News and Information

Jessica Alba has some unique advice for other expectant moms. The 30-year-old actress recommends "hypnobirthing classes" -- which are increasingly popular among pregnant women. Hypnobirthing involves the use of hypnosis during childbirth. "It's different for everyone, although I do recommend the hypnobirthing classes," Alba told Us Weekly on Monday at the RIMOWA store opening in Beverly Hills. "I highly recommend it. It just makes you chill." The actress wasn't quite so "chill" before the birth of daughter Honor Marie, 2: "I was freaked out going into it my first time going into labor. Like what if I panic? What if I just freak out and I don't know what to do?" So is the second pregnancy easier for Alba? "Oh yeah! But a little bit harder on the body because my daughter still wants to be picked up. Ever since my belly popped, she really is on me!"...

Expectant mothers at a hospital in Greater Manchester will be able to try hypnobirthing, as part of an NHS trial. Tameside General Hospital is introducing the technique to women who want to take part. Studies have found self-hypnosis, which started in the United States, allows many women to give birth without pain, and without gas and air, it said. Women are not distracted from the pain but learn how to stay calm so their muscles relax. Full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-13451637...

Investigators from Marquette University’s Nurse-Midwifery Program in Milwaukee examined the physiological and psychological effects of hypnosis on healthy women. A sample of 30 healthy, female volunteers, not pregnant, predominantly White and college students listened to a 30-minute recording of relaxing, affirming hypnotic suggestions while sitting comfortably in a recliner. Hypnotizability and trait anxiety were measured at baseline. Tension-anxiety was measured at baseline and following the hypnotic induction. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and heart rate variability were collected before, during, and following the hypnosis. Paired t tests revealed significantly reduced heart rate (p<.001), respiratory rate (p<.001), low-to-high frequency heart rate variability ratio (p<.001), and tension-anxiety (p<.001), whereas high frequency heart rate variability was increased (p<.001) after the 30-minute hypnotic session. The researchers conclude that hypnosis is an innovative, low-technology, self-modulating approach that may well contribute to stress reduction and health promotion. Parameters demonstrated increased parasympathetic nervous system activity associated with relaxation...

Researchers from University Hospital Basel in Switzerland compared the immediate effects of brief guided imagery and relaxation exercises - two active and one passive 10-min relaxation technique - on prenatal stress in a randomized, controlled trial with 39 healthy pregnant women.

Wife of New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen delivered her son Benjamin in a Boston bathtub in a water birth, claiming that after an 8 hour labor she experienced no pain, and was walking and doing dishes the following day.NO DOUBT her supermodel status has brought attention to the circumstances of Gisele Bundchen’s delivery; however there is a growing number of women who now opt for a gentler way to bring a child into the world. Among the methods used during pregnancy are yoga, meditation, hypnosis and ultimately a water birth, in order to avoid the use of medication and epidurals that affect both mom and baby.According to the national center for health statistics approximately 1 percent of births in the United States occur at home. In their consumer publication, “your pregnancy and birth”, the American College of obstetricians and gynecologists describes the process of water births, even though...