What is the issue? Women’s experiences of pain in labour are variable and complex. Techniques such as hypnosis have been proposed as ways to help women cope with pain during labour. Hypnosis represents an aspect of conscious awareness similar to daydreaming and involves focusing attention inwards and increased responsiveness to…

Abstract Because it induces a state of reduced awareness and deep relaxation, hypnosis is thought to be efficient at relieving stress and anxiety. This study examined whether hypnosis may alter the pattern and time evolution of maternal and fetal stress. Here we report a 23-yrs-old primigravida woman at 31-weeks’ gestation…

Rumor has it that Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, who gave birth on May 6, used hypnobirthing — a technique that aims to ease the pain and anxiety associated with childbirth by using hypnosis, deep breathing, visualization, meditation and other techniques. The method, which dates back to the 1950s but was popularized…

Everything was going beautifully. The expectant mother lay in a relaxed and hypnotic state, breathing deeply with each contraction but never tensing in pain. Then, as the woman approached her final stage of labor, she gripped the edge of the table she was lying on, turned to midwife Jenny West…

A Relaxed Labor Day Chrissy Jensen and her husband, Chris, took all the usual baby prep classes, including Lamaze, baby care and even infant CPR. But the soon-to-be-mom, who lives in Venice, still felt something was missing. “I kept saying, these are all great, but where are the classes that…