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Mind over labour: Hypnobirthing® holds out hope of pain-free, stress-free delivery
Darren Stone Times Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada August 30, 2005
The woman in the video is floating in a warm pool of water, her bulbous belly poking above the surface. She looks sleepy, as if she's in a trance. Her partner pours water over her shoulders and soft music plays in the background. She moans low and starts to push. Moments later, her son is born.
The perfect hypnobirth is nothing like the screaming, painful labours of cable television. Which is why a growing crop of mothers-to-be are seeking out the birthing practice that promotes pain- and stress-free labour.
"HypnoBirth® is really just a practice of self-meditation," says Moira Campbell, a Victoria HypnoBirth® practitioner and doula. The video, a compilation of hypnobirths, is one she shows pregnant couples in her classes. "We mix relaxation techniques and natural childbirth education to help empower women in labour."
Campbell is one of three HypnoBirth® practitioners in the city. Since she started her first practice, just over a year ago, interest in the program has snowballed -- so far she's see dozens of couples through the process. Some choose a home birth, while others use the method in hospital deliveries.
Word of mouth seems to be a big factor. One of Campbell's clients had a 90-minute, drug-free labour and it's since become legend.
"Not all hypnobirths are so ideal," says Campbell. "But, the practice gives you the tools to deal with labour as something natural and manageable."
Campbell was first introduced to HypnoBirthing® when she was pregnant with her second child in her native England. Campbell's first birth, with her now six-year-old son, had been tense and difficult.
"I did not want to repeat that experience, but I wanted more children," says Campbell. After some research on alternative birthing methods, she came across HypnoBirth® and used it while delivering her daughter. "She was an undetected breech and we ended up not being able to have her at home. But, it was still the most wonderful birth. Half an hour later, I asked my husband when we could do it again."
Campbell decided to share her turnaround labour experience by becoming a practitioner when she moved to Canada with her Victoria husband.
HypnoBirth® is a trademark practice developed by Marie Mongan of Concord, New Hampshire.
During the labours of her four children in the late-'50s and '60s, Mongan used the techniques of Grantly Dick-Read, an influential figure in natural childbirth and Lamaze, and went on to create her own method using hypnotherapy.
Recently, HypnoBirthing® has been featured on Good Morning America, and in Time, Newsweek and Parenting. But, the method's hardly been adopted by the medical mainstream. Most physicians in Victoria have never heard of it.
"It's not like the hypnosis shows you see in college where some guy gets on stage and acts like a monkey," says Sarah Riecken, a secretary at McPherson Library at UVic. Riecken is eight-and-a -half months pregnant. She and her partner, Juergen Sauer, finished Campbell's five-week hypnobirth course in July. "It's more like meditation. You are totally conscious and in control of your thoughts. The hypnosis part is just letting yourself get into a certain state of mind that is calm."
During the course, the couple sat on comfy couches, watched labours using HypnoBirth® techniques and practised their own delivery through visualization, stories and light massage. Riecken says the experience completely changed her vision of how she'd cope in the delivery room.
"During the early stages of my pregnancy, I couldn't even imagine myself giving birth. At one point I even considered a ceasarean because I knew it would be quick and safe," says Riecken. "But I decided to give my body a chance after doing more research on natural childbirth. I've done a total reversal. I don't even want any pain medication."
Cherie Johns has nothing but praise for the hypnobirthing techniques she used to have her son Kelyn, now a one-year-old. The program officer for the federal government says the HypnoBrith® visualization techniques she used helped her cope with last-minute complications.
"I remember picturing a balloon getting bigger and smaller during the contractions, or surges, we called them," says Johns.
"It all sounds very hippie-ish, but it works. The doctor and nurses were totally impressed by how calm I was."
Johns says the best thing about hypnobirthing is the sense of empowerment she felt during her pregnancy and labour.
"When I was pregnant, people would tell me their horror stories about labour. It's like there's this expectation of fear and pain," says Johns. "But when it came time for me, I felt totally open to experience all of it and just let my body lead the way. Birth is natural. It wasn't a walk in the park, but it was amazing."
This article has been edited to show the Registered Trademark status of HypnoBirthing®.
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