Now that Barbara Kremm has tried hypnobirthing, she said she won't do it any other way.

The Clark mother of two recently delivered her youngest daughter, Allyson Elizabeth, on Jan. 16 using hypnobirthing.

"I felt it was a really good experience," said Mrs. Kremm, who nearly four years ago delivered her older daughter, Abigail, by the traditional method. "It was different from regular birthing because it really helped you get relaxed and focused."

Mrs. Kremm said during her first birth, she didn't relax.

"It was always intense, from the first contraction to the last," she said.

Using hypnobirthing the second time gave her confidence, she said.

"Birthing is hard. My first one wasn't the best experience. It was not the experience I wanted. But the second one was, because I had confidence in myself."

According to the philosophy of hypnobirthing, childbirth does not have to be a painful or frightening experience.

Laurie Joanow, a certified hypnotherapist, teaches a weekly class in hypnobirthing at UPMC Horizon's Womancare Center in Hermitage. The class is based on the book "Hypnobirthing: A Celebration of Life" by Marie F. Mongan, the woman who first developed the concept of hypnobirthing.

"It's a childbirth education method, or a philosophy which encourages profound relaxation for comfort during labor," Mrs. Joanow said.

Hypnobirthing is different from typical childbirthing classes, which normally take place during the last six weeks of a pregnancy. Hypnobirthing classes can begin when a woman is in her second trimester. An expectant mother can take both hypnobirthing and traditional childbirth classes.

Much of the concept of hypnobirthing revolves around calming fears about childbirth. Mrs. Mongan said in her book that fear leads to tension, which leads to a difficult and painful childbirth. She said women experience pain because they expect to have pain.

When practicing hypnobirthing, a mother lets her body go into deep relaxation, something that has to be practiced, Mrs. Joanow said.

"It's controlled relaxation, but you have to let go of control. It's a paradox," Mrs. Joanow said. "You're letting your body do the work, you're letting your uterus do the work. The uterus, being a muscle, is not going to work effectively unless the rest of you relaxes."

During a hypnobirthing class, Mrs. Joanow teaches her students to relax through hypnosis. She also shows them techniques for light-touch massage and talks to them about childbirth myths and childbirth experiences in other cultures.

"We talk a little bit about our cultural attitude toward labor," Mrs. Joanow said. "People are willing to tell you horrible stories about birth, but there are so many positive stories about birth."

Each student has a copy of Mrs. Mongan's book and audiotapes they can listen to at home to practice self-hypnosis.

"We go over a couple of different breathing techniques to practice daily," Mrs. Joanow said. "We do hypnosis for profound relaxation and we do a "fear release" script. We take fears from other experiences and do hypnosis sessions where you release fear."

Although a mother using hypnobirthing may be in a very relaxed state, she can still be alert and interact with doctors, nurses and family members.

"You're not out of it. You're not a zombie. You can be very able to interact with a nurse," Mrs. Joanow said. "(Some people) think, 'If I'm in hypnosis no one will be able to talk to me.' That's not the case."

A mother under self-hypnosis can even opt to use pain medication along with hypnobirthing.

"It doesn't prevent you from using intervention. You can use traditional pain medication and technology along with hypnosis," Mrs. Joanow said.

Mrs. Kremm, however, did not opt for pain medication, although she said her birth was not completely pain-free.

"I did it completely natural, no medication. It's better for breast-feeding and gets the baby off to a healthy start," Mrs. Kremm said. "I wanted my baby not to be in any danger in any way ... my body provided me with the medicine I needed."

Nurses, midwives and other medical personnel don't have to be specially trained to deal with a patient using hypnobirthing, but they can learn methods to support the patient.

Hypnobirthing also involves the woman's childbirth partner. A woman's birthing partner can bring her back into focus if she gets distracted.

"They're more than a coach, they're a true partner," Mrs. Joanow said. "The partners really like it because they feel they can participate."

The most recent hypnobirthing class at the Womancare Center has ended, but Mrs. Joanow has tentative plans to offer the class again. The class is composed of four two-hour sessions.