Many friends and family have asked us about Hypnobirthing, the birthing method that we have decided to use for the birth of Noah Finn. Whenever we explain the calm and confidence that we feel when we think of our impending birthing experience, we inevitably get asked what exactly Hypnobirthing is. So, we thought we'd explain for whoever might be interested in this old idea being put to new use. The following is pieced together from both our own understanding and the explanation provided on the Hypnobirthing website found at: www.hypnobirthing.com.
Hypnobirthing, the Mongan Method, is as much a philosophy as it is a technique. The concept of HypnoBirthing is not new, but rather a "rebirth" of the philosophy of birthing as it existed thousands of years ago and as it was recaptured in the work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician, who, in the 1920s, was one of the first to forward the concept of natural birthing. The method teaches you that, in the absence of fear and tension, or special medical circumstances, severe pain does not have to be an accompaniment of labor.
Understanding how the birthing muscles work in perfect harmony--as they were designed to--when your body is sufficiently relaxed and you trust birth, helps you to achieve relaxation free of the resistance that fear creates. The birthing mother is then able to use natural birthing instincts for a calm, serene and comfortable birth.
When the birthing mother has her baby with HypnoBirthing, she will not be in a trance or a sleep. What she will experience is similar to the daydreaming, or focusing, that occurs when one is engrossed in a book or a movie or staring into a fire.
She will be conversant and in good spirits--totally relaxed, but fully in control. Awake throughout, she will be aware of her body's surges and her baby's progress; but because she will have trained herself to reach complete relaxation, she will be able to determine the degree and the manner in which she will feel the surges. She will experience birthing in an atmosphere of calm relaxation, free of the fear that prevents the muscles of her body from functioning as nature intended them to. In this calm state, her body's natural relaxant, endorphins, replaces the stress hormones that constrict and cause pain.
However, regardless of our expectations and planning we are prepared to be flexible and adapt to any circumstance that may arrive during delivery. Whatever the final method may be that delivers Noah Finn safely into this world, we look forward to sharing it with all of you! Wish us luck!
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