Positivity needed! Hypnobirthing mums out there?

[slugsonmypeasgrr]

Hi am currently 40+4 with dc2. Had a great home birth last time using hypno techniques but I did end up pushing -hard- for about 2 hours to get baby out. This time round I gave horrific piles already due to baby being so low for about 4 weeks. It has started to make me feel quite apprehensive about the birth as I worry I'll rupture something and end up physically in a very bad way. Now I know this is not good hypno form!! I am trying to get positive and hoping I won't even be 'pushing' this time but need some moral support if anyone has got any good stories or ideas to offer?

im 37+ weeks now, awaiting my second home birth when baby decides to come :)

get drinking raspberry leaf tea and taking callophyllum.

I hypno birthed last time too.... it was so good i didnt realise i was in "proper" labout until transition (midwife arrived 5 min before)

12 min later DD landed on the sofa (pool not ready / too hot) and i didnt push at all.

Im drinking 3 raspberry leaf teas a day now, and have been taking callophyllum weekly since 35 weeks and will up it to daily from next week.

good luck

Thanks nannyl I hope this one will pop out like yours did!

I was you a week ago OP! Pushed for just under 2 hours with DD1, got piles from 7 months with DD2 and was worried.

Had HB last friday using hypnobirthing, much much easier pushing stage (under 30 mins) and felt much more in control of the pushing. Once i was in labour i forgot to worry about the piles and they were gone straight away so must've just been the weight of baby's head.

So i'd say you'll be fine - i second the raspberry leaf tea suggestion though

Ps i found the hypnobirthing easier to put into practice second time around, with DD1 ut was great in stage 1 but i lost it from transition onwards and couldn't focus. Second time around i was much more in control and focused on my breathing. I did very much still push (as opposed to just breathing baby out) but i used tbe j breath technique at the same time as pushing and it made it much more controlled.

Good luck!

Wow! That sounds great littlemonkeychops so good to hear. I was exactly the same first time around, it was all a little overwhelming once things really got going but I know hypno helped in first stage and also really contributed to a successful home birth. I will get going on raspberry leaf tea as this baby isn't going anywhere right now.

hi there, hope this isn't thread stealing... but it does relate to things many of you have mentioned... I'm 29wks with DC1 and hoping to use hypnobirthing to get me through the b-day... I've read several posts saying that it gets so hard in the later stages that it all goes out the window.... I just wondered if anyone has any tips to holding it together? thanks!

Hi kitkat. I used hypno for bith DC, here's my experience.

DD1 - listened to the cds in the bath in early stages, kept me really relaxed, used the breathing etc, was feeling good, transferred to MLU at 4cm and to be honest i think that's where i lost a lot of focus and never really got it back, i also struggled to successfully use visualisation and i don't think i'm a visual person. I used the pool and gas and air and got through it ok but i think i "let the fear in" if that makes sense.

DD2 - had homebirth last friday. Succeeded much better with the hypno. Partly because i wasn't scared of labour as knew i could do it (so not much help to you sorry). I decided nit to bother with visualisation and just focused on the breathing techniques. They do work if you try and make yourself stay focused. The benefit of hindsight looking back at DD1s birth is that i knew that each contraction does pass and there is a rest between each one. With DD1 i got anxious and stayed anxious between surges which made it all much harder work.

So really really focus on breathing through each surge, and either do visualisations if they work for you, or i just kept repeating the mantra in my head that this one will pass and it does. Then between surges really try and relax and take the chance to "regroup". I found my DH's support between surges invalusble, i'd prepped him to remind me to calm my breathing, relax my jaw (really does help).

Also keep focused on the end result, if i was sruggling DH would remind me it was bringing baby closer, and after a surge he'd hold me and tell me that was one less surge i'd have to do. Simple things that really helped. With my first labour DH was as overwhelmed as me, second time around i said what i needed from him.

Sorry the above is ramble, hope there's something useful in there. As you can tell i'm not a pure hypnobirther, as in i mean hypno didn't make it pain free for me, but it really does help.

If i could go back and speak to myself in labour with DD1 i'd tell myself to have confidence and stay focused. I did with DD2 and it was an empowering experience.

Ooo see how rambly/sentimental i am, can you tell ihave just had a baby?!:-)

Thanks so much littlemonkeychops that's really useful - good to hear two experiences you had too. Sounds like I need to get DP well prepped! Congrats on your new little one and thanks again.

