“HypnoBirthing® What’s Old Is New Again”
By Tammey Foster, CHt, Creative Focus Hypnosis
Comfortable, calm, relaxed and in control. These are words we do not always associate with childbirth. Women are astounded when I tell them that they and their birthing partner can actually have a choice in their birthing experience. They do not have to give birth in an over-lit room with a doctor contemplating “moving things along” and nurses standing beside their bed shouting “Push! Push! Push!“ at lightning speed. Then I tell them about HypnoBirthing®. The Mongan Method. The moms-to-be fall silent and then comes the grin. For first time mothers, the birthing process can be a scary experience especially when you throw in all the horror stories that so many women seem to be compelled to share. For moms that are on their second+ birth, they can’t believe their ears. If you have never heard of, let alone seen the HypnoBirthing® process, you are really missing out. It gives moms and dads the opportunity to regain control of their birthing experience, to make it the magical moment that it should be. Something that has been lost over many, many years of false beliefs, fear and a strict medical community not taking into account the parent’s desires for their “dream” childbirth. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have great respect for our medical community, for the hard work of our doctors and nurses, but they are overburdened and sometimes skeptical of innovative techniques that may appear slightly “out of the box“, even though the basic concept of a comfortable childbirth has been around for thousands of years. Women all over the world have and continue to give birth to their babies in a relaxed, calm manner. Many in our western society tend to believe that intense pain must accompany childbirth. Not so.
The idea of HypnoBirthing® started back in 1954 when a woman named Marie F. Mongan found she was expecting her first child. She read everything she could find on childbirth, determined she would not have the typical birth-medicated, strapped down and without the loving support of her partner. Marie’s first birth was far from what she dreamed of. Confined, alone and unable to remember any aspect of the birth. Baby number two was more comfortable but she was still unable to remember the event.
It was not until her third birth that Marie and her husband (with her doctor’s support) were able to have the fulfilling experience they yearned for. Awake, peaceful, comfortable and together with her husband.
Then she then came across the writings of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, the father of Natural Childbirth. HypnoBirthing® is based on his teachings under the premise that by releasing the fear-tension-pain syndrome, mothers can experience an easier, more comfortable childbirth. Stated in Dr. Dick-Read’s book, Childbirth Without Fear “If fear can be eliminated, pain will cease.” This book explains how with “education and preparation during the months of pregnancy, he says, will build a relaxed mind and body that will materially lessen the discomforts of labor. Fear is the archenemy of childbirth because it creates tension, and tension in turn increases pain. By doing away with fear through understanding and knowledge, birth becomes the natural, comparatively painless function Nature intended it to be.”
Years later, determined that her daughter would not have the unpleasant birth so many women tend to experience, Marie took what she had learned from Dr. Grantly-Dick Read, along with her background in hypnosis, and the idea of HypnoBirthing® was created. On January 3, 1990, the first HypnoBirthing® baby was born, Marie’s grandson Kyle.
Parents, family members, friends and hospital staff are amazed at how calm and peaceful laboring mothers remain during the entire birthing process. When you walk into a HypnoBirthing® room you may find it dimly lit and quiet; mom seems to be asleep, breathing deeply even though the monitors show they are in the midst of a surge (contraction). For some moms in the earlier stages, there is laughing and joking with those around her. With training and support from the birthing partner, mom is able to “breathe through the surges”, letting her body relax and allowing the muscles to do what they instinctively know how to do.
During a surge, mothers are in a state of deep relaxation, using self-hypnosis. They are calm and peaceful, relaxed and completely in control of their experience. It has been found they have, in general, a faster birthing and recovery process because they are so relaxed. Babies of HypnoBirthing® moms tend to be calmer, have less colic and sleep better.
Classes are taught by certified HypnoBirthing® Practitioners. The course consists of five classes, each class running approximately 2 1/2 hours. The program covers not only the beginnings of HypnoBirthing® but also the history that created our current negative beliefs surrounding childbirth. Mom and partner are taught in a positive, encouraging environment focusing on the positive, not the “what ifs”, all the way from releasing fears through the bonding process. What makes this program so successful is that the course is taught “by the book.” Practitioners are asked not to deviate from the program. This is to insure that the techniques remain pure in content. Why fix what’s not broken? So, parents in New York are assured that they are receiving the same teachings as parents in California.
In my opinion this is probably the most complete program for birthing available. HypnoBirthingâ is truly an old belief making it’s way around full circle. For more information on HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method, please visit the website at www.hypnobirthing.com or contact the author at (805) 642-2242 or tammey@creativefocushypnosis.com