-pregnancy 'Bond with Baby' programme in the not-too-distant future, which will set the scene for atending the full programme later in pregnancy.
The Wise Hippo birthing programme teaches women how to trust their bodies and their babies, to tap into their natural birthing instincts, and learning to trust that what feels right, is right...following your gut when choosing when to attend is really the first step in trusting your instincts later on, which is key to a happy, positive and comfortable birthing experience.
