If you are pregnant for the first time, you are likely to have already received more than your share of advice about pain relief during labor. To be succinct: "get the epidural!" These words are offered over and over again in our culture. So often we pack up our bag and arrive at the hospital with the expectation that the epidural will solve all of the ills of this potentially unpleasant experience.
Epidurals do have side effects though: a sudden drop in blood pressure can occur and affect you and the baby; pushing takes longer, and epidurals increase your risk for the need for Pitocin (a drug that makes contractions stronger) and increase the likelihood of a c-section.
Are there safe and effective alternatives to an epidural for pain management? Yes, and hypnosis is a perfect example of a technique that has been underutilized in obstetrics but can be very effective for controlling discomfort during labor.
Hypnosis is the process of allowing the mind and body to become very deeply relaxed and then from that state of relaxation, receiving suggestions for a future event or desired outcome. These suggestions help you to interpret contractions as a sensation that you can allow, and not fight against. A person who says "This is the most excruciating pain I've ever had in my life" is having a very different experience from someone who says "This strong sensation means my cervix is opening, my baby is coming down, and that every uterine surge is bringing me closer to holding my baby."
Hypnosis is one of the original mind-body techniques, but for many it carries a negative connotation of being controlled by someone else. This is actually a misrepresentation of what happens that has been popularized by stage hypnosis. The first premise of this art is that all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. No one can force you to do or believe anything that you are not in agreement with. In clinical hypnotherapy you state to the hypnotherapist what your desired goal is, and the hypnotherapist helps to facilitate a very deeply relaxed state and then offers you suggestions about your ability to accomplish that goal. You are fully awake and aware when you hear these suggestions, and if a suggestion is offered that is not in alignment with what you want, it would only serve to awaken you more as your mind starts to debate that suggestion.
When it comes to birth preparation, there are a variety of ways that you can train to get ready for your labor and birth with hypnosis. One of the most popular options is to take a class that focuses on using hypnosis for labor and birth. There are classes offered by individual hypnotherapists, as well as HypnoBirthing classes and HypnoBabies home study courses. Some hypnotherapists also offer private instruction. When looking for a class, here are some questions to ask potential instructors:
It's important to know that there can be a great deal of difference in the knowledge level of your instructor. Some instructors have no prior background in maternal child health prior to doing a weekend certification course in this topic. Ideally, an instructor should also be a certified hypnotherapist and have some experience in maternal-child health. It is also useful if your instructor attends births, as it helps her knowledge level and she then may be available to support you if you choose to pursue that service.
Hypnosis during labor and birth can be used with only your husband or companion facilitating the process, or having a professional labor support person who is comfortable with hypnosis to be present. In either case it is important for you to practice your skills frequently during the pregnancy in order to get the most out of your training. You may be able to take the course as late as four to five weeks prior to your due date, but if that is the case you need to commit fully to practicing regularly prior to the birth. Ideally you would enroll in the course between 20-26 weeks to get the most out of it and the material you are provided. These courses may come with CD's; try to find a course that provides more than one CD to practice with for different stages of labor. Also, another benefit would be to find a course that offers breastfeeding and newborn information so that you would not have to seek a separate class for this.
Is it worth it to go to this amount of trouble to have your baby? I would say that many couples I've had the pleasure to teach absolutely believe it is. Hypnosis is the only process I've ever seen that allows you to have natural birth with significantly less discomfort so that you can be calm, relaxed and aware during much of your labor without exposing your baby or yourself to strong medications. Even if you do decide to use an epidural during your labor, using hypnosis may shorten the duration of time it is needed for and allow you more time to spend at home. Hypnosis is a modality that can strongly benefit new families prior to, during and after labor.