Stefanie Kraft: Hi! I am Stefanie Kraft and I am a HypnoBirthing Practitioner. I am talking about having a baby using the HypnoBirthing method. Right now, I am talking about why we use hypnosis for birth.

Hypnosis is a highly focused state of mind. So rather than being unconscious, your mind is actually focusing on something very specific. An example of this would be when you are engrossed in a book. You are reading the book and paying attention and you are tuning out all outside distractions.

It's similar with the HypnoBirthing mom. She tunes in inwardly, tunes out all outside distractions. She is really not away or unconscious or unreachable, she is actually very present, aware, alert, but she is very relaxed as well. By relaxing the mind and body in this way, you are actually removing the tension in the body that creates pain. So birth can go by more easily and more quickly using this method. Another very special way we use hypnosis in HypnoBirthing classes, is that we have several hypnosis sessions in the class. So by working with the subconscious mind on that level, we can literally change parents beliefs about birth. We do fear releasing sessions in which the parents have the opportunity to release any fear they have around birth or other factors around bringing a baby home. So rather than trying to remove fears, so think differently about birth, we are literally making changes on the subconscious level in the parents beliefs and feelings about birth.

We also do positive birth imagery and birth rehearsal hypnosis sessions. So we are creating a deep lasting, positive expectations about birth. So these hypnosis sessions in class are profound ways in which we help parents. Also, if a woman has had a previous negative birth experience, then these fear release sessions can help the woman release that trauma and create new positive expectations for her next birth. Another way we use hypnosis in HypnoBirthing classes is by using hypnosis CDs. The parents are given a CD to listen to for practice at home and to use for the birth. By regularly listening to this CD, the woman is conditioning her mind and body to go into that relax state. So that when it's time for labor, she can bring herself easily into that relaxed state. She can listen to the CD throughout her labor to help her remain in that state. So that's why we use hypnosis for birth preparation and for the birth itself. Next, I am going to talk about the advantages of HypnoBirthing.