Frequently Asked Questions

We are the original UK Hypnobirthing course which is designed especially for mothers in the UK.  The course is constantly evolving to keep up-to-date with the latest evidence and research, and is now taught internationally. 

Katharine Graves has personally taught hypnobirthing to over 2,000 couples, probably more than anyone else in the UK and all KG Hypnobirthing teachers are knowledgeable and highly trained to support you in hypnobirthing.

A KGHypnobirthing Course not only equips you with the hypnobirthing information, but uniquely gives you the knowledge to understand your options and the implications of the choices you make.  As well as teaching you the techniques you need for a successful hypnobirth, it gives you the information to navigate the system in which you find yourself to achieve the best outcome for you and your baby.

Course Costs: 

Shared sessions (3 couples max) - £249
One to one – contact me to discuss

(course costs include: copy of ‘The Hypnobirthing Book’ and couples copy of Antenatal Relaxation MP3 Download)

Breathing exercises
Deep relaxations
Visualisations
Very effective work to release fear and build confidence
Comforting massage
How your partner can be your powerful protector and support
How your body is designed to give birth with efficiency and comfort
Knowledge and information about pregnancy and birth that you are unlikely to be told anywhere else
How ‘the system’ that you find yourself in works, and how to work with it to achieve the best result for you
A simple practice regime to support you at home
Understanding how the mind and body work together
The 5 C's - Confidence, Control, Choice, Calm & Comfort

Before the course you will be sent you will be sent Colour & Calmness the pregnancy and birth relaxation CD or MP3 so you can start to practice and develop a positive outlook on pregnancy and birth straight away.

At the course you will be given The Hypnobirthing Book and a folder of handouts to support you during the rest of your pregnancy and the birth of your baby

No, they don’t, but they will be very glad if they did.  Most partners arrive at the course utterly sceptical and leave extremely enthusiastic.  We don’t expect you to believe in it.  Why should you?  We do ask you to listen to the facts and the logic so you understand how important it is and the difference you as a birth companion can make.   Have a look at the birth reports from partners, and  you can benefit from their experience.

The caricature of a partner at a birth is someone who is nervous, feeling responsible for the situation mum is in, holding her hand and wishing they could help, but not knowing what to do. A hypnobirthing partner is knowledgeable and able to support her as she gives birth.  They are a huge asset in the birthing room, and many mothers say, ‘I couldn’t have done it without them.’  They have practised together before the birth which brings them closer together, and they know they have played an important part in how baby enters the world.  This deepens their relationship as a couple, and their relationship with baby.

Yes, definitely.  Many women have come to the course on their own if they have a partner who is away on business, as a single mum, if it’s a second baby and they can’t find a babysitter for their elder child, or any other reason.  Just remember that KGHypnobirthing works, and you are very welcome.  If your partner can’t come, we would welcome your mother, a friend, or whoever will be supporting you at the birth instead.

As your KGHypnobirthing teacher I am always there for you.  Please call or email if you feel stressed, are put under pressure, or we can help in any way.

People sometimes ask if buying The Hypnobirthing Book and the Colour and Calmness CD is sufficient without coming to a course.  The honest answer is, ‘I don’t know’.  For a few mothers it is, for many it isn’t (though it will always make a difference).  The trouble is, you don’t know which category you come into until after your baby is born.

You undoubtedly get more information and feel more supported from attending a course.  How many people have bought a series of audios to learn a language and then found that going to a course is far more effective?

Given the choice, I would advise doing the course in the second trimester of your pregnancy so you can enjoy the benefits during your pregnancy as well as at the birth of your baby.  It is not so much a matter of learning facts so they are fresh in your mind, but more a matter of absorbing the information so that it becomes second nature, but KGHypnobirthing works whenever you do it.  I have taught a woman who gave birth two days later, and it worked perfectly well. 

If you do the course earlier, you get the benefits of KGHypnobirthing during your pregnancy as well as at the birth of your baby.

Yes, there is no additional charge for the partners to attend, which we encourage.

I will do all I can to accommodate you, just give me a call and we can make it work for you.. Call her to talk it through. Computers are wonderful but rather inflexible and they can't cope with anything out of the ordinary; we can! Just call us and we'll sort it out. We know the difference HypnoBirthing makes and you don't yet, so we will do everything we can to make sure you get the benefits of this wonderful system.

A maximum of three couples will be on group courses, if you would prefer a private course or smaller group please do give me a call and we can talk through the options.

If you are expecting your first baby, you may have the phrase on your lips, ‘What if……’.  The fears you have are often derived from the dramatic emergencies you have seen on television or the movies.  KGHypnobirthing helps to explain the ‘What ifs’ so you can safely leave them to your midwife.  She is highly qualified in ‘what ifs’, but you need the knowledge to understand this.

From women who are expecting their second or subsequent baby, I often hear the words, ‘If only…’.  ‘If only I had known, I would have made a different decision.’  ‘If only someone had told me.’  KGHypnobirthing saves you from saying ‘If only…’ after the birth, and helps you let go of a previous bad experience, so that the birth of your second baby can be a wonderful and empowering experience.  You may find this hard to believe, but there are many mothers who can vouch for this.  It is the second time mothers who REALLY know the difference that KGHypnobirthing  makes as they have experienced the difference.

Yes, just give me a call and we can make all the arrangements to suit you.

Hypnobirthing is soundly based on established medical knowledge.” - MidwifeIn 1957, after two years of study by eminent neurologists and psychoanalysts, the BMA issued a statement that ‘hypnosis is an effective method of relieving pain in childbirth’ and proposed that all doctors should train in hypnotherapy.

The seeds of the natural birth movement were first sown with the work of eminent obstetrician Dr.Grantly Dick-Read. After witnessing a homebirth in the slums of the London Docks in 1913 where the mother refused any pain relief and then proceeded to give birth quickly and with no pain, Grantly Dick-Read was truly amazed. 

The mother’s comment after giving birth when he asked why she refused the pain relief was “It didn’t hurt. It wasn’t meant to, was it, Doctor?” This experience was defining, and after a career of working on the battle field in the first world war and subsequently in hospitals as an obstetrician he theorized that fear was the overriding cause that led to the pain in childbirth. At the end of his career he wrote the book “Childbirth Without Fear”. He hypothesized that when you are fearful, you tense up and the natural birth process is inhibited and becomes longer and consequently more painful. 

Over the years his theories have been fully vindicated with research into how hormones work during childbirth. His principles have been further developed by a number of natural birth practitioners with Hypnobirthing being the most notable and widely practised. Today KG Hypnobirthing is known by every midwife in the UK and many have trained in KGHypnobirthing, including professors of midwifery and NHS heads of midwifery. Obstetricians are also beginning to understand the significance of the work we do and are coming to be trained too. KGHypnbirthing is practised internationally and rapidly spreading throughout the world.