Preparation for birth with the hypnotherapeutic intervention programThe Peaceful Birth - HypnoBirth

Background: Various factors affect the way an expectant mother experiences the birth of her child. Birth-related expectations, fears, and stress play a significant role. Additionally, pain sensation during labor is a predominant factor in the overall experience of childbirth. Hypnosis is a well-known and effective method to reduce anxiety and pain. It has become increasingly popular in recent years as a method of childbirth preparation. The present study examines if the hypnosis online course "The Peaceful Birth" improves childbirth expectations and the birth experience itself. In addition, we investigate if the hypnosis online course improves well-being and reduces fear and stress throughout pregnancy and after birth. Method: Our study included 221 pregnant women who were pseudo-randomly assigned to a hypnosis and a control group. We provided participants in the hypnosis group with the hypnosis online course “The Peaceful Birth” for self-use throughout pregnancy, during childbirth, and beyond. The control group did not have access to the hypnosis online course. At four measurement points, we surveyed all study participants about various aspects of pregnancy and childbirth. We utilized standardized questionnaires, including the Wijma Delivery Expectancy/Experience Questionnaire to assess childbirth expectations and experiences, as well as the Perceived Stress Scale to measure stress experiences. Results: The data show that the hypnosis group perceived significantly less stress and childbirth expectations were significantly more positive compared to the control group after they started to use the hypnosis online course. Subjective health ratings in the hypnosis group improved significantly compared to the control group in the period before childbirth. Furthermore, women in the hypnosis group described the childbirth experience itself as significantly more positive concerning fear, loneliness, and self-efficacy. We show that the improvement of the childbirth experience is causally related to more positive childbirth expectations. However, there were no significant group differences in the experience of pain. Discussion: Our study demonstrates that the hypnosis online course “The Peaceful Birth” significantly improved both the anticipation and the actual childbirth experience. Our findings are in line with previous evidence showing the effectiveness of hypnosis-based childbirth preparation. The hypnosis online course is therefore an efficient low-threshold method to enhance the healthcare for expectant mothers.