Happy 2024! I hope you have had a wonderful end to the past year and enjoyed welcoming in the new one. As we witness the birth of a new year, I wanted to finally share with you the follow up article to my Introduction to Birthing in Trance, which explores the many benefits of this approach.
HypnoBirthing is a childbirth technique that uses self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques to help women have a more comfortable and calm birth experience. The method was developed in the 1980s by Marie Mongan and has since gained popularity around the world.
The idea behind HypnoBirthing is that fear and tension can lead to pain and complications during childbirth. By learning relaxation and visualization techniques, women can reduce their fear and anxiety, leading to a more comfortable and positive birth experience. The technique involves attending classes (nowadays available online) to learn the techniques and practicing them at home in preparation for labour and delivery.
Here at Bringing Balance, I share the Birthing in Trance approach with my clients. Read more about it here. Michelle Brain is the inspiration behind my approach and I’m forever grateful to her for taking the time to share her wealth of knowledge and expertise with me. I will use the terms HypnoBirthing & Birthing in Trance interchangeably here, referencing similarities and differences as appropriate.
While Birthing in Trance may not be a replacement for medical care during childbirth, it can be used in conjunction with medical interventions, if those interventions are necessary. The overall technique has been shown to reduce the need for pain medication, shorten labour time, and lead to a more positive birth experience overall. Birthing in Trance is a safe and effective option for women who want to have a more relaxed and comfortable childbirth experience.
Benefits of Birthing in Trance
Birthing in Trance is a childbirth technique that aims to reduce fear and anxiety during labour and delivery, and promote a calm and comfortable birthing experience. Here are some of the benefits of Birthing in Trance:
Reduced Need for Medical Interventions
Birthing in Trance can help reduce the need for medical interventions during labour and delivery. According to Healthline, women who practice HypnoBirthing are less likely to need pain medication, epidurals, or other medical interventions during childbirth. This is because HypnoBirthing teaches women to use relaxation techniques and visualization to manage pain and discomfort, and to trust their bodies to give birth naturally. Birthing in Trance connects expectant mothers to their innate ability for childbirth. The process helps women understand the mind-body interrelationship and learn the impact of thoughts and responses to physical/ emotional triggers. This understanding supports women’s own ability to manage hormone levels and utilise nature’s own pain relief.
Shorter Labour and Delivery Times
Birthing in Trance can also help shorten labour and delivery times. According to What to Expect, women who use HypnoBirthing techniques tend to have shorter labours and less need for medical interventions. Birthing in Trance helps women to stay calm and relaxed during labour. This helps the body to work more efficiently and effectively. When the mum-to-be feels empowered, resourceful & calm, there’s no need for the brain to signal release of unhelpful hormones like adrenaline that inhibits rather than facilitates the process.
Less Pain and Discomfort
Birthing in Trance can help reduce the pain and discomfort associated with childbirth. According to Today’s Parent, women who use HypnoBirthing techniques report feeling more comfortable and relaxed during labour, and less pain and discomfort. This is because Birthing in Trance teaches women to use self-hypnosis, deep relaxation, and visualization to manage pain and discomfort, and to stay focused and calm during labour. In addition the way Birthing in Trance works is to increase the body’s natural cocktail of hormones during birth. This means that oxytocin & beta-endorphin levels increase so the body naturally supports the mother to feel more calm & less discomfort. When working with clients I rarely use the term ‘pain’, referring to the feelings as discomfort instead. If a woman is repeatedly told she’s going to be “in pain” that’s what she and her mind and body will expect. What you focus on is what you get more of. Read all about that here.
Women who experience less discomfort are more able to think clearly and more motivated to try different positions to help baby easily leave the birthing canal. This might include utilising birthing pools too, which can be a gentle, natural, empowering way to give birth.
