hypnobirthing

[blondiep14]

Has anyone used the book-CD combo recently?
What are your opinions?
Am really tempted but haven't yet pressed the checkout button on Amazon!

Hi:-)) I downloaded the birth made easy... It's got an audio on there as well to listen to. First time I listened I thought it was too chaotic and thought the VoiceOver was so busy I couldn't relax... But after listening a few times I find u can find a deep relaxation regardless. It's good so far as it helps u understand that perhaps working with the contractions ( best u can) as opposed to tensing up overwhelmingly with fear and pain can help things move along smoother. I am due in just a few days with my first and am not sure how this logic will come to light in the midst of the forces of nature but hey ho i like the idea of going in with some positive optimism:-))) when r u due??

Is that the same sort of thing then?
I'm due mid Sept so not in a great hurry but also figure it'd be a good thing to embed it in my mind!
You'll have to let me know how it goes and whether it helps.
This is DC3 and I haven't had horrendous labours, but want to try anything to lessen the pain

Yep:-) it's all about a bit of self hypnosis, breathing technique and visualisation...Positive approach etc. Apparently the more you can successfully immerse yourself into such hypnosis and distract yourself, u promp your bodies natural epidural and hormones that allow u to get through birth as comfortably and with little pain. From reading other successful stories bout hypnobirthing, u can't help but be attracted by the idea of the method!! So not too much longer to see if it works for me anyway. Am listening to the audio everyday now and do quite successfully get in deep state of relaxation so we will see! Hope it works! :-))))

Best of luck - come and update me when you get a moment afterwards!

I used a Maggie Howell CD / book when I was pregnant with my DD. I was pretty sceptical about it - but also wanted to give myself the best chance for an easier / less painful labour.
I listened to the CD whenever I was going to sleep - it really relaxed me and I slept brilliantly all through my pregnancy.
When my contractions started I listened to the CD and stayed relaxed in my bed for as long as I could - the pain seemed fine! When I went to the hospital (id been told to come in at 5 that day) I was in labour and delivered my daughter without any pain relief 40 minutes later!
Obviously it still hurt a lot but I felt the hypnobirthing breathing / visualisations helped me distract myself enough for it to be manageable. The book gave me enough knowledge about the whole pregnancy / childbirth process that I wasn't as scared as I might have been.

I would definitely recommend it.

Yep will do. :-) hopefully it will be soon!!

Wow - you've sold it to me I think ray. It is the Maggie Howell one I have in my basket.
Brilliant mum - hope it's soon and short and sweet for you!

Hello - i bought the marie mongon one off ebay (instead of amazon) - I found it to be brilliant:) I've heard the Maggie Howell one is great to. I was worried that the book and CD wouldn't be enough but I had a lovely birth (apart from 2 days being induced) - 1.5hrs. they didn't believe I was as far along as I was, or progressing that much as I was so comfortable blah blah. I had my DS 7 weeks ago and cannot bear to throw that book out, it really made it a good experience. He was my last, and I'm sad I wont' get to do it again. Enjoy and good luck:)

Ooh, I hadn't thought of Ebay - good call.

Glad you had such a lovely experience, congrats on your DS

I didnt get round to reading the book it arrived the day my waters broke lol however I did throughout my pregnancy imagine my labour as being exciting and I began to actually look forward to it. It really helps not to be scared there was two occasions during labour where I lost control & fear got the better of me and the contractions were def worse. The calmer you are the easier it is. My labour ended up being 4hours and I was focused so much on breathing each contraction away I didn't have any pain relief.

Good to hear about positive experiences :-)) Am hoping that I am able to focus through it and work with them rather than against them! Does gas and air affect how u would be able to perform breathing exercises??

I'm really interested to read this thread. DH and I are signed up for a hypno birthing course but wondering if we just need the book instead?

Hi:-) I'm sure the course will be really useful as it will probably have u experiment with breathing techniques etc and will give u opportunity to ask questions along the way. When are you due?

Hello - Mum2junior - I used gas and air, and found I could really breath, count and suck that gas in - worked really well for me - although I couldn't visualise whilst practicing, found I could on the day, especially whilst sucking on that, sure, I felt light headed but I got into my own hazy world. If I had to do it all again, I would do the course, just for peace of mind that I was doing it right, as before going into labour i did worry a bit that I wasn't doing it how I should

Hi there adivic... thanks for that. How long was your labour?Good U found it it useful and it worked for u:-)) I'm not brilliant at the visualisation as it is but when i concentrate well on the breathing I become very relaxed! Hopefully I can apply that okay at the time:-)) Am 39 weeks plus five days so anytime now i guess! Time will tell :-)

I did the Marie Mongan method and we did a course, read the book and did all the relaxation techniques most days. In days when hubby wasn't there, I listened to the CD. It really made it feel like we were both in this process together, rather than just me and OH was not just a spare part!
When it came to actual labour, I found it very bearable throughout and it was only the very last bit that was bad, but that's a few seconds! I got to hospital when I was fully dilated, and gave birth 2 hrs later in water with no pain relief at all.

My problem was that the course made it sound like it should be completely painless and when I felt pain, I felt like a failure. But the pain is very manageable. The techniques teach you to relax completely between contractions and that's a major thing. My biggest problem in active labour was the cramp I kept getting in my leg!

I rave about Hypnobirthing to anyone who would listen. Key is to do it as often as you can and really it needs to be done at least once a day towards the end to really condition you to the music. I used Stephen Halpen (the composer Marie Mongan uses) even after I gave birth to have a few mins to relax while my daughter slept. Worked brilliantly!

Good luck ladies!

I'm due on 24th November. Only thing worrying me a bit is that the baby is very long with a big head as per last week's 20 week scan. DH is 6 foot 6 and was a big baby whilst I'm only 5 foot 4! However, we're going to give it a go as DH's aunt is a GP with 4 children and she thinks it sounds like a very good idea. Apparently anything to focus you and involve DH will help keep you both calm!

I'm booked in to a midwife led unit but my DM and DSis think I should go in to the consultant led unit due to baby's size. I'm still pondering......

Yes, I am booked into a midwife led unit too however on same grounds as consultant led care should I need to transfer. The hypnobirthing talk alot about ur bodies elasticity stretching naturally when ur calm and relaxed so I guess how easy the baby passes through birth canal will depend on your level of relaxation which promotes this exit! I am feeling like I wish I did the course now. I didn't start exploring the hypnobirthing until two weeks ago and so feel like I could me more educated about it however I will take the key principles and practice those best I can and stay optimistic:-)

(Shinyblackgrape)
Please try not to worry about your baby's head size! Scan measurements are often wrong (very wrong sometimes) and most women are very capable of birthing larger babies! (My first was 9lb 6, DH was over 6 foot too) Your pelvic bones are designed to move apart a bit at the joints so your baby can fit through, your baby's skull bones are designed to mould and overlap as (s)he is born, your hormones soften all your ligaments to make the whole thing easier and as Mum2junior says your body does become more elastic and stretchy in labour. The calmer and more relaxed you are the easier it is for your body to do its work.

Natal Hypnotherapy CDs can really help you with deep relaxation, self-hypnosis and coping strategies. There are also Natal Hypnotherapy workshops running all around the country. The Maggie Howell book and CD combo is very effective but if you want to get even more understanding and practise in then see if there's a workshop near you.