FAQs

I know what a difference it makes! KGH is the original Hypnobirthing course in the UK. It is constantly evolving to kept up-to-date with the latest evidence and research and is now taught internationally.

Founder, Katharine Graves, has personally taught hypnobirthing to over 2,000 couples, and all KG Hypnobirthing teachers are knowledgeable and highly trained to support you in hypnobirthing, and leave the training with a Diploma in KGH.

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 to prepare for a positive and empowered birth, it gives you the information to navigate the system in which you find yourself to achieve the best outcome for you and your baby.

The fee for you and your birth partner to attend the course with Anna’s Birth Services is $495 plus a small online admin fee.

An online nonrefundable booking fee of $100 is needed to secure your place initially, then Anna will be in touch with an invoice for final payment, which can be paid in two instalments if easier.

Qualified Hypnobirthing practitioners are highly skilled. I complement this with my lived experience of having given birth using the method twice, as well as knowledge and experience from having worked in a wide variety relevant areas. This includes eight years of supporting families at their birth as a birth doula, an accredited birth trauma practitioner, an experienced facilitator with, and now member of Birth Wise Wellington, and a registered health professional in primary mental health.

Given the choice, it is recommended to do 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 working on your mind and body connection becomes second nature. Having said that, the method works whenever you do it. I have taught a woman who did the course at 38 weeks, went into labour after Day 1 of the course and it still made a great difference!

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

Short answer, no! There is a misconception out there that it is just for people who want a homebirth or a natural birth, and maybe people who are ‘hippy’ or ‘woo woo’.This couldn’t be further from the truth! The Hypnobirthing method is logical, profound and science based. It draws on the mind and body connection because we know this will support the biological and physiological process of birth for an efficient labour and birth. You might be surprised to hear that the hypnobirthing is not how you birth but how you prepare for birth.It also doesn't matter what type of birth or birth setting you intend, or need to have. It will always make a difference.

People sometimes ask if buying The Hypnobirthing Book and the audio is sufficient without coming to a course. The honest answer is, ‘we don’t know’. For a few parents 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 or the country itself is far more effective? It’s also a bit like learning to new instrument. Being given a book to read and practice on your own might get you so far, but attending classes and playing with other people will get you further.

Other limitations could include things like

• The lack of the involvement of your partner, who is key in supporting you with the method!

• Not having it tailored to your needs. I can answer questions that may be outside of what you can find in a book; making it bespoke to your needs. 

• The absence of different teaching styles. During the course I will use a variety of resources to keep the course upbeat and interesting. This may include handouts, visual props, guided relaxations, videos, diagrams, flip chart and power point. 

• The lack of support and commitment from the teacher! Having a qualified teacher who is consistent, supportive and a positive presence throughout your birth preparation can really help boost your confidence in your ability to birth, commitment to using the learned techniques, and emotional preparedness for the birth.

• Limited support. Once you are enrolled on a course, I am available by phone or email up until the birth of your baby should you have any questions or want some support.

• The inability to meet like-minded parents. Group size is kept small to provide a personal and friendly environment where meeting others is easy.

If you can’t manage both days of the course, just select the first day from one course and the second day from another, and let me know what suits you best. Give me a call, and I’ll do a registration form just for you. I know the difference Mind and Body Birth Prep makes and you don’t yet, so I will do everything I can to make sure you get the benefits of this wonderful system.I will do all I can to accommodate you. Call me to talk it through.

They don’t have to, but they will be very glad if they did!

Most birth partners arrive at the course utterly sceptical and leave extremely enthusiastic. We don’t expect you to believe in it right now. Why should you? On the course you will both 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 testimonials and birth stories from fathers/birth partners, and you can benefit from their experience.

A hypnobirthing birth partner will be knowledgeable and able to be a huge asset in the birth space. Many mums/birth givers 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 the baby enters the world. For couples in a relationship, this deepens their connection as a couple, as well as their bond with their child.

That being said, there are of course situations where people attend alone for a multitude of reasons, and plenty of solo attendees have fantastic births using their hypnobirthing skills.

Yes, definitely. Many parents have come to the course on their own if they are a single parent, have a partner who is away, if it’s a second baby and they can’t find a babysitter for their elder child, or any other reason. Just remember that Mind and Body Birth Prep works, and you are very welcome to come alone. If your partner can’t come, we would welcome your whanau member, a friend, or whoever will be supporting you at the birth instead.

