Hypnobirthing – a term strictly Culled from hypnosis and birthing.
Hypnobirthing is a method of birth pain management that uses self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques to help a woman feel physically, mentally and spiritually prepared and reduce her awareness of fear, anxiety and pain during childbirth.it involves using a mixture of visualization, relaxation and deep breathing techniques.
Hypnobirthing classes generally teach participants to practice and use a flexible combination of music, visualization, positive thinking and words to relax the body and control sensations during labor. Keep in mind that hypnobirthing can be used in combination with many other birthing techniques.
Research examining the benefits of hypnobirthing is mixed. However, some research suggests that hypnobirthing might be more effective than other interventions at reducing labor pain.
THE TERM HYPNOSIS
The term hypnosis means “a procedure during which a person experiences suggested changes in sensation, perception, thought or behavior.” One particular branded version of hypnosis during the birthing process is referred to as HypnoBirthing.
The whole idea is that when the body and mind are in a completely relaxed state, birth can happen more quickly and painlessly because the body doesn’t fight the natural process.
METHOD AND TECHNIQUES OF HYPNOBIRTHING
- Controlled breathing
- Deep relaxation and meditation
- Guided visualization
CONTROLLED BREATHING – Breathing deeply, in through your nose and out through your mouth, can help you stay calm and reduce discomfort in labour.
DEEP RELAXATION OR MEDITATION – Meditation may help you concentrate on your body and baby during labour, while ignoring any extra noise or things going on around you.
GUIDED VISUALIZATION – this has to do with the pictorial representation or visualization of anything pleasant and soothing. E.g. visualization of a blooming flower.
Also you could picture what it will feel like to hold your baby skin to skin after they’ve been born. It’s like a rehearsal in your mind to help you feel more Positive and prepared.
Through using these techniques, the idea is that you may give birth in a state similar to daydreaming. You may:
- Be fully aware of what’s happening to you and able to come and go out of hypnosis as you please
- Become more relaxed, keeping your body out of the fight-or-flight mode that can be induced by the unfamiliar environment of a birth room
- Be more able to manage pain and stress hormones by the release of endorphins
- By controlling pain and stress hormones, the body may let go and submit fully to the task ahead.
MAIN IMPORTANCE OF HYPNOBIRTHING
STRESS MANAGEMENT– Hypnobirthing can help you manage stress hormones, such as adrenalin, and reduce anxiety, which should lead to a calmer birth. During labor, your body produces a chemical called oxytocin, which helps progress your labor. Stress hormones affect the production of oxytocin, and make your labor longer. Managing stress also help to reduce some of the fear and pain experienced during labour. It also help you cope with anxieties if you had a previous traumatic birth experience.
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OTHER IMPORTANCE OF HYPNOBIRTHING
Practising hypnobirthing – whether it’s at a class, with a book or CD , may help you to feel more prepared and in control when labour starts.
Hypnobirthing may reduce the need for drugs and Assisted Delivery. However, you can have additional pain relief as well if you want to. It can be added to any birth plan and the techniques can be used wherever you give birth – in a hospital, at home or birth centre.
Hypnobirthing may benefit you after child birth too, some evidence show that it can lower the chance of Post Natal Depression.
Hypnobirthing can help your birth partner or significant other play a more active role during labour.
BENEFIT OF HYPNOBIRTHING
Shorten labor. Specifically, hypnosis during birth may help shorten the of labor. This stage involves both early and active labor, when contractions become longer, stronger, and closer together as the cervix opens.
Lessen the need for interventions. A 2011 review of studies showed that HypnoBirthing may help encourage a vaginal birth and women using hypnosis didn’t require as much augmentation with oxytocin. A 2015 study found that just 17 percentTrusted Source of HypnoBirthing moms had cesarean deliveries compared to the general 32 percent rate in the United States.
Naturally manage pain. If you’re looking for a med-free labor, hypnosis may help. In one 2013 study, 46 out of 81 participants (51 percent) didn’t use any pain medication and reported their maximum pain level as just 5.8 on a 10 scale.
Give a feeling of control. Women in the 2013 study also reported feeling more relaxed and in control. As a result, they had less fear about labor and birth.
Result in healthy babies. Apgar scores, the system to evaluate babies in the minutes after birth, may be higher among babies born using HypnoBirthing techniques.
Help women who’ve experienced trauma. HypnoBirthing may particularly help birthing people who have experienced trauma surrounding birth or who have a general fear of labor and delivery. About 40 percent trusted Source of the course focuses specifically on these issues
COMPARISON WITH LAMAZE AND BRADLEY METHOD
There are other birth methods you may encounter as you prepare for the big day.
Lamaze is a method that aims to help couples feel more confident in the birthing process. It focuses on pain management techniques, like breathing and massage, to help move labor along and serve as natural pain management.
The Bradley Method is very much focused on labor and birth being natural. People who seek this method learn different techniques for relaxation and rely heavily on a support person, like a partner, doula, or other labor coach.
Both the Bradley Method and Lamaze also don’t state that labor will necessarily be painless. Instead, they focus on strategies to empower and give couples options to naturally relieve pain. With Hypno-Birthing, the language is centered more around birth being painless if you release fear.
Another main difference? With Lamaze and the Bradley Method, the birth partner or coach is key. With Hypno Birthing, a support person is encouraged, but a woman can self-hypnotize. In other words, another person is not necessarily needed for success.
RECOMMENDED BOOK.
While this basic idea has been around for centuries, the specific term was coined in the 1989 book HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life written by hypnotherapist Marie Mongan. Her ideas are influenced by early “natural birth” proponents Dr. Jonathan Dye and Dr. Grantly Dick-Read.
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Thank you for reading!