Hypnobirthing and other things to help unmedicated labour

[GladAquaCritic]

Hi! I'm looking for information about labour and hypnobirthing, especially experiences of women who have given birth and what worked/ didn't work for you during labour. What was most beneficial for you during labour besides medication, lighting, scents, music, massages etc? What would you like to try or what is on your birth plan to try if you are currently pregnant? Just want to get some ideas, thanks!

I had an unmedicated labour a few months ago. I'd tried hyponbirthing in the run up and intended to use it, but found when it came to it, a lot of what I'd learnt went out the window! The pain was too much to override unfortunately! One thing that did help me is an exercise my midwife taught me: it basically involved squatting against a wall for a minute at a time, which is quite painful in the muscles, and learning to breathe through the pain. The reality is, each contraction WILL pass, and the pain will move on. It's just a question of sticking it out.

That said, I would have accepted drugs if I needed them. Dont feel you can't 🥰

Hypnobirthing made absolutely no difference for me, I wish I'd never bothered attending or paying for the course

I’ve had two babies, my first I had every intention of hypnobirthing but it completely went out the window in a combo of panic, fear, and a difficult & long labour.

My second baby is 4 months old now and his birth was so so much better, and I managed that with only gas & air plus hypnobirthing techniques. I made a playlist of relaxing music and kept one headphone in which helped, I was much calmer the second time round and able to accept it is a wave which passes so getting through each one at a time was the focus- I don’t know that I could have done anything to get to that point with my first though. It was a confidence/calmness that mostly came from having done it before and knowing what to expect which is something personally I don’t know how I could have got for my first go!

Tens did not work for me at all. But o had back to back labour so maybe that's why. I found the comb bloody brilliant.

Knowledge is power! Learn about the different stages of Labour, make a birth plan that covers all eventualities and know that fairy lights and candles will make absolutely no difference!

Hynibirthing was fantastic but so were all the drugs !
you don’t know how you are going to be until you are in the thick of it

I had 2 unmedicated labours. No hypnobirthing, whale music or candle light. I just wanted to do it without drugs. Lucky for me, I found it instinctive and not too painful. I think I was relaxed because I knew I could have intervention if I needed it. It just so happens that I was fine without it.

I think being open minded is key.

I tried hypnobirthing with my youngest but I hated it, found it really patronising.

I used water which I found really helped.

The best thing for me is being left alone unrestricted which wasn't really practical in a vbac induction!

Birthing pool

I did some of the breathing and positive affirmations with DC2 whilst on the way to hospital and I think it kept me calm. However it was a pretty straightforward birth, very quick once at hospital and too quick for it to occur to me to ask for pain relief anyway. I don't know if that stuff would have helped at all in a more difficult delivery.

Edit: I didn't try to pretend the contractions were surges, the were fucking painful contractions even if it did help me to think that it was one less before it's all over.

Quite a while ago for me but the Juju Sundin Birth Skills book was useful - very practical and not woowoo. I was lucky firstly that a hospital near me has a birth centre attached so I could be confident that if something went wrong all the bells and whistles of medical intervention are on tap. And secondly that I had two straightforward births. I find hospitals quite scary environments so a less clinical setting was better for me personally. I had water births.

Breathing (the only actual useful but of hypnobirthing, for me anyway).

The pool

The comb

Being fully informed on the course of physiological labour. Books such as The Positive Birth Book, Give Birth Like a Feminist (fascinating) and Why Home Birth Matters (even if you're not planning a home birth I would still recommend)

I had two inductions for medical reasons, first one unplanned, second one planned. I found the first one upsetting and difficult so for the second one I decided to try hypnobirthing.

I bought an obnoxiously sanctimonious book on hypnobirthing that said you couldn’t possibly successfully use the techniques during an induction. I ignored those bits and went ahead anyway!

I practised the exercises and adapted them for my own use. I didn’t have a complicated birth plan. In early labour I watched a funny favourite film. Then as the contractions built up I listened to rainforest and piano soundtracks whilst staying calm, walking around the hospital department, and repeating my mantras and breathing.

I didn’t have candles or special pillows. No massages or ice chips. I even sent my dh home for the first part of the induction so I could completely zone out - I couldn’t have immersed myself in my hypno techniques with him next to me. I had him with me for the delivery.

