Hypno Birthing - The Mongan Method

Taking the Birthing World by CALM!

HypnoBirthing® - The Mongan Method is as much a philosophy as it is a technique. The concept ofHypnoBirthing® is not new, but rather a "rebirth" of the philosophy of birthing as it existed thousands of years ago and as it was recaptured in the work of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, an English obstetrician, who, in the 1920s, was one of the first to forward the concept of natural birthing. The method teaches you that, in the absence of fear and tension, or special medical circumstances, severe pain does not have to be an accompaniment of labor.

You will gain an understanding of how the birthing muscles work in perfect harmony--as they were designed to--when your body is sufficiently relaxed and you trust birth. You will learn how to achieve this kind of relaxation, free of the resistance that fear creates, and you will learn to use your natural birthing instincts for a calm, serene and comfortable birth.

When you have your baby with HypnoBirthing®, you will not be in a trance or a sleep. What you will experience is similar to the daydreaming, or focusing, that occurs when you are engrossed in a book or a movie or staring into a fire.


"We believe that every woman has within her the power to call upon her natural instincts to bring about the best possible birthing for her baby and herself" - Marie F. Mongan

You will be conversant and in good spirits--totally relaxed, but fully in control. Awake throughout, you will be aware of your body's surges and your baby's progress; but because you will have trained yourself to reach complete relaxation, you will be able to determine the degree and the manner in which you will feel the surges. You will experience birthing in an atmosphere of calm relaxation, free of the fear that prevents the muscles of your body from functioning as nature intended them to. In this calm state, your body's natural relaxant, endorphins, replaces the stress hormones that constrict and cause pain.

Trained HypnoBirthing® educators are successfully teaching women and their birthing companions to trust birth and release all fear and limiting thoughts. HypnoBirthing® practitioners can be found in 34 countries throughout the world.


"When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change." - Marie F. Mongan

FAQ - HypnoBirthing

What is HypnoBirthing?

HypnoBirthing is a childbirth method that focuses on preparing parents for gentle birth. In HypnoBirthing classes, you will learn proven techniques in a well-thought-out program of deep relaxation, visualization, and self-hypnosis. All of these are designed to help you achieve a more comfortable birth. HypnoBirthing encourages a calm, peaceful, and natural pregnancy, birth, and bonding experience for families.


How does HypnoBirthing differ from other childbirth preparation methods? How is the Birth Companion involved? Will I be unconscious or will I remember my birth experience? Will HypnoBirthing be useful to me if I don't opt for a natural childbirth or if circumstances necessitate medical intervention or a surgical birth? Is it true that I will experience a pain-free birth with HypnoBirthing? What if my doctor/midwife is not familiar with HypnoBirthing? How can my healthcare providers help me to achieve my HypnoBirthing goals?

FAQ - C-SECTION

Can HypnoBirthing be beneficial to someone who has special circumstances or who must have a C-section?

HypnoBirthing Is Beneficial to Moms Who Must Have A C-section
As a mother who must have C-sections I used the HypnoBirthing® techniques throughout my pregnancies with my two daughters, Samantha and Isabella; and HypnoBirthing® helped me in several different ways:

Prenatal Bonding - HypnoBirthing® encouraged me to connect with my unborn child. After having several traumatic pregnancies I found it hard to bond with my baby. By singing, talking, and being consciously aware of my child I found a positive connection to my baby. I wasn't living in the past I was engaging the present through various creative bonding techniques. HypnoBirthing® embraces the idea of prenatal bonding and this is helpful to ALL mothers.

Breathing Techniques - Why would I need to learn breathing techniques if having a C-section? The point of the breathing techniques for a mother having a C-section is to help slow the body down. Why do you want to do that? Nerves and stress can impact the mother's ability to take anesthesia and impact her surgery. Using the breathing techniques can help facilitate the body accepting the anesthesia easily. It allows a Mom to relax and use hypnosis effectively. Breathing deeply can be a quick way to calm oneself to be consciously present in the moment without stress. This is an effective tool for parenting, breast feeding, and life.

Rainbow Relaxation –The Rainbow Relaxation CD is the HypnoBirthing Program CD and it was created with the primary purpose of helping Mom to relax and be able to use her natural expulsive reflex. However, there are so many more ways in which the Rainbow CD is helpful. It can be used for prenatal bonding, getting better in tune with your body, and just relaxing. If you are relaxed before, during, and after surgery your recovery will be easier, quicker, and hopefully filled with less pain or no pain at all. Donald Curtis said "Relaxation means releasing all concern and tension and letting the natural order of life flow through one's being". The relaxation that this CD helps foster is a deep feeling of relaxation which is critical post birthing for being an effective parent and again with breast feeding.

Birth Preferences – You might think, “I am having a Cesarean Section so I have no Birth Preferences, right?” That is not true at all. In HypnoBirthing® we go over all of the various areas that a vaginal birth preference document incorporates. There is no reason that the same principles used to create a vaginal birth plan cannot be used for a C-section birth (Pre-Admission, Admission, Prior to Surgery, Surgery, Recovery, and Baby Options). If you must have a C-section, we encourage you to research your options for anesthesia, surgery, and recovery. There is even a family friendly gentle C-section procedure that was developed in England for OB's to use that mimics some of the sensations of a vaginal birth for the baby. We can provide you with that information to present to your doctor. Most of all we encourage open communication between you and your care providers. That includes your entire health team to include OB/GYN, Interns, Labor and Birthing Nurses, Anesthesiologist, and post care nurses.

Fear Release - In HypnoBirthing® we incorporate a fear release session to help mothers to leave their fears behind and feel empowered going into their births. Just because you are having a C-section does not mean you cannot be empowered. Having a baby can cause parents to have some serious fears. If you couple those fears with that of the major surgery of a C-section you have a parents who are stressed, worried, and not relaxed to welcome their baby into the world. Doing the HypnoBirthing® fear release exercise can open communication up between couples, allow them an opportunity to resolve concerns, and participate in an exercise that helps them to release their fears. Through releasing these fears we are able to have parents who are calm and confident. This is a solid base to begin their adventure into parenting.

Education - Through taking the HypnoBirthing® class parents are encouraged to investigate their choices in birthing. They are taught how to ask questions of the birthing team in a respectful manner while being clear that the birthing energy is their own. They are good parents first before being "good patients". Learning as much as possible is important when presented with a special circumstance or a surgical birth. Parents are exposed to options to help empower and educate them on alternative holistic approaches which can be beneficial. Some of these holistic approaches can include hypnotherapy, acupuncture, herbal remedies, prenatal massage, and even reiki.

Hypnotherapy can have a huge impact in helping a mother through a C-section and during recovery. Many HypnoBirthing practitioners are hypnotherapists themselves or are aware of hypnotherapists in their area to whom they can refer. This referral can help a mother in many ways. Parents who use hypnotherapy for pre- and post-surgery preparation find their anxiety is reduced. They are calm, and confident which promotes healing and a speedy recovery. Hypnosis will help to reduce pain and discomfort after surgery. It will help reduce bleeding during and after surgery which is helpful for mothers recovering from birth. Many moms report that it reduces the need for post operative drugs so they can breast feed without worry of drugs passing through to the baby. From a recovery perspective, I was able to walk after my C-sections between 3 and 5 hours after surgery. I had very little discomfort, and my incisions healed rapidly.

You don’t have to “go it alone” if you are facing a necessary C-section. HypnoBirthing® techniques will see you through in many ways.


Written by Sharon Gourlay, Lancaster, Ohio