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Hynobirthing: An Introduction

pregnant woman in the arms of midwife

Hypnotic Childbirth is my passion. I’ve been doing it for ten years now, and the happiness-high I get from seeing women birth their children in gentle comfort and ease in a statistical average of five hours, AND with no requests for pain medication or epidurals is just about as good as it gets!

AnnaLynn Zinn de Vine

So what is HypnoBirthing anyway?

HypnoBirthing is as much a philosophy as it is a technique, based on the belief that all babies should come into the world in an atmosphere of gentility, calm and joy, and that severe discomfort does not need to be a natural accompaniment to birthing. Founded by Marie F. Mongan in 1991, HypnoBirthing uses the medically accepted modality of “hypnosis” for the control and elimination of pain.

Hypnosis is a natural state we all enter and leave on a regular basis. When you are daydreaming, you are in the hypnogogic state. Have you ever driven home with something on your mind, ended up in your driveway and thought, I don’t remember getting here? This is an excellent illustration of how the subconscious and the conscious mind work together for the benefit of our well-being. HypnoBirthing employs this interplay between the subconscious and conscious mind. It prepares a mother for a rewarding, relaxing and stress-free birth as she learns to let go of her conscious mind during each surge (or “contraction”).

When a mother is properly prepared for birthing physically, mentally, and spiritually, she can experience a joyful birth, an easy birth, even a pain free birth. The HypnoBirthing program is all encompassing, offering practice in deep relaxation, self-hypnosis, as well as education. A woman learns ‘the art of birthing,’ allowing her to summon her natural birthing instincts and to birth her baby in safety and with ease.

The HypnoBirthing advantage

  • Eliminates the Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle before, during and after birthing.
  • Reduces and often eliminates the need for chemical anesthesia, episiotomy and other interventions.
  • Lessens fatigue during labor, leaving the mother fresh, awake, and energized as she brings her baby into the world.
  • Shortens the thinning and opening phase of labor by several hours and allows the birthing mother to utilize the natural pulsations of her body to breathe her baby down to the crowning stage, rather than pushing for long exhausting periods of time.
  • Reduces risk of pelvic floor damage.
  • Brings the mother, baby and birthing companion together in a wonderful prenatal, perinatal and postnatal bonding experience.
  • The birthing companion is an integral part of the birthing, not a mere onlooker.
  • Almost entirely eliminates postnatal discomfort and “baby blues”.
  • Babies are better adjusted and happier, resulting in better eating and sleeping routines.
  • Mothers don’t run the risk of hyperventilating from shallow breathing.
  • Birthing is returned to the safe, beautiful, peaceful experience that Nature intended.

You have to see hypnotic childbirth with your eyes to believe it. Doctors, OB Nurses and extended family members watching an hypnotic labor and delivery for the first time simply stand and stare. They shake their heads in wonder. I have had many seasoned OB Nurses tell me they have never seen anything like it. And it’s true! The techniques take practice and conditioning, but it’s worth every ounce of effort. HypnoBirthing offers women a proven and successful method of birthing their babies in gentleness, joy and consciousness, and I am humbled to be a part of such a journey!

AnnaLynn Zinn de Vine