I got to fully dilated using these techniques; I had two paracetamol at about midnight and that is all.

For the labour - I did not use my hypnobirthing techniques. I didn’t try too hard. I let dh and the midwife coach me.

I did use Gas and air for the labour and for being stitched at the end - I genuinely don’t know how I’d have coped without that. Props to the ladies who birthed babies before this marvellous gas was made freely available!

I found hypnobirthing techniques extremely effective - simply strip out the ones that make you cringe, and keep what “feels right” to you.

Inhale the gas and air until your lungs are full, don't be timid with it.

Birthing pools are good for many women so worth a try.

Moo.

My best advice would be to think about what it is you need when you are stressed and anxious.

Inadvertently did something close to hypno birthing with my daughter. Closed eyes imagining I was on a boat in the ocean and my breaths control the waves. It is something I learned a long time ago to manage when life feels overwhelming. I need slow measured breaths to settle the waves.

I labour best on my feet swaying at the hips. I had my first at 38+6 after my waters went the night before. I was fully dilated when I arrived at hospital. I had been in 2h early for be assessed and had only been 2cm, I was given 2 paracetamol then. Once I was in hospital I got straight into the pool that the midwife on the mlu had run whilst I travelled over and had some gas and air for the pushing stage. Baby was born in the pool within an hour of getting to the hospital. Moments before he was born the midwife had pushed the emergency button however as it looked like her shoulder had gotten stuck so she was born to a rush of drs running into the room. Thankfully the shoulder managed to free itself. I had 4 stitches for slightly worse than a graze. The midwife said they were mostly for " cosmetic" reasons what ever that means. I had some diclofenac before the stitches and nothing after that.

I had my second in September. I was called in for induction at 36+6 as my health was suffering and there were real concerns that I wouldn't be well enough to give birth. I had extreme fatigue where I couldn't be awake for more than an hour or so and was sleeping over 20h a day, I had poor liver function, Obstetric Cholestasis and query HELLP, as part of this I had low platelets so I knew this would mean I wouldn't be able to have an epidural. I had had 3 admissions already, couldn't look after my daughter or myself and had to stop driving. The thoughts of my medical team were that an uncomplicated vaginal delivery would give me a better recovery given my physical health but a straightforward c section would probably give me a better birth experience given my physical health. We made the decision to start with an induction but have a low bar for switching to a caesarean. I only needed the pessetry in for a couple of hours to get me into labour. Whilst I was on my feet I laboured ok but I could only be on my feet for half an hour before having to have a nap. After about 12h I no longer had the energy to stand and my labour went backwards so they made the decision to break my waters for me, this accelerated labour as it was my waters that was keeping the head away from the cervix and with my having to lie down there wasn't the pressure from baby to break the waters. Baby went into distress and they lost his heart beat three contractions in a row. They did another exam and based on that they made the decision to keep going as they felt I was very close to delivery. They unstrapped the monitor and had the student midwife chasing baby down my pelvis during contractions which allowed them to monitor him better and about 20 minutes later he was born. He had the cord wrapped tightly around his neck and was born blue with heavy bruising. This was the cause of his distress. By 5 minutes post birth he had perfect scores. I had two doses of paracetamol during the induction process and gas and air only for the delivery. I had some paracetamol and ibuprofen immediately after birth and no other pain relief. I had a graze but needed no stitches. Calm breathing got me through again. The water made the birth of my daughter better but the induced birth of my son was easier. My daughters labour was quick and from the start the contractions were 3 in 10 minutes with not much let up. The contractions with my son started at 33 weeks as I had an irritable uterus, I had a sweep at 36+6 to see if that would trigger labour which it nearly did and probably contributed to not needing the pessetry for very long. The midwives were amazed at how much I was able to sleep on just paracetamol!

I stuck true to me, I don't like candles and smelly stuff, I don't like fuss and mantras. I like closing my eyes, shutting out the world and getting into a head space where I feel like it's just me. Before my first labour I asked my partner to help me make decisions for a calm birth as much as possible. For the second it was about conserving my energy and hoping my body could find some reserves from somewhere. I was fortunate that things that could have gone wrong didn't, if my daughter's shoulder had become dislodged on its own, if my son's heartbeat hadn't recovered or if the midwife thought delivery would be too far off I would have ended up describing very different labours.
My sister had an uncomplicated water birth but as her baby came out arm first she had a really bad tear that she had to be moved to theatre to have stitched up.

