hypnobirthing...

[AliGrylls]

I am curious to know how much hypno birthing helps.

A friend of mine tried it and was in established labour for 3 hours. She says that she thinks it was so short purely because of the hypno birthing she did.

I have always been quite sceptical of such alternative medicine particularly when it comes to child birth so I am curious to know if other people have had a similar experience.

I've heard lots of positive stories and am going to give it a try myself as I had a bad first birth! Its about believing in yourself firstly from what I have read of the book so far!

I was thinking of giving it a go next time too.

When my friend told me about it I was almost jealous - it sounded like she positively enjoyed it.

I've signed up for the course after a friend from work had a great experience with it - she said the midwife couldn't believe how calm she was (it was her first baby) and when the baby got stuck and the consultant came along to see what to do next, he thought she had an epidural in place. My local course is £250 and the Health In Pregnancy grant is £190 so seems worth a shot. It's my first pregnancy and I am terrified, so anything is worth a try in my view.

I didn't attend a course, but bought the book at cd to use at home for my 2nd birth.

I found it useful to help stay calm and collected during labour - The breathing and coping techniques were good and I was certainly a lot more in control up to the pushing bit - at one point the mw had to ask me to tell her when I was having a contraction I would liked to have gone on a course to see if it really could have helped me feel like that as I was pushing ds out - I can't imagine being so in control that you don't scream at that point!!

I did a hypnobirthing course for birth of 2nd dc. Although I went to antenatal classes and NCT class for birth of 1st dc, no-one ever told me how to cope with a contraction. So although I had a kind of textbook labour for 1st dc (dd), I found it incredibly overwhelming, and just gritted my teeth and then screamed through contractions.

I only really decided to have another dc after hearing about hypnobirthing. The best thing about it was learning how to breathe during a contraction. Ds's labour lasted about 24 hours, but was very gradual, and never really got too intense. I used my breathing techniques and visualisations throughout the 24 hours, and most of the time was fine. It wasn't 'pain-free' as some proponents of hypnobirthing seem to experience, but it was very copeable with. Plus, I had no tears (after 2nd degree tear with dd). I would totally recommend it.

I used the Natal Hypnotherapy CDs and was in a really positive frame of mind to cope. Yes it still hurt, but it was a very positive experience. (compared to previous 2 births)

Hi!
I had my first baby (DD) in september and used hypnobirthing. I had a home water birth too! I absolutely loved it and firmly believe it influenced the way my birth went massively.

The classes were interesting and fun, i loved the fact that my husband came too and we were both on the same page about the birth, the techniques are really good and it really brought us even more together practising them.

For me, although i had a few birth fears (which you can talk about etc in class and work through) i felt confident in myself and my body to have the labour i wanted.

My husband felt confident about it too and it showed during the labour, he was calm and loving and his trust in what i was doing gave me extra strength and security.. (and for a 23 year old i think that is good!)

During the first half of the labour i was more active, the the midwives came and i was at 5cm and got in the pool, that was the time i really used the techniques, i deeply went inside (as best i could) and allowed the labour to happen, i was pushing within the hour.

Was in active labour about 4 hours and it all went very textbookly! I even caught the baby myself in the pool and brought her into my arms.

I will deffo be using it again for my next birth, am not saying labour wasnt EXTREMELY intense haha but i definitely was able to cope and didn't need to use any drugs - gas and air etc.

My one tip is to practise practise practise the techniques and listen to the cd every night when you go to sleep! I think that conditioning of the mind thing really works and because i associated it with relaxation when i heard it in labour i just went to that place as best i could!

Good Luck!!!

Hi - I had a home water birth with an independant midwife and used hypnobirthing. I'd highly recommend it. My active labour was 6 hours and the 'pushing' part only lasted 20 minutes. I tried hypnobirthing as it was recommended by my DH's cousin, who also had a short labour and great birth experience. I'd say it helps view labour and birth in a different, less scary way.

It is really nice hearing about people's positive labour experiences for a change. I am actually not pregnant yet - just hoping that one day I might be.

I am still so obsessed with my first labour and how awful it was. I need to get over it.

Interesting stuff.
To those who used hypnobirthing, for how long before birth did you have to practice? I'm due in about 4 weeks and begining to panic a little
It's my second but I haven't prepared myself at all and now all seems to be happening so fast!

Hi all,
I'm 22 weeks pregnant and recently just trained as a Hypnobirthing practioner, I just can't wait to use it on my first birth!
I think it's so important to remember that the womans body was designed to give birth without drugs and the use of intervention. So we are capable of it, we just have to be positive about it.
Fear of childbirth seems to be so common these days because you listen to all the horror stories that your friends tell you and watch screaming births on telly. Hypnobirthing kind of reprogrammes you to get rid of this fear by using visualisation, relaxation and breathing techniques.
I have watched several hypnobirths on dvd and youtube and most seem so calm and much shorter. I have heard that the babies are much more chilled out as well because they have been brought into the world in a calm and relaxed way.....I can't wait to get Christmas over so I can start using the techniques myself.
I'm reading a great book at the minute which you all might find useful if your considering hypnobirthing. It's called 'Childbirth without Fear' by Gantly Dick-Reid

Whifflegarden - I don't think it's to late for you to start practising. Any time you and your birthing partner get free do your breathing, relaxation and visualisation excerices. Some of the breathing techniques can even be practiced whilst on the loo!
Let us all know how it goes.

