Women are taught how to breathe for maximum relaxation and how to connect with their subconscious to go into a deep state of calm
By: Lisa Stout, R.N., Special to The Packet
There are many fears and misconceptions surrounding childbirth that are almost as old as the process itself. And yet, birth is a normal physiological function, and in many countries and cultures around the world, women have learned how to use natural childbirth measures that help both them and their babies enjoy the most relaxed, painless experience possible. These methods include using techniques to alleviate the tension and anxiety that can cause the body to clench and work against its own natural rhythms.
In 1944, an English obstetrician named Grantly Dick-Read wrote a ground-breaking book titled "Childbirth Without Fear." He advocated using hypnosis during labor to help women break what he called the "Fear-Tension-Pain syndrome." This syndrome caused blood to flow away from nonessential organs such as the uterus to large muscle groups in the legs, making labor not only more difficult, but much more painful. Relaxation through hypnosis, he theorized, would prevent that from happening.
Eighteen years ago, New Hampshire hypnotist Marie Mongan used that premise to develop HypnoBirthing, also known as the Mongan Method, to educate women in the art of self-hypnosis for use during the birthing process to reduce stress and create a more relaxed, comfortable experience. Today, this process is taught around the world by more than 1,700 doctors, nurses and midwives who are trained and receive certification from Mongan’s HypnoBirthing Institute.
Princeton HealthCare System’s Community Education and Outreach Program is now offering a HypnoBirthing course taught by an instructor certified in the Mongan Method. The course consists of five two-and-a-half hour sessions and is open to expectant mothers and their partners. They receive physical and nutritional guides to promote a happy, healthy pregnancy and childbirth. They learn how to use their body’s own natural endorphins so that birth, rather than something to fear, is a normal, healthy function that can be accomplished gently with the right techniques. And they are given the tools to take charge of the process.
HypnoBirthing is based on the power of suggestion and visualization for example, having the mother create an image in her mind of a flower with the petals gently opening so she can picture what is happening while she is birthing her baby. Even the terminology of childbirth is less frightening and more friendly. Instead of "labor and delivery," instructors use the phrase "birthing process." Instead of "pushing the baby out" on a contraction, you are "breathing the baby down" on a "uterine surge or wave."
In addition, women are taught how to breathe for maximum relaxation and how to connect with their subconscious to go into a deep state of calm. The HypnoBirthing method does not produce a trance-like state of sleep, but something very similar to daydreaming or the kind of focus you have when you are engrossed in a book or movie. Women remain fully aware and conversant during the birth process. HypnoBirthing is believed to strengthen the bond between mother and child, since the birth experience is less stressful on both. All the techniques learned in class are encouraged to be practiced at home with the help of a CD that holds scripts for the mother to use with her coach as they prepare for the birth.
Research has shown that hypnosis has proven effective in eliminating pain in a wide range of medical treatments, from routine dental work to the treatment of severe pain caused by cancer. There have also been numerous studies that have looked at how hypnosis has affected obstetric outcomes. One such study, conducted by the Childbirth Connection, a nonprofit organization that has worked to improve maternity care since 1918, reports that more than half of women using the HypnoBirthing method delivered their babies without the use of pain medications. HypnoBirthing is designed for the 95 percent of families that fall into the normal-, low- or no-risk categories for pregnancy, but check with a health care professional to be sure it is the right method for you.
The Community Education & Outreach Program of Princeton HealthCare System will offer HypnoBirthing classes Sept. 13-Oct. 11 from 7-9:30 p.m. at its facilities at 731 Alexander Road in West Windsor. Total cost for the expectant mother and her birthing partner is $175.
To register or for more information about other childbirth and family classes, call 888-897-8979 or visit www.princetonhcs.org/calendar.

