I chose hypnobirthing as the foundation of my work at Happy Day because I know how powerful and effective it is. Hypnobirthing gives you a deep, embodied practice of how to calm your mind, work with your body, and navigate the natural, physiological process of birth.

However, it is clear to me, and has been for quite some time, that hypnobirthing alone isn’t enough. 

While hypnobirthing is a transformative tool for managing pain, reducing fear, and empowering parents, it doesn’t fully prepare you for the reality of giving birth within the modern medical system and lacks nuance in many vital areas. Birthing is a natural, physiological process, and, in many cases, the body knows exactly what to do without intervention.

Yet, we don’t give birth in a vacuum. Yes, even in Switzerland, a country where we often shun the medical establishment when treating minor health issues, the environment in which most of us give birth is medicalized, risk-centered, and governed by protocols that often view birth through a lens of potential litigation.

Navigating this medicalized space requires more than just understanding how birth works. It requires knowing how to communicate effectively, make informed decisions, and to advocate for yourself and your baby with confidence. 

Dr. Rachel Reed, a leading voice in midwifery and birth education, emphasizes that birth should be treated as a normal physiological process, but she also acknowledges the importance of understanding the medical system you’re entering. I agree with her and my courses set you upon this path.

The Power of Informed Choice 

When you enter the medical system without the knowledge of how to ask questions, how to interpret advice, and how to say both no and yes with confidence, you become more vulnerable to a birth that feels out of your control.

While it’s important and vital to be uninhibited in birth, it’s the feeling of loss of control, or rather, things being done to you without your consent, which is the most indicative of a negative birth experience. It's important to remember that you absolutely can have an empowering birth in a hospital or medicalized setting, and using interventions if that's right for you. But preparing yourself not just for your desired birth, but for the dynamics of the environment in which you'll be giving birth is a vital part of the process.

Part of what I offer at Happy Day Hypnobirthing is teaching parents how to critically engage with the information they're given, how to advocate for their choices, and how to make empowered decisions in any birth setting.

Hypnobirthing techniques help create the mental space for calm and focus, but beyond that, the mentoring I provide teaches practical tools for navigating the healthcare system in Switzerland.

Nuance

Nuance has become my new favourite word. We live in a time where we are so polarized- there is no grey, there is only black and white thinking. That one type of birth is "positive" and another type of birth is "negative". Or one type of birth is "natural" and another type of birth is "risky". That an entire birth can be categorized in one moralistic or value-driven word. That's not real life, real life is rarely black and white, real life is nuanced.

We need to challenge polarized thinking when we are planning for our birth and adding to our family. We can believe in the very popular hypnobirthing phrase: "baby knows best", but we can still also ask questions like: "what can I do to work together with my baby to encourage them to get in the most optimal position for birth?", "how can I prepare for possible alternatives with a positive mindset, while still planning for the birth experience I desire", "I think this intervention is the best choice for me and my baby, how can I work with this intervention, not against it?", or "how can I make this birth the best birth for me and my baby?" and so on.

Take Charge of Your Birth Experience 

Birth is one of the most significant and powerful experiences of your life, and you deserve to feel confident, empowered, and prepared. Hypnobirthing gives you the foundation of calm and confidence, but at Happy Day Hypnobirthing, we take it further by giving you the tools to navigate the system and make decisions from a place of strength and knowledge. 

If you’re ready to take charge of your birth experience, I invite you to explore Happy Day Hypnobirthing's hypnobirthing (though it's not just hypnobirthing!) and our postpartum courses. Whether you’re giving birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital, I'm here to help empower you to make the right choices for the birth which is right for you and your baby.