If someone said to you “pain is not an inherent part of childbirth,” you’d likely have one of two responses. Either you would think, “Well, I’d really like to believe it, but…” or you might just flat out say, “Yeah, right!” In our modern birthing culture, we have managed to scare the heck out of ourselves when it comes to this time of life. We are surrounded by images that portray childbirth in a negative way – in the news media, in movies, television shows, in books we read, even in comments made by friends, family, and strangers in the street. It is pervasive. This culture of fear surrounding childbirth has had profound effects on birthing practices in general and on women’s individual experiences.
When a woman experiences fear before and during childbirth, it affects her physiologically. In a highly adrenalized-state, she produces stress hormones that have a detrimental effect on the progress of her birthing and what she feels physically as well as emotionally. During “fight or flight,” not only does the fear cause her to tense her muscles but also blood and oxygen are diverted from the reproductive system. Combined, all of this serves to change the movements of the uterus – causing erratic, non-productive, painful contractions (surges) rather than the rhythmic, fluid movements the uterus is designed to perform. This pain produces more fear – and the cycle continues.
However, when fear is not a factor, a woman’s body produces a wonderful hormonal cocktail that sends her into a highly intuitive, instinctive state. In this state, she is in tune with her body; listening and responding to the messages it sends to her. She is able to relax physically and emotionally. She is unaffected by the hubbub going on around her. She is able to meet any challenges, rather than panic. She knows when to move and when to be still; she knows what feels good and what doesn’t; she knows what is best for her, her baby, and the birth itself. She is empowered.
Natural childbirth, though, can be challenging if there are deeply engrained beliefs about birth being a frightening event. Even sitting comfortably on a birth ball may not be enough if the birthing woman is battling her own perceptions that the birth is merely something to be suffered through.
HypnoBirthing® is a method for achieving natural childbirth using self-hypnosis to access the subconscious and change this birth belief to one that is positive, allowing women and their partners to genuinely look at birth as the beautiful event that it is. HypnoBirthing® teaches you to easily reach a deeply relaxed state that puts the mind and therefore the body in a better place to birth - emotionally and physiologically.
The techniques taught in HypnoBirthing® are wonderful skills for managing so many areas of life...not just birthing. Through practice, these self-hypnosis tools become second-nature, automatically applied whenever needed to produce a calming effect on both mind and body.
Individual hypnosis sessions for fear in pregnancy, release of limiting thoughts from prior birth experiences, breech repositioning, natural induction, and general birth preparation are also helpful in experiencing pregnancy and childbirth as the joyful, calm, empowering time it is meant to be.