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.

Yes this. I pretty much worshipped my obstetrician second time round, I saw a lot of her and it gave me a whole different perspective. She was super kind and gentle but definitely had a ‘best clinical outcome likelihoods’ view. But I had placenta issues so different ballgame.

I did and it was fucking awful. I have since come to believe it is a load of old self indulgent shite sold to (privileged) women at their most vulnerable. Yet another stick to beat ourselves with - the perfect birth. Some women will have short births, some with have long, some will have relatively painless and for some - most? - it is incredibly incredibly painful. After all the hours I invested in this ‘drug free’ birth - my DC ended up in NICU and needed to be pumped full of endless meds to survive. Praise be to modern medicine.

I was left quite distressed that I had found it so painful and that I ended up screaming rather than breathing DC out. In the postnatal craziness was beating myself up about it. I felt terrible guilt and wanted to do it all again as quickly as possible to ‘make right’ my failure. I am normally a very level headed person! I lost my mind for a moment until my mother told me very firmly (and rightly) to stop being ridiculous.

I would 100% take pain relief next time. I wouldn’t elect for a c section but I would take pain relief.

I think you have a fairly good idea about your own pain threshold and ability to manage. I had a no medication first birth, it was quick- half an hour to fully dilated but 3 hours pushing. I am someone that never panics, I did have tearing and a numbing injection before being stitched. Next birth intended to do same, got to fully dilated but crash caesarean so was put to sleep.

I tried to hypnobirthing, definitely helped I think. Especially with babies 1 and 2. 3 was different for different reasons. I also used a tens machine in early labour stages. Having said that once labour kicked off properly I used gas and air. Turns out that REALLY worked for me, I went through an entire canister for one labour and was completely off my face and apparently laughing a lot and having slight hallucinations. Seems I have quite an unusual reaction to it… worked for me though!

I have a blood clotting disorder, so epidurals were out for all three births. I would have loved to have water births - but was classed as high risk so not allowed in the midwife led unit.

With my first I laboured overnight. DH had gone home to sleep, I was moved to delivery from antenatal after my waters broke. My midwife was amazing, I couldn't stand the straps from the monitor, so she used a handheld Doppler and just sat silently. DH missed the birth as it was so calm he didn't have time to get there.

With DD2 - DH really pissed me off with his faffing about. It was during the day too so too light and the unit was loud and busy. Not as relaxed as the first time.

DH nearly missed DS being born, he went to get lunch. The only position I could get comfy in was kneeling face down onto an armchair. I would have been happy to deliver on the floor, but they made me move on to the bed. I'm convinced I wouldn't have needed an episiotomy had I been allowed to stay put. Much calmer because no DH. He appeared with a jacket potato in one of those styrofoam boxes as ds was being born.

I've had 3.5 labours. I get really painful periods and had a natural miscarriage before my eldest was born so the pain from my births with dc1 and dc3 weren't as bad as I expected. The pool was enough with dc1 and I had a bit of gas and air near the end with dc3. Dc2 was back to back and the pain was much worse with him. Dc5 was an induction and I never got as far as established Labour with him but the pain was horrific. I didn't do hypnobirthing. I read the book with dc5 but I just found it annoying.

Just goes to show how different everyone’s experiences are. I did hypnobirthing with my second labour and it was lovely and very peaceful, baby was born in the birthing pool. Very different from my first labour which was a straightforward vaginal birth but I just found it very scary, painful and stressful.

Did hypnobirthing wth my third. I was really pleased I did as everything went to shit. The hypno birthing helped me stay calmer and clearly advocacy for myself and DD.

I was young, fit healthy, slim, used to working out hard and believed in it 100%. I have a very high pain threshold.

My body did not know what to do and I stupidly refused medication and told myself it was natural until the pain was so bad that I wanted to die. I was bluelighted to hospital and had a lot of interventions, a crash cs, a haemorrhage and DD and I both sustained birth injuries. I had a lot of trauma and blamed myself for a long time as my body was built to do it and I should have breathed the baby out.

My mate - who thinks it's hippy claptrap - gave birth quickly and without pain relief to five babies, finding it all a total breeze.

I firmly believe it's all luck and have little time for people who trill about being slim and fit and that's why their labours and deliveries were perfect because they knew how to work hard and looked after themselves. Their babies were in good positions and it went well on the day.

I do think staying fit, healthy and positive and working with your body is all to be recommended of course. But those factors are not what ensure straightforward births.

I was induced for both my babies. But after being induced only had gas and air. Love giving birth. I used breathing techniques to help me through it. Was a fab experience.

First birth i used hypnobirthing, I don't think it helped at all. Second birth I used
Juju Sundin's Birth Skills, which was much more effective for me.

^Yes this. I went long overdue (I thought they had miscalculated my due date, but that doesn’t make a jot of difference when the hospital presses you into an induction). There was no way they were letting me near the nice midwife led unit or the birthing pools. The inexperienced midwives botched the induction, causing hypertonic contractions, but neither they nor I could have predicted that DD had the cord round her neck three times causing cord compression in the second stage. I could have done hypnobirth techniques until doomsday and they would have been like a fart in a hurricane whatever I did!

