Hypno-Birthing – Should We Wait For The Birth Day?

There is an article in The Times this week about the birth process and how many women go into panic once the due date has passed, with doctors inducing around one quarter of all births last year.  Indeed, in France, pregnancy is commonly regarded as 41 weeks long as opposed to our British 38 week pregnancy.

The article tells the story of Jo Bisset, who gave birth to gorgeous baby Hector, sixteen days after her supposed ‘due date’.  She gave birth on her bathroom floor, using no methods of pain control other than self-hypnosis that she learnt from a local hypno-birthing hypnotherapist.  She says she gave birth ‘in joy’ in just 90 minutes but believes that modern society forces us to believe it will be painful and horrid and it is that perception that can create the reality.

Bisset believes that medical intervention can lead to a need for further medical intervention, such as if you are induced but are not ready, you may then require an emergency Caesarean or require an epidural because it’s too painful forcing yourself through a birth your body isn’t yet ready for and then you may end up having the baby delivered using forceps.

There are of course medical reasons for inducing babies and one of the reasons induction is quite routine in this country is because research suggests that in pregnancies of over 42 weeks there is a higher stillbirth rate.  In response to Jo’s fears, one obstetrician said that there is no evidence to suggest that an induction means a more painful birth or a higher likelihood of a caesarean either.

Catriona Brown is a former midwife who has now retrained as a hypnotherapist and she says in her interview that doctors need to become more aware of the power of the mind.  Unnecessary intervention causes anxiety and fear in women as they believe their body isn’t working as it should and their distress interferes with the bonding process with their newborn child.  You can read the full article on The Time website

Now, I don’t have children but I do believe in the whole ‘perception is reality’ mantra… but having said that, being a hypnotherapist, I have no doubt that if I ever fall pregnant, the pressure will be on me to have a hypno-birth.  Oo-er…

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