The Positive Birth Company feedback

[SquigsC]

Hello all,

I am currently watching The Positive Birth Company hynobirthing course. I am half sold on it - I think the meditation/breathing is really useful however I find she makes statements (often scientific) but without reference to any papers/statistics/evidence which concerns me. I was looking for feedback from people that have given birth using their methods? First time parents would be particularly useful as this is my first birth, which I know is notoriously meant to be the hardest one. Thank you :)

They are VERY hot on taking down any negative comments or anyone who questions their dogma

so I won’t say anything beyond this… avoid it like the plague

My first birth was awful and ended up with a EMCS. Originally CAT2 but they moved to CAT1 when we got into theatre, lucky they already had the spinal block in. With DD2 I was high risk, consultant really wanted me to have an ELCS, I used the positve birth company and was aware I have needed an emcs but I went on to have a successful VBAC.

I would also recommend the positive birth book, different author but it is really good.

I found the breathing useful in the early stages of labour. I found the information about what is happening internally during labour useful. I liked the positive message regarding birth and made me less fearful.

However, many first births will end in a c section or instrumental (as did mine) so it is important to keen an open mind as to how the birth will pan out and not see it as a 'failure' if you don't get the 'straight forward magical water birth' experience.

It was amazing for me and I recommend it to anyone pregnant.

I didn’t do the online course but I bought and read the book.

I found Milli Hills books to be better as she linked to the actual studies. I haven’t read her latest one but she does in give birth like a feminist anyway.

I had a home birth with my first and so far only baby. it went great! No intervention, birth pool, we were on our own mostly until about 20 minutes before the actual birth (busy night for the Homebirth team).

The reading I did before hand meant I had a very thorough understanding of the process of what happened during labour and birth and I had confidence in my body’s ability to give birth.

Generally I was able to stay calm and relaxed, I found transition hard but I think everyone does. Pushing for me was absolutely fine my body just got on and did it! I had a tear but didn’t feel it happen.

Of course there is a certain element of luck too but like I said the reading did help me a lot.

I watched the YT videos before my second birth which was 100 times easier than the first. It was a quick easy labour and I know the midwives thought I didn't make a fuss and had a high pain threshold, and I managed mostly without gas and air, but I remember really clearly thinking about the video where the woman claimed it didn't hurt, it was just pressure and thinking she was very wrong! And I'm pretty sure I had about the easiest birth going. I'm not sure how useful I would have found it for my first birth, which was also fine, but required huge amounts of pushing and what felt like no relief between contractions. Just breathing definitely wouldn't have cut it for that. I just wouldn't buy into it all too much then you won't be disappointed!

I did the online course and I really enjoyed doing it... but it all went out of the window during labour. I think maybe because I can't visualise things so some of the techniques didn't work for me (I have afantasia). My son was also back to back so I think the pain really took me by surprise because it wasn't as she had made me expect. I ended up with an emergency section too so by that point I couldn't even remember I'd done a course. 😅

I can't see why it's a negative thing to try though, if it works then great and if it doesn't, then oh well - I don't think it's too expensive is it? Or it wasn't 4 years ago!

I did the online course when pregnant with my first/only child. I found the breathing helpful in the early stages, I found it interesting/ useful to know what was going on physically during labour. My husband found it helpful to understand a bit better and know how he could support me.

My own birth mother died during childbirth, a fact I'd always known and not really dwelt on until I was pregnant myself when suddenly it really weighed on my mind and made me very anxious. I definitely found the course, as well as the Milli Hill book very helpful in terms of staying calm in the run up to the birth.

The birth itself was a bit of a shitshow starting from covid restrictions, back to back baby, developing an infection/ sepsis, understaffed overcrowded ward - just a million miles from the fairy lit water birth the positive birth stuff had sold me on. I ended up with an EMCS and felt like a big huge failure and like if I'd just breathed a bit better and thought more positive I could have done it 'properly'. Took ages, and a birth debrief, to come to terms with it and recognise no amount of visualisation and mantras would have changed how it went. So in some ways I feel like it was a bad move for me. But then I do think some of the breathing/ relaxation stuff helped me be calmer whilst things were going to shit than I otherwise would have been.

I'd definitely read Milli Hill if you can. If I ever did it again I'd stick with her books I think.

I would recommend the Positive birth movement instead of the Positive Birth Company. Some people seem to have the two conflated. Milli Hill is for women.

www.millihill.co.uk/2021/07/10/i-will-not-be-silenced/

I did the online course before my second and would recommend it. It made me a lot more confident to tell midwives what I want during labour, for example the midwife asked me to lie on my back but I was really comfortable on my knees so refused. I had a good birth but not sure how much was the course and how much was just experience.

