Some Women Giving HypnoBirthing a Try

Some Women Giving HypnoBirthing a Try
Written by DEENA CENTOFANTI
For FOX 2 News
Published Tuesday, 25 Aug 2009, 6:06 PM EDT



For many women, pregnancy and childbirth can be a struggle. While conventional medicine can offer hope through infertility treatments, some women are using alternative methods to get pregnant and deliver their babies.

Some local mothers are saying forget the drugs. Instead, take the pain and fear out of giving birth with hypnosis. This is what Tasha Schurgin believes helped her through 36 hours of labor. It's called HypnoBirthing, a type of hypnosis that teaches pregnant women how to get past the pain.

"It just gave me the confidence to go through the process without using any drugs or anything. I just wanted a natural, healthy pregnancy and delivery," said Schurgin.

"When you're looking at natural childbirth, it's just so much better for mom and baby, and if you have a calm and relaxed mother throughout the entire pregnancy, you are actually growing a calm and relaxed baby," said hypnotherapist Pauline Rzepecki.

Rzepecki teaches moms to be to follow the natural instinct that comes with childbirth. Using deep relaxation, visualization and self hypnosis, she says she takes the fear out of labor.
Juanelle Degiulio tried fertility treatments for years, but believes it's hypnotherapy that helped her get pregnant.

"I went through, I think it was four, four accelerated sessions with Pauline, and then here we are with twins and we're very excited," Degiulio said.

"But switching the affirmations that they may be saying to themselves, 'I'll never get pregnant', to 'I do have a fertile body'," Rzepecki said.

There's no scientific proof that hypnotherapy treats infertility, but Beaumont fertility specialist Dr. William Keye says it can't hurt.

"Hypnosis can change body chemistry, body's hormones, the body's immune response, so it wouldn't be surprising that in some situations that hypnosis could be of some value," Keye said.
Schurgin says she looks at her baby girl and needs no other proof to know that HypnoBirthing does work. "It was definitely a long process, but it was well worth it," she said.

To learn more about HypnoBirthing, visit http://www.hypnobirthing.com/.