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Naturopath
Hypnobirthing is a prenatal preparation course that focuses on natural childbirth and teaches participants self-hypnosis techniques to alleviate their fears and the pain associated with childbirth.
HypnoBirthing® is a proven and scientifically validated method that prepares women for childbirth and guides them through the birthing process in a peaceful and positive way. The program focuses on both the psychological and physical well-being of the mother-to-be, her partner and the baby - regardless of whether the baby is born in a quiet home, a hospital or a birthing center.
HypnoBirthing® is basically a training programme in which special breathing, relaxation, visualization and meditation exercises are learned. It also includes a healthy diet and positive body toning. Most importantly, however, the method creates an atmosphere of mutual respect within the family, but also between the family and the midwife or doctors.
When it comes to giving birth, a pregnant woman has numerous options and many decisions to make. This starts with the decision for a midwife and does not end with the search for the birth environment. It is also particularly important to choose a birth preparation course in order to be optimally prepared for the birth.
Basically, hypnobirthing changes the way we think and talk about childbirth. If you imagine the upcoming delivery as a long, agonizing journey, your view is probably a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, adopt a mindset where you imagine that your body is strong and ready and instinctively knows what to do. With such an attitude, the likelihood of a better birth experience increases.
Hypnobirthing teaches you how to free yourself from this vicious circle of fear-mongering so that your body can carry out its tasks unhindered.
Hypnobirthing is not an alternative to the important information and care you receive from midwives or in hospital, but rather a supplement during pregnancy and birth.
Most women have to listen to negative stories about other women's birth experiences time and time again. Everyone - mothers, sisters, aunts, cousins, friends, even strangers - wants to tell us about the horrors of childbirth. We seem to be so conditioned that we automatically associate childbirth with hellish pain. As a result, women today have an unprecedented fear of giving birth. This extreme fear causes the body to tense up. However, a tense body is no longer able to perform its normal physiological functions as easily. The result is exactly what women are most afraid of: a long, painful delivery or unnecessary external intervention in the birth process.
Women who come to hypnobirthing have often been looking for a long time for a way to give birth to their child in a confident way, as calmly, safely and gently as possible, regardless of whether they give birth in a hospital, a birth center or at home. Until the "invention" of HypnoBirthing®, this option seemed unattainable for many women.
By means of a very simple self-hypnosis program and appropriate training, women learn to block out fearful descriptions, misinformation and myths surrounding birth and to see the birth process as something natural. This not only benefits healthy pregnant women who do not belong to a risk group, but also women who have to give birth with medical assistance due to various circumstances. They learn how to develop trust in their body, which knows how to bring their baby into the world in a calm and gentle way, just as Mother Nature intended.
Hypnobirthing is based on the power of suggestion. A woman in labour uses positive reinforcement, suggestions and visualizations to relax her own body, guide her own thoughts and control her breathing. She can do this on her own (self-hypnosis) or be supported by a hypnotherapist. Some women start by working with a certified hypnotherapist to learn the art of self-hypnosis. This often involves playing positive verbal reinforcements from a tape so that the women achieve a calm state of self-hypnosis. Alternatively, visualizations are used - for example, a flower opening its bloom - so that the women have a picture of what is happening to them and can relax.
Deep breathing, inhaling through the nose, exhaling through the mouth, helps you to stay calm and relieve pain and discomfort during labor.
Visualization is about imagining the birth of your baby and what you want to happen. This can be something very specific or something more general, such as a feeling you would like to experience. For example, you could imagine what it might feel like to feel your baby on your bare skin after the birth. Like a play rehearsal in your mind, this will help you prepare for the birth and stay positive in general.
Meditation helps you to focus on your body and your baby while you are in labor. In doing so, you block out additional noises or everything else around you.
If your baby is in the optimal position, the birth tends to be easier: head down, face forward - not with its back against yours, so that it uses your front as a 'hammock'. This ideal 'anterior position' is encouraged in hypnobirthing through regular yoga exercises. This involves getting on all fours and not hanging around on the sofa for hours on end. Sit upright (at work and at home) and walk as often as possible.
Every expectant mother deserves to have a partner at her side with whom she is closely acquainted and who provides her with constant support. Do all the exercises together and also write your birth plan together. This way, they can make decisions for you if the worst comes to the worst and know what you want.
