Midwife stunned by seeing her first hypnobirth

May 19, 2011 - PRLog -- Lynne Fox, who has spent the last 6 years working in Europe’s 2nd largest maternity hospital, was so impressed with what she saw that she was determined to provide the experience for other mums.

Now one of growing group of midwife converts to hypnobirthing, the Edinburgh based midwife tells of her shock when she attended her first birth using the method. “I’ll admit I was worried to start with, the mother was laughing and joking and very relaxed when we arrived and I thought she must have a long way to go before she gave birth. Then the baby’s head appeared. The mother and baby were both so calm, I was amazed. I knew then I had to find out more about this hypnobirthing so I could give other mums this sort of childbirthing experience.”

The type of hypnosis used is ‘self-hypnosis’ and is taught to both mums and their birth partners as a course so they can learn and practice the techniques before the birth. “People are often dubious when they first hear about it but as a midwife I can confirm that it’s very grounded in anatomy and physiology and there have been so many scientific studies done that confirm it works.“ Notable fans include Nadia Sawahla, Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba.

Research shows; compared to standard births, only half as many mums need pain relief drugs when using hypnobirthing techniques. Births were also found to be quicker and less likely to involve tearing or surgical intervention than when using conventional pain control techniques. There were fewer instances of post-natal depression and babies were also reported to sleep better compared those who had experienced the more traumatic standard birth.

Lynne reassures that “hypnobirths take place in hospital or at home and a proper midwife is always on hand, as is pain relief, but it’s rarely needed.”

The NHS is currently conducting a study into whether hypnobirthing should be provided free to patients in future. In the meantime whilst there are now some ‘hypnosis trained’ practitioners in the region, Lynne is one of only 2 qualified midwives providing the service privately to mothers in Edinburgh and the Lothians. She can be contacted on 07931 535641 or at http://www.hypnobirthings.com

# # #

About Hypnobirthings

Lynne Fox of Hypnobirthings.com (Scotland) provides midwife certified prenatal training and support to pregnant mothers and their partners, in hypnobirthing techniques and relaxation as well as advice on diet, exercise and the medical side of pregnancy.