I am yet to use the skills in labour but I felt I needed a countess to put me in a positive headspace so I remain calm. I panicked in my first labour and I don’t want a repeat of that this time around. I feel the course has given me confidence, significantly reduced fear and actually made me excited for birth. For that alone it’s £40 well spent. I’ve since recorded my own positive birth affirmations so I can listen to my own voice of reason when things feel challenging.

*needed a course (not countess?!)

i purchased the book and online course. Dared to question something on Instagram and received a torrent of abuse from Siobhan herself.
the packing list is helpful but that’s about it.
opt for Milli Hill instead, I wish I had

I found the course helped me stay calm in the early stages of labour - I stayed at home until 5cm dilated and the breathing helped in this early stage - I suppose I just wasn't terrified of giving birth so that helped me too and I felt it had been really worth while just for that
I guess you do just hear lots of birth horror stories don't you so for me it was just hearing some positive stories got me in a good frame of mind but it didn't make me see a natural birth as the holy grail I was happy to have pain relief etc as needed, to be honest I asked for the epidural in the end (as it was a very long back to back labour for me and the contractions were back to back so I felt exhausted) but then it was too late as I was fully dilated !

Milli Hill is amazing.

Siobhan is a nightmare!

Reflecting on/unpicking the course more, I think it is a great course for encouraging a positive mindset, relaxation and using your own judgement/thoughts/feelings to give you a sense of control over your own birth. However, it is very pro-home birth and anti-intervention; for some women it’s not safe to have a home birth. Therefore to tell a woman that there’s no better place than home is a bit negative when you know the safest place for you in your situation is the hospital. Similarly, sometimes intervention is necessary and things don’t go to plan. However I do realise that she does educate on these and still gives useful hypnobirthing techniques if these things do happen, but there’s no denying that the general message is: home, natural, intervention-free birth is best. When really it’s more important to feel safe, empowered, relaxed regardless what journey your birth takes and that your baby arrives safely.

@ChagSameachDoreen interested to know why you feel Siobhan is a nightmare?

I did the online course before having DD. I found the meditations calming and it kept me feeling in control throughout labour (until right at the end where I freaked out a little when her heart rate started dropping). I managed to get to 6cm at home by listening to positive affirmations and having a warm bath with my favourite music playing.
The up-breathing worked well but I never understood the ‘down breathing’. Tried it during labour and the midwife commented that I needed to just “hold my breath and push”.

I realise my post looked like I was confusing/ conflating the two!

I really wasn’t, was just adding my own recommendation for Milli Hill who was mentioned upthread, and whose standing up for women and for science I definitely admire and would take any day over the PBC’s woolly ‘birthing parent’ stance. They’d not be getting any more of my money mainly for that, I was just too knackered at the point I replied yesterday to express myself very clearly!

And I wanted to just reply based on the question as to whether the course was helpful in my own birth experience.

I've got Milli Hill's books and found them really useful and down-to-earth. I didn't get the birth I'd planned but having an idea of what would happen was brilliant. Will be re-reading them before baby number two!

However I do realise that she does educate on these and still gives useful hypnobirthing techniques if these things do happen, but there’s no denying that the general message is: home, natural, intervention-free birth is best

That’s definitely what I took from it too, and why I felt like such a total failure when it didn’t transpire that way. I realise now that it was just never going to, and that wasn’t my fault, but I do wonder if I’d never come across that hypnobirthing thing whether I’d have had those same feelings of guilt and failure. its a real double edged sword because you DO feel more empowered, informed and positive - but there’s an underlying sense that there’s a ‘right’ way to do birth.

I'm really surprised to see Milli Hill's "Give birth like a feminist" book recommended. I got half way through and threw it aside as I felt the way she was effectively promoting unassisted free births was wholly irresponsible.

I loved it and recommend it to everyone. For me it made me understand how birth works, the role of hormones, ways to optimise my birth, I had an amazing water birth.

Which parts did you read that promoted free birth? Because I haven’t seen that!

My first birth was horrific, took advice from my exdh who was a GP but knew nothing about labour from a woman's perspective. My second birth, 12 years and a new husband later was a thousand times better and I put it down to this online course. I personally recommend.

“its a real double edged sword because you DO feel more empowered, informed and positive - but there’s an underlying sense that there’s a ‘right’ way to do birth.”

100% this. I did the PBC with my second baby and I had a massive issue with what I view as very tenuous medical claims presented as scientific fact. There was heavy inference that medical intervention is unwise and that labouring mums have some degree of choice over this, which unfortunately leads to feelings of failure and responsibility for not achieving the “ideal” stylised birth.

The techniques were useful and I’m glad I did the course overall. Both my labours were induced at 42 weeks with ARMs and the syntocinon drip. I doubt my second birth story would be allowed on their FB page as I still needed pain relief and the whole thing was was heavily medicalised as a result of the induction. I wouldn’t have risked going over 42 weeks for any amount of money and I wouldn’t change it.