The New York Times on Thursday examined hypnobirth, a childbirth technique that does not use drugs to control pain but instead uses a combination of relaxation, breathing and visualization techniques to control pain, according to Linette Landa, a hypnobirth teacher. According to the Times, "hypnobirthing" is meant to relax women through contractions so "that there is no screaming to tire the mother or alarm the baby, and labor is shorter." The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists allows physicians to decide whether they will permit hypnobirth, and, although many hospitals permit the technique, some physicians have concerns about the process, the Times reports (Olson, New York Times, 4/27).
Very strange. I wonder what the concerns are? Why not "permit" hypnobirthing? I checked out the New York Times article, and it became stranger, and scarier:
While many hospitals now permit hypnobirth, doctors are wary because they fear litigation. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists leaves it up to the individual doctor's judgment.
Oh, of course. Because they might get sued for something.
Such techniques are not a surefire way to avoid pain, but rather "adjuncts and not the end-all to birth," said Dr. Jeffrey M. Segil, an obstetrician who offers the HypnoBirthing option to every patient in his practice in Dover, N.H.
"Women should not be set up to feel that they've failed if they can't follow through to a totally natural delivery," he said.
Don't even bother to set goals, pregnant ladies, if you aren't completely sure that you can reach them.
It doesn't work for everyone: Jennifer Richards, 29, said she gained self-confidence from hypnobirth methods, but had an epidural because of the intense back pain during her 30-hour labor.
I have said many times before that with back labor, all bets are off. But that might just be me.
I have so many questions about this that I don't know where to begin.
- What's wrong with learning relaxation techniques? Why does that have to be equivalent to setting oneself up for failure? What about women for whom epidurals have no effect - aren't they also in danger of relying on "adjuncts and not the end-all to birth" by planning on using methods that might not work?
- Why isn't this decision left up to the mother instead of the "individual doctor's judgment"?
- What potential litigation are the doctors really worried about?
Seems like we could do more good helping the childbearing women in other countries than worrying about whether or not hypnobirthing is going to mysteriously make something go wrong.
4 comments:
As a Certified HypnoBirthing ChildBirth Educator, I know that HypnoBirthing has great benefits. Many parents-to-be in my hometown of New York City are filling up hypnoBirthing classes!
That is wonderful! I'm glad to hear that parents are flocking to your classes.
There are so many reasons to pursue hypnosis in childbirth. I didn't detail it in my post above, since I was still in shock about the alleged drawbacks. I'm a huge advocate for using this as a way to build confidence and experience a peaceful birth. Thank you for commenting!
I used hypnobirthing during my 22 hour back labor. I will go on record saying that is was the most painful experience I could ever imagine, even though I followed all the rules of hypnobirthing to a "T". I still love the idea of hypnobirthing, but often wonder about the authenticity of the claims stating that it is possible to have a pain free childbirth....there isn't enough research done on hypnobirthing...but I will definitely refer back to my book when the time comes for baby #2
Thanks for your comment! I think that it is possible to have a pain-free labor, but I don't honestly know how much control a woman has over the course and nature of her individual labor experience.
Relaxation certainly helps, and that's why I'm always going to be supportive of using hypnosis in childbirth, though I don't believe that HypnoBirthing can take a strenuous labor and make it into a painless one.
But it does have many other benefits, like teaching coping techniques and helping women feel positively towards their births.
For most laboring women that I've seen, and from what I've personally gone through, hypnosis doesn't take all the pain away, even without any other complications or variables, but it vastly improves the experience. Some women do claim to have completely pain-free labors while using hypnosis. I don't know what makes the difference, as all the women I'm thinking of followed the programs exactly.
Back labor, though, is its own beast to wrestle with. I hope your birth went well in spite of having such an agonizing challenge.
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