Hypnobirthing anyone?

[Noodles81]

Is anyone or has anyone tried Hypnobirthing? What are your experiences?

I haven't gone to any classes but have bought the Mongan book which comes with a CD and am making my way through it, practising the breathing and relaxation as i'm going for TENS and G&A birth (35+4 today).

I've been explaining the method to the girls at work who all seem to look at me with 'oh come on, as if' look on their faces and love to tell me how it's all a load of hippy stuff and how labour and birthing is the most painful thing in the world etc etc. which actually really bothers me because some women tell me their first time was 4hrs long and felt like period cramps - i tell myself everytime - every body's body is different, block out the negative!

Just wondered if it's worked for some out there?

I was going to post a thread reading exactly the same! I hope you get some good responses as I too am wondering how effective it is. I have read some journals of women who used hypnobirthing and they had pain but they said they breathed the baby out! i really dont want an epidoral or cesarian and want things to go as natural as possibe!
Hope your well Noodles81!
Rach :-)

Used Natal Hypnotherapy with DS2 (went to HP study day on it and thought it made sense), I didn't go on the course just had the CD which I listened to regularly in the run up to the birth.

Best thing I ever did, birth was amazing and I even breezed through transition (which is the bit that I really struggle with).

Midwives commented on how quiet and controlled I was.

Will definitely be doing it again for DC4 (due end of March).

HTH

Rachy1983 fantastic! I'm just the same - really not wanting c-sec or and defo not choosing epi (mainly coz of my fear of needles!)
Have you seen the Youtube vids? There's one that will always stick in my mind - woman having a waterbirth and all you can hear is her humming, leaning against the side. Next thing you know, out pops a baby!! No shouting aggressive noise, just really calm and relaxed environment. I think that's what inspired me to give it a go.

Do you have the book too? If not i highly recommend it if you want to give it a go. It's such an interesting read and really makes you feel like - actually yeah it doesn't have to be this horrible painful experience at all. I used to be so nervous and scared about labour and birthing being my first but now i just think - no there's no need one way or another i'll get through it and there's no need to be scared coz we're there to meet our baby we've been waiting so long to meet!
My guy friend at work has an African wife who's had 3 boys with just gas and air and he laughed and told me look Ness - women in Africa been doin it for time with nothing not even gas and air so come on you can do it. Your body just knows what to do, just go for it. You reckon it's easy for him to say?!!

When are you due btw Rachy?

Haribojoe thanks for your positive story! Did you follow the deep relaxation and visualisation techniques to get you through?

I've just started the natal hypnotherapy course - only 20 weeks but doing the preg relaxation CD and reading the book.

Determined to make this a better birth so even though I have my own doubts about the hippy stuff, I'm willing to give anything a go!! Trying to keep an open mind though because although I've only done it a couple of times so far, I'm finding the pg CD really good and a lot of what is written in the book explains parts of my last experience and is making me feel a bit more positive already.

The Natal Hypnotherapy birth preparation CD basically talks you through labour and birth from very beginning to holding baby in your arms.

As you listen to it you picture each stage/situation in describes.

For me this built up a "film" in my head IYSWIM that took me from labouring at home, to travelling to hospital, to the birth and meeting my baby.

I can remember visualising certain points along the way of the journey to hospital which was really helpful as sitting in the car was uncomfortable.

I also pictured myself in the pool/room I was going to have the baby in and imagined holding my husbands hand and exactly how his skin would feel. I know that sounds really weird, don't know why I did it but when the time came I remember holding his hand and the feeling of rubbing my thumb along his knuckles

As I got to transition (like I said the bit I struggle with) I remember saying to myself out loud but in a very quiet voice, don't be frightened, don't be frightenend over and over until I felt calm again.

A couple of hours after arriving at hospital (four and a half hours since first contraction) DS2 was born.

Just can't tell you how amazing it was and for me it was because using the hypnotherapy meant I didn't have any fear.

Please can someone post a link for really helpful hypnobirthing books/CDs - not sure where best to start. Thanks

www.amazon.co.uk/Hypnobirthing-Natural-Approach-Comfortable-Birthing/dp/0757302661/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

is the one i use and i find it fab!

Www.natalhypnotherapy.co.uk

I would highly recommend it! I did it in preparation for dd3's birth and it really helped. The pain was much more bearable. I was induced too and it was the easiest labour of the three.

It's common sense really - if you learn how to relax when you're in labour instead of tensing up the whole experience is less painful.

