There's a method of birthing which promises to be fear, IV, and anxiety free. It helps parents trust the birthing process and teaches mom and baby to work together as a unit.

HypnoBirthing, or the Mongan Method, is a philosophy of birthing that believes fear during childbirth is what makes labor so difficult. Think about it: when you're scared, your adrenaline rises, which creates a reaction in the body that's like the "fight/flight" response, which produces tension and pain.

Master hypnotist and HypnoBirthing teacher Stella Greenhalgh swears hypnobirthing is the only thing moms need to not just make it through labor, but to make birth the process it was meant to be.

ML: What is HypnoBirthing?
Stella: HypnoBirthing is a philosophy more than any specific technique. We strongly believe and teach that a gentle approach to pregnancy and childbirth produces calm, healthy babies. HypnoBirthing is a childbirth education based on the premise that nature "knows" what to do. Our mothers learn self-hypnosis and relaxation in addition to breathing techniques that promote calm and peaceful pregnancies.

ML: Can women really experience a pain-free birth naturally?
Stella: We don't promise a "pain-free birth," but we teach a woman to relax and let her birthing body take over, so she can experience a calm and stress-free birth. HypnoBirthing teaches women how to breathe and relax and trust her body to do what it was designed for, namely to conceive and birth her baby naturally.

ML: Why are we so afraid of birth?
Stella: Sadly our culture is filled with scary stories about how painful birth is. Most of us have learned to expect pain and misery when delivering our babies. Several popular TV shows depict birth as dramatic and painful. Our female relatives and friends often seem to rejoice in sharing birth horror stories. All of this, in addition to the medical profession's focus on things that can go wrong, leads us to begin expecting and believing birth must be horrible.

ML: What are the benefits of HypnoBirthing?
Stella: Moms learn to eliminate their fears, thereby promoting relaxation which leads to a calm and natural childbirth. Moms typically have a shorter recovery time and babies are not subjected to drug interventions and therefore come into the world alert and aware of their surroundings.

ML: What if Mom chooses to give birth in a hospital and the staff doesn't agree with the philosophy?
Stella: We teach our moms that they have rights and to question everything they don't agree with or don't understand. We also teach that Mom is wise to select a provider who is willing to discuss her preferences. Another thing to keep in mind: birth is not a timed sporting event. There is no such thing as a "too-slow birth." Mother and baby, working in harmony, know when the time is right.

ML: What are the biggest misconceptions about labor and delivery?
Stella: That it must be painful and dangerous and that it must take place in a hospital closely monitored by technology. Birth is treated like a medical emergency, which in most cases it is not. You can eat during labor and walk around, take a bath or a shower, and change position any time Mom needs to. There is no reason to be tied up in a bed -- in fact, birthing on your back is counterproductive. It's much more reasonable to make use of gravity.

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