Hypnobirthing
What is Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is more than a complete antenatal course and more than a simple method, it's also a way to fully enjoy the last part of your pregnancy and to achieve your best labour and birth.
As its name suggests, hypnotherapy is a fundamental part of hypnobirthing. It has nothing to do with the image of hypnosis shown on TV where people fall in a sort of trance and they do things without their will. Hypnotherapy remarks the power of words that have a huge effect on our mind, spirit and body. You can find some interesting studies made by Masaru Emoto that illustrate how words can positively or negatively affect us. The wise use of them is vital, people who do hypnobirthing are free and perfectly conscious, their will is absolutely intact and protected.
It gives to mothers and couples a new and natural way to look at labour. Even though we are used to think about it as one of the most painful experience that a woman can have, and films and videos where there are pregnant women screaming, sweating and cursing their partner underline this affirmation, actually there's nothing more natural and normal for a woman to give birth.
What does make Hypnobirthing so special?
What's pain?
The body uses pain as a strategic alarm to let the brain know that there's something wrong with it that need to be fixed. For instance, if a person is not trained and suddenly decide to go out for a long and difficult hiking, it is very likely to feel our legs a bit (or a lot!) soar the day after. The body is alerting the brain (and the subject) that some muscle fibres broken, that there's some inflammation and that it needs to rest and recover. But if the person is trained enough for the hiking and if his body is prepared for that kind of effort, everything is ok and the day after there won't be any pain or the need to alarm the brain. As the woman's body is perfectly made for and to give birth. This means that there is no need for any alarming signals, and therefore, no need for pain.
Fear is the answer. When we experience fear our brain starts producing specific hormones and changing some functions. There are three possible answers to fear: fly (escape), fight or freeze. Any of these accelerates the heart rate and the breathing becomes superficial, most of the blood is drawn toward the extremities (in order to be ready for the response chosen), and any non-vital activities is suppressed. When a woman in labour experiences fear, the most common choice for the body is to freeze: the uterus, the placenta and the baby don't receive the proper amount of blood (and oxygen) because it is drawn towards the extremities and, as a result, the baby could be distressed and the uterus easily becomes tired. Labour can either stop or be very long, the body doesn't understand which one is the priority: to freeze because of fear or to proceed with the labour?
Moreover, the fear develops tension in the body which makes any muscles to work with pain. For example, take a pen and start to write. It is not painful at all, you can write for a long time without feeling any kind of pain or discomfort. Now take a pen again and strongly press your fingers around it and start writing while maintaining the same tension all the time. After a while your fingers and your wrist become soar and tired, writing isn't easy or comfortable anymore. The same happens to the uterus during labour, without tension (fear) there's no pain and anything proceeds naturally and swiftly, with tension there's pain and tiredness and the labour can stop or be quite long.
So why some women are actually in a lot of pain during labour?
How Hypnobirthing can help?
Getting rid of fear is crucial, when the mind is trapped by the idea that labour is painful, it makes it possible to happen activating certain hormones and bodily functions. During the Hypnobirthing course you will learn how to shield yourself from fear, how to be more connected with your baby, how to deeply listen to your body and trust your maternal instinct. Practising daily during and after the course for the whole last part of pregnancy until birth is paramount. Making a comparison, when an athlete prepares herself for the Olympics games, she learns how to do certain movements (attending the complete Hypnobirthing course), which it's not enough to win a gold metal, she also needs to train and practise the movements (practising daily at home with your partner or by yourself) and only then she can go to the Olympics games, perform and win the gold metal (the baby's birth).
Hypnobirthing helps you to achieve the most natural labour and birth.
We can see many examples in nature, where mammals have their puppies in the most calm and gentle way. Usually, female mammals choose their perfect spot to give birth, isolated, far from anyone's eyes, quite dark and protected. They need to feel secure in order to don't let any danger interrupting their labour. Then, they just lay down relaxed, breathing calmly until the puppies arrive. There isn't any extreme suffering going on, no pain relief or coached pushing needed. Mammals give birth gently and naturally and as we are not that different from them, we can also be calm, relaxed and enjoy our baby's birth in the most lovely way. Hypnobirthing gives to women the opportunity to go back to nature, to the natural maternal instinct, and to achieve the best labour and birth possible.
It enables women to be more confident with their body and themselves, to understand the physiology about birth and to release the fear and the negative thoughts about it.
Being a complete antenatal course also means that other useful information are given so that mothers and couples can acquaint themselves about different options, alternatives available and anything relevant to make informed decisions.
A baby can feel anything from the womb. He is deeply connected to the mother, not only physically, but also emotionally. When the mother practice Hypnobirthing, her body soften and her quality of sleep improves, she also knows how to relax and be calm in any circumstances. This is especially important when something happens, for example when she receives bad news or when people around her make her anxious about labour and birth. When the mother is relaxed and in a good mood, the baby also feels better. If the mother uses Hypnobirthing during labour, when the surges are working in opening the uterus, the baby can gently and easily go down, there's no tension that can contrast his way out. The vaginal muscles and the perineum also are working with the baby who can born swiftly and calmly. Lots of hypnobabies don't cry when they come into the world, not because they have some problems, but because there's nothing to cry about, their birth was a gentle massage, no tension and obstacles were interrupting their way. It almost seems like they don't realise they are born, and this especially happens with water births.
A baby knows what's best for him.
Why Hypnobirthing is also good for the baby?
Why Hypnobirthing is also good for the father?
The father is usually seen as a not important figure during labour and birth, all the “work” is done by the mother and movies often show him standing at her side just holding her hand.
At the contrary, his role in Hypnobirthing is extremely important. During pregnancy, he helps the mother to relax and to be prepared for the special event, while during labour to achieve and keep calmness and relaxation. Moreover, he is in charge to set up a wonderful and relaxing room, to talk to the midwives for no urgent communications (instead of the mother) and to take care of the mother's comfort and needs. Hypnobirthing mothers always states that the partner's help and presence was essential to them. Finally, the daily practice of Hypnobirthing strengthen the couple's bond, they will share for many days and weeks relaxing moments, helping each other during this magical journey towards their baby's birth.