For those of you who used hypnobirthing...

[berri]

Could you please describe what you actually 'did' during the birth, and at what stage? I was wondering in terms of which breathing techniques or visualisations helped at each stage of your labour.

Trying to get as prepared as possible but there are so many different techniques I don't know which to use at which point etc!

Any tips and positive stories gratefully received! :)

[LesleyLamb]

Hi,
msbluesky32 I was wondering if you would be able to email me the photo as well, I would really appreciate it.

Also can anyone describe the 'shaking the apples' technique I'm reading Maggie Howell at the moment and am not 100% sure of this.

Thank you

[Purplecatti]

I ran through Bach's goldberg variations in my head and pictured the sheet music.
But I'm weird. [Grin]
I was also off my face on gas n air.
Best thing to do is to get your brain to say goodbye and shut down all non essential systems and ride it out.
Worked for me

[berri]

That's lovely Pudgy, thank you :)

[Pudgy2011]

I live abroad so don't have access to 1:1 courses but I read the Marie Mongan book and listened to the CD every evening from about 28 weeks.

During labour, and once I got into the bath I tried the visualisation but the only one I found I could focus on properly was the counting to 20 really quickly and then blowing the breath into a blue balloon and watching it float away. All whilst mooing like a cow apparently (and involuntarily!)

I kept also reminding myself at the beginning of each contraction, "the more you relax, the less it will hurt" and was coaching myself through each one to relax even more than I did during the last one. I never really did anything consciously but like others, I found I really went into myself and zoned out massively. Between contractions I was totally relaxed and chilled.

Had a touch of g&a because I got too hot in the bath and needed to get out, but only had it for 5 minutes before they told me I was fully dilated and needed to start pushing. I never felt the urge to push though so the breathing down part didn't happen for me and I had to push against his body which was hard. But actually I didn't find that part particularly painful, nor the crowning or anything (or the small episiotomy!)

Awww, I'm getting all broody writing this now, I can't wait to do it all again, it was a fantastic experience. I credit hypnobirthing with keeping me calm and relaxed but open-minded enough to know that if I needed intervention I was going to take it. I was just lucky that baby went head down at 30 weeks and stayed there, and I apparently have a pelvis wide enough for easy labour but had intervention been needed, I would have been able to remain calm which is what I wanted.

I hope you enjoy your experience OP and you'll be holding your new baby soon! GOod luck and let us know how you get on!

[berri]

Thanks Ginger

[GingerDoodle]

I had a 1:1 course and read the book.

During my labour (on a packed commuter train and car ride) the breathing techniques, the idea that each contraction was one I would not have to do and the support my DH was able to give me was invaluable.

I had a 6 hour labour and did it on gas & air and 2 paracetmol. If this was luck or down to the hypno training I can't say but it did help!

[FadBook]

I've made a mistake " effective birth preparation" by maggie howell

[FadBook]

Cheese - the book is called Birth Preparation. The CD is the same title but I think you can buy different versions as in twins, birth centre, hospital, home birth etc.

[CheeseAndMushroomToastie]

Ive just had a quick look on eBay/amazon under maggie Howell and there are loads of titles! Can you tell me which ones your recommend please? Thanks

[mummy2under2]

Hi Everyone, all this information is very helpful! I am 35 weeks pregnant. and about to have number 2. and my dd is 12 months old. and that labour ended in an EMC. after 2 days of labour at 6cm! But I am stuying Maggie Howel and feeling super positive about it! what words/afimations did people repeat during there labour?

I have finished reading the book.
Hubby is working his way through the book and we have just started the plan were you write out everything your going to say etc.
The cd.. Well Its great but i cant deal with the repetition of it lol so i am going to leave it now with the tape and just practise the physical excersises which I havent done much of. Ie finding points that relax me for my hubby to touch ie shoulders neck. stuff like that but im feeling positive!! would love to chat to others who are going to do hypno birth or already have!!

[berri]

Thanks msbluesky

[Msbluesky32]

cheese I would have thought all the relaxation techniques learnt in hypnobirthing are useful for relaxing pre-induction and during the birth too

[Msbluesky32]

Hi berri just sent those over, I hope my wobbly camera work is ok!

[CheeseAndMushroomToastie]

Has anyone used hypnobirthing having been induced? Interested to see which method you recommend. I was told I would yesterday I would be induced at 38 weeks due to obstetric cholestasis, and am not looking forward to it, having been induced before...

[KatieMiddleton]

I should add I used the breathing and relaxation techniques when I started contractions at 27 weeks pg. I was being continuously monitored and in a lot of pain. It helped. I just shut my eyes and focused on my breath.

