Wednesday 11 March 2009

Pregnancy, Labour and the Benefits of Hypnosis

Imagine feeling empowered to expect and experience a positive calm pregnancy and birthing . How good would that feel?


Right from the beginning you can learn how to feel in mental and physical harmony with your body and the new inhabitant/s. You can feel calm, positive and generate your own natural pain relief processes, all of which reduce fear. This creates a positive expectation of a natural, relaxed and rewarding birth experience for you and your baby.


How can this happen? - Through hypnosis.
All hypnosis is self hypnosis, it is a natural attribute that you have always had and used. And this is a great time to learn more about it and harness the power of your mind to believe that your pregnancy and birthing process will be a comfortable and joyful event.


On the occasions when helpful intervention is required, the mothers who had learnt self hypnosis have reported feeling calmer and more confident. They also required less medication and feeling relaxed and well after delivery.


Your mind wants to do this for your body. Hypnosis increases your minds awareness of its ability because you learn about the process and you give yourself permission to enjoy all the extra benefits.


Where can you find out more?
Search the internet for courses on using hypnosis in pregnancy and labour. There are many wonderful hypnotherapists all over the country who have trained in hypnobirthing types of techniques. Usually they offer classes for you and your partner/labour supporting partner. These are of several weeks duration. These also open an opportunity of adding a new caring group of supportive friends to benefit the lives of you both and your baby.

If you attend a ‘hypnosis for pregnancy and birth’ class, you will expect to cover;

  • Learning how the mind body connection works and how to tune into it to achieve maximum benefit from the power of your own mind.
  • Strategies to help you gain optimal health in pregnancy for you and your baby.
  • Self-hypnosis techniques.
  • Hypnotic pain and fear reducing techniques.
  • Strategies to create a calm, confident birthing process and post hypnotic suggestions healing and health after delivery.
(If you live in North West London, I’d recommend developinglife.com)


Your birthing partner will be a welcome support at this time. They are important and want to be the closest part of your support team at this time.


Acquire and use hypnobirthing Cds. These are also available on the internet and in some good book stores. All hypnosis CDs/tapes are best used with head phones as this keeps out external noise.


What can you expect from the benefits of hypnosis in childbirth?
  • Feeling positive and calm from the start.
  • You will need fewer/lower amounts of drugs or may require no drugs at all. This will mean lower risk of side effects to mother and baby.
  • Labour is shorter as the birthing muscles feel more comfortable, and you will feel calm so that the body can just do its perfect work for you.
  • You will feel more awake and energized because you will be experiencing the profound relaxation of hypnosis through out. (Hypnosis is a state of mind, not closed eyelids and inactive recumbent positions.)
  • If the need for interventions or complications arise, you will feel able to cope.
  • A baby who will be a better sleeper, more content and healthy feeder, as he/she has had a stress and drug reduced/free birth.


Pregnancy only happens a very few times in a woman’s life, enjoy it, Hypnotherapy it!
Wishing you well, Elizabeth Moon.