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Hypnobirthing class- worth the ££??

17 replies

oremstango · 28/10/2006 08:24

I'm looking at taking a hypnobirthing class on top of standard NCT class. I like the philosophy a lot but am a bit put off by the very high price (£300) that goes with these classes in London. I'd love any feedback from others who may have done these on overall value. Thanks!

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Baretoes · 30/10/2006 09:26

Hello!

We have done part one of a two-part private 'sesh'. It is costing us £120 for each half, so a total of £240 but she managed to convince my DH to buy a small folder of stuff and a CD for an extra £17. That's on Harley St and I know they charge less in the other parts of London (£90 per sesh). I am undecided whether it's worth the money and I don't think I'll know until I've done some practice and sat the whole thing out. It's good in the sense that she managed to sell my DH on the idea and explain it all better than me and he will now know how to help me more though. It has also empowered him knowing that he has a bigger role to play than he originally though! This is no help at all is it?!?!

TheBlonde · 30/10/2006 09:30

I'm starting my classes this week so I'll let you know what they are like

melsy · 30/10/2006 09:37

Advocate here and had the birth to prove it.I think you will find it$ more than valuable and it also benefits you after the birth as it gives you continued techniues for calming.Its also amazing vor dh's as they get taight how to help you in a more pracical applied way , although my dh wasnt interested in it so I went alone to the course. Despite that , he was amazed at how I coped and so were the midwives and doctors. When in ealry labour and some "surges" were showing up vvvv high on the monitor , they coudnt believe I didnt want medication and nor could i !!

I had an express course one to one with a practioner and I went from terrified of being pregnant the 2nd time and the thought of the birth to quite excited and empowered. I managed to get to 5cm dil at home with the cd and baths! It totally calmed me and made me feel I had some control.

Mrsworry · 30/10/2006 13:35

Hi All

I have just finished a one-to-one course which cost £250. I found the course extremely good and worth the money. I am not due until January so can't speak for the actual during birth bit but it has made me feel completly at ease with labour, and confident in my body and its ability to do what is necessary during an extremely natural process.

I would recommend it very highly indeed and I havn't even given birth yet. BTW - another thing is that it has really helped me to feel generally calm and at one with myself and the baby. My dh also thought it was excellent (whereas he had paid no interest before hand)!

Best of luck.

P.S Where do you live as I am just outside London (near Watford) and can recommend someone if you need.

Juicylucythe2nd · 30/10/2006 14:42

Don't know myself as not that far along yet, but have read lots of endorsements on here and met a friend on Saturday who said it made a real difference to her birthing experience. She delivered with no meds atall and found the hypno tapes great for relaxing during the later stages of pg and for the birth itself.

Don't think she paid as much as £300 though and she's in London too. Worth shoping around I think.

elibumbum · 30/10/2006 20:52

I paid nearly £300 for my classes and they were worth every penny! I felt so calm and confident during the birth and didn't need gas and air until I was 5cm dilated. I also did the NCT classes - these were good for meeting people but they wouldn't have helped me cope as well as I did.

moaningpaper · 30/10/2006 20:54

Relaxation techniques are great skills to have for any part of life, but don't think that it will give you a "good birth experience". That is down to luck and genetics. Good luck.

MKG · 30/10/2006 21:22

I agree with moaningpaper that it won't guarantee a great birthing. Out of six couples in my class we were the only ones that had a "natural birth" the other had C-sections.

However I found that it was worth the money and recommend it to everyone I meet.

ja9 · 30/10/2006 21:26

good friend of mine went to these classes and was really looking forward to the birth. however, was only of use up to a point.. leaving her feeling 'tool-less' and disappointed.

melsy · 30/10/2006 21:58

No definately doesnt mean a good birth BUT , it will mean you feel more equipped to deal with any way the birth goes. It also doesnt mean you HAVE TO go completely natural, but you will feel more empowered to do it the way that feels best for you and the baby ,mentally, physically & medically.

pupuce · 30/10/2006 22:03

As a doula I am not a huge fan of it as the issue is exactly what JA9 says... it can leave you without the "crutch" that you had put your hopes on... I do know doulas who are HB practitioners so this is not the view of all doulas.
I would recommend HB for any woman who is particularely scared but personnally I would not leave it at just that... I think it is relying too much on one solution... and sadly a few doulas I know have found that mums who came with the HB tapes (and course) did not have easy births and felt helpless and scared when the relaxation didn't work for them then.

TheBlonde · 31/10/2006 15:31

pupuce - what other solutions would you suggest to those afraid of birth then?

pupuce · 31/10/2006 16:28

I would suggest hypnobirthing (in case of fear but not necessarily in case of wanting a natural birth) and / or a doula.
To me the benefit of a good doula is that she will bet here with you throughout and that plays a GREAT deal against the fear factor.
You would need to pick the right doula for you.

TheBlonde · 31/10/2006 17:52

Thanks pupuce, I suggested a doula to my OH but he was horrified

pupuce · 31/10/2006 19:46

Why?????

And I probably shouldn't say this as I don't know your OH but can't help myself ... why do men have a say in this ? Are they the ones going through labour ? Are they the ones dealing with stitches (or a section) ? Are they the ones with nightmares if the birth does not go well?

And for what it's worth - I have trained with Birth Crisis - an organisation that deals with PTSD from birth... well it never ceases to amaze me how many men are traumatised by birth!!! A doula would help BOTH of you through fear, communication with staff, give him a break in a long labour, re-assure him when you're in transition and he thinks you're in too much pain, etc!

TheBlonde · 02/11/2006 08:51

Reporting back from 1st class...

We did a bit of intro stuff plus talked about fear and it's effect on labour
Some breathing, some visualisation
Got the book and CD. CD has affirmations and relaxation on it and we are supposed to listen to it a lot

Saw 3 vids of hypnobirths. They were American so a little different to over here as they were all being continuously monitored etc. The women just lay there breathing, not apparently in any pain and certainly calm and in control.

Teacher said a few things I personally disagreed with eg you don't need to know about everything that can go wrong in birth as that's negative. I am more pro information

The class is purely about the hypnobirthing technique so you would definitely need NHS or NCT antenatal classes or a good childbirth book to supplement it

TheBlonde · 15/11/2006 23:07

Just a final report as our class has now finished

Overall DH & I agreed that it was not worth the money
We got 9 hrs of "tuiton" minus coffee breaks
There was a lot of general chitchat and we would have prefered more practice of the techniques etc

I think the CD/book is still worth buying
With another teacher the class might seem of more value

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