A form of antenatal education, hypnobirthing is an approach to birth that is both evidence-based and logical. With no hypnosis involved, you will learn about the physiology of birth and come to understand how labour works on a muscular and hormonal level, and, most importantly, how you can harness the power of proven relaxation techniques to work with your body rather than against it. As someone who enjoys yoga and have experience with breathing techniques for meditation etc, I can see this being useful. Obviously I won't know how useful for a few more weeks yet, though! There were some really good takeaways from this book, and I particularly liked the science behind the labour. I also enjoyed that it explained different birth types and so even if things don't go to plan, the relaxation techniques can be put to use e.g. staying calm for an unplanned caesarean and how you may want it to be. Yes, of course, women who don't know any better are convinced that they need inductions sooner than they are comfortable with, and sure, many might agree to interventions they don't understand, but for the love of god, let's not get on our Western high horse and convince moms-to-be that the absence of white coats will inherently make their births connect them to the divine feminine.

My wife is having our baby in a few months, and having read this book, it's clear that I knew almost nothing about what to expect and how to help her when she gives birth. Nothing, of course, except what I've seen on TV: lots of screaming, shouting of "push!" and a sense of danger and urgency. As a man, I recognise the TV father helplessly spectating, comically fainting, or sitting outside an operating theatre chewing his nails. Hey I would definitely recommend Hypnobirthing: Practical Ways to Make Your Birth Better by Siobhan Miller (founder of the Positive Birth Company). I also enjoyed The Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill. I was absolutely TERRIFIED of giving birth but both these books have made me feel much more empowered and positive, even a little bit excited now!” (Recommended by Mumsnet user NicNac100) Our verdictThere are some useful points, such as birthing positions, importance of relaxation and breathing, and explanation of the different stages of labor, but the author keeps repeating the same things over and over often using the exact same wording. There are at least 2 chapters that don't contain any new information. I found the book very repetitive. If you don’t want to fork out lots of money, but would like to learn the techniques of hypnobirthing, Maggie Howell has produced a CD for helping women prepare for birth in a hospital setting I'm due to have a baby in the next two weeks. This book has some valuable information – breathing techniques, partner-assisted exercises, affirmations, and general birth education that can (hopefully) make for a positive birth experience. However, as promising as the initial birth biology 101 chapters were, Miller's perspective comes off overwhelmingly as anti-hospital propaganda. Boo!

In this book, The Positive Birth Company’s founder Siobhan debunks common myths about hypnobirthing and explains why she believes it can make every type of birth a better experience - from a water birth at home to an unplanned caesarean in theatre. According to The Positive Birth Company, women should use up and down breathing techniques. Up breathing is used during the first stage of labour where the uterine muscles are drawing up and your cervix is dilating to 10cm. It is a technique which is also used for helping people with insomnia and anxiety. It requires breathing in for four and breathing out for eight. Do this four times to help you breathe through a surge (also known as a contraction) - you can practise this during pregnancy.

For anyone who wants to have a calm and peaceful birth, this book will tell you everything you need to know about hypnobirthing and how to achieve it.

I must say, however, that I found some parts obnoxious and I would find myself incredibly self conscious telling medical professionals I want them to use the word 'surges' instead of contractions. Just as I would telling them to speak to my other half and not talk to me, who would surely just pass on what they're asking or saying anyway? I would therefore take some parts of this book with a pinch of salt! This course has now passed, but you can be the first to know about the next one - and other workshops like this - by signing up to our newsletter here.Throughout my pregnancy, I've been trying to read several books that will prepare me for what's to come. One of the most important topic that I'd like to know more about is the process of birthing a baby. Hypnobirthing was recommended to me by a close friend who gave birth last year and told me it had helped her tremendously. So a few months before my due date, I made it a mission to finish reading this book and see what it has in store. Even though some parts of this book felt irrelevant due to the different cultures in my country, I'm still grateful I took the time to read it because it allowed me to understand what will happen during labor and delivery. I can't say much about the hypnobirthing techniques because I haven't got a chance to practice them yet, but I think it's worth trying since it sounds so logical and science-based. Hypnobirthing teaches relaxation, visualisation and self-hypnosis skills to help mothers-to-be create a calm and relaxing environment during labour. Some of the benefits of this technique include a shorter, more comfortable labour without the need for pain relief. It can also lead to a more positive birth experience. To help make sure you get your information from a trusted, respected source, we’ve combined the knowledge and real-life experience of our Mumsnet users with expert sources to help us research the best hypnobirthing books and tools to buy right now, those which can be read alongside the best pregnancy books and top-rated parenting books to help you prepare for labour and the years afterwards. I then did the The Nurture Nest Essentials course later in the pregnancy which I found really practical for actually planning my birth and I liked some of the MP3s. She also has a podcast called 'The Hypnobirthing Podcast' which has so much info you might not feel like you need to pay for a course in the end! I bought her course purely because I wanted to support her as the podcast is so good!” (Recommended by Mumsnet user Justdeciding) Our verdict Siobhan manages to completely demystify hypnobirthing, making it accessible and relevant to all women and all births. This book will be a complete game changer and I will be recommending it to mums-to-be from now on' Sarah Turner, author of The Unmumsy Mum