Kate’s a fan, but does hypnobirthing work?
As Kate Middleton admits that she quite enjoyed labour thanks to hypnobirthing, Tanya Sweeney weighs up the pros and cons of the celeb-approved birthing method — and examines the evidence behind it
Even though there was a scrum of the world’s media outside, the birthing suite inside the famous Lindo Wing was an oasis of calm and tranquillity.
So much so, in fact, that Kate Middleton has recently revealed that she ‘really quite liked’ the experience of natural childbirth.
Speaking on the Happy Mum, Happy Baby podcast, the duchess revealed that she had used hypnobirthing techniques during her three pregnancies, in between battling bouts of severe morning sickness.
“I saw the power of it really, the meditation and the deep breathing and things like that — that they teach you in hypnobirthing — when I was really sick and actually I realised that this was something I could take control of, I suppose, during labour,” she revealed.
“It was hugely powerful and because it had been so bad during pregnancy, I actually really quite liked labour. Because actually it was an event that I knew there was going to be an ending to. I’m not going to say that William was standing there sort of, chanting sweet nothings at me. He definitely wasn’t! I didn’t even ask him about it, but it was just something I wanted to do for myself.”
Middleton’s sister-in-law Meghan Markle is also rumoured to have used self-hypnosis as a means to ease her birth last May. Miranda Kerr, Jessica Alba and Gisele Bündchen are also fans of the technique, which helps a woman manage her pain during labour and childbirth. Using visualisation, relaxation and deep breathing, hypnobirthing encourages women to focus on birthing their baby, and to remind themselves that their body is designed for childbirth.
The term “hypnosis” describes a state of altered consciousness, in which a person is feeling deeply focused and attentive. When you’re hypnotised, you are thought to become more responsive to guidance or suggestions from within or from others.
Aisling Killoran, a certified hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, (birthwithease.ie), has certainly noticed an increase in the number of women looking into hypnobirthing options. “More are seeking out a relaxed way of preparing for the birth of the baby, as they want to have a say in how their birth will play out,” she notes. “They want to be heard and for there to be open lines of communication both ways, as opposed to just one way.
“They seek out hypnobirthing because they want to be more self-informed, reduce the need for interventions and be more in control of their bodies and decision making, around the birth of their baby,” she adds.
“Also, hypnobirthing mums tend to give birth safely in a shorter amount of time, due to them being relaxed and in control.” “[Hypnobirthing] keeps the woman calm, relaxed, empowered and in control from the inside out,” Killoran explains. “They are more in touch with their bodies and know what’s going on from the inside out versus the outside in, which reduces the fear of the unknown.” Much of the breathing involved in hypnobirthing reportedly helps to stimulate the production of oxytocin, which aids the body’s muscles and essentially makes the uterus work during labour.
Nadia Arthurs, a registered Rotunda midwife who regularly runs hypnobirthing classes in Swords (Labourof Love.ie) explains: “When adrenaline levels go up, this has a knock-on effect on labour, which inhibits the production of oxytocin. This can make labour go on a lot longer than usual, so it’s important that the more relaxed the woman is, the better.” Women tap into relaxation techniques in different ways, usually between 22 and 30 weeks gestation, and those aiming for a hypnobirth will listen to an audio track during pregnancy, which will help guide meditation.
One visualisation technique is called the “silver glove,” in which women imagine donning a silver glove that causes their hand to tingle, go numb and relax. They can “spread” that numbness around by envisioning their hand touching other body parts.
The main objective, Arthurs, explains, is to educate women on how to give birth with calm and confidence.
“Some find water births, or using music is a good way to relax,” Arthurs notes. “It works at different levels for different people.”
Several women have extolled the positives of a hypnobirth, and the World Health Organization has officially recommended relaxation techniques during labour. Yet there is scant scientific evidence to prove that hypnobirthing actually works.
In the UK, a trial of self-hypnosis for intrapartum pain showed no major difference in satisfaction with pain relief or women’s ability to manage labour contractions. Hypnosis training also appears to have had little or no impact on instances of spontaneous vaginal births, or women’s ability to manage labour contractions.
However, another study, published by The Hypnobirthing Institute in the US, noted that those who went through its programme were less likely to have C-sections or episiotomies, compared to American mothers who hadn’t used hypnobirthing.
Another study, published in 2013 by BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, saw that most respondents reported positive experiences of self-hypnosis and highlighted feelings of calmness, confidence and empowerment.
“We actually looked at hypnosis as opposed to hypnobirthing as a whole package,” one of the study’s authors, Professor Soo Downe, explained on BBC Women’s Hour. “680 women in total in three different hospitals said it didn’t actually make a difference to their experience of pain or to their use of epidurals or to a whole range of other things.
“But what it did do, women who had the experience, said they were less fearful and less anxious about childbirth. So it did seem to have an effect on that particular component.”
The decision to incorporate self-hypnosis or visualisation techniques during childbirth is a highly personal one, but equally important is factoring in a Plan B. Childbirth is an unpredictable phenomenon, and for Arthurs, it’s particularly important to prepare those in her hypnobirthing classes for the unexpected, too.
“Because I’m a midwife teaching these classes, we go over one session that is dedicated to what to expect if things don’t go to plan, and what interventions might be used,” she explains.
“They may never be required, but it’s an important part of the course to teach. The women initially find this session a little scary, but then they really enjoy it in the end.
“It’s really important that we take the fear out of those situations. And it’s better that they prepare for what might come down the line than not.”