Hypnosis And Childbirth by June Lawrance

Although hypnosis has been successfully used to help with psychogenic infertility in both men and women and for pregnancy loss this article will concentrate on the use of hypnosis during pregnancy and childbirth and how it makes it a much more natural, comfortable and calmer experience.

It’s interesting to know that the founder of the National Childbirth Trust Dr Grantly Dick-Read, author of ‘Childbirth Without Fear’, developed a

articular form of hypnosis for birthing in the United States of America more than 15 years ago.

Hypnosis allows the mother-to-be a more relaxed pregnancy and gives her more control during labour and delivery. The whole experience becomes a much healthier and more comfortable option where the mother-to-be is empowered by using hypnosis and so becomes in charge of her child’s birth.

So what is hypnosis?

Everyone can relate to everyday experiences of hypnosis – an altered state of awareness. These experiences occur when we become deeply absorbed whilst reading a book or watching a film – time passes without awareness. Sometimes we drive our cars and reach home without recalling the journey. Then at other times we recall a pleasant memory and it’s almost as if we are there. So formal hypnosis allows you to relax in a safe environment and leads you through deep relaxation to a personal favourite place where you can be safe, secure and comfortable. In this deep level relaxation it’s as if you are daydreaming, part of you is enjoying the experience of the favourite place and another part of you is listening to the directions and procedures that will empower you during childbirth. By being relaxed and by reinforcing the deep state of relaxation the possible anxiety, which leads to tension and then fear, can be eliminated and so lead to a comfortable delivery.

How many sessions are needed?

This varies on the motivation and co-operation of the clients. Advisedly sessions should start during the second trimester. Booked at two weekly intervals, these earlier sessions will be of one hour duration. As the pregnancy progresses and both partners need to attend to learn and reinforce the various techniques it is necessary to have weekly sessions of an hour and half duration. This results in approximately 20 sessions but can vary from couple to couple.

So how does the hypnosis procedure progress?

At the beginning of the course of sessions the mother-to-be will attend separately, but later it is necessary that both the mother-to-be and the birthing partner attend. This is because the birthing partner also has an important role to play during labour. They are taught techniques to help the mother-to-be to access, deepen and reinforce her self-hypnosis at appropriate times during labour.

The initial session is a consultation process where the couple can talk with the therapist about any issues or concerns they may have regarding hypnosis and the pregnancy and labour.

This session is then followed with several sessions where the mother-to-be is taught self-hypnosis and deep relaxation. These techniques have to be practised daily between sessions so that the mother-to-be can access self-hypnosis quickly and deeply.

Further sessions address the term ‘pain’ and reframe the terminology and the expectation of labour and contractions. A particular technique is taught that induces a natural analgesia or anaesthesia for any discomfort that the mother-to-be may experience. This can be a major part of the therapy and allows the client to adjust their views on ‘pain’ and also their fear of the anticipation of pain. When someone is frightened their perception of pain is greatly increased so the birthing process is discussed and all aspects of the process are continually explained to adjust perceptions. Interestingly it has been researched that 30% of mothers giving birth do not need any pain relief. 20% actually do not use pain relief and 50% receive minimal pain relief in the form of analgesics or anaesthetics.

The sessions become more personalised as the various elements are adapted to the mother-to-be’s terminology of the birthing event. This includes a pre-prepared script of the actual birthing process with the mother-to-be giving her descriptions and thoughts on how it will progress.

The role of the birthing partner now becomes pivotal as the sessions progress. They are responsible for helping the mother-to-be to access the various cues and anchors that lead to further relaxation during the birthing process. Each contraction can also be used as a cue to become more relaxed in her favourite place of relaxation. Hours can become as minutes and minutes can feel like seconds as she enjoys her particular favourite place. In reality the whole child-birthing process is a calmer and more comfortable experience so that delivery is easier and less tiring. Most couples find that the baby is also more relaxed and calmer too.

Although the mother-to-be accesses this state of altered awareness she will be able to respond to any requests that her nursing team may require while still remaining relaxed. Obviously the birthing and nursing team should be aware of the mother-to-be’s involvement with the hypnotic procedures and any particular terminology that may or not be used by them during the birthing procedure. These details should be recorded in the mother-to-be’s files and the birthing plan detailed within the hospital notes. Communication between the therapist and the hospital throughout the therapy is also advisable.

So hypnosis can be used to experience childbirth as a comfortable, enjoyable and natural process

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at my e-mail address, or phone on 07752 297625 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            07752 297625      end_of_the_skype_highlighting (UK)

COPYRIGHT 2007 June Lawrance.