A close whanau member who is going to be in the birth room to support you when you give birth can come to the course, as well as your partner. It is important that they understand what you are doing and how best to support you. There is no additional charge for this. This does not apply to birth professionals (including doulas or birth photographers) for the privacy of the other attendees.

Before the course you will be sent you will be sent a link to download your audio relaxation so you can start to practice and develop a positive outlook on pregnancy and birth straight away. You will also be sent a fun and thought-provoking pre-course activity from me, to do with your partner.

At the course you will be given The Hypnobirthing Book, course notes, and helpful handouts.

After the course you will receive a link to my google drive for other helpful handouts relevant to the course, as well as a list of recommended websites for the most up to date evidence and information.

I am here for you! I have years of experience of supporting at births as a birth doula. This emotional, informational and practical knowledge and experience is there for you after the course, for no extra cost. You can email/message me until the birth of your baby, for any emotional and informational support you might need. This is not an alternative to the medical care from your lead maternity carer. Always talk to them first if you have any concerns about your or baby’s welfare.

There is also an option to have 45 minute catch up via Zoom from 38 weeks. This is a chance to catch up, hear how your pregnancy has been going, if there’s been any changes, and reflect on the KGH techniques.

• Breathing exercises

• Deep relaxations

• Visualisations

• Very effective work to release fear and build confidence

• Comforting massage

• How your birth 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 five Cs of hypnobirthing:

1. Confidence When you feel confident, you relax and work with your body in the way nature intended.

2. Control With the knowledge you have, you are enabled to take control of how you give birth.

3. Choice When you feel in control, the choices you make are the best choices for you and for your baby.

4. Calm When you feel calm throughout the birth you are relaxed and your mind and body work together in harmony.

5. Comfort The result is that your body works efficiently and comfortably.

A KG Hypnobirthing birth can be the most wonderful and empowering experience of your life.

I teach My Mind and Body Birth Prep course in two days.Sometimes in two consecutive Saturdays, and sometimes in one weekend. Each format has its pros and cons, but there is no research showing that one is better than another. Just choose the format that is most convenient for you.

I only have a maximum of six couples on my course. This is intentional. I find a smaller group size allows for more questions, great discussion, and a calmer environment that is conducive to relaxation practice, friendship making, and some fun! It supports the connection between the likeminded couples, and many parents leave the course with new friends.

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 TV, social media or the movies. My Mind and Body Birth Prep course with the Hypnobirthing method 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 parents 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.’

My course saves you from saying ‘If only…’ after the birth and helps you let go of a previous difficult/bad experience, so that you can maximise the chances of the birth of your second baby being 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 parents (including me!) who REALLY know the difference that KG Hypnobirthing makes as they have experienced the difference.

Yes you can. My one-to-one course is presented in the comfort of your own home, at a mutually convenient time. This can be a great option for people who would prefer an exclusive experience for greater privacy or confidentiality or just can’t make the group dates.

A private course is $995.

Please contact me to find out more about booking a private course.

“Hypnobirthing is soundly based on established medical knowledge.” – Midwife

In 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 battlefield 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.

KGHypnbirthing is practised internationally and rapidly spreading throughout the world.

Today Hypnobirthing is known by many midwifes here in Aotearoa (including professors of midwifery and heads of midwifery), and many midwives in the UK are they themselves trained in KGHypnobirthing specifically. Our obstetricians here in Aotearoa are also beginning to understand the difference it makes too.

KGHypnobirthing is grounded in science and its benefits are backed up by research. It stems from The Fear-Tension-Pain Theory by Grantly Dick-Read back in 1933, who explored the relationship between a woman's state of mind and the way her physiology works during childbirth. He was held as one of the earliest pioneers for natural birth. He attempted to move away from the medical model of birth to return women to their rightful gift of uninterrupted childbirth by reigniting the philosophy that childbirth is a natural, healthy event, and women and babies know how to birth. 

There is also a lot of scientific theory underpinning the use of hypnosis in childbirth, as mentioned in an earlier answer to question 17.

For those of you keen to do your own research, I would recommend the following reputable and mainstream scientific journals which suggest the efficacy of hypnobirthing, and are touched on in the course:

Harmon, T.M., Hynan, M.T., & Tyre, T.E. (1990). Improved obstetric outcomes using hypnotic analgesia and skilled mastery combined with childbirth education. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 58(5), 525-530.

