How can Hypnosis help in childbirth?
I wish I had known about Hypnotherapy for childbirth when I was younger. You see I suffered from Tokophobia, which had been brought on by the sex education films we watched in our teens. There was a fear and expectation that childbirth would be a traumatic experience. So I refused to even consider it. I considered that if I ever became pregnant, I wanted to be knocked out and have a C-section and not be aware of any of it.
As it turned out I never became pregnant. So you may ask yourself, what do I know about childbirth. Well there are plenty of male doctors who haven’t experienced childbirth, but there are many people, myself included who have suffered in the past from anxiety and pain.
You see, childbirth doesn’t have to be painful and traumatic. I once remember a tale my grandfather told me whilst he was living on a French farm during World War One. The Farmers wife was pregnant and one day he watched her leave the kitchen and walk around the back of the Cowshed with a knife and cloth. About 10 minutes later she came back with the baby wrapped in her arms. She hadn’t made a sound during that time that alerted the soldiers to what was going on. In many cultures, it’s taken as a positive experience and one to celebrate new life.
So what the mind anticipates, the mind can expect. We can train ourselves to experience discomfort as pressure. Pain as a perception of colour and shape. To help the mother relax and feel more comfortable, guided visualisations during childbirth are taught. The subconscious mind is trained to believe that birth will be comfortable, easy and more enjoyable.
What can be expected in Hypnosis for childbirth?
The first session is all about gathering information about the pregnancy, expectations, type of birth etc. We talk a bit about the brain, how it works and the techniques used.
The relaxation MP3 is a very important part of the whole exercise and it can be downloaded from the Tools Page. Dates for the subsequent sessions running up to the birth are set.
There are a variety of plan options depending on the circumstances.
Plan 1
Month 4 – First 2 sessions
Month 7/8 – Sessions 3 – 5
If you come to the idea a little later, then
Plan 2
Month 7 – all 5 sessions on a weekly basis
Plan 3 – for high anxiety
Month 3 – 3 sessions
5 – There will be at least 1 session, possibly more.
8 – 2 sessions
During this time, you will be taught about self-hypnosis and how to create your own natural anaesthesia when you need to. How to deeply relax –including breathing techniques. To feel confident about your body. You will have complete control over your body and play a proactive part, but just feel more at ease, comfortable and relaxed.
Each woman’s experience will be completely different, consequently, there are many different outcomes for childbirth.
Can my partner come along?
Yes if they so wish. In fact, the more they understand the process, the more they can help.
Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth:
- A calmer, peaceful birthing environment and experience.
- Lesser or no use of analgesic drugs. This means less risk of side effects on the mother and baby.
- Fewer interventions and complications during labour.
- An awake energised mother at the end of the process.
- Babies who sleep and feed better.
Also, read up on books such as Brain Rules For Baby by John Medina for some interesting information about child development.