What is Hypnobirthing?

The Calm Hypnobirthing Course is a birth preparation course that teaches parents practical and empowering techniques for preparing for a satisfying, relaxing, and stress-free birth.

Through learning about hypnobirthing and practicing the techniques, you can embrace your innate birthing wisdom, working with your body and your baby experiencing birth in a more comfortable manner as nature intended.

You will discover how you can call upon your body’s own natural relaxant and lessen, or even eliminate pain and the need for medication.

The ‘hypno’ means 'sleep'. It relates to the calm, sleep-like state many parents experience when they practice the techniques during pregnancy and during birth. This helps to bring your mind and birthing body into the optimal state of deep relaxation, so that your birthing muscles can open as they are designed to, without restriction. 

The Calm Hypnobirthing Courses are held at Birthcare in Auckland. Or if you live anywhere else in New Zealand (or the world) online course is available for you.

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What are the benefits of hypnobirthing?

Learning about hypnobirthing can benefit you in the following ways..

  • Leave anxiety behind and get excited about your upcoming birthing day. 
  • Become empowered to take your pregnancy and birth journey into your own hands, rather than handing the decision making power over to others.
  • Feel confident that you know how to birth your baby in the most calm and gentle way possible.
  • Be prepared for birth by knowing and understanding how your body is designed to work.

How Can Calm Hypnobirthing Benefit Your Baby?

Increasing evidence from a variety of fields now confirms that pregnancy and birth set the tone for the rest of our lives.

Many Auckland Hypnobirthing parents report that their babies show qualities of gentleness, happiness and love.

A relaxed and happy mother has high levels of endorphins (the feel good hormone) that pass through to the baby, this means that their babies are also relaxed and happy.

Hypnobirthing babies generally feed and sleep well and have healthy birth weights.


“Hypnobirthing is an excellent way to achieve the birth you want, great techniques to learn how to relax and breath, very empowering.

Thank you so much Claire for your time and passion, we have really enjoyed your hypnobirthing course.”

Tristin, Midwife & First time Mum


How Can Calm Hypnobirthing Benefit Dads?

Dads have an integral part to play in the birthing process. They will learn to work alongside you, helping you to get into a deep state of relaxation, and guiding you with positive affirmations, deepening methods and visualisations to help you to remain thoroughly relaxed. They become your key support person to communicate your birthing preferences with medical staff.

As a result of taking hypnobirthing classes, fathers feel empowered through birth and proud to help make such a contribution to the once in a lifetime event. Many fathers have also reported that the calming relaxation and visualisation techniques that they learn are beneficial to them in many areas of their lives.

What Dads Are Saying...

“I think that this course is the best thing we could have done to prepare for our first baby. 

The relaxation exercises are very easy and effective, they made a world of difference during the birth.

We feel both feel that we have learnt positive skills for life! Thank you.”

Bryce, First time Dad.

“Before Hypnobirthing I was unsure what to expect except for what I had been told and seen on TV.  

Now after the course I feel confident and peaceful that I know the birth is not going to be painful or stressful at all.

Knowledge is power and your course was empowering.“

Ben, First time Dad.


Hypnobirthing Basics

The Calm Hypnobirthing Course is structured around the acronym of CALM. You will learn to:

CLEAR away anxiety by learning how to work in harmony with your birthing body.

ALIGN your body and mind to make birth easier and more gentle.

LEVERAGE the support of your birth team for confidence and empowerment.

MAGNIFY your positive mindset to be prepared for a beautiful birth.

How Hypnobirthing works

Hypnobirthing is all about getting into the optimal physical, mental and emotional state of calm to support the natural unfolding of birth. If a woman is feeling anxious or fearful when she is in labour, it sends a message to her body that it isn’t safe to birth her baby. This causes her uterine muscles to fight against each other, leading to pain and distress her and baby.

Since there is so much fear around birth, it is important that mums take the time to release any anxiety they might be feeling in the lead up to their birthing day, so that it doesn’t inhibit their birthing body. This is also coupled with physical preparation such as breathing and relaxation and is outlined in a comprehensive 40 page hypnobirthing guide.

"At first I was worried that my husband would find it all a big waste of time, however, he really enjoyed it and got a lot out of the class. He appreciated the information he gained and since attending the classes has been instrumental in putting what we learned from the hypnobirthing guide into practice. It is wonderful to have his full support."

Juleen Tjauw, First time Mum.

When should you start hypnobirthing?

The best time to begin is anytime between 14 weeks, right up until 39 weeks, however earlier is better because you’ll be able to enjoy all of the hypnobirthing benefits, such as: increased happy hormones, deeper sense of ease and a positive anticipation of your birth.
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What are the different hypnobirthing techniques?

It is the practical techniques that sets Auckland Hypnobirthing apart from other antenatal classes. Not only will you learn about how your body is naturally designed to birth, and the different phases of birth, you’ll also learn practical techniques. 

Here’s a rundown of the hypnobirthing basics:

  • Fear Release: Becoming aware of any anxieties that you might be feeling about birth and clearing them away is an important part of preparing for a calm birth. You will learn several ways of releasing fears so that your mind can be aligned with what you want for birth.
  • Breathing: You’ll learn three different breathing techniques that are designed specifically to support your birthing body. 
  • Relaxation: We approach relaxation from three different angles to help you stay in deep states of relaxation during birth. The first one is self relaxation which gives you confidence that you’ve got what it takes to be in the optimal state of relaxation, without relying on anyone else, which helps to take away apprehension of the unknown. The second is the audio guided relaxation tracks which accompany the course and the third is partner guided relaxation. 
  • Visualisation: Just in the same way as sports people prepare for their big event with visualising themselves performing successfully, we do the same for birth to train your subconscious mind in how to birth.

The history of hypnobirthing

The term ‘hypnobirthing’ was coined by Marie Mongan. When Marie had her babies in the fifties, it was common practice in America for mothers to birth with medical assistance, and without their husbands present. Marie was inspired by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read’s book, Childbirth Without Fear, which described the mind-body connection and the detrimental effects that fear has on the body’s ability to birth a baby. This made a lot of sense to her and as she was in labour with her babies, she brought herself into deep relaxation and noticed the positive benefits of doing so. 

Several years later she trained in hypnosis and noticed that the techniques that she used to bring her babies into the world with calm were very similar to what is done in hypnosis. When her daughter was pregnant, she created a program for her to follow and called it "Hypnobirthing". Since then, parents all around the world have been enjoying the benefits of hypnobirthing techniques and enjoying easier, more gentle births.

“We finished our antenatal classes, I have to say I found hypnobirthing much more empowering as a dad. Often you get made to feel a bit like a comedy back up act as a dad by general consensus. Claire’s class focused on building a solid family from the beginning, of which Dads are a vital practical part.”

Gray, First time Dad.