Total relaxation aids natural childbirth
Total relaxation aids natural childbirth
Hypnobirthing prepares mentally and physically
Women are programmed from the time they are little girls to believe that giving birth is horrendous, yet a woman’s body was created to birth, says Marie Mongan, MEd, director of the Hypnobirthing Institute in Epsom, NH. "When the mother is not filled with fear, the body works the way it was supposed to. We don’t need to teach a woman how to birth; we need to teach her to relax," she says.
Hypnobirthing, a form of self-hypnosis, teaches women to totally relax the body so it is able to function naturally when giving birth. A birthing companion, usually a husband, sister, mother, or friend, helps the mother with prompts that keep her relaxed during labor.
The expression "birthing companion" is an example of the terminology used to help women prepare mentally for a natural, relaxed birth. The term "coach" should only be used at an athletic event, says Mongan. "We feel language is extremely important. The way the mother thinks about her birthing is the way she will birth," she explains.
Although 95% of births are not risky, they are turned into risks by the language that is used. That’s why instructors — during hypnobirthing classes — discuss special circumstances that may require medical interventions rather than complications. Also the term birthing is used because only pizza and packages are delivered, babies are birthed, says Mongan.
While this natural birth concept is not right for all women, about one third of the clients at Dover (NH) Women’s Health take the hypnobirthing class offered and use the skills and techniques they learn to help them through labor, says Lucy White, CNM, a certified nurse midwife at the obstetric practice and a certified hypnobirthing instructor.
Although White endorses hypnobirthing, she makes sure that women are well informed about their options and choices. Therefore, some choose hypnobirthing, some want an epidural, and others have used hydrotherapy and hypnobirthing at the same time. "My job as a midwife is to make sure a woman has the experience that she wants to have," says White.
What women need to know is that birth is a healthy state and hypnobirthing really advocates and promotes that, says White. They also need to know that if they choose hypnobirthing they need to be willing to practice. "It is the daily ritual of practicing the techniques you learn in class that really make it effective," she says.
Couples attend a series of five classes that last about two hours each. In the first class, they are taught the anatomy and physiology of birth so they understand that it is logical. "The first class is really teaching women the rationale behind easy, normal, natural birth. We do believe that birthing is a natural event, not a medical incident," says Mongan.
The next class session usually teaches couples how to bond with their baby by becoming aware of the times the baby moves so that they might interact with the baby in some way, such as by talking. It is based on the belief that babies have a cognitive state before they are born, she explains.
They also are taught the importance of a good diet, which is high in protein and has a lot of green, leafy vegetables, and they begin to learn relaxation techniques such as slow breathing. Women are given guided imagery tapes to listen to every day so that they learn to bring themselves into an ultimate state of relaxation almost instantly. Visualization also is a part of the lesson so that they can visualize the cervix opening at the time of labor.
The third class covers ways women can bring their body to a state of deep relaxation. "It is a total mind and body preparation," says Mongan. The remaining sessions cover a breach presentation and how relaxing the body gives the baby room to move. Hypnobirthing is a successful method for turning breach presentations, says Mongan.
Also, special circumstances (complications) are discussed so that the woman will remain relaxed and acceptant if they should occur. "One of the affirmations is that I will accept whatever turns my birthing takes," she explains. In hypnobirthing babies are not pushed into birth but breathed down and women learn a very slow, gradual breathing process to accomplish this.
Currently, the HypnoBirthing Institute makes about 400 referrals each month for women looking for hypnobirthing instructors. The Institute also provides instruction to certify hypnobirthing practitioners. "Hypnobirthing is a consumer-driven program that is finding its way into the hospitals. Many times our referrals are to hospitals," says Mongan.
There are hypnotherapists who work with women during childbirth and teach how to mask the pain, or distract their mind from what is happening. This is not hypnobirthing, says Mongan. "Hypnobirthing is a state of ultimate relaxation. It is a heightened state of alertness. The woman knows everything that is going on but is able to direct her awareness to what her body is doing," she explains.
Sources
For more information about hypnobirthing, contact:
- Marie Mongan, MEd, Director, HypnoBirthing Institute, P.O. Box 810, Epsom, NH 03234. Telephone: (603) 798-4781. Web site: www.hypnobirthing.com.
- Lucy White, CNM, Certified Nurse Midwife, Dover Women’s Health, 750 Central Ave., Dover, NH, 03820. Telephone: (603) 742-2424.
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