[KatieMiddleton]

I tried a Mongan method hypnobirthing session prior to dc2's birth. I just did the Maggie Howell hypnotherapy CDs for dc1. The hypnobirthing wasn't for me after the teacher told us it would make labour pain free hahaha!!! and I failed the visualksation demonstration abysmally ("you won't be able to let go of the pencil, now drop it, you won't be able to stop yourself" nothing happened and I had to pretend!).

I found the hypnotherapy helped make the contractions tolerable. I did breathing and relaxation and sort of went into myself a bit. I also visualised a big dial and turning down the pain. Or an out put monitor with a peak and trough. I tried a bit of the special place too.

Tbh it's just relaxation techniques (these help by stopping your muscles tensing up because that makes it harder to labour and stops you making stress hormones that can stall labour) and distraction techniques (the visualisation stuff). I found moving my hips or bouncing during a contraction also helped distract me a bit as did boozing my TENS machine.

I slept through every Maggie Howell birth prep for my second pg!

Still, I've had two drug free homebirths so it can't have done any harm

[berri]

Agree with Geordie - thanks everyone for your replies, it's been so useful. Feel free to keep adding stuff :)

Thanks msbluesky I'll PM you. Also moomins I'll PM you too over the weekend when I have a mo, thanks so much for the offer!

[Msbluesky32]

berri yes I'd happily send you the info our course teacher prepared - send me your email address and I will foward the sheet info.

[GeordieCherry]

These are all great replies, thanks for the thread!
Off to the library tomorrow

[CorrieDale]

I just did the breathing. I never did get to grips with the visualisations but I found the breathing helped me stay in control. That and chanting 'this pain is finite' for many many hours. Actually the time flew.

[FadBook]

I don't think you need to read both books - although I've not personally read the one you are reading. The visualisation thing is really simple to do but I would make it personal to you - it could be you are riding a wave or imagining a fair ground ride where each upside down thing is a contraction; or your cervix is like a flower opening etc etc I think once you have worked it out, it is practicing it for about 10-20 minutes each night. Learning to breathe in and out and relax and go to this special place.

Another thing we did was sitting down with DP and a A3 sheet of paper with your ideal 'birth plan' in the middle of the paper. Between you, discuss what it important to achieve that birth. So for me I wanted a calm birth/labour with little pain relief, that was my aim. We had a large spider diagram of different things that needed to happen to achieve the 'calm' birth/labour.

DP and I worked backwards from that, and many things were discussed and DP's role became very clear during this exercise. We discussed the different 'tools' referred to in Maggie's book (assuming you have the same type of tools in Mongan book/methods?). So DP understood -

• shaking the apples (shaking my body down! sounds weird but v good!)
  
• using the 'comfort dial' as pp said
  
• my visualisation (which I'd written out for DP to keep with him on the day!)
  
• pressing down on my lower back
  
• putting my favourite oil smell near me (vanilla!)
  
• putting on my ipod with the CD on
  

Hope this helps, I'm trying to recall everything we did but it was 19 months ago!

[LaGuerta]

I had a special place too - in the Peak District on top of a hill breathing in the light from the setting sun and breathing out down into the valley where it was already dark.

I think the right visualisations will come to you at the time. My mind wandered quite a bit and different bits and bobs from the maggie howell CDs popped into my head at various points.

It all went really well though, and whilst it did hurt, I didn't use pain relief as I was in a mental place where I was very relaxed and accepting of these "interesting sensations"

[goodtoesnaughtytoes]

I found that using gas and air helped me to have calm deep breathing and imagine the 'light' travelling down to my baby. This was because you can hear each breath when breathing in and out on the gas. (Also being able to bite down hard on the pipe healed!)

My first labour was fine and went quickly. The midwife said I was a natural. My second baby was born after 30 minutes of labour on the bathroom floor at home. So pretty quick!

[KirstyJC]

I had the earphones in the whole time, with the labour CD Maggie Howell spoke to me the whole time!

I did the deep breaths, very definitely the visualisation when the contractions came, and also the going to a good place (for me a beach with a hammock and gin and tonic!). I also did use the 'comfort dial' when the discomfort (ie pain!) got too much.

I didn't really expect it to work, but it did - I didn't need much G&A at all and just breathed the baby out when I was pushing! Wouldn't have believed it but it did work really well.

[berri]

Interesting fad - my instructor hasn't really talked about a place to go to. It sounds useful though rather than just focusing on breathing and nothing else.
Maybe this is one of the differences between the two methods of Mongan & Howell?

Is anyone familiar with both methods and could tell me the differences?

My DH works pretty late and I can't see him reading the book :(

It seems that the Howell method perhaps has more 'things' for you to do? Maybe I should read her book too and supplement what I've learned with the Mongan method. Or maybe that'd just confuse matters!