Hypnobabies...anyone have experience with it?

[Tulafina]

X posted in June DDC-

I would love to try something different with this birth. My first 2 were unmedicated and rather short in length-but I felt like I could have been much calmer throughout my births especially my second one. My second was born at home in an hour and a half and was posterior at birth with a face presentation...can you say painful?!!! By the time I was 9cm dilated I wanted to rip my spine out nevermind when he started to descend-it felt like my hips were breaking in half.

SO.... this time around I will most likely have a different presentation and hopefully a slower less painful birth and I would really love to stay in tune and calm. Was hypnobabies helpful to anyone here with previous births?

Thanks for any input. Oh and I'm having another homebirth with mw/doula present.

Toodaloo!

[Bluegoat]

I've been doing the hypnobabies program this time, so I don't know how it will really go.

But, I have enjoyed it. The scripts and CDs can be a little cheezy, but I find listening to them in bed has actually kept me in a really good frame of mind this pregnancy, and I have also been sleeping much better. b And I know that I have learned how to relax deeply in response to the cues - I feel a bit like Pavlov's dogs.

One thing is that with two other children and my dh away, I have not always had an easy time finding alone time - it's pretty much once the kids are in bed.

[sere234]

I had a friend who used Hypnobabies and loved it! She said birthing was very intense for her but felt like a really hard workout instead of painful. There's a yahoo hypnobabies group and a few blogs. There are lots of birth stories at both of those places giving experiences with it.

We just found out we're pregnant but I've known I'm going to use Hypnobabies for a while now!!

[sheriwx]

I used it my second time around, although not religiously. (Didn't use the CD's much). But I have to say that reading the book and practicing the techniques really helped me be much calmer during labor. My focus was much better and less panicked. I'll be reviewing it again for this pregnancy.

[copperfox]

I *loved* my HypnoBabies birth! I listened to the scripts on my iPod for about 6 hours straight. Whenever I had a pressure wave (contraction), my DH just touched my shoulder and said a queue word: release, open, or relax. I was completely quiet during the entire labor. I think everyone was kind of bored, because I just didn't make a sound. I had thought I wanted to get in the jacuzzi, but found the water to be too cold and the jets too loud to hear the scripts, and preferred to just sit in the rocking chair. Once I went into transition, I had a much harder time concentrating on the scripts and abandoned them altogether, but only had 1/2 hour of pushing, so it wasn't too bad.

The self-hypnosis techniques that I learned through HypnoBabies has helped me with headaches and back aches and times when I have had insomnia. I'm excited to try HB again with my upcoming birth in May. I also recommend the HP yahoo group that was mentioned by a PP.

Good luck!

[JudiAU]

I used it with my last and found it very helpful. The yahoo group is a great place to help you feel connected to the philosophy. I had a very short birth (2 hours of active labor, posterior, with broken waters) that was very intense but I never would have managed it without the hypnobabies. I actually ended up having an unplanned homebirth (unassisted!) as a result. I sent my husband to the park with the toddler when I started to feel the first waves never dreaming that labor would be so short. Within about 15 min I had transition like pressure and she was born within two hours. I'd also been seeing a chiro and acupunturist so that might have been part of it.

I almost always listened to them as I fell asleep and partner didn't really participate. I found the most unexpected thing helpful (visualization) the most helpful.

So, wild experience that was not planned and hypnobabbies helped me keep it together for most of the time. I'd been listening to it all night and morning too after my water broke. Oddly enough, MDC did too because once I felt the head my mind raced through a million homebirth stories and I felt super calm. Pushing was actually awesome. No fear at all and pressure or pain. I was just excited because no more contractions and it meant I was going to get my babe.

[scrappyhappymama]

I have three little Hypnobabies!

After my first birth, with unplanned interventions and feeling like I was just not prepared enough for an unmedicated birth, I looked into Hypnobabies. I wasn't looking for a pain free birth, but just a more manageable one, where I could avoid that out-of-control feeling. I was so pleased with how well Hypnobabies worked for me. I've now had three births with Hypnobabies and I recommend it highly! Like another poster said- it's like a very intense workout- lot's of hard work, but not out-of-control painful like I felt with my first baby.

[bubbamummy]

If you buy the 'study at home kit' now they are doing a promotion called 'Hypnobump' which gets you 20% off your order.

[TSomm]

I'm doing the Hypnobabies home course now with my first and will let you know how it goes in a month or so. I agree with PP's that initially the scripts and sounds are a bit cheesy, but keep an open mind. I really enjoy listening to them now and can feel my body relax as I practice.

Someone mentioned a promotion right now for savings... you can also call them up and ask if they have a used copy available. I think mine was $85 instead of $130 something.

[erin23kate]

I'm doing the home study course right now and I love it so far. I can't say how it will work when the baby comes, but it did enable me to have a med-free colonoscopy and cauteriziation of my large intestine....which is saying something!

[ExuberantDaffodil]

I loved listening to the cd's during my pregnancy. they totally relaxed me and I slept really well after starting to listen to them, as compared to before I started the course. Also, I felt incredibly confident and empowered about my birthing. I practiced the technique during one of my prenatal appointments when the midwife had to do an internal exam, and although I typically get panicky during exams, I completely relaxed and felt nothing.

When I went into labor, I remained very calm (too calm, no one believed it was really starting ). Unfortunately, I couldn't listen to the cd's during labor. I was too restless and wanted to walk around and just be really quiet. But I did phone my midwife right when I was beginning transition, and she had no idea. I ended up having an unassisted homebirth, btw.

I went from mild labor to pushing out the baby in under an hour, so it was really quick, but I actually "breathed" (or in my case, grunted) the baby down rather than pushed and had none of the tearing I had with my first.

I do have to say that near the end, I did absolutely feel my contractions, and they felt a heck of a lot more than just "pressure waves" but it was completely manageable -- like a really strong work out at the gym that might make the muscles ache and cause fatigue, but gives a rish of adrenalin and endorphines.

[BeckiB]

I loved Hypnobabies with my first. I had a 33 hour unmedicated labor and a healthy 10 lb girl! I love the scripts - they really helped me relax and get to sleep at night

[rightkindofme]

I did just fine with my HypnoBirth stuff until about hour 40 when I started hallucinating. I never felt like things were all that painful, just super super intense. So intense I couldn't sleep through the contractions every six minutes. So I went into the hospital for some pain meds so I could nap for a few hours. I never felt like it was too painful exactly, just like things were too intense for me to sleep and I really really need sleep.