To be able to relax deeply and achieve a state of inner peace, Maggie Howell recommends that you write down all your fears or negative views that you are confronted with and try to remember that they are just thoughts. Actively release these thoughts: tie them to an imaginary helium balloon and watch the balloon fly away with your thoughts. Or write them on a real piece of paper and burn or tear it up, symbolically letting go of your thoughts.
During childbirth, an episiotomy (an incision made by a midwife or doctor) is often necessary or the women tear. However, there are ways in which you can reduce the likelihood of an episiotomy or tear. Hypnobirthing teaches you to perform regular pelvic floor exercises and perineal massages in preparation for the birth. In the crucial phase of birth, when the midwife tells you to "push", try to open and relax your muscles instead. As you do this, pant so as not to tense up. This approach, together with the pelvic floor exercises and perineal massage mentioned above, should result in the skin stretching and not tearing.
"Belly dancing" was initially only seen as prenatal training. In hypnobirthing, you also use it during the birth: By circling your hips and moving forwards and backwards, you not only promote the ideal position for your baby, you also stimulate your blood circulation and hormone release. Accumulations of lactic acid are released and tension is prevented (which makes contractions even more painful). The key is to stay mobile, even in labor - you are not sick!
In the first stage of labor, you will probably feel most comfortable in your familiar surroundings at home. However, as soon as you feel that it is time to go to hospital and the contractions are getting stronger or the intervals between them are getting shorter, apply the "wave theory". Jump into the wave, don't fight it. Relax your muscles. If you tense your muscles in any way, you will increase the pain and slow down the birth process.
Katherine Graves emphasizes that we only have to look at how other mammals give birth to their young. One look and we understand that privacy is very important. Mammals usually go to a small, safe place where they feel comfortable. Hypnobirthing embraces this principle and encourages women to follow their instinct for intimacy. Ask for dimmed lights, a comfortable room temperature and music if you wish, or quiet. You should also have calming scents to hand, such as lavender oil on a cotton cloth. You will also learn various massage techniques that your birth partner can use so that you can relax and be distracted.
Slow, steady, rhythmic, deep breaths will help you through the delivery. This is not just about taking in oxygen, but also about drawing energy and courage from it. Breathing out serves to release the baby! By moaning and yawning, you release endorphins - natural painkillers. Forget the shrill sounds that women make in movies when giving birth completely out of breath. This only stirs up fear. Instead, make soft, deep sounds as you breathe. In her book, Katherine describes visualization exercises for different breathing techniques depending on what stage of labor you are in (for example, the first stage after labor begins and the last stage when the baby is actually born). The deeper you breathe, the softer and more supple the vaginal tissue becomes, making it easier for the baby to pass through the birth canal.
If possible, do not lie on your back, not even for examinations by doctors or midwives (to determine how wide your cervix is already open), as this could prolong the delivery. Offer to lie on your side. The best position to deliver a baby is upright so that gravity can take effect. If you lie on your back like a poor bug, your sacrum and coccyx will not be able to open and the delivery will take longer. You don't want that!
Hypnobirthing aims to make you rethink the word 'pain' and see birth as effective pain (i.e. with a purpose behind it) as well as a trigger for your entry into motherhood. Maggie Howell describes labor as "sensations of pressure, power and warmth". Surrender to your contractions, relax your lower jaw and shoulders, breathe and count: "Three, two, one, relax." In addition to natural pain relievers such as gas, air, a water basin and nerve stimulation (TENS), you should use visualization to manage your feelings. Imagine that you become your own remote control and down-regulate unpleasant feelings so that you can cope with them. Or take yourself to a very special place in your mind, a tropical beach for example, and relive special memories. In the final stage of delivery, you should try to accept these intense feelings as a good sign that you are about to hold your baby in your arms. And remember, endorphins ensure that you will quickly forget all the discomfort after the birth. Trust Mother Nature - she knows what she's doing.
Ms. A: 36.
Ms. B: 28.
Ms. C: 40.
Mrs. A: Two. My first delivery was a vaginal birth in hospital.
Mrs. B: Two. Both with the help of hypnobirthing.
