‘HUGELY POWERFUL’
Kate reveals the way she beat severe morning sickness
In a new parenting podcast, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, said she used hypnobirthing techniques to help get through severe morning sickness — a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. She also used the techniques during labour. She told the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast: “I saw the power of it, the meditation and the deep breathing they teach you in hypnobirthing, when I was really sick, and I realised that this was something I could take control of during labour. It was hugely powerful.”
So what is hypnobirthing and what does the evidence say about its use?
Calmness and relaxation Hypnobirthing aims to reduce fear, pain and anxiety during childbirth. It involves learning calm breathing techniques, some deep relaxation, guided mediation, visualisation, positive suggestions and affirmations.
These affirmations might include phrases such as, “I have the ability to give birth to my baby”, or “I trust in my body and my baby to help me”.
Hypnobirthing teaches women to induce a “self-hypnotic” state of mind where a woman focuses her attention inwards, and this helps her to decrease peripheral awareness.
When a woman is afraid she will physically become tense, rigid and produce stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Hypnobirthing aims to counteract the effects of fear and help women secrete the hormones oxytocin and endorphins which enable her to remain calm and relaxed, so labour can progress.
Hypnobirthing techniques are founded on British obstetrician Grantly Dick-Read’s observations. In his 1942 book, Childbirth without Fear, he proposed women in a calm state of mind, and who had faith in their ability to give birth, did so with less pain.
These days, people can learn selfhypnotic techniques for hypnobirthing by attending one-toone sessions, group classes or online. Usually, women attend sessions from about 25-30 weeks of pregnancy but self-hypnosis and guided mediation techniques are sometimes taught earlier in pregnancy.
There is also emerging evidence it could be used postnatally if women have had a traumatic birth or increased levels of anxiety, stress or depression after birth.
Fear and anxiety in childbirth Historically, women have been supported and comforted by other women during labour and birth, including in many indigenous birthing practices. Aboriginal women in Australia would support other women with chants and rituals to ease the birthing process and make the woman feel safe and calm.
But while great advances in care have resulted in better outcomes for mothers and babies in childbirth, many women today are extremely anxious and afraid of this process. So it’s important find ways to reduce anxiety and fear associated with childbirth. Other strategies alongside hypnobirthing include having a continuous support person for labour and combined complementary therapies, such as yoga, acupressure and learning breathing techniques, in preparation for birth.
What does the evidence say?
A 2016 Cochrane review examined the effectiveness and safety of hypnosis for pain management in labour and birth. The review examined nine studies which included just under 3000 women.
It found women who used hypnobirthing techniques used less of some kinds of pain relief such as opioid pain medication than women who didn’t. However epidural rates were similar.
There were no clear differences between the women for most of the other measures. These included their satisfaction with pain relief and their sense of coping with labour.
Importantly, the review found hypnobirthing didn’t cause any harm.
Overall, little research has been conducted on hypnobirthing. We need more well-designed studies to accurately assess its effectiveness.
It might help some and not others Some women in a clinical trial of selfhypnosis were followed up and interviewed and reported feelings of calmness, confidence and empowerment. But the techniques don’t work for everyone.
Some women reported feeling frustrated or disappointed when their labour and birth experiences didn’t match expectations. Other women find it extremely difficult to switch off and relax. Some women may be sceptical of the process and don’t see any potential benefits.