In order to examine the benefits resulting from the use of hypnosis in obstetrics, 21 infants delivered with the help of this technic were studied clinically and biochemically and compared with infants born under various types of analgesia and anesthesia. Of the 21 babies, 20 were in excellent clinical condition at birth. This was not significantly different from the incidence found in a regional anesthesia group. Biochemical analysis of cord blood samples were also similar in most groups and consistent with mild to moderate asphyxia present in all the infants. However, serial determinations of the acid-base status during the first hour of life showed a significantly greater ability of the hypnosis group of babies to recover from the asphyxia of birth, as compared to the non-hypnosis infants including a non-medicated regional anesthesia group.