Hypnobirthing.....any experiences?

[detoxdiva]

That's it really....am reading the book and doing the hypnosis CD - has anyone got experiences of this technique, does it work and what advice can you offer?

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Anybody??

hiya - i used maggie howell's natal hynotherapy cd when i was preg with dd2. it worked so much better than i ever thought it would. what pain i did feel was easily managable. i had lots of teeth problems throughout pregnancy and that was far more painful. i had a homebirth, had four hours coping easily on my own, when MW arrived I was already 8cm diltated. During transition i was making small talk between contractions .

couple of tips. listen to whichever cd you use as much as possible. i heard you need to listen at least 20 time - i reckon i did 25. i used to burn the same essential oil mix each time. during the birth i put this oil on a flannel which i would sniff throughout contractions. finally, maggie howell says to listen her cd once while not going into hypnosis and make a note of key phrases or words. i really fixed onto her descrption of contractions as "power, pressure, warmth." for five hours i repeated those words thru each contraction and never lost control once.

good luck! it really really works

natal here too, but don't worry, one isn't particularly better than the other, it is just the one that 'fits' you really that you should go with.

It can take you a while to get the hang of it though if you're anxious, but if you stick at it it can be very very helpful. I refused gas and air because I was worried it would throw my control and concentration.

I did the marie mongan book and cd with DS1 and it really helped:

? take away the fear of birth

? me to relax

? taught me invaluable breathing techniques for use in labour during contractions and inbetween

? give me confidence in my body

? contribute to a positive birthing experience

In fact the midwife couldn't even tell I was having contractions.

Definitely persevere with it. I'm due a baby soon and have just re-read the book and am starting to listen to the CDs and practice the breathing techniques again. I've also downloaded some additional relaxation tracks from www.easybirthdownloads.com

I did it too for my second birth (Marie Mongan) but I found the woman's voice on the CD intensely irritating! I also did some classes with a hypnobirthing instructor who also decided to use a very silly voice whenever she was trying to do any relaxation or visualisations. Her normal speaking voice was fine though, not sure why she felt the need to put on such a bizarre voice for the hypnosis bit!

I think it definitely works for some people but I didn't personally find it worked huge miracles.

However, at the very least it definitely taught me some helpful breathing techniques and gave me something to focus on while I was having contractions at home, kept me calm and I think makes you feel like you are prepared and have some techniques to hand.

Am pg with number 3 and will still be giving it another go this time around if I can find a CD with a normal voice on there!

Hopefully you will be one of the people who find it works miracles! Good luck!

I did the natal hypno CD and found it helpful and it certainly relaxed me.However after 2 days of labour and then the drip for 4 hours I needed a bit more help as my DD was in the wrong position.Sadly ended up with a C section.
This time I'll go straight for the drugs tho!
I think if your labour is straightforward and has no complications then it will probably help you.But if you're labouring for days and getting exhausted there are limits.
Good luck

Thanks all! Am pg with no.2 and planning a home water birth so want to try anything to help with the relaxation side...

I found the Marie Mongan voice irritating too! Try easybirthdownloads.com for different tracks. I find their woman's voice more soothing. You can also listen to a sample before you buy to see if it's for you.

Detox If you're planning a waterbirth at home, the hypnobirthing will really compliment it. I'm hoping for a waterbirth in the hospital this time.

Ooh marvellous. Thanks Lullaby!!

Thanks Lullaby - have downloaded some of those - a much less irritating voice I agree....

I am doing it (38weeks pregnant) having had a traumatic first birth and have to say it is an amazing help. I love being prepared. I found the classes great and enjoyed seeing birthing videos. I think any kind of breathing, relaxtion techniques will surely only be of help. I listen to the CD and am combining the whole thing with a water birth.
I feel confident that this preparation will improve on my first experience and would thoroughly recommend it.
Go for the course. Go for the CD and take time to prepare!

I had the marie mongan cd, book and did the course (3 sessions with an instructor). I found it very useful and I stayed very relaxed throughout the whole labour (24 hours or so). And it really helped me not to over worry before hand and not to over think it afterwards. Definitely go for it.

I had a home water birth using hypnobirthing in june and it was great!

I used the Marie Mongan book and CD and had six lessons with an instructor. Although we didn't use all of the techniques, I found it really helped just feeling confident about my ability to birth naturally and knowing how to breathe correctly to help my body.

The whole atmosphere was very relaxed (we were watching stand-up comedy DVDs and munching snacks for the first few hours)and I felt totally in control.

I think it helped massively that my OH and my best friend also came to the classes and totally bought into the idea of hypnobirthing. So we all reinforced each others visions of a positive birth. It also meant they were empowered enough to make decisions on my behalf e.g. when the midwifes were unable to attend and when DS1 woke up and came downstairs.

Can't recommend hypnobirthing enough but it only works if you put the preparation in beforehand. You have to commit some time each day to practice.

Good luck!

I'm slightly biased as I'm a hypnobirthing practitioner now, but really, it was the only thing that got me through pregnancy without feeling like running for the hills.

I'd recommend you find a local prac. as you go through extra things on the course like a fear release session, and you get the chance to practice the techniques and ask questions if you're not confident they're working properly. But yes, you need to practice, you can't just turn up on the day having read the book and expect it to work for you without doing a bit of practice beforehand!

If you can't afford that, as well as the other websites mentioned for downloads, try tums2mums.com, there are mp3s on there to go with the HB Mongan Method book with a better voice. Also, you can get the music without anyone speaking, it's on a CD call the Comfort Zone by Steven Halpern, currently around £8.93 on play.com. The idea of that is that you play that in the background while you say your own affirmations or get your birth companion to say some of the relaxation stuff, getting used to their voice as they'll be there on the day.

i've just come across this but thought i'd comment incase anyone is looking for a good practitioner. I used a lady called Sophie Englefield who was great. She comes to your house and give you a personal cd - the other practitioners i came accross are very generic so it's really good. I had a long labour but managed the birth of my beautiful baby girl Chloe without any pain relief at all! You can find her through www.hypnobirthingforyou.co.uk. If that's too much to pay then you can use cd's but would really recommend getting a practitioner in if you can. Happy Christmas ladies! x

Has anyone got any experience of Sue Nicol in Wakefield?