In a recent interview conducted by Giovanna Fletcher with Kate Middleton for a podcast, the Duchess of Cambridge confirmed that she practiced the self-hypnosis technique to cope with hyperemesis gravidarum, a disease that she suffers in her pregnancies, and that it also helped her when it came to giving birth. birth to her three children.
Kate Middleton said that hypnosis and meditation helped her to alleviate the severe nausea she suffered for which she had to be hospitalized, as well as to cope with the pain in childbirth:
” Hypnobirthing was enormously powerful and since morning sickness had been so bad during pregnancy, I was always happy to deliver, because it was an event that I knew was going to have an end”
“I really saw the power of that, meditation and deep breathing are things they teach you in hypnopartum , when I was really down I realized that I could take control,” revealed Kate Middleton .
The Duchess assured that this practice in which mental predisposition is key, helped her to go through the most difficult moments, recognizing “the power of the mind over the body.”
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What is hypnopartum?
Hypnopartum or hypnobirthing is a conscious hypnosis- based delivery preparation technique used to face the baby’s arrival without fear, help relieve labor pain, and enjoy the process of giving birth.
It emerged in the United States in the late 1980s as an alternative to the culture of traumatic and painful births, with the intention of restoring the right to women to enjoy their births.
The greatest expert in hypnobirthing is Marie Mongan, hypnotherapist and author of the book ‘HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method Book’ , in which she assures that it is a process to go through labor, but that it begins before the first contractions.
Hypnopartum sessions are performed during pregnancy to better prepare for the big time. It begins by replacing some terms such as “labor” with “delivery”, “fetus” with “baby”, “pain” with “sensations” and “contractions” with “uterine waves”.
Meditation and breath control are key in the process. Mongan assures that “it is not a question of being in a trance or asleep. What you will experience is similar to daydreaming, or concentrating, the same thing that happens when you are absorbed in a book or a movie, or looking at the fire”.
The method is based on the woman experiencing the birth of her baby in an atmosphere of tranquility that allows the muscles to relax, and that in this state of deep calm, endorphins replace the stress hormones that cause pain when they occur. uterine contractions.
The HypnoBirthing method has certified educators trained in the technique that can be found in 46 countries around the world, including Spain, although it is not widespread in our country. It is more common in Anglo-Saxon countries, where it is commonly used in hospital delivery rooms.
The midwife Carla Quintana , founder of ‘Matrona for me has worked in London for many years, and explains that there is a technique widely used in childbirth homes or birthcenters by mothers who are preparing to have a natural birth, without oxytocin or epidural.
“Your mind is totally elsewhere, like when you watch a movie in which you are totally immersed, or doing something that you like. You are avoiding all other information.
As the mother is calm, she generates more oxytocin and the labor progresses better than if she were in fear, with contracted muscles, which would be secreting adrenaline.
What WHO Says About Hypnopartum
In the ‘WHO Recommendations for care during childbirth, for a positive birth experience’, this body specifies:
“Relaxation techniques, including progressive muscle relaxation, breathing, music, mindfulness meditation and other techniques, are recommended for healthy pregnant women seeking pain relief during labor, depending on the woman’s preferences.”
In the comments about this recommendation, add:
“Non-pharmacological pain relief options can vary greatly within the same setting and in different contexts, and this could lead to prefer other techniques that are not covered in this guideline, such as immersion in water, hypnopartum , acupuncture, and cultural and traditional practices that can have a calming effect on women. “
Very low evidence
The WHO endorses the different procedures for pain management during childbirth, but also highlights the scant scientific evidence that exists on their benefits:
“Health professionals should inform women that while manual pain relief techniques are unlikely to be harmful, the certainty of the evidence regarding their benefits is very low .”
General relaxation techniques during labor
When mentioning studies of women who used general relaxation techniques during labor for pain relief, the low-certainty evidence (one trial of 40 women) indicates that relaxation can reduce pain intensity during the latent phase of labor Of childbirth.
Regarding hypnosis in particular, the WHO mentions three trials (622 women) conducted in the USA that studied the effect of hypnosis in labor. There was a significant difference between the groups in the frequency of conduction of labor, with fewer women in the hypnosis group requiring this intervention.
The woman can choose the method that makes her feel best to cope with serious discomfort in pregnancy, as well as to relieve pain at the time of delivery. Thanks to Kate Middleton , hypnopartum is getting more and more women to choose it when preparing for the birth of their children.
Photos | GTres and iStockphoto
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