Hypnobirthing

[sntm]

A friend of mine used this and recommended it. Thinking about signing up for a class. This is SO's first baby though and I'm not sure what he will think about it - it seems a little out there for him (his first question was how many yoga-instructor dads named Sven would be there!)

I took a generic childbirth class with my first and got through essentially unmedicated labor but this will be planned homebirth most likely. I want to be calmer for this one if I can - part of that will be experience, but if I truly can relax more with this, then it will be worth it. But, I also don't want to be too artificial about the whole thing. e.g., I could never do Lamaze breathing because it feels too forced.

So, thoughts from people who've taken the classes? Or used it for their births?

[buttercup]

I got the CD set for use with my second child. I could not really get on board with the whole thing--I'm a very skeptical, analytical type person (personality flaw, really) but I must say the CDs were really great for relaxing and falling asleep. I made it through maybe the second out of 6 or 7 CDs. That said, I did end up having an amazing all-natural childbirth, and some of the "tools" in my little bag were sort of hypno-birthing related...I am about to sell the whole set on ebay now and am still ambivalent about its value. Definitely in the "it did not hurt" category. My daughter's birth was quite amazing though, and very different from my son's 7 years ago, so to the extent the CDs helped even a little with that, it was $$ well spent.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I didn't but I feel that my prenatal yoga really made a difference with ds2. I spent most of labor (except the last 15 minutes, probably) sitting and taking deep breaths during contractions. When things really started to hurt I added some toning, as taught in my yoga class- maaaa, ahhhh, ohhhh. I felt a little silly doing it but it felt really good. I have always heard that you should try and relax your face when you have a contraction because if you concentrate on that relaxing, it helps the rest of your body un-tense. Still having a contraction but it's easier to handle if you aren't fighting it. Anyway, I know not hypnobirthing but it worked well and was easy. :) I wasn't really keen on the "surges", visualization and other hypnobirthing things I have heard just because I don't usually operate that way. But, I know people really have success. GL!!!

Beth

[mctlaw]

I am also really interested in feedback on this. I have a book on it and while I practiced some of the relaxtion scripts on my own the first time around, DH was not interested enough in it to practice with me or be of any help in that regard in the delivery room. This time around, I am considering hiring a HB-certified doula so I can do it more seriously. Please keep the comments/experiences coming, if there are any. :)

[essnce629]

I'd do HypoBabies over Hypnobirthing. http://hypnobabies.com/

Hypnobirthing focuses just on the hypnosis part of childbirth, while HypnoBabies is a full childbirth education program that covers not just hypnosis, but also nutrition, excercises, and all the different choices/interventions in the birthing process. For your SO who hasn't been at a birth before, I think the educational part is extremely important. Also, HypnoBabies teaches "eyes wide open" hypnosis cues so that you can keep your eyes open and continue to change positions and walk around while still remaining in hypnosis. Hypobirthing hypnosis is usually just in a supported seated or laying down position.

As a doula, I've been to several HypnoBabies births that have been amazing-- super calm and relaxed (nurses thought moms weren't even in labor or just in early labor, but all were 6+ cm and very active). My good friend from college did the HypnoBabies home study course with her first pregnancy and ended up giving birth in her kitchen randomly while her DH packed the car since her contractions never seemed very strong/regular to her and she was waiting for them to get more intense. I've heard this several times with HypnoBabies births.

Good luck!!!

[sntm]

I didn't even realize there was a difference :) There are classes for both in my area. Does the class offer that much more than the home study? I'm more apt to do things on my own time, though a class may be better for SO (cuz I'm not sure he'd pay much attention otherwise!)

I'd be more inclined if they had cram sessions. Rather devote a whole day or weekend than try to work in multiple classes over weeks.

I'm an analytical person too. I'm the one in yoga class who is groaning and rolling her eyes when the teacher talks about summoning energy from your spleen. My first labor I got through basically by sheer force of will, not by any great strategy to help with the pain.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I'm an analytical person too. I'm the one in yoga class who is groaning and rolling her eyes when the teacher talks about summoning energy from your spleen. My first labor I got through basically by sheer force of will, not by any great strategy to help with the pain.

