Hypnosis for childbirth ( Hypnobirthing )

Using hypnosis for childbirth results in less C-sections and less use of anaesthesia

Hypno-Birthing : Arrival of the Fittest

Hypnosis is often described as a state of focused relaxation and there is nothing quite like the fear of pain to focus one’s attention. Whether you are expecting your first child or are a parent already you may be considering your options for pain relief during labour.  For many people the word “hypnosis” conjures up all sorts of images of stage shows, clucking chickens or “wacky hippy”.  But if you could just put aside these biases for just a few moments you may learn about a very real new option for pain relief for some or all of your labour that you may never have considered before.

You don’t have to be a “yoga mats and candles” sort of person to benefit from the use of hypnosis during labour.  In fact hypnosis is a much more common state than you might think. During hypnosis our brain waves change to those seen just before we fall asleep every night and is somewhat similar to daydreaming.  There is nothing magical or mystical about it.  Contrary to all the extreme stories you may have heard you are always in complete control and can open your eyes, talk and move – although you are likely to feel that you just “couldn’t be bothered”.  You can hear sounds around you and people talking to you although the less you are disturbed the better the experience will be for you.

While everyone can relax into a state of hypnosis most mothers will benefit from practice in order to feel familiar with it, to get rid of any preconceptions and to prepare some relaxing visualisations to use during labour.

You may be wondering if it is realistic to hope to relax during labour.  Many women approach labour in a very passive way, looking upon it as a necessary discomfort they must go through in order to deliver their baby.  But you can choose to be much more in control, taking the onset of pain to be your cue to put on your headphones and music, close your eyes (bring an eye mask to protect your eyes from the harsh hospital lights) and start your visualisations.  Think of it like going to bed and sleeping when you are ill – sleeping and dreaming takes you away from the “here and now” of pain, and the anxiety that increases it.

Try to avoid thinking in extremes.  You don’t have to choose now whether or not you will use hypnosis for all or just part of your labour.  Think of it instead as a very useful additional skill that you can have as an option alongside walking, using an exercise ball, medication etc.

“But what if I’m not “susceptible” to hypnosis?”  Again you need to rid your mind of the old images of stage hypnotists telling audience volunteers to impersonate Elvis etc.  There’s a lot of cajoling, trickery and taking advantage of how people behave in groups that goes on in stage hypnosis that is just not relevant to modern hypnosis.  Instead think of it this way.  Are you “susceptible” to your own self talk?  Do you feel bad when you tell yourself you should be slimmer / more senior / less stressed / doing more etc?  Does what’s going on in your head affect your eating / exercise / work / sleep?  If the answer is “yes” then you can also learn to reduce pain by choosing what you think about.

Don’t worry about whether you are a “hypnosis” sort of person.  You do not need to have had any experience of it prior to your pregnancy.  Although hypnosis is part of my work I have also learned by experience.  For my first child I practised listening to CD’s by male hypnotherapists who I knew and admired.  But these recordings were not personalised to me and I often listened to them while out walking. This meant that I was not experiencing complete relaxation during practice and on the day of delivery I have to admit that listening to a man tell me that giving birth was like a rose blossoming irritated me beyond words and was very quickly turned off!  It is for this reason that it is a good idea to spend a little bit of time preparing visualisations and recordings with suggestions for a relaxed delivery that suit you personally (with or without the help of a professional hypnotherapist) – it will pay dividends during labour.

For my second child I used some beautifully relaxing music that I use in my clinic regularly and absolutely love.  As soon as I arrived in hospital I put on my headphones and began to use relaxing visualisations to take me away from the surroundings of the hospital.  The staff were very interested and hugely supportive, being well aware of how anxiety increases pain and also the duration of labour.  It’s important to let your birthing partner know what you like and what is helpful.  For example, I did not want anyone to touch me or hold my hand as this would make it harder for me to dissociate from my surroundings.  As time is distorted in hypnosis and tends to seem shorter to the individual it’s also helpful for most people if staff and partners do not mention the time, such as the time of day or how long to delivery as this will activate the more logical part of your brain that should be deactivated during visualisations.  After about four hours, during which I was later told I did not even move in the bed, I felt my pain increasing.  However, the wonderfully supportive Sister realised that the noise in the ward had increased considerably and immediately moved me to a quieter room where she said I could “go back in to trance”.  Her choice of words let me know she understood what I needed and I went on to deliver my baby easily and calmly without any medication whatsoever.  Thank you Sister.

Studies have shown the use of hypnosis during childbirth to result in significantly less use of anaesthesia, in shorter stages of labour, reduced tearing and in significantly more spontaneous vaginal deliveries (rather than C-sections).  Now that’s something worth considering.

Susannah Healy is a Psychologist, Trainer and hypnotherapist.  She is an Int. Editor of the European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis and Director of AccessPsychology, a psychological services clinic in Dundrum Town Centre, D.16.  TEL: 01-235 1000

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