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Hypnosis has been used to control pain during labor and delivery for
more than a century, but the introduction of chemo-anesthesia and
inhalation anesthesia during the late 19th century led to the decline of
its use. It is easier to just drug the woman than work with her
for weeks before her birthing.
Hypnotherapy has been found to be effective in providing pain relief,
reducing the need for chemical anesthesia. Hypnosis has also been
helpful in both managing various complications of pregnancy (such as
premature labor) and reducing the likelihood of premature labor and
birth in high-risk patients. It has also has been effective in the
treatment of hypertension associated with pregnancy and
turning of breech
babies
to the vertex presentation. Hypnosis preparation reduces anxiety,
fear and tension, which cause pain, reduces birth complications, and
promotes a rapid recovery process. Hypnotic preparation thus provides
the expectant mother with a sense of control and empowers her in
managing her pregnancy and birth experience.
Results are best when the Mom is introduced to hypnosis at least a few
weeks before labor begins. In this way she can practice the
hypnosis skills she will need during her birthing. However,
introduction at any time is better than not using hypnosis at all.
More
and more, scientific studies are showing the usefulness and
effectiveness of hypnosis in childbirth. The mind/body connection
is extremely stong and powerful and this connection can be used to
enhance and ease a woman's birthing experience.
A recent
Australian
study
concludes that hypnosis helps alleviate pain during childbirth,
especially for first time moms.
A
study
by University of Florida researchers
(August 2000) found that learning self-hypnosis actually gives a patient
greater control over the stress, anxiety and pain of medical operations
and childbirth. They concluded that women who learn hypnosis before
delivering babies suffer fewer complications, need less medication and
are more likely to have healthier babies than are women without
hypnosis.
In
1990
the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Waukesha Memorial Hospital
studied the benefits of hypnotic analgesia as an adjunct to childbirth
education. They found that hypnotically prepared births had
shorter Stage 1 labors (the openning
and thinning phase), less medication, higher Apgar scores, and more
frequent spontaneous deliveries as well as lower incidents of
post-partum depression. (Abstract
to this study)
A Retrospective study was conducted by Shawn Gallagher in Canada in 2001
to assess the effects of prenatal hypnotherapy classes on the length of
labour, use of pain medication, intervention rates, maternal pain
perception and maternal satisfaction. The results showed that
women who were prepared with hypnosis
had shorter labors, used less pain medication, had lower intervention
rates, and perceived their births as being very satisfactory and would
recommend using hypnosis to other women. The
birth partners were also trained
in how to use additional hypnosis support during the birthings.
(Abstract of
this study)
A study published in The Journal of Family Practice, May 2001,
evaluated how childbirth preparation incorporating hypnotic techniques
affected the labor processes and birth outcomes of pregnant adolescents
(a population with it's own unique set of birthing concerns).
The study provides support for the use of hypnosis to aid in preparation
of obstetric patients for labor and delivery. It showed a
reduction of complications, surgery
(C-Sections), and hospital stay which reflects a direct medical
benefit to mother and child and suggest the potential for a
corresponding cost-saving benefit.
(Abstract of this
study)
As early as 1993 studies were showing a reduction in the length of labor
when the Mom was prepared for birth with hypnosis. This study was
published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
(Abstract
of this study)
Hypnosis has been shown to be very effective in
turning breech and posterior (sunny-side up) babies.
(in fact,
more successful than standard manual version)
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