That's why I wasn't sure Hypnobirthing was for me. But, that yoga breathing (sans imagery, meditation...) worked great. :)

Beth

[wifecat]

I read the Hypnobirthing book and listened to a cd with my first - really not that helpful.

With my second I did Hypnobabies and it was amazing. Truly. I gave birth at a birth center and Hypnobabies helped me be so calm and focused that I got through transition without knowing it. My midwives had NO idea I was that far along (I was about 4-5cm when they checked me when I got there at 9am - at noon I was like, "I need to push now" to my husband and he ran out into the hallway to find my midwife. When the midwife came in, he was like, "Well, we'll check you, but..." and he checked and sure enough, I was right!). That was actually a HUGE thing I learned from Hypnobabies - I'm right. My body is right. It knows what it's doing and I can trust it. I labored standing up, didn't want anyone to touch me, and I was very clear about my wishes, even literally pushing someone away from me while I was in the middle of a contraction (this is TOTALLY not my personality). I labored the way my body needed to labor, I pushed the way my body needed to push (standing up for part of it, which really freaked out my midwife but I was like "THIS is what I need to DO."

I was absolutely present and focused and my husband, basically the bystander to my son's birth, was like, "You make natural childbirth look really easy." I will not say it was easy - it was work - but it was a controlled progressive work that was never overwhelming.

And, Hypnobabies helped me sleep better while pregnant. I'd do it for that alone!

[Simon]

I have heard much better things about hypnobabies and that is the program I have considered searching out. I have unusual birthing situations, so I have not invested in it yet.

From his comment, it sounds like you may also need to work to get SO into understanding more, in general, about being a good birthing partner. There is a book that really helped Dh and I have good discussions. I think it was this one:
The Birth Partner: Everything You Need to Know to Help a Woman Through Childbirth by Penny Simkin

[buttercup]

I should add that it was the hypnobabies cd set that I bought/not used--did not realise there was another. My DH was not at all involved in the process nor was he educated in the hypno-thing. I knew I had to birth the baby myself and thus I equipped myself accordingly. I asked him to kindly go along and also remind me of a couple of things when in the thick of it (turned out not to be necessary after all)..

[KLD313]

I bought the hyonobabies home study course. The CD's were awesome, I never felt so rested in my life listening to them. I did the program faithfully but my BF didn't do any of it. I would recommend your SO getting involved because I think it would have been successful for me if I had more support from him. I ended up with complications and instead of birthing at the birthing center I ended up in the hospital strapped to a bed on pitocin. I was in so much pain and couldn't get up to help relieve the pain and my whole plan went to hell. I tried to do it but I remember the nurse saying do your hypnobabies and me saying screw hypnobabies I'm dying over here. Lol. So, somehow it all got away from me. I would recommend hypnobabies over hypnobirthing I thinkmit's more comprehensive and I really enjoyed it.

[daisymommy]

Hopefully Beth (Brittone) will see this, as I know she used it 1-2x with great success! Also, Eileen (mudder) used it as well with great success.

[brittone2]

nak
Hi there!

I used Hypnobirthing (Mongan method) as childbirth prep with my oldest. I talked with my CNM (that particular one was not at all on the crunchy side FWIW) about childbirth options and she cautioned me that the hospital class offered was very intervention focused and assumed most women would be using an epidural. She gave me the # for a local childbirth educator who teaches both a more traditional class and Hypnobirthing. When I called, the timing wasn't going to work well for the more traditional class. I thought HBing was a little out there, but she explained a bit more and I decided to read up and determined it was worth a try. I took an in-person class in her home with a few other couples. It was very good. The whole time I kept thinking...but I don't *feel* hypnotized??!! How can this possibly work? I had to get past the idea that I was going to feel anything "out there" and accept that it was just nice, deep relaxation.

Hypnobirthing's downfall IMO is the lack of variety as compared to Hypnobabies. If you don't connect with the tracks offered, you have fewer options. I did not like having DH read scripts to me and liked using something on my headphones. My instructor had a home recording studio and made us a CD of her reading alternative scripts, so my Hypnobirthing experience was more like Hypnobabies in some ways. I liked a lot of the tracks she put on CD for me (this was the pre MP3 days LOL) and that variety was helpful.

