Hypnobirthing questions!

[Genesis]

- Does anyone know an average of how much the classes are to take?

- As a homebirther, will the classes be geared towards me enough?

- Can I successfully have a hypnobirth if I just use the CD's and read the book, but don't take the classes?

- Will it be difficult to have a hypnobirth if my toddler will be present while I am laboring? (he'll have someone taking care of him, but still)

Anything else I should know about hypnobirthing?


Thanks

[dogmom327]

My info is for Hypnobabies

I think the price varies by geographic region but around here it was $300 for the series.

I personally didn't think they were geared towards HB at all but then again it could have partially been the instructor (the materials definitely were for hospital birthing).

The instructor I had was terrible so I think I would have been better off with just the CD's and book. A different instructor though likely would have yielded a different experience.

I've heard of people doing it with a toddler around so as far as I know it's totally possible.

[mamakaya]

I get the impression that most mamas here like hypnobabies best, but we went with hypnobirthing since I'd never even heard of the babies version.

To answer your questions:

-the classes here are about $300, including all materials (workbook, CDs, "text") and access to the instructor both during your pregnancy and at your birthing

-my own instructor was a homebirther and advocated for it very heavily! The videos used in the classes showed women in the hospitals because that is the most common choice for most pregnant women, but by and large most of the mothers who chose hypnobirth also chose to home birth, according to my instructor. It is very much set up for you to birth at home because the entire purpose of the program is to teach you to trust your body and your instincts to have a smooth, comfortable birth.

-I received CDs in the classes (not just the ones that come with the book) that I really enjoyed, particularly for learning the relaxation process (that is the hypno part of it). I think you could do it on your own if you had to, but it wouldn't be the full experience. From what I heard from people who used the hypnobabies home study program, it is intended to be for those who can't attend classes.

-I heard a great story from someone who used hypnobirth who actually had her DD doing "effleurage" (or, pouring water on the birthing mama's stomach to reduce tension) in the early birthing stages. It sounded like a beautiful moment. If you think you would be able to go into a deep state of relaxation while your toddler is around, I don't see why you would have to exclude him.

Hope I could help! I would do hypnobirthing again if I decided to have more kids. My son ended up being born by emergency cesarean which was heartbreaking and completely unexpected, especially after a really long birthing process. However, I look back on the 30 hours that I was in labour as some of the most beautiful and incredible moments of my life, and fully attribute that to hypnobirthing. Also, when the going did get really tough and surgery was needed to save DS's life, the attitude of "accepting whatever turn my birthing may take" that I had practiced in hypnobirthing made that sad situation much more bearable. I was able to heal from the possible birth trauma and embrace my experience for what it was, which helped those early days tremendously.

Good luck!

[cunger]

I am a HypnoBirthing instructor, and the cost of the class really depends on your geographic location and whether you choose to take a group class or a private class. I have taught in both Chicago and San Diego, and average class prices are $350 and $275, respectively, and seem to fall in that range throughout the country.

The homebirth question also depends, I think, on your geographic location--simply because some areas of the country have less to offer in terms of homebirth, so most moms go to hospitals. Either way, your instructor should adjust the 'birthing location' details according to where you are birthing. Certainly, if you are taking a private class or are in a group with mostly homebirthers, you can spend much more time and attention on hypnosis than on advocacy. Homebirths and HypnoBirthing go together so beautifully!

Taking a class with an instructor is so valuable, especially if that instructor is experienced or is a hypnotherapist. The reason is that he/she can help you with the intricacies of using relaxation and hypnosis techniques. You will learn much more than what is on the CD; not to mention the videos, guided visualizations in class, and the ability to ask candid questions.

I hope that helps! Feel free to PM me with any other questions.

[Veritaserum]

Originally Posted by Genesis

- Does anyone know an average of how much the classes are to take?

I used to teach HypnoBirthing. Around here classes were/are $175 (12 hours). Hypnobabies is closer to $300 (18 hours). Hypnobabies is worth the extra, ime, because you get so many more materials, structure, and info.

Originally Posted by Genesis

- As a homebirther, will the classes be geared towards me enough?

I've only used hypnosis at my home births since I didn't know it for my first baby's birth (hospital with epidural). It will depend on your instructor, but I will tell you that about half of the students I teach Hypnobabies to give birth at home. The home birth midwives around here love Hypnobabies and refer to it heavily over any other class (HypnoBirthing, Bradley, Birthing from Within, etc.) because they see it work so beautifully.

Originally Posted by Genesis

- Can I successfully have a hypnobirth if I just use the CD's and read the book, but don't take the classes?

