What’s the difference between Hypnobirthing and Calmbirth?

One of most frequent questions I get asked as a childbirth educator ‘What’s the difference between Calmbirth and Hypnobirthing’?

In order to answer, we must first take a trip back in time, to the 1980’s when American Hypnotherapist Marie Mongan wrote Hypnobirthing: a Celebration of Life  The book, which describes how women can use Hypnotherapy to have an easier and more comfortable labour, was later turned into a childbirth preparation course,  ‘The Mongan Method’.

In the late 1990’s, Australian midwife, Peter Jackson, brought The Mongan Method to Australia and taught it here for several years. However, he ultimately felt the course lacked in certain areas; perhaps most importantly, in preparing parents for the Australian health system which is, at times, radically different to the American system.

So he founded his own program – Calmbirth®.

As someone who took the Mongan Method (now known as Hypnobirthing International) during my first pregnancy, I agree with Peter on its limitations; particularly around the, occasionally dogmatic, approach to what women ‘should and shouldn’t’ experience during labour. While the course was transformative, and I did indeed go on to have a beautiful, drug-free Hypnobirth, at times my labour didn’t go ‘by the book’ (do they ever?!) and there was a moment, while experiencing intense discomfort, that I thought perhaps I was ‘doing it wrong’.

What I now know, is that there are absolutely no rights and wrongs in labour.  Giving birth is the most instinctive, intuitive and uniquely primal experience of our lives and, if we’re listening to our body, there is no possibility of doing it wrong.

And from all the birth stories my clients have shared with me, every birth is divinely different.  

Most positive birth courses are essentially rooted in Grantly Dick Read’s groundbreaking research into ‘Childbirth without Fear’), and so share similar philosophies.

However, having researched pretty much every course I knew existed, I made the decision to train as a Hypnobirthing Australia™ practitioner.

To me, this was the only program that really offered it all; the science, the philosophy, the breathing, the positions, the role of the birth partner, the natural induction methods (including acupressure), the  negotiation techniques and of course, the Hypnosis.

While I cannot speak authoritatively about Calmbirth, in my role as a Pre and Postnatal Yoga Teacher, I regularly meet women who have taken the course and believe it helped them enormously.  From what I see, Calmbirth does indeed help many couples achieve a positive birth and it definitely shares the Hypnobirthing perspective that ‘birth is a normal, natural and physiological event, not a medical procedure’.

That said, it’s my belief that the Hypnobirthing Australia course equips parents with more comprehensive tools to use when special circumstances or emergencies do occur. This certainly seems to be the main reason that second-time parents who previously did a Calmbirth course, choose Hypnobirthing for their second birth.

 

Paula Wasiak is a mum from Phillip Island, who did Calmbirth during her first pregnancy and Hypnobirthing Australia™ in her second.  Here’s what she had to say:

How would you describe your Calmbirth®? 
It was a very empowering course that really boosted my confidence.  It taught me about the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle and how the uterus actually works!   The birth itself was fantastic, albeit quite long!

Why did you do the Hypnobirthing Australia™ course in your next pregnancy?
In my first birth, I listened to the Calmbirth® tracks, however when things started to get real, I felt I lacked some tools to stay calm. I’d heard about Hypnobirthing Australia™ from my neighbour Elyse Jamieson, who birthed breech twins using hypnobirthing techniques and they sounded perfect.

How would you describe your Hypnobirth?
The course was hands-on with lots of practicals. The three most helpful things I learnt were the
lovely light touch massage, three different breathing techniques and how fantastic affirmations and visualisations are. During the actual birth, I felt like I was in control the entire time, and when I felt like I was starting to lose control, I was able to use the hypnobirthing tools to get back into the zone. I found the breathing techniques were amazing to help keep me grounded and I couldn’t believe how quickly I breathed my baby out!

What were the biggest differences between Calmbirth® and Hypnobirthing Australia™?
Where Calmbirth talked a lot about the psychological and physiological aspects of birth, Hypnobirthing Australia very much focussed on the tools you can use to have a positive birth. It’s also worth thinking about how you might feel during labour listening to a male voice. I personally found the female-narrated hypnobirthing  far more comforting than the male-narrated Calmbirth tracks.

So what to do?

The decision as to which Childbirth Education course to choose can be a source of angst for women, which is ironic given their intended role of reducing stress and creating calm!

Despite the bold marketing claims made by some,  I firmly believe that the magic of birthing actually comes from within.  Deep down, you already know how to birth and all these courses do is unlock this dormant, innate power.

 

Stacey Astley-Clark is the founder of Buddha Babies; a social enterprise  that teaches expectant parents how to create beautiful births using the power of Hypnobirthingand Prenatal Yoga.  She lives in Sydney with her husband and two Hypnobub sons.