Mrs. C: Two. The birth of my first daughter was induced with Pitocin, and I also had an epidural.
Ms. A: 33.
Mrs. B: 25.
Ms. C: 36.
Ms. A: I didn't know anything. It also sounded a bit strange. However, during my first pregnancy I watched the movie The Business of Being Born and also read the book by Bay Gaskin Guide to Child Birth. This changed the way I thought about the birth process and opened me up to alternative approaches.
Mrs. B: I didn't know anything about hypnobirthing before my pregnancy. However, I had already decided that I didn't want to take any medication to support it and started looking into different methods. In particular, I studied the May Guide to Childbirth and found resources that pointed me in the direction of hypnobirthing.
Mrs. C: A friend told me about it right after the birth of my first child. I then read the book HypnoBirthing: The Mary Mongan Method during my second pregnancy and was immediately impressed.
Mrs. A: My husband has asked me not to talk about it. He makes me laugh. I had also decided to have a water birth. I think he was afraid that we would be met with criticism and skepticism. I was probably more worried that I would be critical of other birth methods and not so much that others would pre-judge me. Pregnant women can be quite judgmental (especially first-time moms - in my experience). I didn't want to jump on that bandwagon too and be that "waterbirth hypno-pregnant woman".
Ms. B: I wouldn't say that I was openly criticized. Some of my colleagues made fun of it. My dear mother didn't like the idea that I wanted to give birth without painkillers. But that was more because she couldn't bear the thought of me suffering pain, not because she didn't agree with my decision.
Mrs. C: Maybe skepticism, but no criticism. Pretty much everyone I spoke to about it looked at me funny, especially when I described the method of pain-free birth using hypnosis.
Mrs. A: A few things brought me to hypnobirthing. First of all, I had already started transcendental meditation six months before my pregnancy. This fundamentally changed my life. I asked myself how I could bring my meditative state into the birth experience. I was also diagnosed with placenta previa very early on in my pregnancy, meaning that my placenta was dangerously low in the uterus. If it remained in this position, it would make a water birth or vaginal delivery impossible. A caesarean section would be necessary to avoid uncontrolled bleeding. So I went to see a therapist to help me and found out that she was also a certified hypnobirthing coach.
Mrs. B: I had this vision of a perfect birth experience: I could walk around as I pleased, without any painkillers, and recover quickly afterwards. I looked into different birthing methods that would allow me to do this and came across hypnobirthing.
Mrs. C: The birth of my first daughter was induced. They gave me Pitocin and broke my waters. I was in labor for seven and a half hours. After this time, I asked the doctors for an epidural. Half an hour later, I gave birth to my daughter after only two "pushes". She just slipped out as my body was completely relaxed. I then decided to give birth to my next child using hypnobirthing. I was so tense with my first child because of the severe pain. Hypnobirthing teaches you to relax and open up and not tense up. During my second pregnancy, I also took part in a clinical study on meditation at UCLA. This taught me more relaxation techniques and the magic behind the mind's ability to control our bodies.
Woman A: Many people think that you are as hypnotized during hypnobirthing as someone who starts clucking like a chicken on someone else's command. However, this assumption is completely wrong. Just like the assumption that it's a similar method to hypnosis for quitting smoking. But that's not true either. Rather, it is a deep meditative state. I wasn't so much expecting that I wouldn't feel any pain. Rather, I hoped that hypnobirthing would increase my ability to stay calm and focused, especially in the difficult moments.
Mrs. B: I never assumed that I wouldn't have any pain. Of course, there have been many reports that hypnobirthing makes for an easy, comfortable birth experience or that pain is perceived differently. I admit, sometimes the reports seemed too good to be true. But I was hoping that I would be able to relax my body so that I wouldn't have to suffer the same level of pain that you often see in movies or on TV in general.
Mrs. C: Full of hope, but also sceptical. I had met with two women who had also given birth using hypnobirthing. Both were enthusiastic, but also said that they still had a lot of pain.
Ms. A: Most of the time I felt like a total failure. However, I had a really wonderful trainer. I read the brochures she gave me. We also did some relaxation exercises together and a simulation of what the birth process might feel like. I also downloaded a few hypnobirthing meditations and positive reinforcement exercises from the internet and went through them again and again. But I actually felt like a bad student at school who could have done more.