If you're looking at the Mongan book and CD, I'm not sure you'd be satisfied with the results since it's meant to be read while attending a class. There is a home study version of Hypnobabies that is designed to be a complete course to do at home, by yourself. Of course, if you ever have any questions Hypnobabies has a home study instructor you can contact.

Originally Posted by Genesis

- Will it be difficult to have a hypnobirth if my toddler will be present while I am laboring? (he'll have someone taking care of him, but still)

All four of my home births using hypnosis were done with toddlers around. It's definitely doable.

Originally Posted by Genesis

Anything else I should know about hypnobirthing?

Just that you should look into all of your hypnosis options and choose the one that is best for you. Having experience with HypnoBirthing and Hypnobabies as an expectant/birthing mom and as an instructor for both, I prefer Hypnobabies for many reasons.

[Turquesa]

I'm speaking as somebody who has only gone through Hypnobirthing. I've heard of Hypnobabies but have not taken the class or tried it.

-Does anyone know an average of how much the classes are to take?

As PPs have said, it's hard to give an average, but in my mid-sized city in Idaho it costs $175-200 (ETA--for a 12-hour class).

As a homebirther, will the classes be geared towards me enough?

It will depend on the instructor. You might want to ask her about her experience working with home birth clients. My instructor was extremely pro-midwifery and worked with us well, (we used a freestanding birthing center), even though everyone else in the class was planning a hospital birth. She defended out-of-hospital birth quite diplomatically to her critics and just emphasized that the hospital birthers go in as informed consumers.

Be aware that other times, the course is offered in hospitals and is taught from a perspective that serves the interests of the hospital. Screen carefully!

- Can I successfully have a hypnobirth if I just use the CD's and read the book, but don't take the classes?

If you're a good and well-motivated independent learner, than you absolutely can.

In retrospect, I think that it would have been better for me to do it by self-study.

- Will it be difficult to have a hypnobirth if my toddler will be present while I am laboring? (he'll have someone taking care of him, but still)

If you master it well, then no. You'll be able to filter most things out. Although as the mother of a persistent toddler, I'm beginning to have my doubts!

Anything else I should know about hypnobirthing?


My main peeve is that I don't think the book (or my instructor) prepared me well for the pushing phase. It wasn't completely clear how she (or Marie Mongan) wanted me to breathe for it. And how the #*&^$%# was I suppose to continue visualizing a calm forest while pushing??! Seeing as I ended up pushing an OP baby for 4 hours, a little more preparation would have been nice. The experience was also an unwelcome reality check from all of the peace-love-babies stuff that I'd "learned" in class. : (This was my first baby).

The actual course included a lot of videos of women using the method and just *sighing* to "breathe their babies out." Yea. Whatever. Suffice to say, my opinion of the program is only ho-hum, but maybe a different instructor would have made the difference.

This isn't your first baby, at least, so you'll probably go into it with more realistic expectations than I did.

[Harmony08]

I did the Hypnobabies home study course. I took it very seriously. It probably helped me towards the beginning of my 40 hour labor but I wouldn't really recommend it. I did like the daily affirmations. I know people have great success with it, maybe if my labor had been shorter. Your daily affirmations tell you you will have a short, easy, comfortable birthing time etc etc things like that but it also tells you to be open to whatever my birthing time brings. This can be tricky when your birthing time goes on and on and on and you start to feel like a failure. I guess people would say that I wasn't really into it or whatever and that was slowing down my labor. For me, I think I would have been better off without the Hypnobabies. I still would have focused on positive info like Ina May and Active Birth etc.

[Genesis]

Thank you for all the info, I didn't know there was a Hypnobabies too. Now I will check out both of them and see what one is best for me...Hypnobabies sounds awesome so far though!

[wombatclay]

There are lots of hypnosis for birth options actually!

The big three you see a lot on mdc are HypnoBirthing/Mongan method (the book cd combo was designed to be used with a class though so on it's own it may not be enough for you), HypnoBabies (and their homestudy course which is what I used and will use again this time), and HypBirth (also a homestudy option, it's video based).

My personal feeling (so ymmv) is that HypnoBirthing/Mongan may not be the best match for an active birth with a toddler... a lot of Mongan is "going within" and some mamas find that if they lose their focus they can't get it back. And a toddler may be too much of a "focus wrecker". HypnoBabies and HypBirth are both (again IMO) aimed at more active birth styles so they include techniques that assume you'll be moving around, talking, and interacting more during the birth.

But whatever you choose... happy birthing!

