Hypnosis for Childbirth  

Why Hypnosis?

There are many physiological and psychological aspects that relate to pregnancy and birth.

The expectant mother will undergo significant physical changes that, in turn, will produce psychological issues. Whilst the physical changes are similar for most pregnant women, the psychological changes are not. 

The range of psychological issues include the women’s perception of her own attractiveness and sexuality; the sense of fulfilment at ‘carrying’ a child; aspects of contentment or resentment; optimistic or pessimistic views of the future; feelings of fear or feelings of calm in respect of the birth itself, and concerns for the health of the baby she is carrying.

In the extreme, the fear of giving birth, technically referred to as Tokophobia, may cause women to avoid becoming pregnant even though they strongly desire to have children, or to resort to self harm to induce miscarriage should they become pregnant – with all the further psychological issues of guilt and grief.

The range of psychological issues will be further influenced by factors such as whether this is her first or subsequent pregnancy, and if the latter, the experience of her first birthing; the factual and anecdotal information she has received from the myriad of sources including Doctors, Midwives, friends, relatives and her own Mother.  Additionally, for those who accept that the subconscious is active, even in the unborn child – and certainly active from the moment of birth – there is the factor of her own birth experience. 

So, here we have a whole range of mind-body issues, which of course, is the domain of Hypnotherapy.

Birth and Culture

Consider the following ‘native’ scene:

A young native woman prepares her birthing spot ahead of time.  Digging a small hollow into the ground, she then fills it with a soft bed of leaves and grass and an animal pelt on top.  As her time approaches some elder women of the tribe and a few of the younger ones as helpers accompany her.  Under the protective canopy of the forest trees there is a sense of calm and ‘at oneness’ with nature.  Supported by the elders the woman squats over the hole, like she she had seen others do, and gives birth to her child.  There is minimal pain, followed by joy and celebration as the woman holds her newborn child. (Adapted extract from ‘Images of Birth’ by K. Dominguez, ‘Midwifery Matters’. Issue 83. 1999)

Such a scene should not surprise us or be considered as fantasy – indeed such scenes have been witnessed in many parts of the World.

Such natural birth is, of course, manifest throughout the animal kingdom and is readily appreciated by any who have witnessed the birth of puppies or kittens.

The foregoing scene is in stark contrast to that of the ‘Western World’.  The depictions of the birth experience are those of extreme pain and trauma, the woman surrounded by technologically advanced equipment, confined in a position convenient for others to monitor cervix dilation, rather than facilitating vaginal birth, and expectations of time constraints and inducement.

Though some labour wards are more progressive in their attitudes, hospitalised birthing is still portrayed as an experience, ‘that leaves some women with deep psychological scars …As many as one in twenty Mothers suffer post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after giving birth … the disorder tends to occur more with hi-tech births… It is no coincidence that cases of PTSD rose at the same time as the massive increase in induced labours … Nor is it a coincidence that cases have remained common in births where there are other interventions like revving up the uterus with drugs to speed up labour …” (Hard Labour – The Guardian 28 May 2003, Kate Hilpern)

“As a woman thinketh”

It is these Western World scenes, experiences and images that so many mothers to be are exposed to and become accepted as the norm by so many; and what we believe is usually what we experience. Indeed this very perception of what the birth experience is to be like can produce, for the mother to be, an ambience of threat and fear. In such an atmosphere, nature’s action is to reduce the oxytocin levels (the hormone that produces contractions) and the process of labour is slowed – the instinctive mind-body attempt at delaying the birth until the environment is safe.  This elongation of labour produces anxiety, activating the fight or flight response. This then causes the uterus to suffer cramp as blood laden with oxygen and nutrients gets drawn away. The labour is long and painful and thus, our experience is matched to our belief and expectation.

“A little knowledge”

“…is a dangerous thing”, or so the saying goes.  However, when it comes to Hypnosis for childbirth it is essential to foster in your Client belief, expectation and confidence. 

Your Client has come to you as a Hypnotherapist, she will not expect you to be an obstetrician, or gynaecologist, but she may expect your knowledge to be rudimentary and on par with her own.  If you, the Therapist, can ‘talk the talk’, confidence will be elicited enabling you to build belief and expectation in your Client.

Thus, if a Client is presenting for fear/phobia relating to Childbirth it is beneficial to have a conversational knowledge of such matters as the three distinct stages of pregnancy (trimesters) and their characteristics. How the body changes and prepares for birth. Current thinking about ‘active birthing’, ‘water birthing’ and familiarity with the terms of perineal massage, tearing, episiotomy, epidural and ‘TENS’, as well as understanding the role of Birth Plans and their likely content. 

Be assured that since your Client is presenting because of concerns about pregnancy and childbirth she will have found out much information about her ‘condition’. Your ability to talk with her intelligently about such matters will certainly aid Client/Therapist rapport.  Naturally, we must limit our conversation to general aspects, directing our Client to her Midwife/Doctor for actual medical advice.

The Role of Hypnotherapy

We need to have the ability, in our consultation, to question our Client in such manner as to elicit an understanding of the specific issues that she has.  Often a major fear is that of pain, believing both that she herself has a very low pain threshold and that the birth experience is one of significant pain.  If, as suggested earlier, we are able to ‘talk the talk’, there should be no embarrassment of discussing these issues and using the appropriate nomenclature.

With Hypnotherapy we can change our Client’s perception of the birth process and give her useful ‘tools’ to use as the need arises. Thus, the expectant mother who believes how well prepared her body is for giving birth and whom, through Hypnotherapy is encouraged to nourish her body with thoughts of her cervix softened and flexible, ready to gently and fully dilate at the time of birth; her vaginal tissues soft, supple, elastic and easily able to expand to accommodate the birth, and who can feel a sense of awe and confidence about this totally natural phenomena is less likely to fear the process.

As Hypnotherapists, we are able to get our Client to experience hypnosis, visualization and to experience the effect of time distortion.  Teaching our Clients self-hypnosis and the ability to create a safe and secure place of calm, another reality into which she can readily slip as a diversionary tactic in the event of discomfort during labour, offers her additional confidence.  So too does teaching her how to adopt visualizing techniques such as ‘contractions like waves pushing the baby along the birth canal’, or ‘breathing air into coloured balloons as the contractions rise and allowing the balloons to float away as the contractions ebb’. The ability for her to regard the bodily stresses as bearable discomfort rather than pain, and to experience the contractions as but short intervals of time and the periods in-between as longer, calming and energising periods, will aid both her mind and body throughout the birth.

During Hypnotherapy we can encourage the unique bonding between the mother and the unborn child.  Some ‘mothers to be’ don’t realize that they can bond with their baby in the womb. That they can communicate with their baby and that their baby instinctively knows what it’s mother is thinking, linked by a language that is deeper than words.  Once realized and established this bond can be used during the birth, mother and baby together effecting a joyful birth experience. Indeed there are accounts of such communication promoting the necessary ‘turning’ of a breeched baby without need for any other intervention.

Hypnotherapy facilitates for the pregnant woman the comforting realization of the amazing truth of the mind-body connection.  When the body and mind are in harmony, the body can flow with the birth process.  The body can release tightness and tension and, promoting an ‘active birth’, the entire body can harmonise with the downward movement of the baby through the birth canal.

And for after the birth, those postnatal suggestions, promoting self-healing, full health, ease of breast-feeding, regaining of the figure and coping with parenthood.

Produce in your Clients that altered state of awareness (Hypnosis), combine it with Client centred caring cognitive guidance (Therapy) based around the most natural process (birth) and you have the ingredients of successful Hypnosis for Childbirth.

Phil J. Baden. BA. DHP. MAPHP.