Hypnobirthing isn’t often thought of as a useful tool for a more medical birth such as induction. Read on to find out why hypnobirthing can still come in handy.

I’m a firm believer that hypnobirthing tools are useful for any type of birth – from home to hospital, induction to caesarean. Being able to calm yourself, self-soothe and self-motivate is useful in any scenario. So is optimising your environment, asking questions and understanding your choices along with how you feel about it all.

The induction rate in Leeds, Yorkshire is around 38-42% every month (2024). This is mirrored all around the UK, some areas being higher and some lower. This has dramatically increased over the last 15 years or so, the reason being complex, but began with the hope of saving more birthers’ and baby’s lives. Whilst the intention is good, it’s had other implications on birth experiences in the UK.

The induction process can take multiple steps and four or more days to complete (if it’s successful). It can be tough on birther and baby and has risks of its own. Induction does need to be carefully considered for parents-to-be to know if it’s the right thing for them.

The reasons for offering induction might be due to a medical complication like pre-eclampsia, uncontrolled diabetes, fetal growth restriction or other medical conditions. Induction could also be offered for pregnancy variations such as going overdue, big babies, as well as maternal age and other factors (although these aren’t necessarily evidence-based or recommended by guidance).

Induction does interfere with birth experiences, but can also be managed well with some of the useful tools I’ll talk about below.

If you’d like more information on induction itself and the evidence, take a look at:

Dr Sarah Wickham

Dr Rachel Reed

Evidence Based Birth (Dr Rebecca Dekker)

Or book a hypnobirthing course with me to have a chat about it in-person or online.

How Can I Use Hypnobirthing for Induced Labour?

Coping Techniques

Calm breathing and sensory methods for self-soothing can be incredibly helpful at different points through labour. Relaxing helps support the body to produce endorphins (the body’s natural pain relief) which can help make labour so much more comfortable. 

Settle your nervous system into the oxytocin state by using the tools that specifically soothe YOU. Do you like a particular scent, robe, lighting, music or food that makes you feel comfortable and ‘at home’? Can you take into hospital some affirmations for motivation, baby clothes or comforter to help you see the end goal, or print some photos of you and your partner along with pets, family, meaningful places etc.

Does a particular TV programme or film comfort you? Think about what helps you cope with difficult things and see if you can integrate them into your hospital stay somehow. Surround your senses so you’re in a better place to relax. 

Optimising Environment

In a similar way to above, creating an environment for birth to thrive could help the process along and add to your comfort. The natural hormones needed for labour help the muscles to move and your body and baby to cope.

Here are a few things to consider:

Melatonin – Asking for the lights turning down or putting some fairy lights up can help the environment feel more cosy and a little less clinical.

Privacy – The medical staff will need to keep an eye on your and baby, but having too much going on around you could make you feel tense and uncomfortable. It’s okay to ask people to leave if you need a moment.

Movement – Even if you’re strapped up to monitoring through induction, an active labour when baby is close is important to enable baby to come down through the vagina. It might also be great for you to move for comfort – a birth ball can be a fantastic addition to your birth to be able to stay upright.

Advocating

Self-advocating involves standing up for yourself and what you want. This means giving every decision your context- for example, if you have a high BMI and you’d like to go into a birth pool but the hospital’s policy states that you shouldn’t, you can have a formal meeting with the head of midwifery to discuss and see what’s possible (side note: BMI does not equal health!)

A partner can also advocate for you and what you want / don’t want. For example, if you’ve talked about things before (hello, birth plan!) they can act as a middle-man to communicate with the midwife and suggest things that would help you to feel safe and calm.

This is why having a birth partner who you trust is key – they can help facilitate the birth you want!

Asking Questions

If you’re not sure of how you got to the decision of induction – think like an inquisitive toddler: ‘But why?’ is totally okay to ask.

You could also break down the decision to make it clearer by using the BRAIN technique:

B-Benefits of the intervention to birther and baby.

R– Risks of intervention to birther and baby.

A– Alternatives – what else can we do?

I– Intuition / instinct – how are you feeling about this?

N– Nothing – what happens if we do nothing for a few hours / days?

(Expectant management means watching an waiting and is a medical approach where staff monitor before intervention.)

Everyone has different limits with information – if you feel you have enough and you don’t want to go deeper, that’s absolutely fine. If you do, though, and have a scientific mind you could ask ‘what is the evidence?’ and have an open discussion about what is the most up-to-date evidence relevant to your proposed treatment. Also what is the actual risk the situation poses to you and to baby, in your context?

Knowing your choices

Gather some knowledge, whether that’s from a book, reputable online resources (see above) or a hypnobirthing / antenatal teacher you trust. You don’t have to be an expert, but knowledge IS power.

Will Hypnobirthing Benefit You?

People talk about a ‘hypnobirth’ but, if you ask me, there’s no particular way to birth your baby. The most important thing is that you’ve made an informed decision that you’re happy with, with the information that you have at the time. Of course it’s important that you and baby are safe, but it’s ALSO important that you’re listened-to and supported through that experience.

Does it surprise you that hypnobirthing also includes decision making tools? It’s totally dependant on the teacher and their course – so if you’d like to learn more about this, it’s worth asking before you book with someone!

Hypnobirthing can help you feel in control by showing you the techniques to keep yourself calm and comforted. There’s nothing that can guarantee a certain birth experience, but hypnobirthing could help arm you with valuable skills and knowledge.

Birth can be a beautiful event, it can also be a difficult and traumatic one. It may be beneficial to find some space to talk about your birth afterwards, when you’re ready, either in a community environment like a Children’s centre or baby class, or to a professional (find more information here at Make Birth Better). 

A positive birth experience is achievable along side induction methods! It all comes down to individualised care. And please remember – you don’t know what you don’t know! You can only make a decision with everything you have at the time, so please don’t be too hard on yourself!

Feel free to give me an email if you have any questions, or take a look at booking my private course to have a much deeper chat.