![]() ![]() The benefits of hypnosis for pain relief during labour were tentatively supported in a 2010 Cochrane review of complementary and alternative therapies (CAM’s) which found that ‘acupuncture and hypnosis may be beneficial for the management of pain during labour’. In a large case matched study involving a total of 520 participants across six US states, women receiving antenatal hypnosis training were significantly less likely to need pharmacological analgesia (including epidurals) during labour when compared to controls receiving usual antenatal care. More contemporary studies using a variety of methodologies have produced mixed results. Hypnosis, in particular, has been used in maternity care for a number of years with case studies highlighting its benefits as an analgesic dating back to the late nineteenth century. Ī range of alternative pain relieving solutions has been proposed for labour including acupuncture, immersion in water and hypnosis. ![]() Women who have inadequate pain relief during labour are at increased risk of post-traumatic stress in the postnatal period but those who use epidural analgesia are, overall, less satisfied with their experience of labour and birth compared to those who do not. However, the link between effective pain relief and maternal satisfaction with labour is not straightforward. Although studies consistently show that many women would prefer to labour without pharmacological pain relief, the percentage of labouring women who actually receive medication for childbirth is rising steadily. The experience of labour pain is highly variable. The state of focused relaxation experienced by women using the technique needs to be recognized by providers if the intervention is to be implemented into the maternity service. The women in this study generally appreciated antenatal self-hypnosis training and found it to be beneficial during labour and birth. Occasionally women reported feeling frustrated or disappointed when their relaxed state was misinterpreted by midwives on admission or when their labour and birth experiences did not match their expectations. They found the intervention to be beneficial and used a range of novel strategies to personalize their self-hypnosis practice. Most respondents reported positive experiences of self-hypnosis and highlighted feelings of calmness, confidence and empowerment. Of the 343 women in the intervention group, 48 were invited to interview, and 16 were interviewed over a 12 month period from February 2012 to January 2013.Ĭoding of the data and subsequent analysis revealed a global theme of ‘unexpected consequences’, supported by 5 organising themes, ‘ calmness in a climate of fear’, ‘from sceptic to believer’, ‘finding my space’, ‘delays and disappointments’ and ‘personal preferences’. These were then used to develop a principal organizing metaphor or global theme, in a process known as thematic networks analysis. Following transcription, the interviews were analysed iteratively and emerging concepts were discussed amongst the authors to generate organizing themes. ![]() Those who consented were interviewed in their own homes 8–12 weeks after birth. Participants were randomly selected from the intervention arm of the study, which consisted of two antenatal self-hypnosis training sessions and a supporting CD that women were encouraged to listen to daily from 32 weeks gestation until the birth of their baby. As part of a randomized controlled trial of self-hypnosis for intra-partum pain relief (the SHIP Trial) we conducted qualitative interviews with women randomized to the intervention arm to explore their views and experiences of using self-hypnosis during labour and birth. There are very few data on women’s views and experiences of using hypnosis in this context. ![]() Previous studies have produced mixed results. Self-hypnosis is becoming increasingly popular as a means of labour pain management. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |