What Is Hypnobirthing & Can It Really Reduce Labor Pains?

When it comes to giving birth, the #1 focus is on having a healthy, happy baby. The #2 focus might be trying to stay calm and feel as little pain as possible. It can be anxiety-inducing not knowing what birth will look or feel like. Birthing techniques are another critical tool designed to help lessen the fear surrounding childbirth, which can also help you manage pain in the process.

It’s important to remember that birthing techniques are different from your birth plan. A birth plan is a general overview of your preferences during labor. It includes things like where you want to be, what position you want to give birth in, what pain relief you want to use, and who you want to be with you at childbirth. While birth plans serve a key purpose, it’s important to stay flexible with them as things may not always go according to … “the plan”. 

Birthing techniques, however, are always there for you. It refers to the tools and coping mechanisms you’ll use to manage the mental and physical experiences of labor. Regardless of what happens at your birth, you can turn to those techniques to help you lower stress, keep focused, and manage pain overall. This can be a powerful form of self-love during birth because it’s you giving your mind and body what it needs at that time. That’s why it’s so important that you find a birthing process or method that works best for you.

And that brings us to hypnobirthing. It’s one of the more recent trends in the birth prep (thanks to several celebrity endorsements from the likes of Megan Markle, Jessica Biel, Gisele Bündchen, and more), and many women swear by it. When we reached out to our community about it, these were just some of the responses we got on the subject: 

“[It] made my birthing experience such a positive one. Felt so empowered”

“I owe my amazing birth to sports and hypnobirthing ❤️”

“I would recommend hypnobirthing to everyone, it helped me give birth very smooth and with a positive vibe”

”Currently using this right now whilst in labour. Do it, ladies!”

While there were a lot of women who sung the praises of hypnobirthing, there were even more women who weren’t totally sure what it was. So that’s what we’re here to do today! We’re going to give you a breakdown of what hypnobirthing is, how it can play a role in labor, and how it supports pain relief.

What is hypnobirthing? 

Hypnobirthing is a practice designed to help ease anxiety and manage pain by using relaxation techniques like controlled breathing, visualizations, and yes, hypnosis. It’s actually a form of ‘self-hypnosis’ that is very similar to meditation, as it’s done by entering a relaxed state and thinking of a specific goal. The main belief is that if the body is relaxed and at ease, the awareness of pain can be reduced, and the experience of pain can be lowered as anxiety and fear are released.

But… is hypnosis real? 

Mainstream media has given hypnosis a bad rap, making it seem more like an offshoot of a magic show than an actual psychological practice. But genuine hypnosis is a therapeutic technique, and it simply refers to entering an attention-focused state that can allow for a stronger response to suggestions. In the case of hypnobirthing, the goal is to relax the mind and body for birth and release the sensation of pain.

When did hypnobirthing start?

You might hear hypnobirthing referred to as the ‘Mongan Method’, which is named after the hypnotherapist, Marie Mongan, who coined the term back in 1989. Her philosophy was influenced by the work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read and Dr. Jonathan Dye, whose concepts of natural birthing began in the 1920s. While there are now several variations of hypnobirthing, the Mongan Method is considered the ‘original’ technique, which involves 12 hours of guided classes that teach relaxation, mindfulness, affirmations, and visualization concepts to be used during labor.

Does hypnobirthing actually work?

If you’re wondering this, we encourage you to think about what you mean by “work”. Do you mean: reduce pain? Eliminate pain? Help you manage anxiety? Help make labor easier? Improve birth outcomes? Ultimately, it’s important to recognize what you want to achieve from a birthing process and decide if those techniques will actually help you achieve that.

If you’re expecting hypnobirthing to eliminate all pain, then you may be disappointed by it, because it’s not likely that any birthing method, hypnosis, or relaxation technique can completely eliminate pain from labor. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t still make a significant difference in your mental and physical state during labor.

Research has shown that using hypnobirthing techniques might help speed along the first stage of labor, which is generally the longest and can last from 12 to 19 hours. Even if it’s only shortened a little bit, any reduction of time spent in labor can make a difference! In another review of about 3,000 women across 9 studies, hypnobirthing techniques lowered the use of pain medication in women. Overall, when we look at research studies, there is not a lot of clear evidence pointing to clinical labor benefits for those who use hypnobirthing, but studies suggest that women who do use hypnobirthing are happy that they did and feel that it benefitted them. And that’s the most important thing at the end of the day.

Can hypnobirthing do anything to reduce pain?

This is the question most women ask because no one wants to feel pain.

First, let’s talk about pain. Your brain is responsible for the intensity of your pain experience, not your body. There are pain receptors throughout the body, and when they are stimulated they send signals to the brain to say “hey, something weird is going on, pay attention to this part of the body”. It’s then your brain’s job to process how serious that pain (threat to your body) is and then send signals to your muscles and other systems to react accordingly. Your brain is constantly sifting through all of these signals, and prioritizing what needs to be dealt with first, and that can lead to subdued pain or heightened pain based on how your brain processes everything.

While hypnobirthing does not explicitly discuss labor pains, the techniques that are taught are designed to help women reduce their awareness of pain, fear, and anxiety overall by tapping into the power of controlling one’s thoughts. It’s not that it gets rid of the pain, it’s about getting into a state of mind that helps you process it differently. If you’re hoping to have a natural birth without the assistance of pain medication, using relaxations techniques and birthing methods might be able to help you better manage pain, and feel less impacted by it.

What are some other birthing techniques?

Lamaze classes have been around for quite some time, and they help couples increase confidence in the birthing process. They utilize breathing exercises, massage, and other techniques to help manage pain naturally.

Another birthing technique called the Bradley Method is used alongside a doula, or labor coach, to provide support and assist in relaxation techniques during labor. When compared to hypnobirthing, this study found that it may be more comprehensive as it supports pregnancy and childbirth, following through to postpartum.

Hypnobabies is a technique often grouped with hypnobirthing, but it is technically a different approach. While many of the tenets of hypnobirthing are used, this 18-hour course also includes more support for the prenatal and postpartum periods and does actively discuss the pain of labor and coping skills to manage it.

If you’re interested in hypnobirthing or any other supportive birthing techniques, we hope this gave you a deeper understanding of what it’s all about. If you wanted to try it out, head over to the Baby2Body app where we have an amazing Mind-Body-Baby hypnobirthing meditation and Labor Toolkit from one of our amazing experts Tammy Mittell.

We encourage you to do your own research on other birthing techniques to decide what feels right to you and your birth experience. If you have any more questions on hypnobirthing or are considering any other birthing techniques, leave them in the comments below!

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