Hypnobabies?

[Bethusila]

I am considering hypnobabies for the birth of our first child, due in Nov. I have read up on it and have read the "testimonials" on the website, but I'd really like some feedback from real women on it. Have you heard of it, or done it with past pregnancies, are there pros and cons? Any info is appreciated!

Edit: Changed to reflect the program I was interested in, I originally thought hypnobabies was the name of the program and hypnobirthing was the method used in the program, now I see they are two different things.

[~Adorkable~]

On thing to be aware of, I was not until I read a lot of stuff, is Hypnobirthing and Hypnobabies are actually two different schools of thought and training. I personally felt more in line with what the web and ladies around here have been saying about hypnobabies, you might feel otherwise, but I would make sure to read up on both.

Beyond that i cant help you out much since im on my first pregnancy as well. I plan to do hypnobabies for the birth of our twins this winter.

[Bethusila]

Oh I see, I guess what I have been reading about was hypnobabies, I was not aware it was two different things. Thanks!

[JessieBird]

I loved the Hypnobabies home study program (workbook and cds). I remember reading up on the differences between Hypnobabies and Hypnobirthing and I chose carefully but I can't remember why now, sorry! (I have toddler brain.)

I thought that the Hypnobabies CDs were wonderful and very easy to follow, I became completely addicted to the woman's voice and drove DH crazy because I had my ipod on 24/7 listening to the affirmations. I don't think I could have worked from something that was only a book, nor would I have felt comfortable going to a group class.

The only thing I'd "warn" you of (though it's not really a warning, just lack of better word) - I was all excited about listening to the hypnobabies tracks during labour but when the time came, the woman's voice DROVE ME CRAZY and I had to turn it off. I also wasn't able to consciously use any of the techniques I'd learned (lightswitch, etc), I was just too distracted by the excitement of being in labour and I couldn't focus my mind. I was initially disapointed by this but in hindsight I think the hypnobabies was at work subconsciously. I had a very long labour - 40 hours plus 3 hours of pushing - but it felt easy and I had very little pain. My midwives had to tell me when I was having contractions because I couldn't feel most of them!

I'll definitely be doing hypnobabies again with this baby in hopes that I have another painless labour (though a bit faster would be nice!).

[porcelina]

I'm also interested in hypnobabies and have been reading people's stories here on MDC. Check out this thread:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions....php?t=1233190

or do a search in that forum

[AmyKT]

I went through a Hypnobirthing class because that's what my doula was into. I learned all the techniques and listened to the recordings religiously. In labor, I didn't use any techniques, but the rainbow relaxation got from 5cm to 9cm in one hour with hardly any pain. It was amazing. Hypnobabies recordings might be just as awesome.

[umsami]

I bought the Hypnobabies home study course for #2 and have never successfully used it for a couple of reasons.

1) I don't like the voice of the woman on the CDs. I don't find it relaxing, but annoying. It's probably just that they remind me of somebody I know in real life... not their fault.

2) It is a big time commitment IMHO... especially with other little ones at home. You need to allow roughly an hour each day to listen to the scripts. Usually, you'll alternate two different scripts each week. There is also an affirmation CD which you are supposed to listen to (but you can do this while driving).

For people who actually can commit the time, I think it's wonderful... I just haven't been able to.

I will say that I think the home study option is affordable... and gives you a boatload of information. Much better than the hospital-sponsored birth class I attended with #1. So, even if you don't actually do the scripts, you'll still leave very well informed!

[AmyKT]

In regard to the voice of the reader: If you go with Hypnobirthing, there are two sets of recordings. The ones by Marie Mongan (creator of hypnobirthing) are annoying, but the ones by Jessica Porter are soothing.

[Ianthe]

I did Hypnobirthing and I loved it. I totally didn't practice, all I did was listen to the CDs when I went to sleep (and I pressed play whenever I woke up in the middle of the night) and just doing that totally worked. I had a completely painless labor!!! I felt the contractions but they DID NOT HURT! I highly recommend it.

I lent a friend of mine the CDs and she did the same thing, with the same results!

[~Adorkable~]

If you had a bunch of CD's to listen to I thought that was the the hynobabies one?

For the original poster, you may want to edit or clarify the name of this thread so that folks are reminded that there is two types of training, and or that you reading about hypnobabies. I think there is in general a ton of confusion about that.

[scrandall1173]

Wish I could say it worked for me

First let me say that I have no doubt it helps some women. But here's my story...

I used Hypnobabies for my first child's birth. First, I took a Hypnobirthing class. Then I ordered Hypnobabies as I felt that Hypnobirthing was really general and didn't give me any "tools" to use.

My husband and I were pretty dedicated to the Hypnobabies program. During my pregnancy we found it a valuable relaxation tool to use when we were tense, achey, had tension headache and even when I was scared of flying. It helped me with my insomnia in the middle of the night. It was a great relaxation tool.

When I went into labor I tried to use it. The pain was really unbearable. Turns out I had some scar tissue from a past surgery that interfered with my dilation, so that may have been part of it. In the car ride to the hospital, it helped. But once we got to the hospital, I was just so tense, it couldn't put a dent in my anxiety (I'm a naturally anxious person).

I had to have some pain killers for when they took care of the scar tissue. Then I went into the jacuzzi and the natural birthing room and got back into the Hypnobabies routine. But really I think it was the jacuzzi that helped more than anything. Eventually my midwife was concerned that things weren't moving along and I elected to get an epidural. Turns out my daughter was face up-- perhaps another reason that the pain was just too much to bear or let the Hypnobabies work? Who knows.

