Think Labor Will Hurt?

"My mom had two very traumatic birth experiences. She had a placental abruption with me, and possibly placenta previa. She hemorrhaged and was certain one or both of us would die. My sister was a double footling breech. In labor, things became even more complicated, as my sister's arm was up over her head. They finally gave my mom general anesthesia to get my sister out," relates Mary Jane Shroyer, 29, from Corvallis, OR.

Fifteen years later, when Shroyer's mother was pregnant with her third child, she was understandably terrified. Her doctor suggested hypnosis to help her overcome her fear. "The hypnotic suggestion was that she wouldn't feel much pain," says Shroyer. "In the end, she was induced with pitocin and managed it all drug free. I said I was amazed since pitocin contractions are usually so painful, and she said, 'Oh it hurt like hell! But it was never any more than I could bear, and in 60 seconds [each contraction] was over.'"

Hypnosis is gradually becoming more accepted as a reliable way to treat actual physical pain and the emotional fear and anxiety that accompany it. "These dimensions of pain interact with one another. High anxiety can exacerbate the pain experience and a relaxed, confident, comfortable state can make the pain seem less severe and more manageable," explains Dr. Aubrey Immelman, associate professor of psychology at St. John's University in Minnesota.

Based on her mother's experience, Shroyer considered hypnosis for herself. "Let's face it," she says, "we are all afraid of the pain factor – especially if it's your first, since you have no idea what to expect." Ultimately, Shroyer decided to take a Bradley class and focus on the relaxation techniques practiced there. During the last three months of her pregnancy, she also listened to tapes "that I think were a form of self-hypnosis."

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