There are many ways to get through the pain of childbirth. One of the less conventional options is the use of hypnotherapy. When it's used in this way, it's often called hypnobirthing. It's based on the premise that most of the pain related to the labor and birth process is based on stress and fear. If those elements are removed, most of the pain will also be removed. If the pain does not go away completely, it will be strongly lessened. How long the labor takes and whether surgical interventions are needed can also be impacted by hypnotherapy.

There has been research done into this practice. Some of the studies have shown no effect while others have shown that pain is reduced. Like many other treatments or pain-reducing options, how effective it is may depend on the person using it. The idea was used as far back as 1942 when a book called Childbirth Without Fear was published. It discussed hypnotherapy as a viable option for women who wanted to avoid pharmacological options to reduce their pain and stress during the birth of their children. Without fear and stress, it was argued that there would be significantly less pain. 

Hypnotherapy is not for everyone. Some women don't want to take the risk of having too much pain during labor and delivery, so they opt for medications to keep the pain at bay. Other women choose to use hypnotherapy so they don't have to introduce medications into their bloodstream. Since these medications can travel to the baby, this makes sense.

If hypnotherapy works well and helps the woman to feel more confident and in control during the labor and delivery, there's no reason not to use it. There are no side effects to it, so there isn't any risk of a medication interaction or the opportunity to cause or exacerbate another health problem. It is important, however, to make sure your doctor feels you're healthy enough to have your baby without medication, as the strain it can put on the body is not always safe for every woman.