What is hypnobirthing and how can it improve birth outcomes?

The Positive Birth Company is a multi-award winning organisation specialising in education and support for fertility, pregnancy, birth and the early years of parenting. Creators of the online hypnobirthing courseThe Hypnobirthing Packand the virtual birth partner app Freya, the company uses tech to democratise knowledge and community for prospective, expectant and new parents. Angie Driver is Head of Operations at The Positive Birth Company and is responsible for building new relationships with health professionals and helping to support them to offer hypnobirthinginformed care for their patients.

Hypnobirthing has become mainstream in recent years after being used by various celebrities and people of note, including the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, to prepare for birth. But what exactly is it? This article discusses the theory and evidence behind hypnobirthing, unpicks some of the taboos and myths around this approach to birth and explores how hypnobirthing can help improve birth outcomes in all birth scenarios.