does hypnobirthing work?

[Alpinechildcare]

I have a friend who has advised us to do a course (the baby is due in Jan) because it's amazing and she didn't suffer any pain at all.

Every single other mother I've told about this say what rubbish, and of course labour is agony and told me all sorts of horror stories.

I just wondered if there are any others out there who found it as useful as my friend?

Can't comment on effectiveness, as am 39+5 and still waiting! But just wanted to comment on the Homebirth vs. Hospital CDs. I have the Hospital Natal Hypnotherapy one, and the only bits it mentions about hospitals in particular are along the lines of "when the time comes to go to the place where your baby will be born, you become more and more relaxed. Each milestone along the way takes you into a deeper sense of relaxation" Or something along those lines.

She also talks about how with every new person that you meet, your sense of confidence in your ability to birth your baby increases - I guess this is specific to hospital, as you wouldn't meet new people at home? Maybe Homebirth CD users can say how different this is to theirs?

other than that, there is nothing hospital-specific. hth :)

I did a course in Hampstead with a lovely woman and thoroughly enjoyed it. It in no way got rid of the pain but for the 24 hours I was at home (and especially the 6 hours immediately prior to going to hospital) it definitely helped me 'go inside myself' as they say and bear the pain.

I still had an epidural for the final stages (bliss - I had no yearnings for machismo when it comes to labour) and I was open to other forms of pain relief. I think it helps not to have a fixed idea of a 'perfect' birth.

I didn't practise enough with the CDs so could have done more but overall, although I didn't experience a pain-free birth it did what I wanted - which was essentially to overcome any fears and for me not to panic. My DP was rubbish though, didn't attend the class with me (exams) so I think with a supportive DP who would do the exercises with you it could be much more effective in focusing away from the pain. Hope it all goes well for you and congratulations!

Really pleased you're going to do the course, Alpine. My friend had her first baby on Sat night using hypno and was really pleased with how it went.

Just be aware that there can be a conflict between traditional antenatal classes and hypnobirthing. At the usual classes they will focus on pain relief and talk to you at length about c-sections and episiotomies. This goes against the idea of not being scared or anxious. If you go into it thinking it's going to be hideously painful, you'll tense up and the relaxation techniques won't work.

Although it's important to know what your options are, I would try to remain "detached" from all the scary stuff. Maybe you could do the traditional classes first to get the basic knowledge and then do the hypno classes to reinforce the idea of a natural birth with little intervention.

I think some hypno classes may include info on drugs anyway so you might be wasting your time going to both.

Have fun at the classes and remember to practice!

seashore and others who rate the technique - how much did you practise? Every day? I've got another 7 weeks (have been doing on and off for 2) so hoping this is enough?

The easier you can do the techniques the better I guess. The more you put in the more you get out, probably?

I practised every day. Can't remember what week I was when I started though... Breathing technique and listening to the (Mongan) CD, and telling myself over and over that it was going to be straightforward and take 6 hours.
It took 7 hours: Second child, and in a good position so it was all going to be easier anyway, but I was way more relaxed than I would have been. Being at home and having a pool helped too of course. Certainly didn't need any other pain relief but it hurt enough to make the spaces in between contractions seem absolutely blissful. I never felt out of control at any point. Didn't stop crowning etc hurting, but I think I forgot to even try to relax at that point!

Serious problems like baby stuck in a really bad position are when we are all very thankful that we live in a country where you can easily and safely get epidurals and CSs. Hypnobirthing is not magic! But it can definitely help to avoid problems caused by simple tension and fear.

I used natal hypnotheraphy and I went on the course. It worked really well. I had a three hour labour and managed with nothing but TENS. The natal hypnotheraphy course taught me how to breathe effectively.

My neighbour used the homebirth CDs for hospital birth. She arrived at the hospital for an induction and found she was 8cm dialated. Unfortunately she end up with an assisted birth as she had shoulder disocia. She had a large baby.

Even though she did not get a natural birth my neighbour says that the CDs helped her relax and sleep while she was pregnant. Being rested before the birth increases the chances of having a good birth experience.

Nothing can guarrentee a good birth.

Honeymoo, I only got hold of the cd and info about it 2 weeks before due date, did it everyday from then on, you've plenty of time cause it's usually recommended that you start practicing it 6 weeks before. You'll do fine,