Hypnobirthing is the name given to the practice of using hypnosis as a method of pain management during childbirth (usually natural childbirth). The purpose of hypnosis is to keep the pregnant woman physically and mentally relaxed during childbirth to make the process as easy, peaceful, pain-free, and intervention-free as possible.
There is a standard cycle that usually occurs during childbirth in our culture called the Fear/Tension/Pain Syndrome. First, the pregnant woman becomes fearful, tense, and afraid of giving birth while in labor. This makes her body and muscles tense up and causes mental stress. Essentially, she fights against her body and nature, which would otherwise do most of the work to push the baby out. In turn, the labor becomes more difficult, which makes her more fearful, and the whole cycle of fear, tension, and pain gets worse. Childbirth hypnosis attempts to make labor and birth easier and often completely pain-free for the pregnant woman. It does so by stopping this cycle before it starts and keeping the woman as relaxed as possible during the entire birthing time.
Many advantages for the practice of hypnosis during childbirth are cited, such as decreased labor time, decreased pain, fewer complications and interventions, and less use of drugs or pain medications such as epidurals. The Hypnobabies program insists that 70% of women who use their program while pregnant experience pain-free childbirth. These women say they feel the pressure of their muscles contracting beyond their control, but claim that this feeling is not actually pain; just pressure. Studying hypnosis for birth also helps the woman to remain relaxed, happy, and experience less stress and a more positive outlook during the time she is pregnant and practicing it.
It is difficult to find major disadvantages of practicing hypnosis for birth because there are no real risks associated with it. In the worst case scenario, the techniques don’t work and the pregnant woman and possibly her partner have wasted some time and money on it. However, nothing dangerous can come of practicing relaxation or self-hypnosis while pregnant. If the woman finds that hypnosis isn’t working as pain management for her during labor, she can choose to ask for an epidural or endure the pain.
Some pregnant women have stated that their in-person hypnosis for childbirth classes (Marie Mongan method) were too dogmatic or inflexible about some issues surrounding childbirth, such as breathing patterns or perineal massage-issues which distracted them and made them uncomfortable with their hypnosis instructors. If this is seen as a potential problem, the pregnant woman and her partner can simply choose a complete at-home self-hypnosis course such as the Hypnobabies self study package.
There are a few different programs available for pregnant women who wish to study hypnosis for pain-free childbirth. Some find a certified therapist and receive individual training and sessions. Other pregnant women attend group classes or use a home study course to learn self-hypnosis. The most popular marketed self-hypnosis for childbirth programs are Hypnobabies, Hypbirth, and Marie Mongan’s Hypnobirthing method. To achieve the best results, it is important to use a complete program (simply reading a book may not help much) and practice it daily. Some programs are deemed complete childbirth preparation courses and contain all the regular information on things like proper nutrition while pregnant, potential interventions during birth, and additional pain management techniques.
Many people hear the word “hypnosis” and think of people acting foolish on stage or on television shows. Hypnosis for childbirth is not like this at all; it is more like a type of meditation. It puts the woman in a very relaxed state, but she is still herself and still very aware of everything that is happening around her and within her body. She is able to take herself out of the relaxed state, or out of hypnosis, any time she wishes, and will never do anything that she doesn’t want to do while in a state of hypnosis.