Good Luck

I gave birth at home in September and had planned a hypno-water birth.

As it is, I didn't really practice it enough, and although I did deliver DD at home with 4 paracetamol and 30mins of G&A over a 22 hour labour, I definitely didn't 'hypno-birth'. It was only my sheer bloodymindedness in proving all that said I was mad to have my first at home that stopped me transferring in for more pain relief.

Am chuffed I did deliver at home though, and would do it again next time, but I seriously underestimated how important PRACTICING the hypno-birthing stuff is!

Good luck!

I bought the book and CD, couldn't attend classes as was still BF dd and classes were at her bedtime. I think the book helped me remain calm and the breathing tech helped. I do think that its rare to have little or no pain that the book suggests but I was 9cm by the time I went into hospital and can honestly say it was manageable. Anything that helps you remain calm is well worth it.

i did natal hypnotherapy cd when pg with dc2. 6hr painless homebirth. really. had epidural with dc1 at hopsital and that was so much more painful. in RL i shut up about how great my birth was with dc2 cause i just sound like a twat.

my tips are:

a) do the cd loads and loads and loads. they reckon 20times, i did mine 30. every time helps i think.

b) i did natal hypnotherapy so i would highly recommend that one. i did read the hypnobirthing book, but i found the cd more helpful

c) listen to the cd once at kitchen table when while awake. write down key phrases. i did this and said the words "power pressure warmth" through every contraction and they were so managable

d) i burnt the same aromatherpy blend whenever i did the cd. i then put some on a flannel and sniffef it during each contraction.

really, i have a very very very low pain threshold. i had recurrent ear and teeth infections during my second pregnancy and they were so much more painful. i feel like a different person for the way i managed dc2's birth and that was all due to natal hypnotherapy.

good luck

do it do it do it!!!

What really useful info. Thank you all.
Bloody Amazon seller. I ordered cd/book last weekend after reading this thread and had an email on Friday to say that my order had been cancelled. No reason, and looking on Amazon, the seller is no longer selling .

So a week wasted, and I've had to order again. I've gone for the natalhypnotherapy directly from the website. Will let you all know how it works out for me.

I did the course and thought the book was good, and the thought behind it. However, I've never been open to suggestion, so hypnosis parts never work on me, just give me the giggles.

I don't think it made any difference in the labour, however, I had a bad tear, and the "breathing out" bit really helped me with ablutions afterwards, and got me "moving again" in a relatively painless way. Sorry if TMI.

Bunny...TMI!
I seem to have erased all memory of my previous labour. No need to encourage it back!

Mine wasn't short (about 48 hours from first contraction to baby). But it was pain free and I only pushed for about 20 mins. Worked a treat in my case.

I am doing it this time around as well (obviously!).

Definitely recommend it.

I didn't do "hypnobirthing" but went to a local hypnotherapist who is trained to do hypnosis for pregnancy & birth - sounds like I'm being pedantic but she used a slightly different and more individual approach than hypnobirthing's rather American, one-size-fits-all approach and it worked a treat for me.

I started having sessions at about 26 weeks I think, read "The Gentle Birth Method" by Dr Gowri Motha and used a CD a good few times every week.

DS's birth was, relatively speaking, pretty easy. In established labour for 6 hours, only had gas & air, didn't tear at all or need any kind of intervention - basically as 'easy' as I'd hoped it could be. It still hurt, don't get me wrong, but it was bearable and manageable and I really don't have a high pain threshold at all!

Am 23 weeks pregnant with DS2 and will definitely be having hypnotherapy again with this one.

whiffle i wish i knew you were after the cd. i keep meaning to get mine on ebay ;-)

re bunny's getting moving again tmi alert- i used ina may's birth tips re keeping your jaw loose and making horse like sounds a real help during my post labour piles poos. the only way to keep the pain away was to umm and ahhh loudly and give in to it. god it was awful

I used the book (not the CD which was included) for a few weeks to calm me down. I think the visualisation exercises and breathing helped a lot, but the most useful experience was having had various chronic pain conditions over the years and having to learn to breathe through them, so pain wasn't a shock to me, iyswim.

Actually having used nitrous oxide recreationally beforehand was possibly equally useful - I could be confident I was one of the 50% of women who found it wonderful!

I'd definitely try it again, just to feel I was doing something useful in those last few weeks before birth. I did end up with epidural and ventouse (SPD suddenly got worse mid-labour so couldn't lie, kneel, sit, stand...) but felt very calm about it all for the whole 35 hours.

Friend recently had her first baby at home with just water and hynobirthing, so it is possible.

swottybetty - how much do you want for your CD?

Swotty

I did the CD's, I think they help you have a postive mental attitude in labour and if you do them enough its implanted in your subconscious. I didn't have time to think about anything from the CD's or have the matching birth music on in labour. Everything was so quick I had to just go with it, hardly a moment to think about getting into a rhythmn with breathing. However I think that because I'd listened to the CD's so often I didn't feel out of control, and everything was 'do-able'.