Anybody else done hypnobirthing/ gone drug-free for labour? How did that go for you?

[YourVagesty]

Hi all!

I'm reading a lot of Ina May (famous hippy midwife basically) material at the moment and I follow her logic that the female body is built for birth. It all makes sense to me that if a woman isn't stressed and understands what is happening, then the body should be able to birth a child without interventions. And her statistics speak for themselves too (she hardly ever has to use forceps or even stitch women up afterwards).

I like the idea of doing things naturally, with the help of hypnobirthing.

But obviously, part of me wonders if it's hippy nonsense and I'll be screaming for an epidural when it's too late to get any help? I realise this might sound hilariously naive to some!

So I'm looking for real-life stories of people who eschewed epidurals and went with hypnobirthing instead.

How did you get on? Any regrets? Would you do it again?

So as not to drip feed, this is my second baby but I had an emergency C-section with my first.

I’ve had two pain relief free births. The first it happened so fast I couldn’t work out how to use gas and air and just held it 😂 and hated the TENS it went off as soon as it was put on. And no time for anything else. Second time around I’d read the hypnobirthing stuff as wanted a water birth. Once again my labour progressed too quickly and we ended up with an ambulance and gave birth at home but I found the Hypnobirthing breathing useful, as in all the chaos I ignored everyone and just focused on the in and out technique and down breathing. It gave me something to focus on. The affirmations/meditations did nothing for me but the breathing techniques were useful.

I should say labour 1 was 1hr 7m and labour 2 was 35 minutes so I didn’t really have a choice about pain relief

Yes, first baby, did hypnobirthing, had a doula and a water birth (in hospital). Practiced the techniques daily from 16 weeks.
no drugs, 3 hour labour, minimally painful - intense pressure yes but only real pain when babies head was coming out and that was for a few seconds. Baby didn’t even cry at birth, was so calm and peaceful - fed from the breast immediately and we were good to go!! Danced out of the hospital about 4 hours later - would have left immediately once had the ok etc but there was a delay with paperwork. Stayed in the water birth room until discharge. Really no drama at all - blissful and stress free throughout. Very empowering. Baby is now 6 years old and has been a dream from the start - I’m not jinxing it by having any more, but would have had home births for the rest of we had chosen more.
I think being slim, and fit helps, with an active job that keeps you on your feet - no slouching on a sofa at the end of pregnancy that puts baby in the wrong position. I spent a lot of time on all fours in the last weeks to ensure baby was not back to back. Best of luck to you - the bodies endorphins are so powerful, I felt a million dollars after the birth and was on a high for weeks and weeks!

I prepared with hypnobirthing before I had my first and agree with the principles, but I ended up with an induction and cascade of interventions to an emcs under GA, a horrifically traumatic experience. I do think that the breathing helped when I first went into labour and then again when I was being prepped for a section. So even if it doesn't go to plan, I did find parts of it were still helpful.

I used hypnobirthing for my one and only birth. It was a home waterbirth that took 7 hours. I had a couple of paracetamol and a bit of gas and air. I felt totally relaxed throughout - like I was just sitting back and allowing my body and my baby to do what they needed to do. I was very lucky. But part of what attracted me to using it was the idea that even if it hadn't all gone to plan and I had needed to go in for a section, I would have felt more accepting and able to cope with that outcome too.

I tried this...I wish someone had been honest with me and said "please for the sake of everyone involved...take the drugs and don't be a silly sod". You get no prize for suffering! It's complete hippy nonsense and it's bloody painful! I'm not trying to scare you...I just wish someone had been honest with me. Given a second opportunity, I would have an elective C section without a millisecond of a doubt.

I started hypnobirthing and loved it … until contractions ramped up and I was sick from the pain, ended up dehydrated, 46 hours into labour and then everything went out the window, epidural, assisted natural birth as she wasn’t breathing well.
Whatever gets baby out safely. The medicine is there for a reason. I have no regrets!

"Danced out of the hospital"...what a load of nonsense, honestly.

Yes! No pain relief for my second birth, water birth at home. It was amazing. I too had read ina May. It was quick (1 hour) I put this down to chiropractor (research about this - when everything is in line and nervous system etc it shows quicker and easier births) also yoga. Echo PP with being fit and active. Hope it goes smoothly.

Yes I had 2 intervention free deliveries with no pain relief at either. My first was 21 hours. My second was 3 hours.

I might sound odd but I don’t find labour painful.