Both my sister and I used hypnobirthing, my sister used the book, the CD and did the course, and I just read the book as I live abroad and they don't teach the courses here.

Hand on heart, both of us swear it was the best experience of our lives. My waters broke at 11am, I was already 4cm by the time I got to the hospital at midday, I got into the bath and mooed like a cow for a while, used the G&A for about 10 minutes until my OBGYN came in, took one look between my legs and said "well, you can just start pushing any time you like." That was at 3.30pm and my baby boy popped out at 4.11pm in September.

The hypnobirthing prepared me completely to breath through the contractions and more importantly taught me to trust my body to do what it's built to do (without being too much of a hippy about it!) I don't recall actually using the visualisation as such but every time I felt the surge coming, I would use the breathing methods taught in the book and between contractions I was so relaxed I was pretty much asleep.

Even if you don't use the methods from the book during your birth and decide that it's not for you, it's still worth a read just to help ease any concerns you have and the CD really helps with your sleep!! Admittedly, I was incredible lucky that my labour was completely drama free and easy, but even if you end up using pain relief, it helps to keep you calm for the beginning part.

Best of luck with your labour, let us know how it goes!!

I used Hypnobirthing for both births and I can highly recommend it. It's not everyone's cup of tea, though. I got many looks like the ones you describe in your OP

I started looking into it when pg with DD as I have a very low pain threshold (I'm a wimp!), I have a needle phobia and I felt scared of the idea of losing control during labour (quite a mix, huh? ). I was not too convinced at the beginning, but I decided to trust the method and go with it.

It's the best approach I could have used, in all honesty. Both labours were fairly long (15-16hs each) and despite that I managed to use the techniques and labour calmly and in control. Second labour was SO calm I just listened to affirmations while breathing through contractions in the pool. It was bliss.

I went to a HB practitioner (Marie Mongan method) read the book and used the CD as well.

Hope this helps and best of luck!!

Hi there
i did a Hypnobirthing course which I highly recommend. Every evening I listened to the Marie Monghan affirmations and practised the breathing techniques. My labour was very long and I was fortunate to be admitted to a birthing centre and spent the first 23 hours in ambienet surroundings with a water pool etc. However there were a few complications and I ended up in the labour ward and underwent a ventouse delivery. I was calm through out the experiece and my baby is very calm and content. He sleeps through the night at four months old and is generally low maintenance.
hope this hepls!
good luck!

We did hypnobirthing for DD1 (now 4 yo) and it was amazing. We did a course where a small group of us went to the practitioners house on Saturday mornings. It was a fascinating course and I put so much of it to use when having my daughter. I did get frightened and shout out but because I had bad pre-eclampsia, I was bed-ridden as they constantly monitored my dd's heartbeat. I hope to be more mobile this time around and do more of what I need to get comfortable and in the hypnobirthing zone!

My labour was 4 hours.

I did the training with Mickey (Marie Mongan) about two weeks before giving birth. The main point is that if you are stressed and shit scared, your body gets pumped full of adrenalin and this affects labour. If you are relaxed, you are more aware of what is happening so feel in control, and don't knacker yourself out with pushing (the breathing techniques do the same job but you are not using so much energy, so don't wear yourself out). You go at your body's pace.

The course also covers what happens when things don't go to plan. The main message is that these things happen, and if you do need to have medical intervention, you are not a failure/to blame and teaches you how to keep relaxed, ask the right questions and not be pressurised into something (with the emphasis on not causing any danger whatsoever to mum or baby).

As I have said already at least once today, I am a complete wuss, and I knew which drugs I could have when, but I didn't feel the need for any at the birth, and although I was interested to see if the gas and air really was the same as the laughing gas you used to get at the dentist when I was a kid, I genuinely was so relaxed that I couldnt be bothered to take the cover off the end of the mouthpiece to try it. It was a very boring birth, and the midwives didn't believe that I was in labour when I arrived, then had to be asked to have a look when I said that he was crowning, as again, they didn't believe that I was ready. 'I'll take a look then, but you really....oooh I can see a head!'

Fantastic, such wonderful stories.

I'll be taking in the CD with me to listen to as i find the relaxation track one so beautiful it almost sends me to sleep.

