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| Hypnobirthing |
| A childbirth method to think about |
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Hypnobirthing is on the radar of the rich, famous and royal, with big names like Gisele Bündchen, Jessica Alba and reportedly even the Duchess of Cambridge relying on it when they delivered their children. Which begs the question – if it's good enough for celebs, then is it something from which we can all benefit?
To answer this, let's look at what hypnobirthing is and why mothers-to-be are choosing this childbirth option.
What is hypnobirthing?
Although the term 'hypnobirthing' conjures up an image of someone waving a pocket watch around and saying, 'You are getting sleeeeepy', hypnobirthing is more about deep meditation than magician-style theatrics.
According to Hypnobirthing Australia this is a method of childbirth which prepares mothers for a more comfortable, gentle birth. It 'encourages a calm, peaceful and natural pregnancy, birth and bonding experience for families' and uses natural tools like deep relaxation, visualisation, self-hypnosis, verbal affirmations and breathing techniques to help women have a positive pregnancy and delivery.
Proponents of hypnobirthing say it:
- Makes childbirth a positive and empowering experience
- Relaxes women and helps them give birth calmly, trusting their body
- Teaches women to release endorphins, feel good hormones instead of fear
- Often makes labour shorter and more comfortable and less painful
- Actively involves partners in the pregnancy and birthing process
- Is likely to reduce the need for interventions during the birth
- Helps labouring women use their minds to manage the intensity and unpredictability of birth
Does it work?
There are many women who've tried hypnobirthing and speak about it in glowing terms. One such mum is supermodel Gisele Bündchen who said that the hypnobirth of her son, 'Wasn't painful, not even a little bit', explaining that, 'The whole time, my head was so focused – every contraction, the baby is closer, the baby is closer. So, it wasn't like, 'Oh, what pain.' It was, 'With every contraction, he is getting closer to me.'
Is it supported by science?
Anecdotally, Ms Bündchen is one of many who say that hypnobirthing helped with their labour pain. However, in the scientific world, the jury is still out on this claim.
A Cochrane Review found that hypnobirthing may 'reduce the overall use of pain medication during labour, but does not seem to reduce the use of epidurals'. They said more research was needed to determine whether hypnobirthing helps women cope better with labour and feel more satisfied with their pain relief.
Meanwhile, research published in the British Medical Journal found that complimentary therapies (including visualisation and relaxation) 'significantly reduced epidural use and caesarean section… and provides evidence for integrative medicine as an effective adjunct [i.e. addition] to antenatal education.'
How do you learn hypnobirthing?
At the end of the day, how you choose to give birth is a personal decision. Many women feel hypnobirthing helped them to remove anxiety and fear, manage contractions, feel in control and welcome their baby into the world in a joyous way.
If you're interested in this approach to childbirth, Hypnobirthing Australia offers classes for parents-to-be, which you can find here or you can find an online course here. They also have a world first caesarean-section hypnobirthing course and there are plenty of books and CDs on the subject too.
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