Using Hypnobirthing Tools for a positive Caesarean Birth

Charlotte Watson
Apr 28, 2023
9 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

This blog covers:

Hypnobirthing for a Caesarean Birth
Practical Ways to Use Hypnobirthing for Your Caesarean Birth
Writing a Caesarean birth plan
Caesarean Birth Postnatal Healing Tips
Caesarean Section Resources (Books, podcasts, websites, instagram / birth videos)

Your chances of having a Caesarean birth:

The number of babies being born by Caesarean section is rising across the globe. In 2025/26 NHS statistics reported 45% of all births in England happened via Caesarean secton, 28% of which were planned Caesarean birth. There's a common misconception that hypnobirthing is only beneficial for those planning a vaginal birth. In this blog I'll show you how you can use hypnobirthing tools to have a positive and empowering birth experience when your baby is born via Caesarean section, whether or not a Caesarean birth is what you initially planned.

Hypnobirthing for a Caesarean Birth:

You only birth your baby once, and how you feel about that birth day stays with you forever. Imagine approaching your birth feeling informed of your choices and knowing what feels right for you as an individual, instead of fearing the unknown. Imagine feeling confident and empowered to advocate for the things that truly matter to you, the personal things that make this birth a day you look back on with pride. Imagine waiting to go for your caesarean feeling calm, knowing you have tools to settle your nervous system and ways to boost your all important oxytocin (love) hormone. The information, relaxation, decision making and advocacy tools discussed in all the doula support and hypnobirthing teaching I offer is designed to do all of these things. Showing you how much power you truly hold, all you need to do is claim it. These tools are truly transferable, benefitting all births and can be used in a changing scenario. Just like Hannah's story...

"We had a curveball in my birth plan in the weeks before I was due meaning I needed a planned c-section rather than the home birth I had planned... I was able to go into my planned c-section with a birth plan and have conversations with the medical staff that set the tone for my birth around the language used and the way I wanted the birth to go. The [hypnobirthing] techniques Charlotte teaches were also invaluable during my birth in keeping me calm and ensuring I didn’t panic. Ultimately I was able to have an amazing birth (albeit very different from the one I planned) which felt personal to me and allowed me to retain some of the important elements of a home birth in a hospital setting. In my view a large part of this is down to the confidence and techniques I had practiced and refined through working with Charlotte." Hannah, PBL Hypnobirthing client

You have more power than you might think:

Often pre-birth anxiety or fear stems from the unknown and not understanding what is within your control. With a Caesarean birth you have far more control to make your birth experience a positive personal one than you might realise. When you understand what adaptations are possible and what questions you can ask your care providers to facilitate your unique wants and needs you can approach your birth with confidence instead of fear and anxiety. Caesarean birth has evolved hugely in recent decades, with more family centred options, particularly when it comes to planned C-sections. Maternal / Paternal Assisted Caesareans (MAC) and Gentle Caesareans (GS) are increasing in popularity across the globe, including in the UK in 2026.

Reading, listening to and watching positive Caesarean birth stories, can help you imagine what you want for your own birth and things to discuss with your care providers.

If a MAC doesn't appeal to you, there are simple and impactful ways to tailor your birth experience to your unique wants and needs, creating an empowering birth experience. Adapting your environment, discussing the language used e.g. baby is born vs baby is delivered, decisions for how your baby is born e.g. slowly to help the transition to life outside the womb, and considerations for the time after baby is born e.g. optimal cord clamping, skin-to-skin, bonding time in theatre, supporting initial breastfeeding. There are many opportunities for you to make decisions that feel personal, empowering and right for you, and communicate this to your health care providers.

I offer bespoke Caesarean hypnobirthing preparation sessions, during these sessions we discuss what happens during a caesarean birth, how to calm your nervous system, what your unique wants and needs are and how to advocate for them. Get in touch to request this support.

Meghan shares her experience of completing a PBL Caesarean Hypnobirthing course to prepare for her third caesarean birth, and the benefit to her birth experience and post natal period...

"I hope lots of people choose to embark on such a positive birth experience with you. The 1:1 course was amazing and completely changed my outlook on what a birth experience could be. I didn’t think this was possible on baby number 3!! You completely changed my mindset on my planned c-section and this has resulted in such a special and immediate bond with my little one. I only wish we had done your course for baby number 1!!"

Practical Ways to Use Hypnobirthing for Your Caesarean Birth:

Breathing:

Slow, intentional breathing is immensely powerful and beneficial to you and your baby. Anytime you feel stressed and your adrenaline rising e.g. waiting to go to theatre, during your surgery and particularly during your spinal / epidural anaesthetic insertion - where you need to be incredibly still - take a deep, slow intentional breath in through your nose for a count of 4, exhaling out through your mouth for a count of 7. This breath will help lower adrenaline and cortisol and increase oxytocin benefitting your mind, nervous system and even your baby. Lower adrenaline and cortisol means less stress hormones for baby. When you are calm, so is your baby.

You can also use this slow calm breath to benefit your postnatal recovery and during life with a newborn. When your nervous system is calm you have more oxytocin helping your body heal faster from major abdominal surgery. Meghan shares the difference.

Environment adaptations:

Think about an environment that helps your mind and body feel as calm and relaxed as possible. I'm pretty sure a hospital theatre doesn't immediately spring to mind. Gladly there are plenty of things you can do to adjust the theatre environment to benefit your birth experience.

