Hypnosis for Pregnancy and Childbirth
A new alternative therapy is growing rapidly in popularity to help with the various stages of pregnancy as well as the experience of childbirth and adjustment to motherhood — hypnosis. And this isn’t the dangling pocket watch you may be imagining! Hypnotic techniques and methods can help you feel your best and help reduce anxiety as you prepare for your baby and beyond. There is a specialist branch of hypnotherapy, called hypnobirthing which has become very popular.
Throughout the three trimesters of pregnancy, women are likely to experience a number of symptoms including fatigue, morning sickness, back pain and mood changes brought on by changing hormones. All of these symptoms, plus the work involved to prepare for the arrival of their baby can bring on stress, which is the last thing a pregnant woman needs. Hypnosis can be utilized to help a mother to overcome all of these symptoms and to relax more easily to reduce this stress, allowing her to stay positive throughout this period.
When it comes to childbirth and the time after the baby is born, hypnosis may be utilized as a way to control anxiety and nervousness as well as finding relief from pain and discomfort during labor. It may also help reduce complications in childbirth. Once the baby is born, a new mother’s nerves can easily become frazzled from little sleep and making the adjustment to breastfeeding, if she chooses to do so. Babies are perceptive and can pick up on our moods — using hypnosis techniques, a new mother can stay more calm and, again, positive during this transition to keep herself, her baby and her partner happy and healthy. Please accept as our gift to you our free Sleep Now hypnotic download.
So, we’ve discussed some of the benefits of hypnosis, but how is it practiced? First and foremost, you have to be open and willing to undergo this type of therapy. Putting yourself in the right frame of mind will make you more receptive to the hypnosis, allowing you to benefit greater from the practice. Secondly, you don’t need to be asleep or even in the presence of a hypnotherapist to utilize hypnosis — you can enter a hypnotic state on your own and “emerge” at the time of your choosing. Contrary to common belief, this type of hypnosis also won’t make you do things you wouldn’t normally do or embarrass yourself in any way. The focus, instead, is to realign your thinking and help you stay in a positive place in times of stress.
Most often, a few in-person sessions with a therapist will start the practice of using hypnosis, followed by at-home practice using pre-recorded sessions to help you learn cues to allow you to better train your mind. Your partner should participate in these sessions so they may assist you when you need it, especially during labor and delivery.
The use of hypnosis may mean being able to rely less on medications for comfort and pain relief and will likely reduce stress if you go beyond your due date. Make an appointment with a trained hypnotherapist or hypnobirthing practitioner to learn more or look at one of the many great hypnosis for childbirth options. And why not Join us on our Facebook page where we regularly share alternative therapies for pregnancy and childbirth from great practitioners around the world.