I used to flit between feeling ok and ready and thinking oh screw this i can't do it and wanting an elective c section! Now, the more i read her book and i practice the breathing every night i feel i can do it and only feed myself with positive stories hence why i won't be watching One Born until i get home with bubs. Especially as i caught the start of it last night and all i saw was the midwife saying yes it does hurt, it's the worst pain a woman will ever feel in her life. Nice, really positive.
My mother in law told me that breaking her foot hurt more than labour and my friend said her labour just felt like really bad period cramp pains. When will they realise that every woman is different?!

Keep positive everyone, we can relax and do this! :)

I am currently awaiting delivery of the Mongan book and CD from Amazon, and am due on the 25th of April. Does anyone know if there is a minimum amount of time of practice before method can have a chance of being effective, i.e., it's not to late for me to start learning, is it?

Is it the uk or us version? I should have a copy knocking around at homw - not sure about the cd though (think I gave it to someone). I can send it to you if you like. As I said, I did the practitioner training two weeks before the birth and it was fine, but generally, the sooner you start the better.

Interesting thread - I am a trained hypnotherapist and I have recently trained in the easibirthing method - I will be running 4 sessions with CDs to take home. I am just setting up my practice, so I can't give any feedback yet, but it is getting really good results and the NHS is currently running a huge trial in Burnley - the SHIP trial and it looks like it might get NHS funding. I have some details on my site.

Ken

ChineapplePunk, I agree with wahwahwah, the sooner the better but iirc I started in March when DD was due in June so around the same time.

Noodles, glad to hear you're feeling more positive about it all. I remember my HB practitioner telling me it was fine to fall asleep while listening to the CD I remember asking her in a panic as I thought I was doing it all wrong

Loved reading this thread ladies. I too am a total wimp when it comes to pain yet I really, really want to try and deliver my baby as naturally as possible. My colleague at work delivered both her babies using hypnotherapy and can't recommend it enough.

I am very much NOT a hippy dippy type but I used hypnobirthing for my last labour.

I have a lot of anxieties around medical stuff so I was getting wound up about the whole thing. I decided to take control so signed up for Yoga and bought some hypnobirthing CDs.

I think they were well worth it. I wasnt using them to avoid using pain relief or to make birth orgasmic or anything like that. I wanted to stay in control.

It was DC5 so I knew what to expect and what would be likely to set me off.

I had a straight forward homebirth with G&A. It bloody hurt but the HB helped be avoid the panic and tensing up.

I would definately recommend.

One of my CDS had a bloke with a slightly menecing voice and I did find myself thinking 'why should I listen to some bloke telling me about labour!'

I still use some of the techniques now when I become stressed.

That's fantastic. Did any of you use the visualisation techniques or was it mainly the deep breathing that helped you through?

OK, the saying "stable door , horse bolted" springs to mind, but am 40+2. I think i have at least a week to go until my real due date - can i get a gist of it within a week?

helsinkihelen, mmm I might not be the best gist-giver, but I'll try. This is more or less what I remember from the book/the theory of the approach (maybe someone who's reading it atm will come along and correct me )

As someone mentioned up-thread, the basic notion is that if you panic/stress during labour your body releases adrenaline, which is a fight or flight substance. This acts against the "nice, feel-good and relaxing" substances so your body tenses up and you feel pain. If you tense up the muscles that form your uterus and push the baby out tense up as well and that makes labour longer and more painful. If you relax, the muscles work as they're supposed to.

The idea is that the more relaxed you are, the calmer you are, the more you go with your body and let it do what it's supposed to do, the less discomfort you'll feel and the better you'll feel.

At least in my case, the fear of pain and the uncertainty of it all worried me a lot and I knew these would probably work against me. That's why I looked into HB.

If you focus on your breathing (breathing in in 4 and out in 8), on any visualisation that makes you feel calm and relaxed (this can be anything, from "a flower opening", "your baby descending", "a field with flowers", "water running downstream" as practitioners sometimes give as examples), or on some relaxing music in the background, etc, you might feel calmer and therefore feel less discomfort, more in control and better overall.

Visualisations didn't work for me, unfortunately. What worked for me was having the affirmations in the background and focusing on my breathing when a contraction came. Somehow it made time go quicker in my mind

That was long, sorry! Hope this helps, someone more knowledgeable might come along with better info

I worked with a lady who was a hypnotherapist and she did "mates rates" one-to-one hypnobirthing with me. It was brilliant. She gave me a CD with the rainbow visualisation on, which put me to sleep most nights afterwards; and it took the Fear away, which was great. Also helped me to allow my body to do its own thing when the time came.

Didn't stop the pain though... but well worth it, none the less.