Did hypnobirthing work for you?

[Lizbiz89]

I've just finished the positive birth company videos and feel a lot better about my second labour (due in 7 weeks). First labour was unnecessarily awful. From ladies who have had their baby and done hypnobirthing, please let me know if it worked for you?

Hypnobirthing worked for me to a point. I had a back to back induced labour. Minute long contractions every other minute....I hypnobirthed for the first 18 hours. I then needed a drip, relented and got an epidural because I was beyond exhausted.
I'd 100% recommend it and will be doing it again this time around. My mum and DH both commented on how calm I was, and by my own admission I'm a bit of a drama queen so it must have done something.

Not entirely helpful but I went to sessions but ended up a c-section. I found the visulising and breathing exercises helped managing any anxiety. When we found out we would have to be a section my hyponotherpist did work on encouraging the body to heal rather than focussing on labour. I found it useful and I'd do it again if we have another.

I also had an awful 1st labour. I was extremely anxious and did not want to go into hospital with my subsequent labours (opted for home births).

I did a hypnobirthing course and it helped my anxiety massively. I felt more in control and being at home helped me deal with the pain so much better.

Yes completely. Managed to birth a nearly 11lb baby so much easier than the other ones. Would always recommend it

It made me more relaxed and less anxious about giving birth but once I was actually in labour I completely forgot about it and didn't use it at all.

I’m expecting dc2 and in the middle of a hypnobirthing course organised by my local hospital.

Having done it before I kind of know what to expect with pain levels etc, but most of the other women are FTM. The midwife running the course keeps referring to contractions as surges, but more annoyingly, she said they don’t hurt- it just feels like pressure.

When they invited us to talk about our fears about the birth, some women mentioned birth injuries etc, and she really brushed off our concerns saying “it just won’t happen” as we’re all low risk.

Regards the actual techniques, I’m not a very visual person, so the scripts and the breathing visualisations are really difficult for me to get my teeth into.

Not for actual labour. My contractions were incredibly painful and coming fast from the start and then my baby was in distress so I had to have a section anyway. I think if I'd had a more 'normal' labour, ie gradual onset and worsening of contractions, a chance to do all those nice things it suggests like watching a film, going for a walk, then it might have. But all the up breathing in the world wouldn't have helped during my contractions when they were coming back to back and I wasn't dilating.

However, it did make me a lot less anxious about birth and the whole process so it was worth doing, even if it didn't really help me for the actual labour part.

Also the 'surges are not painful' claptrap really pisses me off. I know that you should avoid talking about or focusing on pain, but it does women a disservice to lie about stuff like that. It actually made me less prepared than I might have been as I was blasé about the pain.

Also the 'surges are not painful' claptrap really pisses me off. I know that you should avoid talking about or focusing on pain, but it does women a disservice to lie about stuff like that

Exactly. I found that thinking of it as “useful pain” was helpful (and accurate) but pretending that it wasn’t going to be anything more than mildly uncomfortable isn’t going to be the case for the majority of women, is it?

I do like how they rationalise birth as a natural process though- how we’re the only species that are fearful of giving birth. That reasonated with me.

Yes I would do it again, helped to keep me calm & just take each bit as it came. I was slow labour & induced and just had diamorphine towards the end (although my intention with hypnobirthing was not to birth without pain relief or anything, I did it to basically remain calm and for breathing techniques). I also downloaded a few apps and listened to those in the two weeks prior to giving birth and it helped enormously. X

Did fuck all for me except relieve me of a lot of money and leave me with a massive failure complex, and I practiced religiously. Was 100%convinced it was going to be a fabulous birth experience.

Labour really fucking hurt and the idea that it ramps up gradually is bullshit. Opiates and a crack medical team were not only fabulous but literal lifesavers.

I had a baby 16 days ago so it’s very fresh in the memory!

I recall saying quite clearly- hypnobirthing is shit, right about as I was going through transition I think!

I had a dreadful first birth, very similar to Siobhan’s who runs the positive birth company.

I had huge anxiety about doing it again and the hypnobirthing did help with that.

I used up breathing through my initial contractions and it did help.

However I went from mild surges to horrendous ones very quickly. They last about a minute and a half and came about a minute apart if that.

My labour was only 3.5 hours all in and my second stage lasted 4 minutes! It was just overwhelmingly quick and intense.

I didn’t get a chance to use affirmations or lighting or have my water birth. There just wasn’t time.

I never quite got round to hypnobirthing but for what I know of it think it would have been useful.

My strategy was to labour alone, at home, in the peace and quiet of darkness. I am stressed in hospital and wanted to avoid as long as possible.