Ms. B: I took part in courses. I was given materials to read and CDs to listen to. I either listened to a CD in the evening or my husband read to me from the hypnosis materials. This always took about 30 minutes. I also had a CD that I listened to in the car. It contained positive pregnancy and birth experiences. Sometimes I took someone with me in the car. They would always hear, "I love my pregnant body and I'm embracing it every day!" Most of them would start laughing.
Mrs. C: I read the book about the Mongan method and bought a membership on the Hypnobirthing website. There I was able to download additional audio files. I liked the male voice from the website better than the one from the CD that came with the book. I listened to the files several times a day - from about my fourth month of pregnancy and during the delivery.
Mrs. A: I took a crash course in hypnobirthing with a trainer. As it was my second birth, she adapted the material to our needs. I then used the book and CD to support me. The book and CD contain lots of great meditation instructions and exercises, I always chose the ones that appealed to me the most. One file in particular appealed to me with spoken positive reinforcement. As we made our way to the hospital, I was holding a lavender aromatherapy roller and my iPod. I told my husband, "This probably all sounds weird to you. Just accept it." We heard these positive reinforcements the entire drive to the hospital and even in the delivery room. When I got into the bath, we switched to music.
Mrs. B: I took part in a six-week course with a certified hypnobirthing trainer and an assistant. We were four couples in total.
Ms. C: I learned everything from the website and the book.
Mrs. A: I had already passed my due date. At my weekly check-up appointment, I asked my doctor for an ovum pick-up. I don't really know what is done, except that the doctor inserts her finger into the vagina and moves it back and forth. You can feel a painful tugging sensation. It's kind of like the last "natural" way to get things going. Later in the day, the contractions actually started. Most of the time I just walked around the house. I remember digging my bare feet firmly into the wood floor, like you do in yoga, and pushing myself through the contractions. I was encouraging myself and saying things like, "I draw my strength from the earth. Mother Earth supports me." I made things up on the fly, but it helped me incredibly. I also recorded my contractions with an app on my iPhone. I liked that and it helped me to stay focused.
Mrs. B: My waters suddenly broke after I was already eight days past my due date. However, my contractions - or "pressure waves" as they are called in hypnobirthing - did not start on their own. So I went to my midwife and she inserted a Foley catheter to stimulate the contractions.
Mrs. C: My water broke and the contractions started slowly, but then came quickly at shorter and shorter intervals. I initially stayed at home and listened to my Hypnobirth CDs for about an hour. Then I decided that I should go to hospital as soon as possible as I noticed that the birth was progressing quickly.
Ms A: I stayed at home as long as possible and then went to the hospital. I was examined there and we completed the admission formalities. My midwife was ready to fill up the basin, but didn't want the water to get cold. I was having contractions and discussed with the nurse whether I should go into the bath. Meanwhile, another nurse examined me and discovered that my cervix was already 9 cm dilated. The nurses were stunned. They quickly let the water into the bath and I got in. It was so wonderful to feel the warm water. From then on it was very painful and everything happened very quickly. I didn't really make a sound though. I was far too immersed in my sensations. It hurt, no question about it. I felt everything and consciously allowed it to happen. The lights were dimmed, everyone was very quiet and music was playing in the background. My daughter was born to "You are a Tourist" by Muse, two hours after I went to the hospital. That's the best thing about the whole experience. I think it's meaningful on a very deep level.
Mrs. B: I stayed at home for about 12 hours and then went to the hospital. In between, my midwife came to see me once. I remember that I was so quiet during the whole admission procedure at the hospital that the nurses kept asking me why I had actually come.
Mrs. C: I went to the hospital, midwives work there too.
Ms A: Yes, but not in the way you might think now. Having children has given me a new understanding of pain. In my opinion, the thing about pain is this: We always and constantly repeat: "This hurts so much, I'm in so much pain!" If we remove this part from our understanding, we can free ourselves from this unpleasant situation. I know I'm always talking about discomfort or an unpleasant situation, but that's the best way for me to put it. The state I was in made me feel calm, focused and in control of what was happening. At the same time, I allowed myself to be okay with the fact that not everything was under my control. In this way, I was able to let the birth process take place at its own rhythm and pace. In both births this led to a fairly quick delivery.
