HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life [Paperback]

Marie F. Mongan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0966351711 | ISBN-13: 978-0966351712 | Publication Date: April 16, 1998

A definitive guide to a unique method of relaxed, natural childbirth, enhanced by hypnosis techniques, providing the missing link, that allows women to call upon their natural instincts to bring about a safer, easier, more comfortable birthing in the way that most mirrors nature.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Many of my patients have used the HypnoBirthing Method--results: little or no medication..." -- Gerald A. Hamilton, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

This is magnificent! I'll get up in the middle of the night for this kind of delivery any day of the week. -- Wayne L. Goldner, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

About the Author

Marie Mongan, M.Ed., M.Hy., HBCE of Concord, N.H. is an award-winning hypnotherapist who brings to her classroom over thirty year's experience in education and counseling on the collegiate level and in the private sector.

She is a former college dean, who early in her career, was named one of five outstanding educational leaders in New Hampshire, and awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship to Harvard University.

In the spring of 1992 she traveled to Moscow as an American diplomat with The Bridges for Peace Foundation, where she taught personnel management techniques to Russian women.

Marie(best known as "Mickey") is licensed by the State of New Hampshire as a counselor and is certified as a hypnotherapist, hypnoanesthesiologist, and instructor of hypnotherapy. She holds several awards for distinguished service and achievement in the field and is the 1995 recipient of the National Guild of Hypnotists President's Award. Her practice includes group and individual work in a wide spectrum of therapy applications.

Mickey is the mother of four children, all born in the late 50s and early 60s. She experienced all four labors using the techniques of Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, the pioneer in the field of natural childbirth, upon whose work Mickey has based HypnoBirthing. Two of her birthings were entirely free of anesthesia at a time when it was unheard of. Her book,

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Rivertree Hypnosis Inst (April 16, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966351711
• ISBN-13: 978-0966351712
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, but meant to be used with other course materials, December 3, 2001

By 

Tanya Fox (Thousand Oaks, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life (Paperback)

I highly recommend Marie Mongan's HypnoBirthing course, which I took in Februrary 2000. I had a painless 18-20 hour labor. I did feel pain for the first "surges" when I was home, as I scrunched my eyeballs, went into the fetal position and tensed my entire body. But as soon as I relaxed my entire body and went limp like a rag doll (as I learned to do by listening to the Rainbow Relaxation tape every day for a month prior to my due date) the pain stopped. Any time I felt a surge, I stopped what I was doing, leaned over, relaxed and breathed deeply. I never asked for or needed an epidural. At times, I also felt endorphins, which the book claims is the bodies "natural anesthesia." My son's labor (our first baby) was a wonderful, transformative, spiritual experience and I cannot wait to go through labor and give birth again.

This book (with a number of relaxation/self-hypnosis exercises to be practiced alone or with a partner) is a course workbook to be used in conjunction with course materials. When I read it, it occurred to me it would have made little sense without the benefit of taking the class. Note, however, that the author is the first person to admit that it was never meant to be a stand-alone book.

Another book I highly recommend is CHILDBIRTH WITHOUT FEAR by the late, great Dr. GRANTLY DICK-REED. One of the refreshing things about Marie Mongan is that she credits Dr. Dick-Reed with inspiring her to create the HypnoBirthing program. Dr. Dick-Reed's book (unfortunately out of print, but I found it at my local library) explains in greater detail all aspects of labor and delivery (actually the best description I have ever read.) He is the one who theorized that releasing fear and tension during labor is what enables women around the world to have a painless labor/birth experience. Reading THAT book will help to understand and appreciate Marie Mongan's book (especially if you don't have a HypnoBirthing practioner near you) and the other course materials she created.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for all moms-to-be, June 8, 2000

By 

"brooke_g" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life (Paperback)

This book is wonderful! It explains the process of hypnobirthing completely. It is easy to understand and is written well. The author explains how women experience pain in childbirth only because we are conditioned to think its necessary. Marie Mongan elaborates on this theory, the "Curse of Eve", as she calls it. After reading this book I definitely felt more confident about my pending birth of my second child, and I am more relaxed in my day-to-day events.

She explains how we are affected by stress and fear, how it works against our body's natural flow of labor. This book also explains techniques for relaxing and for inducing self-hypnosis. It also includes the different stages of labor and different sections for your birthing partner. It is not intended to be the only source if you choose this type of birthing process, you should also consult a therapist who is knowledgeable in hypnobirthing. She even has a website for more information!

I definitely recommend this book for any mom-to-be, especially if your first birthing experience was not what you wanted for yourself and your baby.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IT WORKS. PERIOD., May 28, 2004

By 

A. Warfield (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: HypnoBirthing: A Celebration of Life (Paperback)

I was a skeptic. But with my first pregnancy, I had so many problems with drugs *not working*. The epidural wore off. Twice. And the third time it never took. I had other drugs on top of it, and they ran through me like water. The doctor said my adrenaline was running so high, it didn't seem like anything would take. And when it finally came time to push, I was so exhausted, they had to use forceps to keep me from a c-section. And I felt every bit of it.

So with the second pregnancy, I knew better than to rely on drugs. I had to learn how to deal with it on my own. At first, I was panicked. And then I read this book. I thought they were crazy. But what the heck - I gave it a try. I labored at home for 18 hours without even having to call my doula yet. My husband watched football playoff games!!! But be careful - you can cut it too close! I genuinely felt very little pain! But if I had it to do over again, I would have gotten to the hospital just a bit sooner, because my daughter was born only 20 minutes after I got in my hospital bed! I was not in near the amount of pain after delivery, my daughter was very alert, and best of all, I had - I still can't believe I'm saying this - a WONDERFUL labor and delivery. It reaffirmed for me what we are really capable of handling - not just having handed to us, but *handling*.