If the flurry of activity in the blogosphere, news and gossip magazines over the last couple of days is to believed, the Duchess of Cambridge is considering using hypnobirthing techniques for the birth of her baby, due next month.
According to sources, the Duchess wants a completely natural labour, and is considering hypnobirthing while submerged in an inflatable pool filled with water.
“Kate has researched various birthing methods. She wants it to be natural, so hypno-birthing is one option that appealed” a source told British magazine Grazia. “Some of her friends have used this method and swear by it. Kate wants to do it her way and to be relaxed.”
The big unanswered question, however, is ‘which (if any) of the dozen or so hypnobirthing programmes out there will the Duchess choose?‘
A number of hypnobirthing practitioners have ‘spun’ the news into a suggestion that the Duchess is considering their particular approach, and no doubt there will be a flurry of gloating press announcements from whichever hypnobirthing programme ‘wins’ the royal birth.
But in case you haven’t yet appreciated the direction this post is going and the irony in the headline, let me promise you this…
If the royal couple use our Blissful Birth hypnobirthing programme (either exclusively or in conjunction with some other programme) – I won’t be telling anyone.
Why? Because quite frankly, whether my customers are royalty, celebrities or normal everyday women, the focus should be on their birth story, not the particular hypnobirthing programme they used.
Of course, I’m always thrilled when someone sends in their birth story or testimonial and gives me permission to share it, and we wouldn’t still be here after 8 years online if our customers didn’t tell all their friends that they used our programme…
But it’s their choice to share their story, not mine.
So, are the royal couple considering Blissful Birth?
I’m not telling…
Regardless of their ultimate decision on natural birth techniques, I am grateful to the Duchess for her willingness to explore options for a natural birth – especially as it was Queen Victoria who led the way for women to use drugs in labour (she started using chloroform during the birth of her eighth child).
To have serious consideration from a well educated, intelligent and progressive couple like WIlliam and Kate shows how far towards mainstream our profession has come over the last decade.
Lets hope other hypnobirthing practitioners out there don’t spoil it for ’15 minutes of fame’.
Bye for now,
Heidi
