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Pregnancy after a previous traumatic or difficult experience can bring up so many emotions, especially fear and anxiety about birth. But with the right tools and support, it’s possible to navigate these feelings and approach birth with a sense of calm and confidence. Here’s how hypnobirthing, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) can each play a unique role in helping you prepare.
Hypnobirthing is all about reclaiming a sense of calm and control as you prepare for birth. It is about shifting your mindset from fear to a place of calm and ease. You learn a range of techniques to help you during the birth experience, no matter what type of birth you choose, or whichever way you birth goes. Hypnobirthing will help you to cope if your plans and know how to get the best out of your care providers. Through gentle breathing techniques, visualisation, and relaxation exercises, hypnobirthing helps reduce anxiety by focusing on how capable your body truly is. When fears or doubts arise, hypnobirthing teaches you ways to stay present, grounded, and at ease, creating a positive association with your birth journey. By using these methods, you can replace fearful thoughts with affirmations and practical tools to manage stress and stay calm throughout your pregnancy and birth.
CBT can be incredibly effective in addressing the fears and anxieties that might have come from previous experiences. It works by helping you to recognise and gently challenge any unhelpful thoughts or beliefs around birth to give you a different perspective, and one that doesn’t feel as scary. It can help to identify patterns of thinking that may be fueling your anxiety and learn how to replace them with more balanced and empowering perspectives. Using CBT approaches, you can break the cycle of fear, and learn tools to approach this birth with confidence, trusting your ability to manage the process one step at a time, and focus on this being a different experience to the past.
CFT brings kindness and self-compassion into the heart of your birth preparation. After a difficult or traumatic birth, it’s easy to feel a mix of emotions—fear, shame, guilt, and even self-blame. CFT encourages a kinder, more supportive inner dialogue, helping you meet your anxiety with understanding and patience. By focusing on self-compassion, you can build emotional resilience and give yourself the strength to face birth without judgement or harsh self-criticism. This approach nurtures a sense of self-acceptance and trust, supporting you to go into birth with openness and peace.
Each of these approaches offers a unique path to feeling calmer, stronger, and more prepared for birth. You can choose the ones that resonate most with you to create a toolkit that meets you exactly where you are, and all of these are incredibly valuable life skills which will support you in parenthood and beyond.
