What is hypnobirthing and why everyone should know about it
what is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is an evidence-based birthing practice that incorporates breathing patterns, physiology, meditation, and self-hypnosis to support you through labor and birth. You are not under a spell or compulsion from someone else. Hypnobirthing allows you to find deep relaxation through sensations of labor. It reframes the experience of childbirth from one of fear and mystery to wonder and understanding.
Hypnobirthing is more than a method to choose for birth, it is a philosophy that can change the way you look at, feel, and experience birth. Hypnobirthing utilizes your biology, many psychological practices, breathing, and movement. Its teachings are so helpful to not only have a gentle and calm birth, but to feel relaxed and grounded through many aspects of life.
Hypnobirthing births look different than what you may come to think as the norm. Families that use hypnobirthing feel confident and empowered in their bodies. Mothers feel more connected to their partners and babies, plus the feel connected to the present moment. Hypnobirthing offers a calm and gentle style to birthing that can be described as mindful, pleasurable, quiet, trusting, and natural. Families feel in control, fresh and energized, and instinctual.
The principles of hypnobirthing
Hypnobirthing childbirth education has 4 main tenants: mindset on the physiology of birthing, bonding with your baby, visualizations and meditations, and breath-work. Each pillar refers back to the others creating a web of meaning and reasoning.
the physiology of birthing
The practice of Hypnobirthing begins with learning about your physiology. Knowledge is powerful and understanding your body in the context of labor and birth can set you up for success. A key aspect that was re-visited often is that the female body is designed for birth. There is inherent changes that occur from the time you have your first menstrual period to the time you birth your baby that work with nature. It is safe, sacred, and natural.
Hearing that throughout class was incredibly humbling, eye-opening, and relaxing. Our bodies are designed for birth. We have the ability to harness that design into power and energy.
In the first class you discuss the inner workings of your body and its muscles. The uterus, the major muscle involved in labor and birthing, is a muscle that works like any other in your body. Unless there are special circumstances, you don’t feel pain when you breath, when your heart pumps, or when you digest food. This can be true for the uterus as well. If you keep your body hydrated, fueled, and oxygenated, the sensations of labor can be managed and tolerated well without the use of pain medications.
changing fears and misunderstandings around birth
Another key ingredient in Hypnobirthing is fear release. It cannot be emphasized enough how crucial this is. Fear release should be incorporated in every childbirth education course! Hypnobirthing uses a series of meditations that allow you to one, identify your fears, two, remove and extract them from your sub-conscious mind, and three, build a new positive and encouraging mindset around birth.
Every birthing person and family will have their unique fears and anxieties around birth. It is totally normal and common to feel that way. Our minds have accepted messages and learned about birth through the lens of family or friend’s horror stories, from Hollywood’s lovely depictions like in Knocked up or Glee. This programming instills anxiety and fear from the very beginning. But birth is not like that at all. Birth is joyful, fast and slow, empowering, and transformational. By changing our mindset and acknowledging these fears, we can unlock a new path to birthing our children, one that is light, calm, and wholesome.
the power of breath and meditation in birth
The focus and practice of Hypnobirthing relies upon the use of your breath, visualizations, and meditations. By practicing consecutive meditations, you can achieve a state of deep relaxation. Hypnobirthing uses a set of specific audio tracks and visualizations that you practice every day leading up to your baby’s entrance into the world. This practice helps you arrive at a calm and grounded state. The meditations help you to manage each surge (a term used to replace contractions) with focus and breath.
Hypnobirthing is not feeling out of control or hypnotized into doing something outrageous. Hypnobirthing uses focus and intentional thought to achieve a desired outcome. Where the mind goes, the body will follow. If you suggest to yourself that you are energized, comfortable, and relaxed your body can align with those values. This is the main method that hypnobirthing uses. It stretches that idea and allows you to practice daily so that come labor and birthing time, it is second nature.
rainbow relaxation for birthing meditation
If you have ever spoken to a family that used hypnobirthing throughout their birth experience, they will have mentioned the rainbow relaxation. This audio track uses the colors of the rainbow to take you to the deepest relaxation over the course of only 20 minutes.
The rainbow relaxation is a key component to the visualization, focusing on the colors of the rainbow wrapping around you, submerging into a color, and diving into a deep state of calm, inner-bliss, and comfort. The rainbow relaxation has been played in hospital rooms and birth settings around the world.
what does childbirth with hypnobirthing look like?
So now that we know what hypnobirthing is, let’s dive into what it can look like. Hypnobirthing is not only for unmedicated home births, you can use the teachings and meditations for all types of births including births that use an epidural and planned or even emergency cesareans.
These births look and feel peaceful. You see mothers leaning into their power and intuition. Often, the space is kept calm with dimmed lighting. These are some of the most tranquil and quiet births I have had the pleasure of supporting as a doula. Moms turn into themselves, focusing on their breath, mindset, and relaxation.
why should you care about and use hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is a wonderful method to prepare for labor, concentrating on the power of the mind and breath together. Families that use hypnobirthing report greater satisfaction with how their birth unfolded, higher successes with breastfeeding, and report greater confidence in bonding with their newborn.
Who wouldn’t want that? An overall, easier and smoother transition into the postpartum period.
Check out Hypnobirthing for yourself! You will be amazed in the way it transforms your mind and experience.