How HypnoBirthing was developed

HypnoBirthing had its beginnings, in an informal sense, in the 1950s. Founder of HypnoBirthing Marie Mongan instinctively used self-hypnosis to remain relaxed when having her children. She did this after reading publications by Dr Grantly Dick-Read (a physician in the early 1900s, and the “Father of Natural Childbirth”) claiming that normal, uncomplicated childbirth need not be uncomfortable or stressful. Years later, after Marie trained as a hypnotherapist within her role as a school principal she formalised the techniques she had used and developed the programme of childbirth education known as HypnoBirthing.

HypnoBirthing Philosophy

HypnoBirthing is a rewarding, relaxing, stress-free method of birthing. Its principles are based on the belief that birthing is a joyful experience and that all babies should have the chance to come into the world in a calm, gentle atmosphere. HypnoBirthing prepares mothers for birthing physically, mentally and spiritually, allowing easier, more comfortable, and often pain-free birthing.

HypnoBirthing offers many advantages to expectant families:

• Eliminates fear and tension, and therefore pain
• Reduces the need for unnecessary intervention
• Reduces fatigue during birthing, allowing mum to be full of energy as she welcomes her baby into the world
• Generally shorter births: the thinning and opening phase of birth is reduced, followed by breathing baby gently down to birth rather than prolonged and exhausting pushing
• Birth companions role is emphasised, and mum, baby and birth companion are brought together in a wonderful pre, peri and postnatal bonding experience
• Better adjusted and happier babies, resulting in better eating and sleeping routines

How it works

HypnoBirthing uses a simple combination of education and practical, self-hypnosis-based techniques in order to remind parents-to-be that pregnancy and birth is a normal, natural phenomenon. We help couples to move away from unfounded fear and misinformation and teach breathing and self-hypnosis techniques to help the mums to relax and trust their bodies and their natural birthing instincts. Fear, whether about something real or something imagined, affects the body in the same way – stress hormones (catecholamines) are released and the body goes into a defence mode whereby more blood and oxygen is delivered to parts of the body deemed useful for defence. The reproductive system is not one of these defence systems, therefore when fear occurs during birthing the birthing muscles are hindered in their jobs by sub-optimum blood supply. This can lead to slow or stalled births, and avoidable medical intervention. Using HypnoBirthing techniques mums can tap into their own natural endorphins (feel-good hormones), a fear-based stress response is avoided (catecholamines cannot be released at the same time as endorphins) and birthing muscles can work in harmony as they were designed to do, allowing birth to unfold in a calm, comfortable way, without intervention in the absence of real medical need.

HypnoBirthing achieves this uses a simple combination of four types of technique:

• Breathing
• Relaxation
• Visualisation
• Deepening