To hypnobirth or not???

[BetterNotBitter]

Early days for me in this pregnancy but all being well I should be having my 2nd baby next year.

I've been interested in hypnobirthing for a while but my question is this, will it benefit me?

The reason I'm unsure is because all of the teachers/people who run classes have spoke to me about removing fear etc but I don't actually have fear. I had a lovely (if a little long), straightforward waterbirth with my first in a birth centre, with gas and air when I felt I needed it.

I'm hoping for a similar experience next time, maybe a bit shorter would be good but not a huge issue for me. I don't really have fear about the process of labour, although I'm obviously aware of all the complications that can arise all you can do is hope they won't happen.

So will hypnobirthing benefit me if I don't need fear removing?

Seems utterly pointless to me!

Giving birth is a natural process, why interfere with it?

Sounds like a load of hippy clap trap to me unless you really had some kind of medical disorder or phobia which prevented you from seeing giving birth as anything but normal.

worked well for me - mind you I tried it with my first so who knows what it would've been like if I had just let it all happen.

I did hypnobirthing for my third and I could go on about how much I loved it for hours. It honestly changed my life!

The bits that might be relevant for you- it really helped me relax, rest and sleep better once I started the course at 34 weeks. It helped my husband feel more involved and confident about the labour. It also made us much more confident and equipped to deal with the unknown should an emergency arise.

I did the full 12 hour course with a trained up midwife, rather than a hypnotherapist. I would recommend it that way round.

I am still using the relaxation techniques now.

It was great for me - it's just basically breathing and relaxation techniques, not 'hippy claptrap' at all. My course was actually taught by an extremely experienced senior midwife, and hypnobirthing is now offered locally to me on the NHS - so clearly not everyone has such dismissive views (thank goodness).

Why not get a CD and see what you think?

sundaysimmons Hypnobirthing IS natural - it's just deep relaxation, visualisations and breathing. What's "interfering" about that??

Using hypnotherapy in no way interferes with a natural process - if anything it allows you to relax and shut off anything that could interfere with it.

I used natal hypnotherapy by Maggie Howell - would totally recommend. It's a cd, and there is also birth music and a book in the range. All very sensible, and it doesn't cost a fortune unlike hynobirthing courses, which might be a factor if you aren't totally convinced. It also doesn't tell you that you will feel no pain at all, which is think is more realistic and doesn't set you up for failure!

We've done hypnobirthing in preparation for our first DC Due in feb and would highly recommend it.

It isn't "hippy" at all - it's actually based on a lot of science and we have learnt so much about birth and the options open to us, as well as the relaxation and visualisation techniques. I think it's a great way to make the birth partner feel involved in birth too as they are such a support for the mother during birth. I have the Maggie Howell CDs and also have done the Mongan method class. I'd definitely recommended the Mongan method book for teaching you about all the reasoning behind it etc, however the CDs could be an easier option if you went sure about it.

Hypnobirthing was good at keeping me relaxed when we nearly had an emergency. Had a difficult pregnancy (high risk) so it helped me a lot.

You might be interested in things like active birth preparation. That might help your labour not be as long? There are loads of things you could look into. Yoga. Acupuncture.

If next time you can't have a water birth for some reason you may have a very different birth.

I have been doing hypnobirthing classes in preparation for my first DC due in the new year. With useless midwives I've found it a godsend for helping me de-stress about what is ahead.We've used the Marie Mongan book and it's really getting my husband involved.
The breathing techniques work well with yoga (something I've done for years) and I'm really enjoying it - and meeting lots of other lovely mums-to-be.
Certainly recommend looking into it.