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Pain-Free Childbirth

Can Hypnotherapy really make it possible?

Sara Bridget Au

ePregnancy, August 2004

You are feeling totally relaxed in every part of your body.  Your eyelids are very, very heavy.  You could open them if you wanted to, but you don't really want to.  Picture a healing white light flowing out of your heart and into your abdomen...it surrounds your baby.  Say to yourself, "I am filled with peace, hope and comfort.  I am relaxed and able to go with the flow of my body and I am able to celebrate the birthing of my baby..."

If it takes you a few moments before you're able to read the rest of the article, you might be interested ina new birthing tool that's quickly becoming popular around the country:  hypnotherapy.  Proponents say it alleviates pain, allowing women to experience childbirth as the joyous event nature intended it to be.

Hypnosis How-to

The first question that comes to your mind is likely, "How is this possible?"  Experts in the field of hypnotherapy say that all women are capable of experiencing a pain-free or nearly pain-free labor and delivery if they are trained to alter their mindset.  They say that for thousands of years, our society has conditioned us to think of childbirth as an excruciating experience.  Today's depictions of birth on television shows and in films often follow the stereotype of screaming mother, fainting father and chaotic emergency room.  If you're showing, some veteran moms who just have to share their labor horror stories have probably already accosted you.  When all of this is combined, it's enough to make even the most stoic moms-to-be start shakin' in her two-sizes-bigger-now shoes.

Michelle Leclaire O'Neill is a clinical psyhiatrist, a registered nurse and the founder of the Leclaire Childbirth Method, which uses hypnosis.  In her book Better Birthing with Hypnosis she offers, "Your mind and body can do amzing things, and when we take the time to observe and remain mindful of what they can do, we can harness that power to give the baby a magic carpet ride from womb to mother's arms."

Oftentimes, says O'Neill, hypnotherapy success comes down to finding ways to keep your mind (and the fears that are often ingrained within it) out of your body's way.  "It is your body's nature to know how to respond to your contractions, and it is the nature of your body to know when to push."

Kerry Tuschhoff, founder of the Hypnobabies method of hypnotic childbirth, says the hypno-mom programs her "inner mind" to believe childbirth will be easy and comfortable.  Once in labor, she simply executes the programming and is instantly calm, relaxed and comfortable.  "We teach our hypno-moms "Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis," so they are able to remain deeply in hypnosis in any position--walking, talking, and moving around--while still remaining physically and mentally calm and comfortable."

Marie Mongan, a hypnotherapist who founded the HypnoBirthing® Method based on the Dick-Read philosophy of natural childbirth, explains it this way:  "When mind and body are in harmony, nature is free to function in the same well-designed manner that it does with all other creatures."  But this doesn't mean that your mind gets a free vacation while your body does all the work.  "A lot of people mistakenly labor under the impression that we're teaching them to go away to la-la land or something of the sort," puns Mongan.  "We are not.  In fact, mother and baby are working together."

Mongan trains moms-to-be in her care to break the fight-or-flight instincts that kick in during labor, because a birthing mother cannot take either course of action.  She says these instincts cause oxygenated blood and hormones to be diverted from the uterus to other muschles, resulting in the pain that many women experience.  Through hypnosis, she schools moms (and dads, too!) to relax without resistance and allow their body to do its job.

No Dangling Gold Watches

You've probably experienced self-hypnosis in your life, even if you didn't recognize it.  Have you ever zoned out while driving on a highway just from staring at those white lines in the road?  Have you ever stared into the flames in a fireplace and started daydreaming or drifting off?  Both of those common experiences are what experts say hypnosis feels like.

"There are several misunderstandings about hypnosis, due primarily to stage hypnotists," Tuschhoff says.  "Hypnosis is not a state of sleep, but one of deep focus and concentration.  It's a state we're in all the time, whether we're driving or sitting in front of a computer screen.  You are fully aware of your surroundings at all times."

Mongan clarifies the fact that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis and that it is a very natural state:  "It's not scary or threatening or dangerous."  She adds that using hypnotherapy doesn't mean you'll be a zombie in the deliery room.  On the contrary, you'll be wide awake, in charge and fully participating, though you'll also be completely relaxed and experiencing labor in total harmony of mind and body. [emphasis mine]

Visualization, imagery and special breathing techniques, in addition to self-hypnosis, are central to using hypnotherapy during childbirth.  Self-affirming scripts are offered as guides for entering the hypnotic state, but through the classes or practice at home each couple learns what works best for them.

For the Skeptics

You might be dubious about the possibility of feeling little or no pain during labor and delivery, or even about your own ability to be hypnotized in the first place.  That's what Julie Wilson thought.  Julie reacts badly to most common pain medications and decided she wanted to try natural childbirth.  She was very skeptical about hypnotherapy, and her police-officer husband was even more so.  The Scottsdale, AZ couple decided to try anyway, attending classes once a week for 6 weeks.  They learned relaxation and medication techniques that worked for them.

But when the time came for her delivery, some complications arose.  Julie's pregnancy had been high-risk from the start for a number of reasons, and her labor was not a typical one.  She ended up needing an epidural, but after the immediate cause for concern passed, the epidural was turned way down (effects wear off in about 45 minutes) and Julie used hypnotherapy successfully during 3 hours of pushing until her daughter, Cheyenne, was born.  "It was interesting to see how it really did work.  You could block out all those people, and I had a lot of people in the room--there was a lot of noise and a lot of talking."  She even scared her Ob/Gun a few times, appearing so calm and serene that the doctor kept checking her blood pressure.

Julie says, "I actually found it exhilarating to know that I could put myself into that kind of state and not feel the pain."  When pressed on that point, she emphasized, "I felt absolutely no pain." [emphasis mine]

Not Just for Labor

In addition to preparing for her baby's birth, Jennifer Hyvonen used daily self-hypnosis techniques to get through the aches and pains in her hips and joints during her third trimester.  A month and a half before her due date, she says, "A daily (sometimes twice daily) practice has helped [me] to calm my body and mind, relieve pressure and pain and get a full night's sleep again."

The Utah mom-to-be says he

Both Mongan and O'Neill highlight prenatal preparation and mothering as a huge component of their teachings, which are predicated on the idea that a mother who is in tune with her unborn baby and her gestating body will more easily be able to follow her natural instincts through the childbirth process.

Tuschhoff also stresses prenatal preparation with a technique called "compounding."  She says that if reinforced every day, the hypnotic suggestions become stronger and will be there in full effect when the hypno-mom gives birth.  She cautions that if a mom-to-be doesn't "do her homework," the hypnotherapy won't be as effective for her as for someone who prepared every day.

"If I knew [when my children were born] what I know now about using the power of my own mind to control my body, I would have used hypnosis and guided visualizations to eliminate my own fears, concerns and control issues about childbirth...and been able to experience natural, unmedicated childbirth without suffering," says Tuschhoff, who delivered both her children using the Bradley Method of natural childbirth.

If you're worried about what you'll face when you deliver, or just want a little help battling the stress and aches of pregnancy, give hypnotherapy a try.  It just might help you have the birth experience you're hoping for!

Positive Human Dynamics, Ltd.

1453 Rio Rancho Blvd., Ste. E

Rio Rancho, NM  87124

(505)892-1313   www.posihd.com