We write birth plans and think of birth as a binary decision when really it is many decisions and often it's a role of a dice whether it is the right decision or the right outcome. Don't get too fixed on particular things being helpful or unhelpful. Be open to suggestions and yes think about what keeps you in a calm headspace

Doula
TENS
Birth Pool
Comb
Snacks/Drinks
Good Playlist
Funny Movies

I think not living in an area that has maternity services scandal unfolding is probably a good idea.

Also getting rid of the husbands. Dc1 he was useless so dc2 I told him to stay away. It was much better.

I’ve had 3 DD’s, the first labour was nit great and I ended up having ptsd type symptoms when pregnant with no.2. I used hypno-birthing to help pre labour visualisations. I didn’t get too tied up with a birth plan learnt quickly with no. 1 it’s all just a wish list.

walked away from the delivery room having just had gas and air for the crowning. No.3 thought I could do it again but I hadn’t practiced the visualisations and ended up with another epidural.

it can work but don’t be upset if it doesn’t!

Yoga. Meditation. Golden thread breath.

Understanding of the Ferguson Reflex.

I’ve had six children, have never had anything other than gas and air and have never “pushed”.

4th birth will be in a few weeks it will be my 3rd homebirth, I’m now a doula and have been at over 50 homebirths.

Here’s my plan;

Birth at home
Bradley method - Rest through contractions
TENS early to stack endorphins
Meditation/Hynobirthing
Birth Pool
Gas and Air for final stage - with a great playlist!

Can’t wait to do it again

My first birth was a natural birth and went really well. On paper it's awful (v. long, 2nd degree tear, cord around neck...) but in reality it was a good experience. There are a couple of reasons I didn't want an epidural (can go into more detail if you want), and I just filled my mind with information that supported a natural birth. I read the Hypnobirthing book by Siobhan Miller and did a hypnobirthing course. I didn't use all the strategies in labour, but I felt empowered going into labour understanding what was happening to my body, how I could advocate for myself, and mostly just convincing myself that my body knew what to do. I just wanted a really hands-off approach, so my midwife and I hardly spoke and I leaned on my partner for support.

I stayed active during early labour, listened to upbeat music and did things which made me happy. I laboured overnight and I did just breathe through the contractions and go back to sleep! The next day I was in active labour and just continued to believe that my body knew what to do. Even with irregular and sometimes useless contractions, I just had convinced myself that I could do it and that's ultimately what kept me going.

Things I practised beforehand:

• breathing
• visualisations
• positive affirmations
• some exercises from my hypnobirthing course
• massage techniques
• choosing a birth team who supported my birth (I live abroad, it was a midwife-only birth using external midwives in the hospital, I guess similar to a birth centre)
• listening to my playlist
• doing a wall sit for 1 minute to get comfortable with being uncomfortable
• learning about birth, being informed about rights/options
• understanding what I don't like: bright lights, etc.

Things that actually got me through:

• breathing
• sacral pressure from my partner (I had terrible back contractions!)
• remembering that contractions are only 1 minute
• knowing/understanding what was happening
• my music
• snacks, water and sports drinks
• constant reminders from my partner to relax
• wearing sunglasses on the way to the hospital and in the hallway (I hate bright lights!) - A previous poster said lights don't matter, but they made a difference to me!
• believing I could do it and that my body/baby knew what to do (I am such a stubborn person... I think this is probably what actually helped, was just eliminating any doubt that I couldn't do it).

What worked for me is that my labours are short. None were over 3 hours. I am pretty sure that had I undergone the marathon deliveries some other women experience I would have asked for and been very glad of pain relief!

Why do you ask OP? Your original post is phrased oddly like someone doing research for an article...!

What are you planning/ have you done for your birth(s)?

OP, do you consider TENS to be medication?

I found it really helpful in the early stages afterthatibinneditoffandaskedforgasandair

Hypnobirthing and a tens machine
Relaxing my body as much as I could between contractions