"Will I be in a trance?"
"Will I be out of it?"
"Will I cluck like a chicken?"
No. No. and No (well, maybe if you want).
The best and most concise definition I can give is this:
HypnoBirthing is a childbirth education program (like Lamaze or Bradley) that empowers moms (and dads) so that they can make informed decisions for themselves in their birthing situation. Unfortunately birth has become more of a "medical procedure" than a normal human experience. Traditional-minded nursing/OB staff want to fit moms into a 'one-size-fits-all' labor and delivery experience. Guess what? It just doesn't work like that!
We (collectively speaking) have also been inundated with horror stories surrounding birth- whether it is through the media (stop watching TLC!), friends, parents, and even strangers. They all want to tell pregnant moms how horribly painful labor is. That in itself is a form of hypnosis. Your subconscious has been absorbing all of this so that, on a subconscious level (and a conscious level as well) moms end up being terrified of giving birth, and the thought of doing it without drugs seems like some kind of masochistic nightmare.
That's where the "Hypno" comes in. (My next post will go into hypnosis in much more detail) Part of your daily practice is to listen to a self-hypnosis CD that is very relaxing and calming. There are also affirmations to listen to that will, in fact, re-train your brain into believing in your body's ability to birth naturally and peacefully. The more your subconscious hears a suggestion, the more it begins to believe that suggestion as reality. So pretty soon, you start to feel a bit lighter, a bit more confident. And you aren't really sure why, but you start to believe you really can do this. Pretty cool, huh?!
Another big part of the course is ways to get into deep relaxation quickly and easily. One major reason for the pain associated with labor has to do with tension. It is a cycle of FEAR-TENSION-PAIN. So if you can learn to release that fear, the tension will be released, thus the pain.....sounds easy enough, right? I can't give away ALL my secrets- you'll have to take the class :)
One of the best parts of this program is the emphasis on the birthing partner. There are definite things they can say and do to be an integral part of the birthing experience. And as the course unfolds, the birthing partners tend to ease up a bit and gain a lot more confidence as well! I think lots of partners are deathly afraid of seeing their loved one in major pain and don't know what they would possibly do to help. HB teaches the birth partners how to facilitate relaxation and even some hypnosis techniques. After all, this birth is about families, not just the mom - makes so much sense...
Lastly we talk a lot about how to have a productive and communicative relationship with your care provider/nursing staff. Questions to ask, tests and procedures that you will be faced with, etc. I like for moms to feel like they are part of the experience, not just a patient lying in a bed. It's one thing if you are part of the decision-making process, but a whole other thing if everything is done to you (see Monty Python hospital scene). And I must add the disclaimer that I have nothing against epidurals if you've had one or OBs or anything like that. I think everyone has to do what is right for THEM and everyone is entitled to their own birth experience. I"m not one of those natural birth snobs....
One last note:
I believe in the power of the human body. I believe in the power of the mind. Can a person move mountains with their mind? Maybe not. Can a woman have a calm, peaceful, comfortable, and beautiful birth experience by re-training her mind? Absolutely. I am a testament to that. But that will have to wait for another post and another latte....
