To ask if there's a way to master hypnobirthing with minimal cost, time and effort?

[ArialAnna]

I suspect I am but hoping to be told differently!

I'm expecting my second DS soon. First birth was not a great experience (induction, long labour and emergency c section). I've got a friend who's a great advocate of hypnobirthing and is urging me to try it. There seems to quite a lot of evidence around suggesting it can be very effective, so I feel like I should give it a go. But I'm reluctant to invest much money or time in it because:
A) I'm a bit of a cynic
B) I'm lazy
C) There's a reasonable chance I'll have a c section anyway and not get a chance to use it. As I'm only going to attempt a vbac if I go into labour naturally and the baby's positioning is optimal for a straight forward labour.

So is there a cheats way to get the hang of hypnobirthing or AIBU?

Buy a book with a cd - I liked Maggie Howell the most and slept so well with it so that was an added bonus - I didn't do the music for birth etc but found the book and cd great. I did Katharine graves classes and didn't get much from them!

Effective Birth Preparation: Your Practical Guide to a Better Birth https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1905220596/ref=cmswwrcppapiN6PJBbGGCQCX33_

Effective Birth Preparation: Hypnobirthing for Birth in a Hospital or Birth Centre (Natal Hypnotherapy) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910756369/ref=cmm_swrrcpapii.6PJBb8K9GS4Z

Can you find 15/20 mins to yourself during the day? (Laying in sofa or even in the bath).
If so i can try and locate some hypno birth tracks i have somewhere which i can email you?

I had an awful birth experience. But the only thing that kept me calm and kept husband calm was the hypnobirthing. I just know had i not done it, id have ripped husbands head off for just breathing in the same room as me whilst i had contractions lol.
Ive never been calmer.

There are some hypno birthing audio books on Audible, and they normally have a deal on where you can sign up for a month, get a free book and the cancel. I haven't tried them yet but might be worth a go.

I was so sceptical but gave it a go with dc2 and it was brilliant. I listened to a cd everyday (during lunch break at work). It was super restful and gave me loads of energy. Really helped me stay calm during birth.

I did the classes and to be honest if your cynical about it then it’s probably not for you. I tried to be open minded but I just couldn’t make it work. I guess the breathing excercises helped a bit, and I did go on to have a lovely water birth with only gas & air for pain relief. Personally I would just buy a book and cd and read it. Maybe ask your friend for some pointers too. I wouldn’t spend loads of money on it. This was my third pregnancy and they lost me at the point they were trying to tell us all that labour doesn’t really hurt, it’s all in the mind etc etc.

I only listened to a cd a couple of times to get the vibe and took it from there.
It’s more about you telling yourself you can do it, keeping positive and calm and truly relaxing between contractions. It might feel like you are relaxing but chances are you are not, really let your body flop when not contracting.
I kept telling myself positive things like when I am at the peak of pain I know that that is the worst it will feel, relief will come next. Every contraction is a step closer to meeting your baby etc.

A lot of it is down to luck though. You know from experience that you can’t plan what will happen, you just have to hope for the best experience in your situation.
If possible get in the water, you’ll be surprised how much pain that takes away.

Good luck!

Our nearest NHS hospital did a 6 week hypnobirthing course, including book and cd that was £50. Very worth it although I wasn’t a massive fan of the scripts and didn’t use those in any way in my birth! Maybe worth looking into whether yours does anything similar. All the best!

I just got a CD. It really helped me. I listened to it at night when I went to bed (upload it to MP3 player or your phone and put headphones in). I always fell asleep before the end but I was amazingly calm during both labours despite being shit scared of labour all through both pregnancies.

We'll I read the book and had the cd and found it a load of bollocks. Then did pregnancy yoga which was amazing. They talked about optimal positions for pelvis. Exercises to get more flexible.

One of the best tips was squatting for a full minute. Breath slowly in and out and count your breaths. As you're squatting it takes some effort (esp later stages of pregnancy) which mimics labour - you won't be able to breathe just calmly and contractions take effort. Average number of breaths per minute. When you're in labour during contractions focus on the breathing and count the breaths - it keeps your mind from the pain and you can keep an eye how long contractions last approximately going by average breaths per minute. I managed without pain relief on this method (was sent home by hospital). Life saver.

The positive birth company do an online pack, it's only £25-35 and it's amazing. I used it for my first baby and had a completely positive empowering medication free water birth at home. It gives you the tools to make whatever birth you choose/have a positive one! I actually enjoyed giving birth and I had a 44 hour labour definitely check them out

OP - I have a link to some free hypnobirthing material if you like? It's decent quality and I found it very useful in my first birth to learn the basics (there isn't actually much to it). PM me if you're interested and I'll send you think link.

I did an American home study course called Hypnobabies. I found it amazing. I was in slow labour for three days, listened to the “fear release” track and within hours was having proper contractions.

I DID go on to have an epidural because I was very high risk for a c-section so they strongly advised the epidural “just in case”. I was disappointed but I swear the hypnobabies helped me deal with it calmly so I think it could still be helpful if you have a c-section.

Plus I just found it enjoyable/relaxing too, gave me a chance to have a bit of time to myself in the run up to labour.

Thanks everyone for responding - it's really interesting to hear about everyone's different experiences.

minniemummy0 did you go onto have a c section following that risk assessment? This is another thing holding me back a bit - first time round I had an epidural (DS was back to back which makes the pain worse I think) and I loved it (seriously, I could stop telling every doctor and midwife how amazing it was, and why didn't everyone get one?! ) Knowing this now I can't help thinking I'll succumb to one at the first sign of pain, which may lessen my chances of a successful VBAC.

Impulsesealer really interesting what you say about the positive mental attitude and believing you can do it. I think this is part of my problem. I'm short with narrow hips, and I seem to have a tendency to grow large male babbies. I think deep down I don't really believe my body can do it. Did anyone else feel similar? How did you tackle it?

Natal hypnotherapy. Tracks cost £12, I think. Book is about the same (which is definitely worth making time to read). You could get by without the book, but it would help you to understand the science behind it if you’re fairly cynical. Practice 3 times a week.

I’ve had two lovely home births using it, one I didn’t even use gas and air for (2nd I did as it was faster and more intense, but still totally manageable and probably actually the easier if the two). It was lovely. You don’t need classes. I did it all at home on my own.

Look up positive birth mama on YouTube and watch her videos! Her video on ‘up breathing’ got me through hideous contractions whilst driving to hospital in a snowstorm! I think for £30 ish you can download all of her videos, mp3s and notes
I panic watched a few of the free videos on YouTube a week before my second birth and the idea of hypobirthing and the way she explains it makes a lot of sense. Still hurt mind 😂

Epidural 😂😂

Hi,
I tried it with my 3rd baby and it was great. I was out of if during birth 1&2 and I really want to be more aware and have a better experience. I did start during 7/8months but I thought something is better than nothing. I used videos on YouTube to learn basic breathing techniques and just did the that during the day to practice. I was aware of everything and remember every detail and the midwife's responded very well to me.