Father's page

With conventional births as a father you can end up taking a back seat, without a well defined role in the delivery room or even with a home birth, you can sometimes end up feeling like a bystander.

In your partner's HypnoBirth® you will have a very important role. You will become the main point of contact between the medical staff and your partner when she is deeply relaxed. You will learn the questions to ask the medical staff to find out if your partner needs more time to birth your baby naturally or if it is time to allow medical staff to intervene.

You will be the guardian of the birthing room, you will make sure that the environment remains condusive to a relaxed happy birthing. You will learn the techniques that enable your partner to become deeply relaxed, you will become her coach and will also learn the HypnoBirthing® techniques that will make you an essential part of the birth of your baby.

By being so involved fathers find that this enables them to form a very strong bond with their new born child.

Ali & Gav came to us when they were expecting their second baby and here's whay Gav had to say:

I’m one of those people who always likes to have a plan, and I think with Hypnobirthing in terms of what I have to do as the dad I knew what I was doing, by contrast…, (I) muddled through the first birth, I think I did an alright job (I didn’t faint), but the second time round I did have a plan… I was very conscious of the practice that Ali had put in on the relaxation CD and the affirmations.. we’d done that a lot together in the lead up, so that when we got into the hospital, actually it was just a continuation of what we had been practicing at home.. so it felt like second nature, it felt normal... I didn’t have a sense of fear.. and because it was such a calm experience it was hard to be anxious.. there wasn’t any room , or need for anxiety in a situation like that… it added to the sense of “we’re in control of what we are doing”.. just leave us alone and we’ll get through this.. and we did.

Gav, Castle Cary, Somerset

If you're not sure if you can be present at the birth of your child or are not sure if you want to take on the role of birth partner your partner can choose someone else to act as her birth partner, for example her mother, sister or friend. If you are not sure, both you and the alternative birth partner can attend at no extra cost. If you do want to bring an extra birthing partner please check at the time of booking that there is space available.

If at all possible we prefer the father to be the birthing partner as it helps the bonding process with the new baby.

I think the real success story for HypnoBirthing® is its benefit to men. Men have the hardest job really, being supportive to their partners but not really having a defined role.

Men's role as HypnoBirthing® partners is clearly key to the whole success story and being actively involved in the birth of their children allows men to bond easily and immediately with them.

Jacqui , independent midwife UK