Women's experiences with hypnobirth - A qualitative study.
Tiril Uldal, Marita Strand Østmoen, Bente Dahl, Idun Røseth
Sexual & reproductive healthcare : official journal of the Swedish Association of Midwives September 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100890 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 9 |
| Population | Women who used hypnobirth during childbirth |
| Intervention | Hypnobirth |
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Childbirth experience Hypnobirth Mental preparation Qualitative study Self-hypnosis |
| Key findings | The participants described experiencing an empowered birth through the knowledge, coping strategies, and mental training gained in hypnobirth classes. They reported greater sense of control, ownership of their birth, and meaningful active participation, and the authors report that trust in their ability to give birth was pivotal to birth satisfaction, leading women to wish for mental birth preparation in public health services. |
Abstract
Hypnobirth is a technique that incorporates elements from hypnosis and is used to prepare women for birth. It aims to promote a normal birth and create a positive birth experience by equipping women with knowledge and tools to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain during labor. The objective of this study was to investigate women's experiences in using this technique during childbirth. Qualitative study with nine in-depth interviews, analysed using a descriptive phenomenological method. The women changed their perspective on birth and got to know their inherent resources. They acquired various coping strategies and techniques that enhanced their sense of control. The women gained ownership of their birth and found their active participation to be meaningful. They were informed of different options concerning their birth which made it possible to make informed decisions. The participation in hypnobirth classes, and personal experience from giving birth, made women wish for integration of mental birth preparation in the public health service, thus strengthening women's trust in ther ability to give birth, which was pivotal to the participants' birth satisfaction. The participants experienced an empowered birth because of the knowledge, coping strategies and mental training they gained from hypnobirth classes.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Qualitative thematic analysis of the phenomenology of near-death experiences Cardiac arrest survivors | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 34 |
| Phenomenology and Sequelae of 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine Use Psychiatrists who had taken MDMA | 1992 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| A phenomenology of meditation-induced light experiences: traditional buddhist and neurobiological perspectives American Buddhist practitioners | 2014 | Qualitative study | |
| Evoking the ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports. Extreme sports participants across three continents, including BASE jumping, big wave... | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 15 |
| Phenomenology and content of the inhaled N, N-dimethyltryptamine (N, N-DMT) experience. Naturalistic inhaled N,N-DMT experiences posted to the r/DMT Reddit community | 2022 | Qualitative analysis | n = 3,778 |