The new frontiers of childbirth: hypnopartum

July 11, 2022

In Italy it has become popular perhaps since Kate Middleton claimed to have used it for the labor of her firstborn, but hypnobirthing (hypnopartum) is a method of accompanying childbirth that has been practiced widely and for some time in Anglo-Saxon countries. Translated into Italian with "hypnopartum", it is an education program for parents, and especially for mothers, which aims to replace the negative beliefs that are normally built on labor and childbirth. In general, hypnobirthing is based on the concept that the enemy of childbirth is not pain, but fear, a reaction that activates a mechanism in our body that releases some "obstructing" substances for childbirth. They are hormones that alert the defense systems causing the body to stiffen, thus contributing to pain. On the contrary, this path teaches women that childbirth can be a positive experience: by relaxing, the endorphins will help the muscles release tension and childbirth can be lived to the end in a conscious and joyful way.

The three steps

Hypnopartum is based on positive affirmations about childbirth, breathing and self-relaxation techniques that are taught to the expectant mother and that she can use independently before and during the big moment. Positive affirmations must fight all those negative thoughts that every woman has been able to build, for example, through i

stories of mothers who experienced childbirth as a traumatic experience. The breathing techniques, which are learned during the months of pregnancy, are useful for blocking the automatic responses of our body that generate stress, with the effect of saving energy for the woman; Finally, relaxation techniques, also practiced during the last trimester of pregnancy, guarantee active and conscious participation during the birth experience. All without contraindications, only benefits for both the future mother and the child; benefits that will manifest themselves not only during childbirth but also in the post phase, since the woman will be able to channel this feeling of comfort, relaxation and relief without stress in all the months that follow.

Where to learn the method

In Italy, hypnobirthing is spreading consistently, but there are no specific courses on this accompaniment program in hospitals. Most of the time the training is limited to educational modules in some obstetrics departments. It is therefore necessary to contact suitably trained personnel in private. It is also good to remember that the best time to approach a course coincides with the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy, so that you will then have plenty of time to practice what you have learned. And it wouldn't hurt to involve dads too, given that this path is one more opportunity to prove to be an integral part of the child's birth process.