Hi all! First time mum here, 30 weeks!
I’ve started thinking ahead to the birth and so far have read the Positive Birth Book by Milli Hill and starting the Positive Birth Company online hypnobirthing course, both recommended by friends.
Both talk a lot about the importance of staying calm and relaxed, making your environment a nice comfortable place (low lighting, essential oils, pillows from home), breathing and relaxation to stimulate oxytocin which they say is the key to a straightforward birth. I’ve also watched some positive birth videos which make it all seem very calm and doable. I’m feeling more confident and starting to almost look forward to birth as a result!
However, my fear is - is it making me too confident to the point of having unrealistic expectations? The hypnobirthing course especially makes a point of saying birth ‘shouldn’t be really painful if you’re relaxed enough’ - it should feel physically tough like a work out and there will of course be some pain as your contractions occur and your vagina stretches... but it heavily suggests it’s all very manageable etc. I’d love to believe this but it doesn’t seem likely!
Does hypnobirthing gloss over it all too much? Did anyone have a good hybnobirthing experience? Or was anyone blindsided by what it actually turned out to be like?