Even though pregnancy and the lead up to birth can be a time of great joy and excitement, it is normal to have feelings of fear or anxiety when thinking about the actual labour and birth process. Hypnobirthing may be a method you consider when exploring pain management and relaxation techniques for your labour and birth. This article explores hypnobirthing and how it might offer effective techniques for pain management and relaxation.
Learn more about hypnobirthing
1. What is hypnobirthing?
2. How can hypnobirthing help me?
3. Can I learn hypnobirthing online?
4. The Mongan Method. Marie Mongan and hypnobirthing.
5. What is rainbow relaxation and how can it help my hypnobirthing experience?
1. What is hypnobirthing?
As the name suggests, hypnobirthing includes aspect of (self) hypnosis to assist during labour and birth. It is a gentle process that uses techniques such as deep breathing, visualisation, prompts from a birth partner, and labour comfort measures to elicit a deep relaxation response. This response in turn minimises anxiety and assists with pain management. The techniques of hypnobirthing are based on the fundamental premise that giving birth is a natural process and that a woman’s body is ideally designed for this purpose.
2. How can hypnobirthing help me?
Hypnobirthing techniques are designed so that they can be used primarily by you as a birthing mother, but also with your birth partner or companion (should you have one). As you progress through the hypnobirthing process, you and your birth companion will learn about all the necessary mental relaxation and pain management methods, and massage techniques. Your birth partner will also receive tips for communicating effectively with medical staff so that you can focus on your labour. Your midwife or doula can also play a supportive role and assist you in implementing your hypnobirthingtechniques during your labour and birth.
Hypnobirthing empowers parents to enter labour prepared for the process, and with tangible tools. You are able to focus on what needs to be done with the knowledge that the mother’s body knows what it is capable of doing. Mothers who have used hypnobirthing describe feeling calm, relaxed, aware, and in control. If a medical intervention becomes necessary, parents are still able to use the skills learned to remain calm and present.
Possible benefits of hypnobirthing include:
- Natural pain relief withour medication.
- Less fear and anxiety.
- Feelings of relaxation and relief during labour and childbirth.
- Being alert and aware of the birth process as it happens.
- A positive and empowered birth experience creates a better postpartum experience.
3. Can I learn hypnobirthing online?
There are a number of hypnobirthing practitioners who offer online courses, either live or pre-recorded. Hypnosis or deep relaxation is similar to meditation and you may find that you are able to learn the techniques and methods for hypnobirthing without any in person classes.
Like with other online services, it is important to do your research to find a course that works for you and that is supervised by a properly trained hypnobirthing practitioner. There are many free resources available online for hypnobirthing, but enrolling for a course supervised by a certified hypnobirthing educator will mean that you have support available to you if you should need it.
4. The Mongan Method. Marie Mongan and HypnoBirthing.
You might have heard about Marie Mongan. She was an educator and later hypnotherapist who developed what is now the gold standard of hypnobirthing methods – the Mongan Method. After using the theories of Grantly Dick-Read to bring herself to a totally relaxed state during the births of her own children, Mongan developed the hypnobirthing programme. Her philosophy as described to the Chicago Tribune, was “to teach a woman to know and trust her body; her body will know how to do it”. “HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method” is now in it’s 4th edition and is written as a guide through the techniques and philosophy of Mongan’s method.
5. What is rainbow relaxation and how can it help my hypnobirthing experience?
Rainbow relaxation also frequently comes up when searching for more information around hypnobirthing. Rainbow relaxation is a 2-part track written by Marie Mongan to condition the mind to quieten and relax. Track 1 contains affirmations while track 2, “Rainbow Relaxation” uses the colours of the rainbow, symbolising the chakras (or energy centres of the body) to help both mother and birth partner find balance within themselves. Your hypnobirthing trainer might use these 2 tracks as part of the training.
*Note: It’s important to remember that each mother and pregnancy are unique and the benefits described above may be experienced in varying degrees by different people.
Browse through our network of selected hypnobirthing trainers and book an appointment now!
Do you want to find a hypnobirthing course? Browse through our selected network of trustworthy hypnobirthing trainers, select the one who most closely meets your needs and plan an appointment when most convenient. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to our team at hello@parentally.nl. Help is just around the corner!
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Looking for other types of support? Pregnancy yoga promotes relaxation and includes breathing exercises. It is a great activity to complement a hypnobirthing programme!