Hypnobirthing Reunion
by May Pat Mulholland, BirthLink parent member
Reprinted from BirthLink Community News, vol. 3, June 2000

....I recently attended a reunion for the parents in the hypnobirthing group and it just reaffirmed our belief in the hypnosis process. It was a group of parents and babies that were so calm and happy about their birthing experience. There were stories about difficult births but none of the usual "sharing of horror stories". My husband and I met Elly Laser after watching a Dateline special on birthing and hypnosis and we were very skeptical but wanted to give it our best shot. Needless to say it worked like a charm and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is pregnant. Through Elly's graceful and patient guidance, we were able to learn the techniques which enabled us to stay PERFECTLY calm during our entire experience.

....After my water broke, I didn't go into labor and was admitted into the hospital about 18 hours later to be induced. I was nervous about being induced but as soon as I got into "the hypnosis zone" it was as if I was somewhere on vacation. The doctors and nurses were amazed at how calm, coherent and relaxed I was throughout my labor and apparently I hardly even uttered a word. I wasn't without pain but it was just completely
manageable. I remember that everyone wanted to come in and relax in our labor/delivery room because the atmosphere was so serene. More importantly, I had very serious complications after the birth which involved surgery. Once I started to get back into the "hypnosis zone", I was able to relax and focus on my recovery. Without Elly's training, I would have spent a lot more time in the hospital. It was amazing!