Both labours, on arrival in hospital the midwife clearly did not believe I was in labour.. I filled in paperwork etc, was finally examined and sent immediately to delivery room 😁 Luckily, their lack of concern helped keep me as calm as at home.

I look back on both births very positively, an amazing experience. I think going it "alone" was very beneficial...

I agree labouring at home in a comfortable safe environment is definitely a good thing.

My plan was to labour at home as long as possible, however I managed an hour at home before I felt the need to go to the hospital though

I got to the hospital just before 10pm and had my son just after midnight.

Yes, 100%.
Laboured to 8/9cm at home, arrived at hospital and he was born without drugs or intervention a couple of hours later.
And it was transcendental- I was high as a kite for days after.

Hypnobirthing worked for me. I was in a panic about having to give birth again after having had two really tough births. I was very sceptical but desperate enough to try anything, even hypnobirthing.

I felt intensity rather than pain all the way to 10cm which sounds unbelievable but it’s true!

I’d recommend it because even if it turns out not to help with the pain a good teacher will keep you calm before the birth, give you c-section options, explain what examinations are necessary and which you might want to question, help you write a birth plan, deal with any specific anxieties you might have for example post natal bonding or fear of certain procedures etc.

Good luck!

Careful you don't turn up to hospital too quiet and calm. The midwives may ignore you completely and refuse to examine or monitor baby.

I did a hypnobirthibg course but didn’t end up having a “hypno birth” in that I had back to back labour and nothing was how I thought it would be (all pain in my back) and I had an epidural (which was the BEST thing ever!!). But the hypno breathing has got me through some really painful times since then (broken leg, smears, vaginal examinations etc). Anyway very best of luck to you!

In the sense of managing pain... not during active labour. Early stages yes.

However, I feel it worked in different ways for me.

It allowed me to not feel anxious or worried during my pregnancy and during the birth.

Nothing went according to plan but I was still so relaxed. I loved my birth and I think that's because I didn't panic - helped by the exercises and meditation. I found that so helpful.

I also insisted I didn't have that injection to speed up the placenta delivery. I did that naturally and was really happy that the hypnobirthing had encouraged me to do things naturally, the way I wanted to do it (at least that bit went to plan😂)

I think I probably should have done it TBH. There was a CD in the room when I was having DS1 so I said alright whack it on, and it did really help even though I'd not practised or listened to it before.

I tried to read the book with DS2 and it annoyed the shit out of me so I never got to the exercises. It twatted me off how they insisted on calling it "birthing" and "a birthing" STOP MAKING UP WORDS THEY ALREADY HAVE NAMES. And yes surges and pressure, FFS.

Um in hindsight labour is absolutely insane and I should have just embraced the woo, since it might have helped.

Thanks for the all replies. Sounds like hypnobirthing has very mixed reviews! I'm just happy that it's helped with anxiety that was caused by the first labour. I only got a couple of hours of natural labour last time before they decided to ramp it up which I really wish they hadn't done. Went terrible from then on. Hopefully will be a different experience this time.

I listened to and practiced natal
hypnotherapy from about 20 weeks. It did absolutely nothing for the pain but all the breathing practice really helped as it gave me something to concentrate on and I got through it without pain relief. I tried gas and air but couldn't manage it because the breathing was in through your mouth and out from your nose which was opposite to what I'd been practicing and it totally screwed up my rhythm.

I did the Positive Birth Company hypnobirthing course.

It was my first baby and it really helped me to focus on a positive birth while accepting things may not go to plan.

It really helped me to be calm and collected and to lose the anxiety I had in association with birth.

We had a number of issues, low growth hormone so extra scans and appointments which were stressful, baby with possible heart issue, early labour scare... completing the course early and rewatching and practicing helped me to keep it together in those situations.

The visualisation and up/down breathing helped me to stay focused and to get to 6cm at home and the rest with gas and air in hospital.

I had my baby six months ago and found it to be a positive birth experience and would definitely use it again if we have another.

I used the Maggie Howell cd and book, the book made me eye roll a bit as some women were describing it as complete pain relief 🙄

It still hurt, but the techniques kept me calm, I got into a good rhythm with the breathing, I was on my feet a lot of the time and the only two times I felt near to panic, I managed to pull myself back and focus.

I had a long long first labour and in hindsight I said I was ready to push when just in transition and fed up and not at all. I was also scared of it all from very early on.
With dc2 I decided I didn't want the same experience and did the natal hypnotherapy cds and they seemed to really work. I was very very calm and really believed I could do it.
It may just be down to second baby instead but I had a very quick easy labour and didn't need to stay in hospital at all

If it helps you feel calmer in the run up to the birth then why not try it. It won't be a magic wand but if you get some more relaxing or better sleep even if not a better labour won't that be a positive?