The Science Behind Hypnobirthing
Childbirth can be one of life’s most intense and transformative experiences. Many parents are searching for a way to be calm and prepared for birth, so a growing number of parents are turning to hypnobirthing. Maybe you’ve heard of hypnobirthing, thought it sounds a bit weird and wondered if there is any science or evidence behind it, or if its just all a bit hippy dippy.
Let’s explore what the real-life evidence says about hypnobirthing, so you can make an informed decision if you’re considering a course.
First off, my own experience. I am a very practical person. I like efficiency. I don’t like to waste time on things that aren’t useful. And I definitely don’t like to waste money. My husband is quite like that too (especially about wasting money). So, it took a bit of research and consideration before we decided to do a hypnobirthing course during our first pregnancy. As this was many years ago, hypnobirthing wasn’t as popular as it is now, and - even as a midwife - I didn’t really know much about it. My husband and I both went into the course with an attitude of hopefully we will get some useful info from the course, but half expecting some of it to be too fluffy and alternative for us. We were pleasantly surprised. As a midwife I was shocked by how much of this course made so much sense with our physiology, biology and hormones. There were so many things that were so obvious - but are not part of main stream maternity care. Safe to say we both loved the course and went on to use everything we learned in both of my births. You can read about those in my birth stories if you like.
So, let’s have a look into the science and evidence behind hypnobirthing.
Hormones
Labour and birth is a hormonal event. Oxytocin causes uterine contractions, causing the cervix to dilate and baby to move down the birth path. To release oxytocin we need to feel calm, safe and supported. Oxytocin is known as the ‘hormone of love’ - we release it when kissing or cuddling, when feeling loved. In hypnobirthing we encourage creating a birth environment that is conducive to feeling calm and relaxed. We encourage partners to support you to feel loved and supported. This will facilitate the release of oxytocin. It will also reduce the release of stress hormones, which have a negative impact on labour - creating more pain and prolonging labour.
In hypnobirthing we also focus on encouraging the body to release endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain relief and ‘feel-good‘ hormone. We want lots of endorphins because they make for a much more comfortable labour (from evidence and personal experience). We discuss in the course how our brain can be conditioned to certain triggers - like when we think about our favourite food - our mouth waters. We use this to condition our body to release lots of endorphins - through things like gentle touch, relaxation tracks, breathing, smells, sounds etc.
Fear
Understandable, many women - and partners - are pretty anxious about labour. The pain, the fear of medical emergencies, fear of tearing, fear of interventions and the unknown. We know fear causes the fight-flight response in our body. It triggers our sympathetic nervous system, which causes muscles to tighten, labour to feel more painful and progress to slow. (I’ll have to write a full blog article about that process!). In hypnobirthing, we address these fears, we look into where they come from and why our society fears birth. We look into what we need to do to have confidence in our body and our birth. Then we work to build a positive mindset around birth, to replace the fear. We learn evidence, tools, techniques and ways to manage pain, to handle any special circumstances that arise. So we can be prepared for any turns our birthing takes and be prepared, rather than afraid. This allows our body to work more efficiently, labour to feel more comfortable and a much better experience for us too.
Udal et al did a study on Women’s experiences with hypnobirthing – A qualitative study. They found:
Hypnobirthing classes offered a perspective on birth as a meaningful and existential event.
Knowledge of physiological processes gave women confidence and trust in their labouring body.
Hypnosis techniques helped maintain a focus on the birthing process and a sense of control.
The preparations resulted in a good childbirth experience, regardless of the course of events.
You can read it here.
Evidence
A 2016 Cochrane review examining hypnosis during childbirth found that women using hypnobirthing techniques had reduced need for pain medication compared to control groups.
In a 2013 randomized controlled trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, participants in the hypnobirthing group were significantly less likely to request an epidural than those receiving standard antenatal care.
A 2020 meta-analysis published in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth found that hypnosis-based childbirth preparation (including hypnobirthing) was associated with shorter first stages of labor—meaning less time spent in the early, most uncomfortable phase. However, these effects were modest and varied by study design, so while not guaranteed, a shorter labor is a possibility.
Perhaps one of the most significant and consistent findings is that hypnobirthing improves the emotional experience of childbirth.
In a 2015 qualitative study from the UK, women who used hypnobirthing described their labor as more calm, in control, and positive. These subjective experiences are backed by studies showing lower anxiety scores among hypnobirthing mothers.
Hospital-based evaluations in NHS settings (such as Birmingham Women’s Hospital) have reported that women who took hypnobirthing courses often felt more confident, less fearful, and more satisfied with their birth experience.
Importantly, there's no evidence hypnobirthing harms outcomes for babies. Birth weights, Apgar scores, and neonatal admissions are not negatively affected—meaning parents can feel reassured that choosing hypnobirthing is safe from a medical standpoint.
It is important to realise there is a huge variation to this research and it’s relevance too. As this evidence covers all different methods of ‘hypnobirthing.‘ Some might be based on one or 2 hours of mindfulness, others based on a whole hypnobirthing course.
Hypnobirthing Australia® Positive Birth Program
It is important to know The Positive Birth Program, that I teach is a comprehensive birth education course. So you learn the relaxation and pain relief tools and techniques but also decision-making, birth partner support, interventions, process of labour and so much more. I
Hypnobirhting Australia® has documented outcomes from this course, showing:
52% decrease in non-elective caesarean sections
40% decrease in morphine use
32% decrease in epidural use
15% decrease in inductions
22% increase in spontaneous birth
22% decrease in gas use
80% of parents felt prepared for birth
90% of parents felt empowered for birth
90% of parents felt excited for birth
100% would recommend the course
You can view these outcomes here.
If you want to know more about hypnobirthing or The Positive Birth Program you can see my course options here or book in an info session to learn more and see if this course is right for you.
