HypnoBirthing
HypnoBirthing, the Marie Mongan Method, promises safer, easier, more comfortable birthing naturally, as nature intended it to be. The promise of HypnoBirthing is shortened labor and a decrease or absence in labor pain. Women who choose HypnoBirthing are looking to take a bigger role in their own childbirth and giving birth on their own terms, changing the birthing of their child from the medical event it has become to a joyful experience that nature intends it to be. HypnoBirthing couples are taught techniques of breathing, self-hypnosis, visualization, positive thinking, and physical preparation to bring their baby into the world, peacefully and gently.
The self-hypnosis techniques practiced during birthing are used to make the mother more focused. Hypnosis is like a zoom lens on a camera, bringing the mother's attention to her birthing body. The breathing techniques help the mother to achieve the deep relaxation necessary to relax the uterus and provide the necessary oxygen to the child for an easy, safe delivery. The visualization and relaxation exercises assist in that process.
The first person to use the HypnoBirthing technique in 1989 was Marie Mongan's daughter Maura. The technique was a re-creation of the program of natural birthing that Marie Mongan, the founder of HypnoBirthing and an award-winning hypnotherapist had used to birth her. Marie Mongan based her work on the 1920's work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read. He first proposed that without fear, childbirth in humans could and should be like the serene, pain-free labor seen in other mammals. He called this discovery the “Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome”. It was his book, Childbirth Without Fear, that served as the inspiration for natural methods of childbirth, including The Bradley Method, Lamaze, and, of course, HypnoBirthing.
The basic proposal suggests that the belief that the birthing experience is painful causes muscle tension throughout the body and adds to the acuity and occurrence of pain. The idea that a positive and pain-free childbirth experience begins in the mind is supported by research published in a 2002 issue of American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Researchers found that more than any other factor, a woman's confidence in her ability to cope during labor appears to influence her experience of pain.
A 2004 article in The British Journal of Anesthesia reported that their studies involving 8,000 women found that the use of HypnoBirthing techniques rated their labor pain less severe to non-existent. Further research done in 2006 confirmed that the incidence of cesarean rates was 12 percent lower than the general population. The mothers involved also experienced drastically less preterm and low birth weight infants. The use of HypnoBirthing techniques quiet the uterine contraction, and in concert with good medical care, often allows the mothers to carry their babies to full term or at least much closer to term.
If you wonder how it works, the key is in teaching the body to relax, wherever the mother is and despite any physical sensations she may begin to experience. HypnoBirthing provides a natural quiet atmosphere. The daily practice of proper techniques of self-hypnosis, visualization, breathing, positive thinking, and physical preparation during the weeks preceding the birth prepares the mother, birth companion, and baby for the wondrous event of birthing the way nature intended. Free of fear and tension. “HypnoBirthing is like preparing the body for a Sport”. The more one practices the techniques, the more it becomes second nature to the body.
An important factor in HypnoBirthing is choosing a hospital and a practitioner that is patient-driven and will help ensure that the mother's wishes for birthing will be respected.
HypnoBirthing can be started at any stage of pregnancy, even before a couple becomes pregnant.
Like all childbirths, no two HypnoBirths are the same. HypnoBirthing does not guarantee that laboring mothers will not need medical intervention or a C-Section, but the skills of relaxation give many mothers the peaceful, pain-free childbirth they desire. Also important (and maybe, even more so), I have found that the use of HypnoBirthing is not only for the birth of the baby, but the techniques and lessons learned can be used throughout life in all endeavors. HypnoBirthing techniques set the stage for many harmonious experiences. The skills learned readily transfer into many aspects of family life, relationships, parenting, and work.