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Self-Hypnosis and Relaxation Techniques During Childbirth Goes Mainstream

By Joie M Gahum | Update Date: Jan 27, 2017 08:30 AM EST

Millennial moms are not leaning into shortening the pain that they experience while giving birth through self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques. Royal Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is also believed to have used hypnobirthing CDs to prepare for both royal births.

Hypnosis and relaxation techniques are now being used to ease the pain of childbirth, Irish Examiner reveals. Midwives in UK's NHS hospitals are presently being trained in these modern practices that claim to result in pain-free child births. Several testimonies about the positive effects of hypnobirthing are already sending this practice into the spotlight.

The course includes listening to a hypnobirthing CD every day to prepare for labor. Some testimonials claim that they were so relaxed during their labor, they fell asleep and never felt any kind of pain during their entire labor. Others, on the other hand, felt a little pressure as they breathe the baby down but not enough to perceive it as painful.

Baby Center defines hypnosis for labor as a deep mental and physical relaxation technique that enables the woman giving birth to focus intensely on a pleasant thought or feeling while blocking outside distractions. In this case, the distraction that she'll be blocking is the pain that comes with child birth. In this state, the mind is believed to be more open to suggesting and change our beliefs or even feelings towards a current situation.

The process is self-inflicted, wherein the woman learns to hypnotize herself using techniques like deep breathing, visualization and hypnosis scripts to visualize her baby easing downward with each breath.

Although there is no scientific explanation behind this new-found process in childbirth, modern moms are starting to expound their knowledge about the potentials of this method in childbirth. Several organizations around the UK are already exploring the potential of these methods to be able to provide a pleasurable experience rather than a painful one.

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