It involves learning calm breathing techniques, some deep relaxation, guided mediation, visualisation, positive suggestions and affirmations. These affirmations might include phrases such as, “I have the ability to give birth to my baby,” or “I trust in my body and my baby to help me.”Įxplainer: what are women's options for giving birth? Hypnobirthing teaches women to induce a “self-hypnotic” state of mind where a woman focuses her attention inwards, concentrates deeply and this helps her to decrease peripheral awareness.
But she can still respond to suggestions and affirmations. When a woman is afraid she will physically become tense, rigid and produce the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Her perception of pain will increase and this can affect labour. Hypnobirthing aims to counteract the effects of fear and help women secrete the hormones oxytocin and endorphins which enable her to remain calm and relaxed, so labour can progress. Some women who have used hypnobirthing techniques say they feel like they are day dreaming, in a trance and drifting into a calm, deeply relaxed state but are not actually sleeping. Women who use hypnobirthing techniques aim to decrease their peripheral awareness. Hypnobirthing techniques are founded on British obstetrician Grantly Dick-Read’s observations. In his 1942 book, Childbirth without Fear, he proposed women in a calm state of mind, and who had faith in their ability to give birth, did so with less pain. These days, women and their partners or support people can learn self-hypnotic techniques for hypnobirthing by attending one-to-one sessions, group classes or online courses. Usually, women attend sessions from about 25-30 weeks of pregnancy but self-hypnosis and guided mediation techniques are sometimes taught earlier in pregnancy.
0 kommentar(er)