In any case, I had a really, really easy med-free labor. I practiced a LOT and consistently, and Hypnobirthing really helped my relaxation and sleep which was a nice side benefit. I practiced in bed most of the time, but in labor I used a lot of active labor positions-all 4s, swaying, sitting on the ball, tailor sitting, and lots of walking. I felt great as long as I could move. The nurses were freaked out because I was talking and walking and smiling through most of my contractions up until transition even though it was my first L&D. We even have a pic of me cracking up at 10 cm dilated because I was hot (one of my only complaints during my whole labor) and had a glove filled with ice chips sitting on my head. I saw Dh and the nurse laugh and then cracked up when I realized what it must have looked like. Most of my contractions felt like cramping and tightening. At the end my midwife went into count and push mode even though I requested otherwise and it was a little hard to maintain my focus. That was one complaint I brought forward in pregnancy #2 and #3 (different practice of midwives from #1) and I was able to use "breathing the baby down" with #2 and #3 successfully (vs. hold your breath and push to a count of 10 type pushing). "breathing the baby down" is what is generally taught in hypnosis prep. I felt more in control during "pushing" and had no tearing with #2 or #3. I think part of that was the type of "pushing" as compared to my first experience (which was not what I had wanted, at all!).

With my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies I used the Hypnobabies supplementary course (I think they discontinued this?). It was meant not as a stand alone full program, but for those who had used Mongan Hypobirthing before and wanted to round out using Hypnobabies. I did a self-study, no in person class with pregnancy 2 or 3. It worked great for me both times. With #2 I wasn't even sure I was in active labor and showed up 10 cm dilated (thankfully membranes were still intact so not at all pushy and hung out for an hour waiting to push).

For me, it was awesome. I practiced consistently, although less so in pregnancies 2 and 3.

O_mom also used hypnosis, but I can't recall which program.

There are some old threads in the archives.

IME it is more like guided imagery. It is normal to find some tracks you connect more with, and some that are not your thing IME. You may have to experiment and see what you like. Some people learn the breathing and relaxation techniques and just use their own music (I did that a lot during my third labor). Once you know how to get yourself relaxed and in hypnosis, you can play around with how you want to handle the scripts, etc. You may find you just enjoy some of your own music.

It really just feels like deep relaxation...in fact, so much so that I kept thinking how can it work? But honestly, it really, really did for me.

I had no problem practicing in bed and then using the techniques while moving around and actively laboring (my preference in labor), but I think ideally it would be good to also practice using hypnosis *while* actively laboring if you think you'll want to move around and remain active.

HTH. If you have any questions I can see if I can help.

[essnce629]

I forgot to add that I did the HypnoBabies home study course myself during my pregnancy with DS2 (did Bradley with DS1, which I also love). I would have much rather gone to the actual 6 week course, but there were none in my area at the time.

My birth with DS1 (Bradley) was extremely easy-- 8 hours of painless contractions, 55 minutes of active contractions where I had to focus on them and breath, then 2 contractions for the actual pushing part. Midwives arrived 10 minutes before DS1 was born.

My birth with DS2 (HypnoBabies) could also be considered easy, but was more intense for me. It was about 8 hours of active contractions, where I had to focus on staying relaxed. 4 of those hours were with me already at 10cm just waiting for an urge to push. After 4 hours I had my midwives break my water and then I had 20 minutes of super intense contractions (felt like a thrashing around rabid animal), and then 2 contractions for the actual birth. I have it all on video though and even though I felt like I was having an out of body intense experience, in the video the only sign of me being uncomfortable is my tensed forehead!!!! Other than that I look extremely calm. And I was eating watermelon and posting on Facebook at 10cm so it must have not been that bad. My midwives looked at me like I had 2 heads when I waddled out of the bedroom to get on the laptop!

At both births, I was already 10cm when my midwives checked me for the first time.

One thing I do love about HypnoBabies is all the extra hypnosis cds you can get. I used the morning sickness one, the insomnia one (which I LOVED and was always asleep before it ended), and the "baby stay in" one (I had non-stop contractions from 2-15 minutes apart from 26 weeks till I gave birth at 38 weeks 5 days).