These days more and more parents are using hypnobirthing to prepare for a positive birth (medicated or unmedicated). Hospitals can be very busy places so anything you can do to turn your room into a private sanctuary to increase oxytocin and reduce adrenaline will help.

Here’s some of my top tips for a positive hospital hypnobirth - as you define it.

1. Partners & Preferences - Bring a confident, competent birth partner who can facilitate your preferences while you get in the zone and stay there. Watch our Hypnobirthing Masterclass with your partner so they feel empowered to be actively involved. Put a sign on the door that you are Hypnobirthing/GentleBirthing to reduce unnecessary interruptions to your space (your headspace and the room itself). Consider hiring a doula to support both of you to have the best experience possible. Be sure to do the focus exercise with your partner in the GentleBirth Workbook found in the App and Masterclass.

2. Headphones - your birth room might have bluetooth speakers and all the bells and whistles but headphones will help narrow your focus so you’re not listening to the ongoing beeps and bings from various pieces of equipment.

3. Download your Labor Sessions from the GentleBirth Labor Playlist so you’ve no issues with wifi.

4. Wear your own clothes (more on why this is important).

5. Use the bath/shower (if you’ve opted for continuous monitoring or it has been recommended to you due to pregnancy complications ask for a telemetry unit) - wireless monitoring so you can keep moving and use the shower). Hang out in the bathroom even if you’re not using the shower. Known as the labor ‘cave’ the bathroom offers privacy during labor and it’s a great way to relax your pelvic floor. Laboring in deep warm water shortens labor, reduces pain and reduces tearing.

6. Partners - you need to own the room - make it your space, dim the lights, move the bed - the trick is to try and recreate the ‘nest’ you had at home in an unfamiliar environment. Bring your vision board too. Those little fairy LED fairy lights can make even the most clinical environment seem magical (almost). If you plan to use essential oils use it on a cotton ball instead of a diffuser - especially if you’re close to giving birth. Your baby needs to smell YOU when they’re born.

7. Bring some personal items from home that have meaning for you (a photo of someone special or photo from a vacation that has special memories for you). Do you have a lucky charm that you carry for special occasions?

8. Incredibly some hospitals still try to dissuade parents from eating in labor. Be sure to pack a few snacks for yourself and partner.

9. Bring a towel from home that you’ve been sleeping with over a few days to ensure your baby is exposed first to your microbes first rather than hospital microbes…

10. If your careprovider isn’t supportive of optimal cord clamping include in your preferences that you have a family/religious/cultural tradition to play a special piece of music to welcome baby and the cord must not be clamped until after that music finishes. Choose a special piece of music and play it to your baby during the rest of your pregnancy when you have a few minutes to rest and connect with your baby. Your baby will recognize the music during those last few pushes and considering how much he’s going through having some reassuring music that your baby is familiar with is a great way to welcome them into the world. When I’ve seen this in action - everyone in the room pauses, it’s a beautiful moment of reverence…and sometimes there’s even the staff shed a tear.

There is of course at least another 100 tips I’d add - take our free Hypnobirthing Masterclass today (it’s part of the GentleBirth App subscription) and decide what’s important for you to rock YOUR hospital hypnobirth.

What else would you add?

Tracy