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.

In the end my labour was too quick for all the hypnobirthing techniques, and for any more serious pain relief than a TENs machine (although I did have intervention in the form of an episiotomy) but the techniques certainly helped me understand and cope with the contractions for the first 12 hours, and before they ramped up to what seemed like one big contraction with no discernible break between.

I genuinely can’t remember the pain (A year later). I remember lots of shouting that I couldn’t do it right at the end but in my memory now that was because I didn’t feel I could physically push any harder, not because of the pain.

I did 17 hours drug free home birth, just hypno, TENS & birthing pool but frustratingly dd changed position (back to back military) leading to an emergency C-section. Until she turned it was absolutely fine, the pain was completely manageable. I realise perhaps it’s that last part which is the most painful though.

And it’s things like this that make the rest of us feel a failure. You were very lucky.

I had a 17 hour labour with gas and air ending in ventose and third degree tear resulting in epidural for stitching. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

Second birth was more influenced by meditation and was drug free with a fabulous midwife.

I would recommend all the above. It depends what set of circumstances you get. Just look into hypnobirthing techniques and use them if they help.

I did find (both on gas and air and not) that the rush of chemicals your brain dumps on you is phenomenal. I was high. I could actually feel them rushing in after each contraction.

This. Post-partum haemorrage is the leading cause of maternal deaths worldwide and every year about 70,000 women die from it...but in an average year only four of them will be in the UK. Almost all the mothers who die from PHH live in impoverished communities in sub-Saharan Africa or South Asia where they don't have access to a well-equipped hospital or medically trained professionals. All those labouring mothers who bled to death in South Sudan today - did they just not "understand" childbirth correctly? Would they have been totally fine if only they had Ina May to coach them? It's difficult for me to see how people can accept the pseudo-feminist rhetoric around "natural" birth without straying into victim-blaming territory.

While Ina May might not have to use forceps or do suturing very often, that's because she has a highly specific group of patients: women only go to practitioners like her if they are having a relatively straightforward, uncomplicated pregnancy. A woman with gestational diabetes who is measuring large for dates is unlikely to be seeking out a midwife who tells her that actually her pelvis will accommodate that baby if only she believes the right things. Nor is the woman who has been admitted twice with pre-eclampsia, or the woman whose latest ultrasound picked up vasa previa. Pregnancy complications requiring medical assistance aren't rare, but the way "natural birth" advocates talk, you'd think they're virtually unheard of.

The best birth is the one that is safest and most comfortable for the individual woman and her baby. That will look different from mother to mother, but there is no special untapped magic that makes unassisted "natural" birth possible for everyone, and no shame or moral failing in needing painkillers or other support.

The main thing to remember is that everyone experiences labour differently and has different tolerance to pain levels.

I've had 2 completely unmedicated births. The first in a pool in the hospital, took around 6 hours but 2nd degree tear - I think I was encouraged to push a little early tbh.
Second was an unplanned home birth and we delivered him ourselves. We were waiting for our childcare to come take the eldest when my waters broke and he crowned with me stood up 20 seconds later - I'd been kicking a football around the garden 10 minutes beforehand 😂

Both times they didn't believe I was as far gone as I was. I used to do yoga and used the breathing techniques from that which I found really helpful.

Eta - my main tip would be that if you are able to, keep moving around and on your feet!

Hypno birthing - was very good but turns out DS was back to back so had epidural in the end.
DD on the other hand….. I did mindful birthing that time to prepare. I liked it more as it was more present. Whereas I found hypno a little disassociative.
in any case DD came fast and strong on her own terms so no chance to do anything. In fact doula didn’t make it and the MW only arrived in time to catch her.

so. All that training and I can’t tell you whether either worked!!!!

I loved the mindful stuff tho. Highly recommend as preparation.

I don’t think anyone is seriously suggesting hypnobirthing magically makes birth safe, or that interventions won’t be needed. What it can do - and certainly did for me - was help me to properly relax and kind of go into myself (best way I can describe it) so that I could cope with the pain better than if I was tensing up and fighting it.

birth is fecking painful for almost all of us, no two ways round it. I had a very long first labour, very painful contractions culminating in crowning which was like being blowtorched in the vagina! It bloody hurts!! Hypnobirthing didn’t take any of that away: what it did do was help me to feel less frightened by the level of pain.

as I said previously, I’ve used similar relaxation techniques since and they definitely help my body to relax rather than resist pain.

my second ds was born by c section as he was large and very firmly in breech position - so this was the safest delivery for him. I don’t understand the antagonism towards hypno birthing from a small number of posters. If you don’t want to try it, fine, but don’t be dismissive of something which many women find helpful

My first I used hypnobirthing. I managed a 4 day labour but it ended in an emergency section. And took months to recover.

My second I had a planned section. ( preeclampsia) and I managed to walk into town ( 3 miles round trip) by the second week, just with the aid of paracetamol.

I highly recommend the planned section.

Oh and I still use hypnobirthing technique when I have a migraine. It really helps

My first I did hypnobirthing. 4 day back to back labour. It was only the last 4 hours I used gas and air. Never got past 8cm ended up as an emergency c section.

My second I had a planned section - preeclampsia.

I do still use hypnobirthing techniques when I get a migraine and it does help.

I got very into hypnobirthing in my first pregnancy and after experience my first labour, I don't believe that all women's bodies are made perfectly for natural birth to be honest. I think many women do really well with no intervention and natural births and I think others do better with or need intervention.

I was in labour for a day and a half before I was admitted and finally given an epidural which was desperately needed because I was losing my mind from the sleep deprivation.

I think natural birth has its place and so does intervention and at the end of the day it should be the woman's choice.

I did use hypnobirthing in early labour though and did find it useful for that.

Both mine were on gas and air but I did hypnobirthing with number 2 and it was so much calmer and easier. Also a water birth which may have helped too.

I don't think I would have managed without the gas and air though!

That's what I thought and listened to my hypnosis session daily...in the end I was induced, sick on gas and air and had an epidural. Hypnosis went right out the window! The next one I had nothing with...I wanted an epidural as it had worked so well, but I was too far gone. Drug-free and waters intact on birth. It was fine! If you've already given birth and it's likely to be a bit quicker you could definitely try hypnosis and drug-free. Good luck!

When are you due @YourVagesty?

For my update i just had my second hypnobirthing labour at home and it was just as useful as my first birth. Im still very much a huge advocate for hypnobirthing.

Thanks @disappointedfox I've started the sessions in earnest now.

@MontanaSapphire sorry, I've only just seen this - I'm due on New Year's Eve.