Better Birth Companion provides personalised information about the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy and labour 
(23/08/2010)
The Better Birth Companion is a personalised, virtual birth support and therapy toolkit for parents-to-be. It provides a comprehensive way to train the mind and body to fully prepare for labour.
The portable programme gives pregnant women a significantly better chance of having a more relaxed, less painful and interventionist birth than using only traditional antenatal services. This is because it empowers them and their partners to take greater personal control over their pregnancy and birth experience and to break the cycle of fear that many are conditioned to experience.
Unlike many of the pregnancy books and antenatal courses available, the Companion gives parents-to-be a complete yet affordable physical and emotional programme that provides a practical antidote to the stresses and strains of pregnancy and birth. It demonstrates a wealth of techniques that parents can learn and practice in private to help diminish the fear and pain surrounding childbirth, trust in their instincts and build their confidence in the woman’s ability to have a healthy pregnancy and positive birth, whether at home or in hospital.
Mum-to-be, Shona Kitchener, enthused, “This toolkit is a pocket-sized course and therapy session in one! I felt as if someone was sat with me talking through each chapter. This was a life changing read and should be on every mum’s essential purchases list. “
Use of the ‘Better Birth Companion’ should also reduce pressure on the health service both before and during birth as encouraging preliminary research on the impact of using relaxation techniques indicates that repeated use could lead to a significant reduction in labour intervention. A study undertaken at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in December 2005 concluded that relaxation techniques significantly reduced anxiety and maternal heart rate with a significant reduction in cortisol whilst research by the Women and Children’s Hospital in Adelaide , Australia in 2003 indicated that women taught self-hypnosis used fewer epidurals.
The ‘Better Birth Companion’ comprises one of the Natal Hypnotherapy award-winning ‘Birth Preparation’ CDs, chosen on the basis of a women’s personal circumstances, plus the new ‘Effective Birth Preparation - a practical guide to a better birth’ book. The CDs have already been used by over 50,000 women and are supported by the National Childbirth Trust and over 2,000 midwives in the UK .
Commenting, world renowned obstetrician, Michel Odent, says, “This book is more than a guide book. It is a book about human nature with the Natal Hypnotherapy techniques helping to undo thousands of years of cultural conditioning.”
The Companion is both down-to-earth and inspiring. It is based on an easy-to-follow, five-step programme. Parents are encouraged to follow all the steps including learning and practicing the techniques for deep relaxation, breathing, guided visualisation and self-hypnosis and completing the workbook to identify and address their personal concerns and needs.
Maggie Howell , author and clinical hypnotherapist, developed the ‘Better Birth Companion’ based on her pioneering work with pregnant women and midwives and building on the outstanding success of her conception, pregnancy and birth CD range and courses for couples and midwives.
She explains why it is breaking new ground: “Historically, antenatal preparation in this country has been a one-size fits all, open classroom-based affair sometimes with a significant price tag attached. Existing classes explain the physical stages of pregnancy and labour and how these may affect you emotionally but do not yet focus on how to create and maintain a positive mental attitude that is so important to a positive birth and which is at the core of the Better Birth Companion Programme.
The Companion provides convenient, flexible access to personalised information about the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy and labour, available at a time that suits the parents whether in the privacy of their own home or on the move. This is especially important during this recession as parents are often time poor and strapped for cash, sometimes juggling both a job and childcare just to continue to bring in their salaries until the newborn arrives.”
By offering a choice of birth CD and book, it is easier for each parent to learn independently and at their own pace, with partners encouraged to understand the birthing process and to take a greater emotional support role. The Companion is also full of heart-warming stories by mums who have used the tools, tips and techniques plus interesting facts about childbirth through the ages.
Midwife, Caroline Baddiley, comments, “How wonderfully refreshing to have a birth preparation book that focuses on feelings and emotions rather than on the technicalities of birth. A complete how-to-deal-with-fear toolkit for all pregnant women.”
The ‘Effective Birth Preparation - a practical guide to a better birth’ retails at £8.99 and a ‘Birth Preparation’ CD at £11.99. A gift service is available for friends or grandparents wishing to make a special purchase for a loved one.
The book and CD series are also available from the National Childbirth Trust and other mainstream retailers including Amazon, Babyworld and Foyles.
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