I found learning about the muscles involved and using yoga breathing made it just feel a very overwhelming and intense - but manageable - situation.

I should add that I have endometriosis and I would hand on heart say that has hurt more than labour, so my reference point might be different to other people.

im also used to working out and pushing my muscles so I’m used to the sensation of extreme fatigue and contracting muscles (which is precisely what is happening when you give birth)

So in my opinion - If you are used to working out hard or have a high pain threshold I totally think you can get in the right mindset and use hypnobirthing tools for a very calm delivery without pain relief.

id recommend checking out the real birth lessons or similar to understand the process and help visualise what you’ll be feeling in your body too - https://therealbirthworkshop.online/public/

I’ve had two planned homebirths (first one born in hospital as midwives were with another woman when I was in labour). Both times I used hypnobirthing tools mainly breathing, movement, positioning and visualising. Learning the physiology of birth really helped me feel confident that I could improve my chances of a positive birth and I’d recommend doing one to every woman -it’s not as woo as you’d expect! I wasn’t against intervention if I needed it but I genuinely never felt the pain was more than an 7 or 8 out of 10 which I could cope with as I wasn’t scared and felt confident my body was doing what it was supposed to. Baby’s felt in good positions etc. Good luck OP!

Sorry but birth is really painful. More than I could ever had imagined. I was happy with hyprobirthing, paracetamol, tens and gas & air and had no interventions. Pool birth.

Not all pain relief means a cascade of interventions.

My advice is to research to find out what pain relief you would be happy to have should hyprobirthing not be enough for you.

Yes I had two natural births with no pain relief and no intervention (although the first was very late and I was on a drip to be induced). I was all over very quickly so no time to consider pain relief. I was offered gas and air, but it makes me feel sick so I didn't want it. It's only the very last minute that it is really bad pain, the contractions I had no problem with.

I didn’t make the time for hypnobirthing, but I continued doing lots of yoga as I had for years. Had a pretty quick labour, only using TENS. It did get painful in the last half hour though, at which point I was screaming for an epidural, but DC arrived way too quickly for that! And then immediately the pain was gone and I was on cloud 9.

I had one hospital birth with just gas and air, it was tough as it was about 72 hours in total, short pushing stage though. I then had a home birth with my second. It was amazing, honestly I can handle the pain, it's intense but manageable for me. Everyone is different though and pain relief is always an option, even if you do hypnobirthing. My recoveries have been fab too, no real feeling of being hit by a bus or pain (other than the after pains which no one warned me about).

Second birth, worked like a dream 3 hours in the water, was ace. No gas and air. What worked that time as really having perfect conditions, quiet, dark, middle of the night, undisturbed. That and really getting the oxytocin going, meant a quick labour. Declined anyone touching me to check how dilated I was. Can’t wait to do it again!. Transition was very intense / painful but over quickly. First birth was a car crash but mainly cos I didn’t understand the physiology of birth. Hypnobirthing works, the science behind it how it works. We are animals, it’s all about the oxytocin for minimal pain/ fast progression (baring any emergencies)

#1 birth was lacking pain killers and gas & air. I had been admitted to wait for a bed on labour ward due to waters breaking and borderline high BP but I was already in labour. Had some paracetamol and (I can't remember) dihydrocodeine just before bedtime. Lay in bed, eyes closed, contracting on and off, most of the night until a midwife checked on me at about 4.30/5am to find me 7cm dilated. She threw me into a chair (after I phoned DH to get his arse to the hospital) and rushed me round to labour ward. I had a few goes at gas and air but that was taken off me as I needed oxygen through the nasal thing. #1 DC was born about 6.30am. It was pretty painful but I was so panicked at everything going on, and DC was getting distressed, I wasn't really focused on the pain. Definitely no relaxed hypnobirthing vibes 😂
#2DC was emergency CS under general anaesthetic, it was a whole other thread about that birth plan completely out the window.

I could have written this - 2 very quick births became homebirths / near free freebirths. First one was scarily quick (2nd was quicker but I was more prepared), I hated the TENS and ripped it straight off (knowing now I was too far gone for that to help!)
hypnobirthing helped me massively but mainly the breathing and knowing what was happening to help me feel in control. I didn’t get the woo hippy/ affirmations part.
some of it is a mindset but some of it will be entirely dependent on the person. My births were quick and would have been fairly straightforward regardless but hypnobirthing helped me stay in control and crucially helped me to look forward to my first birth (during lockdown etc when it was all scarier than normal).
knowing what’s happening to you and what choices you have are the most important part IMO. Hypnobirthing helped me with this, although I’m sure you could get it from elsewhere too.

