Are you pregnant and feeling anxious about going through labor and delivery? Are you unsure on how to go about in preparing for labor and delivery? To help understand the advantages of preparing for labor and delivery and how you can prepare for labor and delivery, I have interviewed psychologist Nicole Flory, PhD.
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I am a psychologist specializing in women’s health, reproductive issues, and medical hypnosis. I am also an instructor at a Harvard Medical School who has published on the clinical applications of hypnosis. In addition, to being extensively trained in general psychotherapy and hypnosis, I have training in sex and couples therapy. As a health psychologist, I help women and their partners to profit from behavioral modifications that improve quality of life at the present time. As a busy professional and mother of two young children, I know how important it is to deliver effective, short-term interventions for a smooth and happy transition to motherhood.”
What are the advantages of preparing for labor and delivery?
If you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, major decisions have to be made in the next weeks and months to come. Planning will include what to do when labor starts, e.g., stay at home, go to the hospital or birthing center. Keep in mind that different institutions and providers (e.g., OBGYNs, midwives) have different philosophies. Your preferences for labor and delivery, natural childbirth, medication or pain control should be clearly thought through and discussed well before the due date.
Modern medicine appears to give us more and more control over the process of childbirth, yet many women find themselves increasingly overwhelmed with divergent approaches. One controversy involves natural childbirth without medical assistance vs. common obstetric practices with medical assistance for pain control. Some argue that childbirth should be natural act that should not be complicated by medical interventions. In some cases, handing over control to doctors and nurses in a hospital may foster feelings of powerlessness. Any kind of preparation on the woman’s part for labor will therefore make her more empowered and active in the process. In addition, a woman can actually prepare for labor by taking an active role in her response to stress and pain.
I have found basic relaxation and self-hypnosis to be very helpful tools for prepared childbirth. These techniques can help all women, and can be a particular advantage to those feeling overwhelmed by too many factors. Unfortunately, anxiety tends to increase the length of labor while reducing the efficacy of analgesia (pain medication). I would like to point out that most women, including myself, will not consider psychological techniques, such as hypnosis, complete substitutes, but valuable addition, for benefits that modern medicine has to offer. It is best to keep in mind that there is no one right way to labor, just as there is no one right way to parent. However, if a woman and her partner are well-prepared, they will make better decisions.”
How should a woman prepare for labor and delivery?
“As mentioned above, the first step for preparing is getting informed about common practices in obstetrics and midwifery. Talking to other women, reading books, attending medical appointments, and getting to know your health care team is the basic steps for any actively involved woman. In addition, taking tours to places where you consider delivering your baby is not only valuable for the mother-to-be, but also for her partner. Eliciting as much partner involvement as possible will make a strong start to becoming a successful parenting team. Research has shown that the biggest predictor of breastfeeding success is partner support.
Whether a woman and her partner are having difficulty facing the everyday challenges in starting a family or are facing very specific mental health or relationship complications, the right psychologist can provide support and help. In my practice, I focus on helping pregnant women by teaching them simple physical and mental techniques to relax, cope with stress, anxiety, pain, and maintain a positive outlook. Practicing communication and assertiveness skills are other tools many pregnant women find helpful. These techniques can be particularly useful for those dealing with additional issues, such as illness or family troubles, but they can be useful for anyone. There are many other techniques that I use in therapy such as self-relaxation, meditation, yoga, and hypnosis.
There are many myths about hypnosis and I recommend discussing these with your hypnosis provider. Hypnosis has been described by the American Psychological Association (APA) has a procedure during which a psychologist suggests that a patient experience changes in perception, sensation, emotion, thought, or behavior. Hypnotic trance is a form of an altered state of consciousness: it is not sleep, being unconscious, having one’s mind weakened, or losing control. While patients typically feel deeply relaxed, they still are conscious, alert, and attentive. Patients often feel they have better access to their thoughts, feelings, and problem-solving abilities.”
Who can help a woman to prepare for delivery and what would be their possible roles in this preparation?
“First and foremost, a woman needs to be getting basic pre-natal care from a health care team that she trusts and feels comfortable with. Once this need is in place, there are endless books, websites, classes and individuals offering guidance. In an ideal world, preparing for the birth of a child is not done in solitude. Classes can be a great way to learn valuable information and also get to know others with similar concerns. As a psychologist in private practice who typically works with one women or one couple at the time, I am able to work very closely with people. I can help my patients to achieve specific goals and tailor interventions to best fit the individuals needs. As a health psychologist, my approach is not to pathologize pregnancy and childbirth but rather embrace them as great opportunities for personal growth. However, some of my patients also struggle with psychological issues such as depressed or anxious moods, trauma, phobia, sexual or relationship problems that warrant treatment independent of the impending arrival of a newborn.
Medical doctors, psychologists, social workers, nurses, midwives or doulas (i.e., a woman who provides non-medical support for women in labor and post-partum) are all potential people who have training in preparing women for childbirth; some may have an expertise in hypnosis. If you are interested, in using hypnosis for labor and delivery, I usually recommend interviewing several people to find the person who makes you feel most comfortable. When using hypnosis, I prefer an interactive and permissive approach; this is very different from the “authoritarian” style often seen in stage performances or the old cliché of the hypnotist swinging a pocket-watch. Hypnosis is best used in conjunction with other treatment options to enhance the patient’s own strengths and abilities. Some hypnotic techniques I teach are similar to those used in natural childbirth approaches, such as “HypnoBirthing”. However, I do not specifically endorse hypnosis as the only method of pain control, but rather acknowledge that most of my patients may want or need access to medical assistance, if necessary.”
What last advice would you like to give that would help a woman prepare for labor and delivery?
“Becoming a mother most likely is the biggest change a woman will experience in her lifetime. It may sometimes feel like leaving behind an existence with relatively known self-imposed parameters to handing control over to a tiny tyrant. Since the birth of a child is such a major turning point, some may call it a crisis; it may be wise to seek out expert advice. Many women want to take concrete steps to prepare for labor and delivery. If you want to learn new skills such as stress and pain management, I would recommend seeking help from a licensed mental health professional. Pregnant women can easily learn hypnosis to reduce anxiety and pain without having to rely on a medical provider. Clinical research has shown that hypnosis can significantly reduce pain, anxiety, medication use, and complication rates. Hypnosis can be used for “natural birth” and in combination with pharmacological agents as well as more invasive medical interventions such as Cesarean-sections.
When working with me, we will discuss how every woman, labor, and baby is unique. No matter how much a woman prepares, I will remind my clients that no one can completely prepare for the day the baby actually arrives; and that is fine. As mothers we would sometimes like to control everything; but we cannot control the labor process, just as we cannot control the growth of our baby during pregnancy, having a baby-boy or baby-girl, birth weight, skin or eye color. The best thing to keep in mind is that pregnancy and birth are natural processes; one can always count on surprises. Even if you may experience an unexpected beginning, you can still embrace whatever life has in stock for you, including radical acceptance of your baby. Holding your baby in your arms, and anticipating this moment, I predict will be the most powerful transformative experience of your life.”
Thank you Dr. Flory for doing the interview on how to prepare for labor and delivery. For more information on Dr. Flory or her work you can check out her website on www.drflory.com.