Music or relaxations audio: Listen to a relaxation audio or create a playlist of your favourite songs to make you feel calm and happy, listening to your favourite tunes can distract your mind and flip a potentially scary experience into a more positive one.
Smell: Your sense of smell is really powerful when it comes to calming your nervous system and using a favourite perfume, aftershave or calming essential oil on a handkerchief can help calm you.
Lighting: Do you want to have low lighting near your face / head, this can feel less invasive and calming, particularly when you are meeting your baby.

Mindset tools - many of these are used in sports psychology:

Affirmations: Affirmations are simply positive words used help you focus your mind on the positive, such as “I am giving my baby the best birth possible” and “I feel confident. I feel safe. I feel secure”. You can write your own, they just need to be positive and present. “I focus on what I can control and let go what I can’t” is a great one and can be especially helpful if your caesarean birth is unplanned or not what you would initially have chosen. The more you read or say afirmations, the stronger the positive neural connection in your brain and the better you feel.
Visualising: Picturing a favourite place, somewhere that makes you feel calm, happy and relaxed can work well for creating a feeling of safety in your brain.
Reframing and positive distraction: If your caesarean is planned, there is often waiting time before you are called to theatre. To reduce any anxiety during this time, use positive distractions like a book, tv series or music and focus on building your natural oxytocin. You could also reframe this time as “I am waiting because all is well with my baby and more complex cases are seen first” and use the affirmation “I will meet my baby soon”.

Layering these tools to use multiple at the same time, your breath, affirmations, visualisation and adapting your environment can be really powerful and effective.

Writing a Caesarean birth plan:

Creating a birth plan is your opportunity to express, to your health care providers, what is important to you before, during and after your baby’s birth.

Here are some suggestions for what you could include in your caesarean birth plan (this list is by no means exhaustive)...

Environment:

What music would you like playing
Would you like dimmer lighting at your head during birth
Do you have a smell to support you

Language:

Do you have any preferences for language used e.g. born vs delivered
Would you like conversation in theatre be minimised e.g. no chit chat and the environment to be calm and quiet, or would you feel most comfortable with chatter

During your baby's birth, would you like:

Your baby’s body to be born slowly after their head is born, this can help with clearing fluid in baby’s lungs.
To see your baby being born and have the sterile drape lowered.
To film or photograph your baby’s birth. Your birth partner or midwife could do this.
To be actively involved in the birth of you baby? E.g. Maternal/Partner Assisted Caesarean

After your baby’s birth, would you like:

Optimal Cord Clamping (OCC)?
You, or your partner, want to cut your baby's cord instead of the doctors?
Skin-to-skin to be supported in theatre. This can help stabilise baby’s heart rate, temperature and bonding. To facilitate this, you can have your heart rate monitors attached to your back to keep your chest clear and your cannula in your non-dominant hand.
First breastfeed to be supported in theatre.
If all is well to have all baby checks occur after skin-to-skin, feeding and bonding have occurred or while in skin-to-skin contact.

I offer power hour birth preparation sessions to support with birth plan writing, answer any burning questions or give you an emotional or informational boost for before your birth. Book yours here.

Caesarean Birth Postnatal Healing Tips:

After your caesarean birth postnatal healing is so important. You have just grown and birthed your baby, you and your body have done something truly amazing.

Avoiding constipation and trapped wind:

Due to the hormonal changes and pain killers used during your birth trapped wind and constipation are common after effects following a caesarean birth. Chewing gum within 24 hours of birth helps “enhance early recovery of bowel function” and “improves maternal comfort” (Cochrane review 2016). Eating lots of fruit, staying hydrated, drinking peppermint tea and stool softener can also help. Putting your feet on a step and using your breath, breathing into your bottom, can also help with postnatal poo’s.

Stand tall:

In the book Why Caesarean Matters by Clare Goggin she encourages you to "Stand up fully, (shoulders back, head up, try not to ‘hunch’ it may feel uncomfortable to start with and you might want to avoid it, but it will help you heal.”

Take your painkillers:

Sounds simple but really, keep on top of your pain. Caesarean section is major abdominal surgery so take your painkillers, they will help your body heal. If you’re worried about painkillers crossing into your breastmilk speak to your midwife. The App HalesMeds also gives information for breastfeeding friendly drugs.

Pre-prepare meals:

Batch cook and freeze meals or ask friends to cook easily re-heated nourishing meals and drop them off at your door.

Nighttime drink & snack plates:

Create a snack plate so you can be quickly and easily hydrated and snacked up during the tiring nights.

Gentle movement:

Gentle movement helps your blood flow, reduces the risk of blood clots and aids bowel movements, take it slow and listen to your body. You could start with walking across the room. Avoid heavy lifting, including older children, and housework until this feels comfortable - delegation of this is key.

Look after your scar:

Keep your scar clean and be aware of any possible infection. Support your scar with an pillow when getting up or when you cough or sneeze. When you feel ready, gentle scar mobilisation massage can help with the healing. If touching your scar feels too much, gentle abdominal breathing will also benefit your scar healing.

Rest:

Rest is important for healing but might feel hard to come by. Spending some time in pregnancy planning what you want from your postnatal time and how you can maximise rest can be helpful. Considering Postnatal Doula Support might be helpful to you.

Charlotte Watson from Positive Birth Leeds, a white woman with blonde hair, is sitting in a chair holding a cup and smiling at the camera.

I offer five star rated nurturing doula support and evidence based hypnobirthing antenatal education, helping you feel informed, confident and empowered during your pregnancy, birth and beyond.

Book a free discovery call to discuss your doula support and hypnobirthing course options.

Charlotte x