Mrs. B: I don't think it took away the pain. Rather, it enabled me to deal with the pain better. At the beginning I felt as if I was a little removed from my body. This allowed me to relax mentally while the contractions prepared my body for the impending delivery. As the labor progressed, I rested deep within myself and focused on the natural processes that were necessary to bring my baby into this world. It felt like I could actually watch my cervix open and let my baby pass. From the time my water broke to the delivery was 32 hours. I hadn't really slept during the whole time. But thanks to hypnobirthing, my body was able to rest between contractions.
Woman C: I was full of feelings and yes, there was also pain. But in the meantime you try not to think about the pain, but concentrate on the male voice that guides you through the visualizations. Each muscle relaxation and opening is discussed on the CDs. You also open your mouth, for example, so that you don't tense up. I only had really, really bad pain for about five minutes when she finally saw the light of day.
Ms. A: No.
Ms. B: I didn't take any painkillers during the whole time.
Ms. C: No.
Ms. A: Sleepy? No, definitely not. But I was in a deep state of rest. I don't particularly like the word "trance". It kind of reminds you of scary magic stuff. The birth was the best savasana I've ever experienced, topped with that intense physical discomfort that comes from having a baby pushing through your vagina while you're in the bath.
Woman A: I was in a deep state and was so present that there was hardly any room for thoughts. I concentrated on my breathing and on my body opening up for the birth. I already remember how intense everything was. That I really felt every moment was complete. Maybe for a second I wished I'd had an epidural. But then, when it's hardest, it's already over.
Ms B: I visualized a lot of things. I thought of waves washing over a beach. It helped me to imagine these "pressure waves" in this way. I also imagined my cervix opening and dilating. It made me think of a rose blooming in quick succession and encouraged my body to open in this way and release the baby into the world. I can't say for sure whether these thoughts came up because of the hypnosis or whether this is completely normal for a woman who has been in labor for over 24 hours!
Woman C: I visualized everything that the male voice had asked me to do. That I would open my birth canal like a blossoming flower. I was in my "happy place" - a large, green meadow in the sunshine and full of warmth. There I watched nature open up and blossom.
Ms. C: I was overcome by a sudden wave of pain and all I could think was: Open up! Open up! Then I had the urgent need to push. I was in the shower at the time and was no longer listening to my audio files. But I kept trying to imagine her passing through the birth canal and felt the strong urge to push.
Mrs. C: In the months before the birth, we listened to the audio files together as we fell asleep. While I was in labor, he couldn't do as much. I had headphones on and listened to my files. He rubbed my back but said that he couldn't really tell that I was in labor.
Ms. C: I had my headphones on and was alone in the shower.
Ms. B: I wasn't in a trance at all, but in a deep state of relaxation. That's why I don't think I ever really left it. However, I do think that in the last moments of the birth, when you are really pushing the baby out, I no longer actively used relaxation techniques. I was then in survival mode and just concentrated on pushing.
Mrs. C: The whole experience seemed surreal after I "woke up". I found myself on the floor in my shower holding my baby. Suddenly I was cold and I noticed all the people staring at me.
Mrs. B: I remember being very tired after I had been pushing for two hours. I was worried that I would be too tired once the baby was born to actively remember. However, this worry was unfounded. As soon as she was born, a wave of contentment, relief and excitement washed over me, giving me renewed strength.
Mrs. B: I'm not sure if I even consciously brought myself out of this state of relaxation or - to use the terminology of hypnobirthing - "switched on the light". I think the actual birth put me in such a state of excitement that I was no longer in that state anyway. However, I do remember taking a deep breath, closing my eyes and using some of those cues to "let go" when it was time to deliver the placenta.
Ms. C: A very clear yes. It's simply wonderful.
Mrs. C: No physical complications, no. I didn't even tear. However, the midwife originally wanted to send me home again. Had I listened to her, my daughter probably would have been born in the parking lot or in the car. I try not to think about that part (or the fact that she had the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, which could have turned out badly) and am just glad that everything went well.
Mrs. C: Yes. I don't want any more children. But if there was a next time, my child would be born in my shower at home with a midwife or doctor by my side.
Sources (in English):
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