Hypnobirthing

[Aroundthelight]

Hello, I'm pregnant with my third child and due date is fast approaching....

My first labour was terrible, second was good. Both were inductions.

I want to do some hypnobirthing this time around in case it comes in useful, but some googling and looking on Amazon have thrown up too many choices!! Anyone have any recommendations for books/audios?

I'm likely to be induced again and have other medical interventions, so I'm not keen on lots of promotion of natural birth and empowering choices etc, more looking for something to help me through the pain of contractions etc!

Thank you!

Any reason you don't want an epidural?

@Kaiken I had one for my first labour and didn't have one for the second, and preferred labour without one.

Not sure about hypnobirthing, but the thing that helped me most with pain relief was my husband digging his elbow into my back, at the level of the baby’s head, to provide counter-pressure. It was a tip the midwives suggested when an epidural wasn’t possible. I rolled my eyes at the idea but it really, truly worked!!!

I used The Positive Birth Company. The birthing course is about £50 and done through a series of videos.

I can’t say I agreed with everything said on the course (it was my second pregnancy) but overall I did find it massively helpful, particularly with speaking up about my choices. I also got my DH to watch certain parts and this helped him with understanding what I needed him to do (advocate for me when I wasn’t able to)

Some genuinely interesting sciency bits, good breathing techniques and food for thought. I did roll my eyes a few times but I’m a natural skeptic 😂 Good luck!

I've given birth twice and used hypnobirthing principles both times. I highly recommend it and if I had a third baby I'd do the same.

First time around I did an in person course run by the NHS at my local hospital as part of their antenatal course selection; their course was based on Katharine Graves hypnobirthing and we were given a copy of her book to read afterwards.

Second time around (three years later) I didn't see the need to spend a lot of money for a course I'd done before (as I remembered the core principles), I just wanted a 'refresher', so I signed up to an online course with Positive Birth Company and would recommend it. You can dip in and out easily and access the content (short video and audio clips) at any time. It sounds as though this would be the best option for you.

I have found that with hypnobirthing there is quite a lot of focus on 'natural birth' because it's based on the science of what makes it easiest for your body to do what nature intended in an ideal world (making the process easy and stress free is pain reducing - I know that seems like a sweeping statement but there is science behind it - the course explains more!). However, it is recognised that 'natural' birth isn't always possible and the Positive Birth Company covers interventions such as induction and C Section, so you could definitely benefit from hypnobirthing principles if you have an induction etc.
I will say that there is a lot of focus on birth being "pain free" which I think is, well, pretty optimistic and unrealistic... however I would comment that both my births seemed very manageable and they were very positive experiences. I really benefited from the courses in terms of knowledge of what my body was doing as well as the relaxation exercises I'd been taught. For my second birth in particular I was a lot more relaxed (as I was at home) and therefore felt as though the pain/whole experience was much more manageable (so much so that I was dozing off in between contractions, didn't realise how far along I was and only called the midwives when I started pushing because I thought I was nowhere near that stage)! I genuinely enjoyed giving birth both times (yes, it was hard work, but I'd compare it to a marathon where you get the medal at the end). If I had an induction/C cection I know that I would be able to apply what I'd learnt to those situations.

I used the Maggie Howell natal hypnobirthing CD and book last time, bought it again recently off of Vinted for five pounds, still on Amazon though and not expensive. Some of the stories in the book about pain free labour were a bit 🙄 but the breathing techniques kept me focussed and calm and I used some of the affirmations, definitely using it for this time

Thanks so much everyone for the really helpful responses, I appreciate it. I've decided to do the online positive birth course and will also get a Katherine Graves or Maggie Howell book.

Totally agree @Poppins2016 about the pain being real! I know it's going to be painful so want to be prepared to manage it!

That's interesting @UpToMyElbowsInDiapers - I remember the midwife doing some firm massage on my back in my second labour which helped, maybe it was something similar. I'll make sure my husband has his elbows ready!