Hi kitkat! Not a hijack at all! If it helps, with no1 I was able to use hypno cd on my iPod lying down until the contractions got really string (about 4 hours or so) then I had to brace in a squat position against the wall for each contraction, still doing hypno breathing and with iPod until I was about 4cm dilated, then I got in the pool and listened on loud speaker but by about 8 cm the hypno cd really started to annoy me and the midwife was really pushing gas and air but then I found long low mooing was good and I needed the midwives guidance as no 'j' breath was getting that baby out! From then on it was kind if head down, last few miles of the marathon you can do it and you have to! I pushed for 2 hours without gas and air and only felt like I couldn't do it at the end when I was sooo tired bug you k ow what? I did! It was amazing but I was exhausted! Hoping there won't be so much pushing with no2 but doesn't seem to want to come at all at the moment... Am 41 weeks today and still no sign!

Thanks slugs. It's always great to hear how people get through it all. Wish you all the best with dc2!

I'm 37+6 and doing hypnobirthing. Planning on starting the opening rose visualisations fairly soon (prob next week!) and have been doing perineal massage for the last 2 weeks - this is a very strange sensation but i think it's working! Was really nippy the first time and I lasted about 30 seconds before stopping but it doesnt nip at all now and I've only been doing it once every 2 days or so - perhaps this might help reduce your worries about stretching and tearing? You should do it once a day when you're relaxed so after a bath perhaps and only do it for about 5 mins max. It's a bit of a contortion to get into the right position but it is possible! Basically put your thumb inside your vagina with the thumb pad towards your bum. Sort of move your thumb in a U-shape to stretch the perineum - you'll know instantly if you're doing it too hard - start gently and work up! Use olive oil or other base oil (nothing perfumed or anything) to help lubricate. Not sure if it's compatible with piles though...maybe double check with your midwife just in case.

Do you know the opening rose visualisation? The slowly unfolding rose bud is basically your cervix opening - find a picture or a video you like the imagery of and use that to calmly visualise your muscles relaxing and opening and your baby moving through the centre of the rose. You're not meant to do this too early - think you can start around 38 weeks onwards - so it must work!

There's a hypnobirthing CD which came with the book and is really good - every time I listen I fall asleep - there is a series of colour visualisations and I can only ever get to the first one before I'm out. My husband is into meditation and says that even though I'm asleep it's still going in so I feel pretty confident it's working - and even if it isn't, it sends me to sleep so if it can do this for the first few hours or more than will be a result for me :-)

According to the hypnobirthing lady it's all about practice - I'm worried I wont be able to keep it together but am listening to the CD and visualisations twice a day now and DH and I are talking through what's going to happen in the hospital which is really helping me keep calm. One of the mantras you repeat is "I calmly accept whichever path my birthing will take" - I think this is really important to get your head round to help you keep calm if things go differently to what you expect.

Bit of an essay here but keep the faith! The hypnobirthing will work and if it only works for a short time, it's helped up until then. We can do it!!

Just to update, had my gorgeous boy last Sunday night at home. Light grazing only. Hardly any blood loss and feel fine already! Was a great water birth with really quick pushing stage, but my god did I push!! Took over my whole body. Piles still there but going away and not painful anymore. The hypno helped a lot esp as only managed to get gas and air for the last contraction before I started pushing!! DH was amazing too... Still high on life!!

Conrgratulations Slugs!! :D

Will be doing hypnobirthing also in around and about a months time!

As someone with experience using birth hypnosis and one who is now a trained hypnotherapist (and Physician) with my own hypno-birth program BirthRelaxationKit.com I can agree with the statement:

"According to the hypnobirthing lady it's all about practice"

PRACTICE is simply the most important element, whether you are practicing prenatal yoga, breathing techniques, fear-addressing techniques like hypnobirthing, etc. Your mind/body can be shifted and sort of reprogrammed, if you are willing and put in a little time daily.

Support to all of you who have used some form of hypnobirthing as I'm sure you experienced some form of success, anywhere in the spectrum of "more relaxed about birth" to "pain free!"

I experienced a really comfortable birth with my first. Switched from hospital birth to homebirth just before my last trimester and had an amazing birth at home. Intense (as birth is!) but not painful.

I plan on using these hypno techniques in my second, due end of december.

Mavi Gupta, M.D., C. Cht.