Increased Bonding with Baby
Birthing in Trance can also help increase bonding between mother and baby. According to Parents, women who use HypnoBirthing techniques tend to feel more connected to their babies during and after childbirth. This is because Birthing in Trance teaches women to stay calm and focused during labour, which can help create a peaceful and positive birthing environment for both mother and baby. In my experience, fathers also benefit too. When I work with clients, I set up ways for the father to be involved. For example, one of the important resources I set up for expectant mums is an anchor – a word, image or sensation that ‘anchors’ a calm, positive, resilient state. In other words, it attaches that helpful state to the image/ sound/ sensation and holds it fast. Most often, when the father will be present at the birth, I make that anchor the feeling of his hand on the mother’s shoulder. Expectant parents can practice this technique together, so the association grows and ‘magically’ the father can help bring his partner to a calm & resourceful state whenever needed. In this way, the father feels very connected to the birthing process, feeling he has a key role in facilitating a calm & easeful birth, which in turn leads to a deeper connection with his child. Men who are present at the birth of their baby often find the experience traumatic. It’s hard to see the mother of your baby apparently in pain and feeling powerless to help. They often admit to even feeling resentful of the baby that has put his loved one through that and this can (consciously or unconsciously) lead to a reticence to connect.
Better Outcomes for Mother & Baby
There are a number of important additional benefits for that relate to the health of the woman and her child.
It’s not just labour & the birthing process that’s important for wellbeing of the baby. The pregnancy itself can be an extremely stressful time. Women expecting for the first time can be terrified by the thought of what’s to come. Their only true reference points may be the stories of other mothers and if these aren’t positive ones then the fear & trepidation can increase. In addition, if the expectant mother is coping with morning sickness, tiredness and overwhelm at all the things to be sorted ahead of the baby’s arrival, stress levels can rise. Stress can have a negative effect on our overall health, as this article explains. Birthing in Trance aims to reduce stress levels all the way through pregnancy and into birth. Women using HypnoBirthing techniques feel more informed and more empowered. The process continually reminds them that their mind & body are designed to fulfil this purpose and consciously and unconsciously rehearses the upcoming process – what will happen to hormone production, how the muscles in the body adapt and how the functions of the body change in perfect alignment with the miracle of birth. All of these things equip women with facts & resources, which enable and encourage the mum-to-be. This in turn leads to them feeling more in control and reduces worry and anxiety. Birthing in Trance reinforces triggers for rapid relaxation, so anytime the woman feels stressed she can practise activating these triggers and utilising the power of self hypnosis. Being able to take herself easily, quickly down the staircase in her mind to a place of peace where she can connect with the calm, resourceful state she needs is a real gift. And all offered as standard as part of the Bringing Balance Birthing in Trance package.
Stress hormones constrict blood vessels and reduce oxygen to the uterus. And when pregnant women experience stress, particularly in the first trimester, the placenta increases production of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH regulates the duration of pregnancy and how the foetus matures. High CRH levels increase the likelihood of women giving birth prematurely. Read more about this here. The data on the outcomes for premature babies versus those who reach full term are stark. Here’s an article on the short and long-term effects of preterm birth.
So, we can see that the gentle, natural, empowering process of Birthing in Trance can lead to clear positive outcomes for the baby. The foetus is more relaxed when in the uterus and the positive effects of HypnoBirthing techniques are evidenced by the fact that Apgar scores are higher for babies born from mothers using these resources.
Easier Breastfeeding
Using Birthing in Trance, the expectant mother works with the body, not against it. With the woman relaxed and the right hormones flowing at the right time, there’s nothing getting in the way of the body doing it’s amazing work. Prolactin is one of the ways the body sets the mother-baby relationship up for success. It’s known as the mothering hormone. And it’s the major hormone for breastfeeding. Prolactin starts to increase during pregnancy and peaks at birth. Together with direct suggestions during hypnosis about how easy and uncomplicated the breastfeeding process will be after birth, the prolactin helps to ensure the most fundamental need of the baby is easily met and the experience of giving her milk to her child is as enjoyable as possible for the woman.
Summing up…
We have seen in this post the many important benefits of Birthing in Trance. They include:
- expectant mothers feel more confident, relaxed & empowered
- pain levels during labour are decreased, as women employ their relaxation tools and the body’s natural cocktail of hormones increase
- length of labour is shortened as contractions are more effective at pushing baby into the birth canal
- bonding between the mother & baby is stronger, and often the father too
- the baby is less likely to be premature and more likely to have higher Apgar scores
- and the breastfeeding experience is more successful and enjoyable for mother & child
Perhaps you’re reading this as a parent with pregnancy, labour & birth far behind you. But perhaps you know other mums-to-be who could benefit from this approach. Please share this post and my previous post with them. It matters not if they decide to work with another therapist or not to employ professional help at all – it’s only important that the information about this technique is shared widely and women know more about how to empower themselves, maintain a calm approach and manage discomfort for a more easeful birth.
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