What is hypnobabies for childbirth?

When it comes to pain relief techniques for labor and birth, there are more ways to cope with the pain than just the most well-known epidural. Some women opt to learn self-hypnosis techniques and practice positive affirmations for their birth throughout their pregnancy by listening to tapes. Are you interested in this? Just what is hypnobabies for childbirth? Does hypnobabies work for skeptical, science-minded gals too?

A friend of mine tried hypnobabies for her most recent birth, and told me a little bit about it. She spent months listening to affirmations like "my labor will progress normally and healthily" and similar messages. She said that she felt totally in control, during her labor, and the "hypnosis" actually does not mean that you are out of it or don't know what you are doing. Hypnobabies holds that the mind controls the body to a certain extent and that a knowledge of the birth process and a resulting lack of fear will take away some of the pain. They do not use phrases like "pain" and "contractions" and instead refer to things like "pressure", "surges", and "the opening of your body".

According to the inventors of hypnobabies, women who practice this form of self hypnosis have shorter labors, less pain, feel full of energy after giving birth, and report that their labor and delivery (probably not a "good hypnobabies term"!) progresses in a calm and peaceful manner. Does that sound good to you, and do you want to give it a try? You can take hypnobabies classes in some birth centers, in the homes of individual hypnobabies instructors, or at home while listening to CDs. Hypnobabies is not for everyone of course, but if you are looking into ways to relieve pain during labor and have an open mind, it may just be something to add to your toolbox.