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Hypnobirthing for Difficult Pregnancies

by — Last updated: 2017-12-16 in Pregnancy

Table of Contents

Even five years ago, an expectant mother's friends might have thought she was crazy if she announced she was going to have her baby using a technique called Hypnobirthing. Millions of mothers, after all, avoid the pain of childbirth with epidurals
The most important application of Ms. Mongan's Hypnobirthing technique, however, may be its use by women going through difficult pregnancies. Women who have previously miscarried and even women who have to have a C-section can have a better experience of childbirth by using Hypnobirthing technique , Mongan claims.
 


Why would a mother who knows she is going to deliver by caesarean section bother with learning self-hypnosis? Here are some of the advantages advocates of the Mongan Method report:

  • Fear release is an important component of Hypnobirthing. Women who have had miscarriages or who will have C-section can achieve relief of anxiety through the training and relaxation techniques for anxiety taught by the method.
  • Hypnobirthing emphasizes bonding with the baby long before birth, giving mothers motivation to endure difficult procedures and expectation of a meaningful parental bond.
  • The "Rainbow Relaxation" technique taught in Hypnobirthing classes makes preparing for the surgery and recovery easier and more comfortable.
  • The breathing techniques taught in the method can help mothers about to have surgery to "slow down." There is less tension in the abdominal walls and less ancillary tissue damage from the operation.
  • Ms. Mongan's method even shows women undergoing C-section how they can experience the pleasant vaginal sensations associated with childbirth, with their obstetrician's help.

What to Expect from Hypnobirthing Classes

Hypnobirthing is taught as a series of five 2-1/2 hour classes. Women who may be near their due dates may be offered individual sessions. The usual sequence of classes for women delivering either vaginally or by C-section is:

  • Building positive expectations. The idea in this session is to learn how to assist, rather than resist, natural urges of expectant mothers.
  • Falling in love with baby. This session teaches mothers how to cultivate positive feelings about their child, and also how to choose care providers and cooperate with birthing partners.
  • Getting ready to welcome baby. This session discusses how to avoid the need to induce labor, and how to articulate preferences regarding the circumstances of childbirth to everyone involved.
  • Labor of love. This session prepares mothers for the possibility that the baby may have its own ideas about when and where it will be born. Birthing partners are taught how they can help maintain progress during the birthing process and both mothers and partners do a birth rehearsal.
  • Breathing love, bringing life. The final session teaches mothers how to help the child begin to descend the birth canal, how to breathe during delivery, and how to bring the child to the breast.

Cost for all five sessions in the US is usually about $600. Participants are assisted in locating obstetricians who can work with the method, as well as in finding doulas not just for the mother but also for the father or birthing partner. Certified practitioners are available in all 50 of the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Costa Rica, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Israel, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the UAE, and the UK.