Without a doubt, women using hypnosis are much calmer and more relaxed during labor, which automatically creates more comfort, as well as having *powerful* post-hypnotic suggestions to actually eliminate pain and fear. How effective is this? Statistics will vary by the program and method chosen, depending on the length and number of hypnosis sessions, the materials used in each, and the skill of the hypnotherapist or teacher, as well as the dedication and compliance to the program of each birthing couple. Ideally, hypnosis for childbirth instructors will have backgrounds in both hypnotherapy and childbirth education, and be able to address each woman's personal needs. With adequate preparation and trust in the natural process of birth, most women can have much more relaxed and comfortable births, with many actually free of pain.

Benefits of using hypnosis for childbirth:

• Fewer drugs or no drugs at all means less risk of side effects on mother and baby.
• Shorter labors - resistance of the birthing muscles as a response to pain is minimized or eliminated.
• An awake, energized mother, due to total relaxation throughout the birthing process.
• A calm, peaceful birthing environment.
• Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.
• Fewer interventions and complications during labor.
• Babies who are better sleepers and nursers due to fewer drugs in their systems.

How to study: Where do you start?

There are choices open to couples who are ready to begin their hypno-journey, and it will benefit each one to research all of their options to find one that allows them to achieve their goal. They include:

• Seek out a qualified Hypnotherapist in your area for office sessions. You will want to make sure to interview them beforehand and ask what type of program they have for childbirth using hypnosis, as not all of them already have an effective program in place in their practice. A good one will include at *least* 4 sessions in the office, (6-7 are optimal) with the last one done one week before the estimated due date. It should also include at least one tape or CD to listen to at home by yourself, and one or more cues for the birth companion to learn and practice that helps you to relax and go deeper into hypnosis. Many hypnotherapists have developed their own childbirth hypnosis programs that are very effective, and some will use and modify already existing ones, such as Gerald Kein's Painless Childbirth Program. The attraction to this kind of program is that it allows the hypnotherapist to adapt the program to fit the needs of their own practice, creating their own scripts and tapes from the original program sessions, and fully modify them to the needs of each woman’s needs. This helps tremendously with women who have personal issues that need to be resolved, such as VBAC moms, those who have had a past negative birth experience, or those who have specific deep-seated fears about childbirth.
• You can choose a home study course, of which there are many. To find one, you can do a search on the Internet for: "hypnosis, childbirth, home study.” An adequate home study program will have detailed information on hypnosis and how to use it in childbirth, and hypno-tools for you to achieve your goals; books, tapes, CD’s, handouts, hypnosis scripts. As you will be studying on your own, it is your responsibility to gain as much knowledge as possible, so choose well.

  The most popular self-study program is called New Way Childbirth, which uses audio and video tapes, and includes materials for all 3 trimesters of pregnancy, bonding and labor/delivery.

  From their website:
  "The New Way Childbirth TM program is an invaluable tool for an expectant mother who wants to bond prenatally with her baby and prepare for childbirth. The patients who have used this program have experienced significant reductions in the duration of labor and the intensity of pain. It is sure to be the hallmark by which every other prenatal program is measured." -- Dr. Louis Stolis

• You can seek out a hypnosis for childbirth class in your area. Some are taught at local hospitals and birth centers, and some are taught at the instructors homes. The backgrounds of the instructors can vary widely from stay at home mom to hypnotherapist to childbirth educator. Obviously, the more training and experience they have in the fields they are teaching, the better and it will benefit you to interview them before signing up for a class. To get more information a class, you can do a search on the Internet for: hypnosis, childbirth, and education.

You may want to ask a prospective childbirth hypnosis instructor the following when you contact them: