Hypnosis has been used to control pain during labor and delivery for more than a century, but the introduction of chemo-anesthesia and inhalation anesthesia during the late 19th century led to the decline of its use. 
Hypnotherapy has been found to be effective in providing pain relief, reducing the need for chemical anesthesia. Hypnosis has also been helpful in both managing various complications of pregnancy (such as premature labor) and reducing the likelihood of premature labor and birth in high-risk patients. It has also has been effective in the treatment of hypertension associated with pregnancy and turning of breech babies (link to HB – Breech Babies) to the vertex presentation.  Hypnosis preparation reduces anxiety, fear and tension, which causes pain, reduces birth complications, and promotes a rapid recovery process. Hypnotic preparation thus provides the expectant mother with a sense of control and empowers her in managing her pregnancy and birth experience. Results are best when the Mom is introduced to hypnosis at least a few weeks before labor begins.  In this way she can practice the hypnosis skills she will need during her birthing.  However, introduction at any time is better than not using hypnosis at all. 
             More and more, scientific studies are showing the usefulness and effectiveness of hypnosis in childbirth.  The mind/body connection is extremely strong and powerful and this connection can be used to enhance and ease a woman's birthing experience. A study by University of Florida researchers (August 2000) found that learning self-hypnosis actually gives a patient greater control over the stress, anxiety and pain of medical operations and childbirth. They concluded that women who learn hypnosis before delivering babies suffer fewer complications, need less medication and are more likely to have healthier babies than are women without hypnosis. In 1990 the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and Waukesha Memorial Hospital studied the benefits of hypnotic analgesia as an adjunct to childbirth education.  They found that hypnotically prepared births had shorter Stage 1 labors (the opening and thinning phase), less medication, higher Apgar scores, and more frequent spontaneous deliveries as well as lower incidents of post-partum depression.
            A Retrospective study was conducted by Shawn Gallagher in Canada in 2001 to assess the effects of prenatal hypnotherapy classes on the length of labor, use of pain medication, intervention rates, maternal pain perception and maternal satisfaction.  The results showed that women who were prepared with hypnosis had shorter labors, used less pain medication, had lower intervention rates, and perceived their births as being very satisfactory and would recommend using hypnosis to other women.   The birth partners were also trained in how to use additional hypnosis support during the birthings. 
            A study published in The Journal of Family Practice, May 2001, evaluated how childbirth preparation incorporating hypnotic techniques affected the labor processes and birth outcomes of pregnant adolescents ( a population with it's own unique set of birthing concerns ). The study provides support for the use of hypnosis to aid in preparation of obstetric patients for labor and delivery. It showed a reduction of complications, surgery (C-Sections), and hospital stay which reflects a direct medical benefit to mother and child and suggests the potential for a corresponding cost-saving benefit. As early as 1993 studies were showing a reduction in the length of labor when the Mom was prepared for birth with hypnosis. This study was published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.