I'm pregnant again and won't be using the program again. I'm not sure what I will do yet. I plan to buy some sort of relaxation cd for during the pregnancy as it really helped. But I need an approach that is open to multiple options I think.

Sometimes I regret trying Hypnobabies, but I went with the best information I had at the time.

God bless you in your discernment. I pray you find a good match for your personality-- I don't think Hypnobabies was for me. Hope this helps.

[beth144]

i used hypnobabies homestudy for my dd2, and i felt that it worked very well. eventhough it was a preemie birth and my babe was really small it helped me relax while i was really mentally stressed out. saying the "peace" cue out loud and having hubby do the "relax" cue with hand on shoulder and forehead also really helped. i did not listen to any scripts because i was unsure i was really in labor until i started pushing.

doing relaxing things along with it i think helps also (warm showers, birth stool, leaning over a birth ball, birthing tub). if your doing a hospital birth i think it is more difficult to relax and keep concentration. you have people coming in and out trying to talk to you and adjusting fetal monitors, not to mention just being in the hospital environment. this is why we are choosing to home birth this time. less distraction and more relaxing environment.

overall, i think its a great relaxation tool! HTH!

[sachasmom]

First, I have to say I think this is all VERY personal. So what works for one may not for another, and vice versa.

I did use Hypnobabies and for me it was fabulous. I didn't know there was a local course and just did the home study CDs. I wouldn't say I was particularly dedicated about it. My husband and I listened to the CDs a number of times, but we would usually just fall asleep. They're definitely very relaxing! However, I also listened and did the visualizations during my daily walks.

This is a little strange, but one side effect it seem to have for me is that I really needed to walk during labor. Every time I lay or sat down the pain was just unbearable and I had to get up and get moving again or I'd start puking. But then I've heard that from other women who didn't do hypnobirthing. So maybe that's just the way it is regardless. Lord I felt sorry for the women I saw stuck in hospital beds while I was walking around! I honestly don't know if I could manage to give birth lying down without an epidural.

Anyway, other than the weird walk-or-puke thing, my birth experience was the classic hypnobirthing stereotype ... at least once it actually started. My water broke on the Friday night of the ONE weekend my very nice family doc was out of town, and then I didn't go into labor for 72 hours. That was actually the worst: an entire weekend of puking every time I had a contraction while disapproving nurses told me I wasn't even in labor yet' but omitted to tell me that active labor and needed a C-Section instead of telling me what I'm sure they knew: that those inactive, unregulated contractions are actually waaaay more painful than the real thing. And of course (DOH!) since I wasn't 'in labor' it never occured to me to start using the self-hypnosis techniques. Yeah, dumb, huh?

But after 72 hours I talked things over with my doctor and we decided to do a low dose pitocin induction (we both felt it was the safest option at that point). I started running the hypnotape when they started the pitocin drip. And from there on in my contractions got regular I just cruised right through. I suspect the improvement was actually a combination of the pitocin, getting rehydrated, relaxing because the doctor I trusted was finally there, and the hypnosis. They had a mobile monitor on me so I could walk around, and they kept checking it to see if it was broken because it was showing strong contractions but I wasn't acting like I was having them. And then after about three hours I felt the baby moving down and KNEW it was time to push. I said so, and my doctor took my husband aside and said he needed to get ready to help me not be discouraged because even though he was going to check me there was just no way I could possibly be dilated yet since I was still walking and talking and smiling like a normal person. But Lo and behold, when he checked me I was totally ready to push and our son was born an hour and a half later. Awesome. I felt like those tapes just prepared me totally so that I knew exactly what was happening in my body and had the confidence and practice to relax into what my body was doing instead of fighting it.

I was recently looking at my birth records because I'm pregnant again and I saw that the doctor wrote down something like 'Easy labor with impressive control through self-hypnosis.' That made me smile a little!

Three things I did notice that seemed like turning points for me:

First, it was really hard to get into the hypnobirthing in the hospital setting where even though my doctor was supportive, the overnight labor nurse was really mean and delighted in telling me how I had no idea who much worse the pain would get and was going to end up having a C-Section anyway. It took a moment of real determination to set those bad vibes aside and just focus on doing the best job I could do for my baby.

Second, even when I did get into my groove it was really hard to talk to people without the pain becoming overwhelming again. I really relied on my doula and my husband to run interference for me and make sure I didn't have to stop and talk unless absolutely necessary. Some people might not experience this, but for me it was definitely a walk and chew gum at the same time kind of situation. I just couldn't do both. So it's probably not the technique to use if your mother-in-law is planning to attend the birth and expecting you to play the polite hostess!!

Third, even though I had the tapes running constantly during the active labor and dilation, once I was fully dilated and it was time to push I just felt like they were a distraction. It was like I was getting down to business and knew what I needed to do, and didn't need to hear it again. Plus I just felt like I wanted to be there, and not listening to a tape at that moment.

So my take is: it can work great, but if you're in a hospital setting then you need to MAKE it work for you rather than letting the hospital atmosphere take over and throw you into a helpless passive mode. And you need to be aware that though self-hypnosis has a lot of power to lessen the pain it only works if you actively DO it every second. If you let your concentration lapse at all -- and this is really hard when you have to talk to people and make decisions -- then it comes right back full strength. So you need people there to run interference for you and make sure that caregivers don't inadvertently throw you off your game.