Women allocated to a hypnosis birth preparation group, when compared to controls: reported reduced pain, had shorter stage 1 labours, used less medication, babies had higher Apgar scores, and had more spontaneous deliveries.

Jenkins, M.W., & Pritchard, M.H. (2001). Hypnosis: practical applications and theoretical considerations in normal labour. Journal of Family Practice. 50, 441-443.

Both first time and second+ time mothers who received 6 sessions of birth focussed hypnotherapy had significantly shorter first and second stage labours, and used less pain medication than mothers in a matched control group.

Lycett, A. Hypnosis during pregnancy and birth: the science and clinical applications (Lecture). Royal Society of Medicine (2012)

Over a period of time data on women having babies in Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals Trust was collected. Hypnobirthing mothers had 84% normal births compared with 64% in non-hypnobirthing mothers. The emergency C section rates were 4% and 15% respectively.

I never promise any parent that hypnobirthing give you a pain free birth (sorry!). How could I?! But I can guarantee you that we will challenge the way you perceive pain and give you lots of tips to work with the sensations. The level of comfort or discomfort a person may feel during labour depends on a lot of factors, some of which canbe influenced easily;such as how much practice they are doing before going into labour and some less so; such as the baby's position. The sessions I teach provide every parent with what they need for a calm and relaxed labour, no matter how the birth unfolds, which should have a positive effect on the level of comfort they experience.

No, you will not see me reach for my pocket watch while hearing me say ‘you are feeling veerrryy sleeeepy’ ! There will be no ‘making people eat an onion believing it to be an apple’ in the class.

This is stage hypnosis and is a form of entertainment that uses hypnosis for amusement. Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic practice that uses hypnosis to help with personal growth, healing, and to treat conditions like anxiety or phobias. 

Hypnosis is simply a deeply relaxed state of consciousness. We all go into hypnosis at least twice a day. Any guesses? It is just before falling asleep and just before waking up. Hypnosis is a natural state of very relaxed consciousness. When you are in a state of deep relaxation, you are still conscious and in control. You are more suggestible, but only to things you are happy or open minded about. This is one of the reasons that hypnotherapy and hypnobirthing works so well, as you can work on releasing the entrenched pattern of behaviours you want to change (ie smoking) or subconscious fears (ie flying, or in our case giving birth) whilst in this state. Because you are still in control, you can always choose to exit the state of relaxation if you hear something you don't like.

No at all. There are no ‘should’ and ‘should not’ in hypnobirthing, just informed choices. But you may find you don’t need pain relief! You will be provided with information about the uses and side effects of all possible drug and non-drug pain relief interventions to make an informed choice. Most women who choose to hypnobirthing find they need less or no other 'pain relief' during labour. This is because they are relaxed and so feel less pain and feel less need for relief; not because they are expected to just 'grin and bear it'. In certain situations, 'pain relief' can be a positive thing, and so we choose to keep an open mind about this.

Hypnobirthing is not just for natural births without intervention or 'pain relief'; it is about helping a mother/birth giver relax during any type of birth. As a doula I have supported parents having elective belly births to helps them stay relaxed and focussed. Being relaxed can be helpful in keeping baby calm as well as creating the best environment for hormones to thrive that help set off breastfeeding to a good start.

If you have had a traumatic first birth, hypnobirthing will certainly be able to help you get into a good head space for your next birth. It is designed to help overcome fears about birth, and a lot of your fear probably comes from your difficult first experience. The course is designed to build your confidence in your body's ability to give birth through learning basic physiology, and also to learn to be able to relax your mind in order to let your body do the job it was designed to do.

Outside of this, I am also a certified 3 Step Rewind practitioner and offer a safe brief and gentle way to heal if you are struggling after a difficult or traumatic birth. You can find out more here. Some parents who are struggling after a difficult or traumatic birth choose do to 3 Step Rewind, then a Mind and Body Birth Prep course. If this is something you would be interested in, please message me. I want to support you with what would be most helpful.

Yes. If you feel there are areas of my services that would be helpful to you but you’re not sure where to start, please message me for a free, no obligation consultation where we can talk about what you need, and how I can help.