Hyponobirthing and mindfulness

[Buttercup53]

I was wondering if anyone with experience of both could tell me if there’s much of a difference between the techniques taught as hyponobirthing from an intensive mindfulness course, apart from of course the focus on labour and birth? I have access via my therapy to a mindfulness course including muscle relaxation techniques (so not just following a quick tutorial but professional in-depth guidance) which I think will be helpful for labour anyway, so I don’t know if it’s worth the money to also pay for a hyponobirthing course - unless there’s a huge difference?

I have done mindfulness for a while (did a small group course), have done an online Hypnobirthing course, and am using various (free or cheap!) other Hypnobirthing resources that I've found online.

My impression of the main difference is that Hypnobirthing courses also provide a lot of information on labour and birth choices (helping reduce fear by making you feel better informed) and looks at different breathing techniques for the different stages of labour. The general relaxation techniques, guided meditation etc are all pretty similar and I think learning them directly from a professional would be invaluable. I'd probably do that and then buy a hypnobirthing book/do an online course or watch some videos for the labour specific stuff.

I haven’t done a mindfulness course but would really recommend the online course from the Positive Birth Company in addition (its only £35 and worth every penny!)

As PP has said, it teaches you about the science behind the birth process. It really helps you understand what your body is doing in labour which takes a lot of the panic and fear away and helps you make informed choices.

I gave birth to DC2 and 3 with no pain relief, just using breathing techniques. I hadn’t done any hypnobirthing course for DC2 though and really panicked during transition as I didn’t know what was happening.

With DC3 born this week I could identify what my body was doing in each stage. So I knew when I was in established labour (went to the hospital at 7cm), felt the baby descend and turn, felt transition and when I was ready to push. Because I knew myself what was going on, I was really calm throughout- all the midwives commented on it.

I really recommend the course. There are a few free videos online to give you an idea.

That's the same course I've done Chloe Chloe - great to hear that it was genuinely helpful, I'm planning on rewatching key sections this week. And congratulations on the arrival of DC3 :-)

I teach meditation and mindfulness, and I found hypnobirthing to build on that in a very helpful way. My meditation experience was a good foundation for focus on the breath and helping control my mind (not always easy though!), but hypnobirthing was helpful with info on labour and practical information that helped me believe in my body and have faith in myself. Both times I only read hypnobirthing books though and practiced a few recordings, I found that enough of a complement to meditation practice and both beneficial in different ways.

Thanks everyone, sounds like hyponobirthing is something that’s good to build on a foundation of mindfulness so I think I’ll focus on the mindfulness for now, and then use online resources for the hyponobirthing rather than a full on course.