[Sudonk]

I took a HypnoBirthing class and then chose Hypnobabies (home study) for my subsequent births. Either one can be used at home or in the hospital. Personally, I wouldn't recommend HypnoBirthing, just because I found it to be ineffective. It was nice to relax to during the pregnancy, but it really didn't do much to prepare me for birth. Once things became intense, I was unable to move around as my body needed me to do and still remain in hypnosis. The result was a much longer, more complicated birth than it needed to be.

Luckily, I knew about Hypnobabies and used that for my other births. I found it to be far more complete, easier to learn and infinitely more effective than anything I learned during my first pregnancy. Both of my Hypnobabies births were OOH births, and I loved the combination! With Hypnobabies, I was able to much more easily remain comfortable and focused while moving around, walking, talking, etc. It includes powerful instant hypnosis cues that would make it much easier to interact with a toddler, then get right back into deep hypnosis when you need it.

I have looked into HypBirth, but the stories I read and the people I spoke to all said that they did NOT have any tools to make movement easier, and spent their births in bed. Plus, the CD to use during the birth sounded confusing and like too much work. Several women mentioned needing to start a certain track for each birthing wave, based on the length of the wave. But if the wave turned out to be different than the length you expected, you wind up being brought out of hypnosis in the middle! I preferred having a script that I could put on and enjoy no matter what was going on in my birth, plus my birth partner had a number of great tools he could use to increase my comfort instantly, if I didn't feel like hearing a script.

[Genesis]

Well, I've decided that I would rather go with Hypnobabies, but...it sounds like I have to either have a Hypnodoula or a birth partner to do the "cues", etc. And I may not have a birth partner (DH will most likely be the childcare for toddler DS) , so I would need to be able to successfully do this alone. There are no Hypnodoulas or Hypnobabies instructors in my state. Is this possible or would I have a hard time doing Hypnobabies alone???


ETA: I also have this very irrational fear that I won't be able to come out of the hypnosis, even though I know that's impossible.

[wombatclay]

Well... for your first fear... my DH and my doula were both completely uninvolved in the HypnoBabies "thing" although neither of them thought it was silly or anything. They just weren't involved, and I expect they wont really be involved with that portion of this birth either. You don't need the a partner to do the prompts (you can either tape something or just ignore those scripts)... the real benefit of any self hypnosis for birth program is that you've put in the time and effort to create a specific association between the birth sensations and a choosen response.

Similar to those silly freshman psychology experiments where the professor tells the class to make a sound every time he shows then the picture of a lemon... and then rings a buzzer or flashes the lights or something at the same time he shows the picture. It doesn't take long before the class makes the sound at the non-picture cue. The professor rings the buzzer and the class makes the noise, no image necessary. It's not exactly the same thing obviously, but self hypnosis is the same basic idea. You select a cue and a response and then work at making the cue/response instinctive.

The nice thing with the home study/cd courses is that you're putting on a cd every night (I'd listen once or twice while active/alert/awake and then play the script on auto-loop on my mp3 player the whole night long) so you're sort of "forced" to practice. With classes you need to commit to putting aside the time for the class along with time every day for practice. Just about any program will work if you put in the time/effort (I've read birth stories by mamas who hadn't had time to even start a program but instead were inducing their hypnotic state just from the information they'd read on the website/yahoo group)...

Oh yeah... there's a yahoo group for mamas interested in using self hypnosis for bith (search hypnoBabies on yahoo groups and there may be a link from the hypnobabies website). While it's focused more on hypnobabies, it has mamas who used all sorts of hypnosis programs and has some great birth stories and suggestions.

[Veritaserum]

Originally Posted by Genesis

Well, I've decided that I would rather go with Hypnobabies, but...it sounds like I have to either have a Hypnodoula or a birth partner to do the "cues", etc. And I may not have a birth partner (DH will most likely be the childcare for toddler DS) , so I would need to be able to successfully do this alone. There are no Hypnodoulas or Hypnobabies instructors in my state. Is this possible or would I have a hard time doing Hypnobabies alone???


ETA: I also have this very irrational fear that I won't be able to come out of the hypnosis, even though I know that's impossible.

For the first, my dh isn't involved at all. He slept through our second baby's birth until right before pushing. I did it all on my own, which was fine. I did choose to have doulas with my last three births. Two of the three were very familiar with hypnosis, which I did like, but I'm sure I could have birthed without them. I just liked having them.

For the second, I think you'll realize pretty quickly how irrational that is. Have you tried the free demo track? http://www.enjoybirth.com/Free-Hypnobabies-Tracks.html