The pain of labour could be eased for some Medway mothers with the introduction of a new technique called hypnobirthing

It uses relaxation and self-hypnosis during the birth process to control pain, and other hospitals have reported a rise in number of women wanting to attend classes.

New classes are to be offered by hypnobirthing practitioners Hypnobambinos from September at City Way Health Clinic in Rochester – and hypnotherapist Barbara Seal expects classes will be booked up quickly.

“There really isn’t anyone doing hypnotherapy in Rochester and Medway,” she said. “I think people want to have more alternative therapies available.

“In Medway there are really limited antenatal resources, so people are looking to do it privately.

“Without having done any marketing it’s already busy - we’ve already got people booked for the courses. It shows there’s a real demand.”

Mum of three Barbara decided to help other mums after being taught relaxation techniques by a friend which had a real positive impact on her last birth – and said hypnobirthing was recognised and respected in the same was as established disciplines like osteopathy.

She will also be working alongside fellow practitioners Danielle Ruaux and Penny Lazell of Medway based health company Health Visitor 4 U.

The company says classes will give parents information on pregnancy and birth, and teach expecting mums how to relax so that giving birth can be easier, safer and “empowering.”

In some cases, mums using hypnobirthing have even reported totally painless births, whereas others report feeling pain but feeling more able to cope with it.

However, debate around its usefulness is likely to continue.

The SHIP trial – a recent study which looked at 680 pregnant women, published in May – concluded that self hypnosis made no difference to whether someone was likely to require an epidural proceure during childbirth.

For more information, or to book a session, visit www.hypnobambinos.co.uk