Even though she’s now a royal, the Duchess of
Sussex will forever be a California girl. Just take a look at her all-natural birth plan:
a drug-free delivery, acupuncture treatments leading up to the birth and hypnobirthing.
But what is hypnobirthing? Is it giving birth while hypnotized? Not exactly.
Hypnobirthing is a term given to a collection of breathing, relaxation and positive affirmation techniques. The idea of it is to enter a deeply relaxed
state where your muscles aren't contracting, allowing you to give birth without fear and
pain.
You know that feeling when you are driving in a car
and you forgot the drive and you’re not sure how you got to your destination because you were
so zenned out to the music or a conversation? That’s the idea behind hypnobirthing -- an altered, natural state of relaxation in which you let the experience
take over, yet you are still completely in control.
An ancient concept, hypnobirthing was formalized back in 1920 by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician. Marie Mongan brought the technique to modern moms in 1992 with her book “Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method Book.” Many women, including celebrities like Jessica Alba, Busy Phillips and Angelina Jolie have used the method.
Some might consider this a "hippie" type of birth plan, but Meghan may have gotten the idea from the Duchess of Cambridge, who used hypnobirthing with all three of her children. Now we know why she appeared in front of St. Mary's Hospital looking as if she hadn't been in labor for five-plus hours.
Research shows why hypnobirthing is such a good choice: A 2012 Australian study found that among a group of hypnobirthers, the rate
of C-section was lower than the general population, only 51 percent used medication
during labor (with some participants expressing zero discomfort) and the length
of delivery was shorter. After birth, mothers were less anxious and only 2 of
the 81 participants reported postpartum depression, and it was mild at that.
So what is it really like to experience hypnobirthing? I used hypnobirthing for the birth of my second son (I had a C-section for my
first, but used the breathing techniques while I was on the operating table to
chill out) and it was incredible. It was a very low-pain experience – I was present,
but at the same time in a relaxed zone, like a really good yoga class.
Prior to
my births, I took classes, listened nightly to the relaxation CDs, and exercised
regularly, per the program. Preparation was key, as during contractions I could then let go and
allow my instincts to kick in. If anything, it helped me rewire my thinking that
the birth experience doesn’t equal pain, as Mongan teaches. I'm not into essential oils and the like but this worked for me and I would absolutely recommend this technique to anyone who asks.
Like any mom will tell you with birth plans, things change
and don’t always go according to plan, but at least Markle will have a solid set of tools no
matter what happens. Hopefully, all will go well and Markle’s hypnobirthing
experience will start a bigger trend in birthing. If she can sell out a coat in minutes, imagine what her influence can do with this!