Sorry, I didn't want to scare you. Sometimes things just don't go to plan. But if you look into hypnobirthing I'm sure it'll stand you in good stead for whatever the birth becomes.

I had two births without any pain relief. The second one was very quick. There was pain but not unbearable and I really enjoyed pushing!

I read her, and I did hypnobirthing very seriously, in one on one classes with a well-known midwife practitioner. I was fit and healthy, had a problem-free pregnancy, have an high pain threshold, and walked 13 miles on my due date, understood labour and wasn’t stressed about it — it just didn’t work. My labour didn’t progress, the pain was unbearable, despite doing everything I’d been taught, and I needed a CS. DS and I would have died if it weren’t for modern obstetric medicine.

So, while I agree with her in theory, I should have been the perfect candidate. Fit, healthy, well-informed, problem-free pregnancy, confident, had been practising hypnotherapy daily for months. It just didn’t work. At all.

With my first I didn’t have much choice, I used some hypnobirthing techniques (breathing, affirmations and was as mobile as possible) that worked so well, the midwives didn’t believe I was in labour. I almost ended up giving birth on my own. The whole experience was actually quite traumatic.

With my second I did a hypnobirthing course that helped me get over the trauma of my first labour and prepared me for giving birth again. This labour was very quick (2.5 hours) so I didn’t get the chance to use all the techniques, but focusing on my breathing helped me stay calm and relaxed.

I didn’t have any pain relief with either birth (the first not by choice), but with the second I didn’t feel I needed it.

Overall I’d recommend hypnobirthing. I was skeptical, but the breathing techniques are fab, and it does help prepare you for labour.

Just to contrast in case this is making anyone feel bad - I did yoga a lot (a lot!) for years, Pilates, am ex athlete, did meditation regularly, did hypnobirthing, attended Nadia narain’s in person pregnancy yoga classes, Perianal massage - you get the picture. Failed to go into labour at all ever, multiple interventions, emergencies, lots of medics in room, long hospital stay, revision surgery, elcs by necessity next time, still all fine and fab kids, still yoga-ing and pilates-ing it up!

Its brilliant to be prepared and ready and wonderful if it goes to plan but it’s really not your fault because of ‘the wrong mindset’ if it doesn’t and hurrah for modern medicine because without it I wouldn’t have made it either time.

In fact I really bonded with my NCT group as we all readied for calm hypo home births and had a staggering amount of emergencies between us! We all came through.

Ourfitfamilylife on insta (Julie Baird) runs a great pre and post pregnancy programme.

In early labour I think it was helpful - helped me stay calm and feeling of being in control. But when things ramped up it went out the window. My baby was back to back and I was in agony, I ended up with an epidural because my body started pushing of it's own accord when I was only 6cm.

I used the CD to fall asleep to quite a lot in late pregnancy and it was lovely and calming.

So in some ways it helped, but not in the full on labour, in fact I laughed at one point at the thought that I had hoped to get through with just gas and air.

Yes! I did Hypnobirthing and had a quick 1.5 hr labour. It wasn’t particularly my intention to have a pain relief or an intervention free birth but the whole Hypnobirthing made me so chilled and ‘go with the flow’ about it all it just sort of happened. And by the time we got to the labour ward it was a case of get on with it and push. The lack of time meant I didn’t get the option of a water birth or the midwife lead birthing centre, I was literally taken to the nearest available labour room. I did the Katherine Graves course and it really worked for me. As a result of the course, I truly believed that giving birth was an ability innate within me and whilst giving birth I felt like my conscious mind crawled into the corner of my head and let my body get on with it. I can’t really describe it any other way. I’d certainly recommend the Katherine Graves course.

Agree! I did hypnobirthing and it was zero use in what turned out to be a traumatic labour with hypertonic contractions and a cord compression. I was in too much pain to do the breathing and it was nothing like the image put forward by the hypnobirthing teacher. She didn’t even invite me to the class post-births meet up because I’d had a bad labour! (didn’t want anyone there who had had a bad experience, I expect.)

All in all, it was a total waste of money that actually left me feeling worse afterwards than if I hadn’t had it at all. You can get the basics of relaxation and guided meditation free online, and if you are someone that will work for, you can practice it without spending hundreds of pounds for all the extra woo.