I had encountered, when I was pregnant, a hospital registrar who was pregnant with her second baby, who quietly told me to get either an elective CS, or demand an epidural as soon as I got through the hospital doors. Afterwards, I wished I’d taken her advice!

I had a very similar experience, although I only ended up with a crash section rather than under GA.

It's bollocks to say hypnobirthing is all bollocks, just as it's bollocks to say labour is horrifically painful and everyone will categorically need all the pain relief available.

Personally I think some people are probably more open to/get more out of the techniques than others. I liked it because I felt it helped empower me for birth, and because I felt more confident going in, it wasn't a disaster for me that I was classed as "failure to progress" and needed a crash section. I just felt incredibly grateful that my baby was coming out safely, one way or another.

FWIW, I had no morphine for my C-section recovery and wonder if that was partially down to hypnobirthing techniques, who knows.

I couldn’t agree more.

OP, take all this “perfect”, “NATURAL” (what the eff does that even mean?) birth propaganda stuff with a massive pinch of salt. I’m the woman who had a fucking shit first labour and spent years punishing herself thinking her body had failed her. I had failed.

Hypnobirthing helped second time to a certain extent with a difficult set of circumstances, but had no impact on pain perception (both my labours were induced with the drip).

Please please do your own research, manage your expectations and above all have some compassion for yourself. Millions of women throughout history have died in childbirth. “Natural” doesn’t always mean good outcomes for mother or baby.

My first birth was during COVID and I was so immensely stressed and the pain was horrendous and I had an epidural and a very long and difficult birth... Second time round, I was much more chilled and used a simple hypnobirthing breathing exercise (breathing in for four and out for four I think, nothing fancy!) and from my waters breaking to the baby arriving was 3 hours and no pain relief. I found the breathing exercises very useful and until the very last contractions, I really didn't find them too painful. They tried to send me home and I almost gave birth in a corridor, so I wish I'd made more of a fuss.... Actual birth was unbelievably painful, but it was only a few seconds and screaming like a lunatic helped! I still ended up with a very bad tear, so I personally would still go into another birth being open to drugs if needed.

I fully bought into it for my first, labour was 30 hours, I was exhausted by the end, it all went out the window. Second time round I had an epidural, it was much quicker and painless and just a lovely experience. I know some people have great experiences with hypnobirthing, and it’s great to have the techniques going into labour. I would probably do the hypnobirthing course but go with the flow when you go into labour and don’t go into it with one specific birth plan in mind if you can. Hope for one for sure, but if you want the pain relief ask for it. Good luck! However you birth you’ll still be bring home the loveliest, most precious little thing.

First birth I read and listened to hypnobirthing books and CDs. The breathing was probably helpful. I was young, fit and healthy.

I started vomiting in early labour, ended up on a drip, baby's heart rate dropped in any other position than me on my back, and there was a cascade of interventions which I won't go into. Regrettably, no pain relief.

Second birth was an elective section and that was absolute bliss. Happy as Larry and felt fantastic immediately, recovered much, much quicker (mentally and physically).

If things don't go to plan, don't beat yourself up about it.

I'm not sure being slim and fit makes any difference. I was fat and depressed my entire first pregnancy and had a labour that was under 4 hours from first little twinge to delivery. No drugs, no stitches.

Severe placental abruption with my youngest so I had an EMCS. There was no amount of hypnobirthing breathing techniques going to magic away a placental abruption.....

I was slim, fit and young when I had my first. I’d have died without a c section. Birth might be natural but so is dying in childbirth.

For those who hypnobirthing really worked for, can I ask what resources you used and what breathing techniques?

I completely agree with this. I was fit, slim and very active and hell bent on a natural, active birth due to bloody Ina May. I had a 40 hour labour... I refused to sit down and rest as I thought this would put the baby in a bad position (he was back to back despite my efforts)…

I completely exhausted myself, baby became very distressed and I was blue lighted from the midwife unit to the hospital. It was an awful start to having a new born baby.

Conversely my NCT friend who had an early epidural, had a lovely sleep and then the baby came out quickly and easily had a great birth… and she wasn’t exhausted and in agony.

It’s just luck. I‘m sure things like the shape and size of your pelvis come in to it more than we realise.

But I wish I’d been more open to pain relief and having a lie down!

Ive had 2 waterbirths drug free at a birth centre. I didn't practice or even look at hypnobirthing, I just decided I didn't want drugs and im stubborn 🤣 I won't lie... its fucking painful, and for a minute I wondered what the hell i was doing. But ive been very lucky my first labour was 1.5 hours and my second was 30 mins. Again even with the second I thought... why have I done this again (during the contractions) the actual birth and pushing is far easier in my opinion. Anyway I felt incredible and empowered afterwards and I think about my births alot. Currently 32 weeks with my 3rd and hopefully ill be doing the same again!

I think it completely depends on the position of the baby tbh. My first was back to back and it was a living hell, my second was in the perfect position and it was like something out of call the midwife, no pain relief with either though not through choice with my first. I think it’s too much pressure to put on yourself given you won’t know what position baby will be in etc so I’d have a back up plan for pain relief

I had an unintentional drug-free birth.

Really fucking hurt.