I am delighted to be one of the first Hypnobirthing practitioners licensed to teach the fabulous new Wise Hippo Birthing programme, devised by my lovely Hypnobirthing colleagues Tamara Cianfini and Dany Griffiths.
This course of four sessions is ideal for the small, friendly groups I like to work with.
I also am continuing to offer my Essential Hypnobirthing course for individual couples – a basic course focussed on the practical skills for Hypnobirthing.
You can find out more about The Wise Hippo at their website here.
The Wise Hippo is a new approach to birthing. We believe a ‘positive birth’ experience is a state of mind, it’s not defined by what happens during labour and birth but by how a woman feels about her baby’s birth. Because of this belief we are able to teach skills and knowledge that empower women to trust their instincts and ensure that their baby has the right birth on the day.
We respect that every woman has the right to choose the birth that she wants for her child (whatever that may be) and we trust that our clients know what is right for them. We therefore don’t tell our clients what they ‘should’ do, we don’t offer advice and we don’t give them our personal opinion. There is no one right way to give birth, only the right way for each individual mum and her baby.
What we do is provide our clients with a fun programme full of factual information about labour and birth, along with simple to follow tools and techniques, so that they are able to:
- Alleviate any fears.
- Build their confidence.
- Become experts in relaxation.
- Ensure that they are always the ones in control of their baby’s birth (whatever turn their birthing takes).
Our clients leave our courses feeling excited, empowered and confident that they have the skills to remain calm, relaxed and in control throughout their labour and birth
Classes available at Hampshire Hypnobirthing (click the box for more information):
The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme classes can be attended by Mum and Birthing Partner (normally the Dad but doesn't have to be) ideally between 20 - 34 weeks of pregnancy allowing plenty of time for practice... although I have taught the techniques to couples at 38 weeks, and they have still gone on to use them with great success. When to attend is a very personal choice. Attending early on in your pregnancy allows for plenty of practice and you can use the techniques to also support you through your pregnancy and with the changes that are taking place in your body. However, some women prefer to learn the techniques later on when they are more focused on the actual birth.
The Wise Hippo Birthing programme offers a comprehensive antenatal course totalling 10 hours of instruction. Classes are usually held in your own home as 4 x 2.5 hour sessions (although allow 3 hours per session to allow for questions etc). All of the hypnosis techniques are learnt during the first two sessions, which ensures that I can see how the couples are progressing with their practice of the techniques and allows opportunity for questions and review of these techniques. The cost of the course is currently on offer at £300, (usually private classes are £450). The private classes ensure that I can give appropriate attention to each individual and ensure that everyone gets the most from attending the course.
Included in the cost of The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme:
● 4 x 2.5 hour sessions privately
● The Wise Hippo Birthing Programme manual to help structure your practice at home
● 5 x Hypnobirthing mp3s
● Email / Telephone support from me up until you have your baby
● There are also many movie clips shown during the course of women using Hypnobirthing.
"Why we called The Wise Hippo, The Wise Hippo"
"Let’s start with the Hippopotamus!
We are sure that you must have wondered why we called our company The Wise Hippo. What is the connection with the hippopotamus?
It actually started with an idea for our logo as we felt that a mummy animal and her baby would be great as on the whole they represent the simplicity of birth beautifully.
We then decided that the hippo couldn’t be more perfect for that lovely play on hippo/hypno and being hip. We’d both had dads on our courses in the past saying that they were attending hippobirthing and it just felt right.
We then went ‘googling’ (as you do) and one of the first hits we found was a piece about the hippo being the native American symbol for the protection of the childbearing woman of the house....
We thought that was a bit odd as hippos themselves are not native to America, but the article explained that the hippos would appear in visions.
To be honest we didn’t much care whether this was a tall tale made taller by the internet or not, it was the sign we needed, and for us that was the icing on the birthday cake.
It was like fate had played its hand and The WiseHippo was born.
And you know since naming our company we’ve found other great links with the hippopotamus and fertility and birth.
Taweret the ancient Egyptian goddess of maternity and childbirth, protector of women and children. She is depicted as a combination of a crocodile, a pregnant hippopotamus standing on her hind legs with large breasts and a lion.
There is also Hippo's Yawn, a little known rock near Wave Rock in Hyden, where it is said that many years ago the Aboriginal women used to go to give birth.
There are also some great similarities in relation to how hippos birth and function within their family unit.
Hippos like to spend most of their day in the water and devote much of their time to relaxing. We could say that they epitomise being ‘calm and relaxed’ – something we focus on a lot for our Wise Hippo mummies and daddies.
When the female hippo is ready to breed, she seeks out a mate. When she enters his refuge, he is expected to behave respectfully towards her.
A mother hippo usually gives birth to only one baby. Sometimes they do have twins, but this is very rare.
Baby hippos are born after a gestation period of approximately eight months. The birth may take place in water or on land on a bed of trampled reeds that the mother has prepared.
The role of the father hippo is very much the protector of the environment.
The mother hippo keeps her baby close to her so that they can bond and she can provide protection and keep her calf safe. The baby fixates on its mother which naturally strengthens the bond.
Nursing can take place on land but usually the calf swims underwater to suckle. The baby is weaned between8-12 months although may continue to attempt to suckle way beyond that.
The mother takes great care of her calf and it stays with her for several years.
It is not unusual to find a mother hippo with a young family of different ages.
We love these connections and feel very much that we had been guided towards the name ‘The Wise Hippo.’
