Hypnomamas, tell all!

[Mosaic]

For those of us that used Hypnobabies for birth, check in!

Did it work?
How much time did you spend on it? (Classes, homework, listening to CDs, etc.)
Are you happy/satisfied with how your birth went?
Would you use it again (if you were to birth more children)?
Would you recommend it to others?

[pleasantlyfurious]

nak

great idea for a thread!

my experience was mixed. i listened to my scripts and affirmations daily and did the in person course. on my birth day i wasn't able to use what i had learned/practiced very effectively. my labor was super quick. i was asleep, i got up to pee, my water broke and immediately my contractions were on top of each other. so basically i went from sleep to transition in under an hour. because of that, I had a hard time getting my bearings. I felt like I had been thrown into the deep end of the pool and when we did get to the center and put on the cd - I was like - seriously?

That being said, I'd totally recommend hypnobabies and do it over again with my next one. I think it really helped me prepare for birth (I do credit it with my fast, easy birth) and really helped keep me centered and my blood pressure and diet in check. I thought it was really comprehensive and I think I got a lot of benefits from it. AND if I'd had a few hours to gear up for transition - I think that the scripts would have been great to labor with.

I'm excited to hear about others' experiences.

[May-Baby]

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on... Hi everyone

Anyway, I did Hypnobirthing and I found that it certainly did work for the most part. I was able to use the breathing during the very intense back pain I was getting. It was also extremely helpful in the early stages of labour. I was actually falling asleep in between contractions during the earlier stages of labour (the contractions were still pretty intense but I could doze a little which is important!). In the end I had to have a walking epidural as suggested by my MW as my labour was progressing VERY slowly (it had been 3 days, one of which was active labour.. eeks). Isaac was sunny side up and was getting hung up which wasn't allowing things to go quickly, and I was spent, emotionally and physically. Concentrating on breathing and dealing with the pain is very tiring!

Prior to labour, I did do the affirmations and relaxation cds and I did practice the breathing. I wish DH had practiced with me more. I tried to get him to help but he would always act like it was taking too much time out of his free time. He told me after the fact that he regretted not practicing. That said, I will definitely use it again if we have another and I would suggest it for others. Next time around, I know DH will practice with me because he felt he was at a loss this time around. He had gone to the class with me and felt he knew it all.. bah! He was wrong. Anyway, the MW and nurses told my DH they were shocked at how well I was doing, having been at it for 3 days and only making low moaning sounds. I think with the breathing and the ability to fully relax between contractions saved my energy and allowed me to go as long as I did without real sleep.

Am I satisfied with my labour and delivery? Absolutely! Even though I didn't get the water birth that I had planned for, I am so proud of myself for going as long as I did. I was also fortunate that I had a MW rather than an OB because I probably would have ended up having a c-section in a regular hospital (even though neither Isaac nor I were in distress).

[Kontessa]

Did it work? Amazing again! 3.5 hour home water birth that was so quiet and wonderful

How much time did you spend on it? (Classes, homework, listening to CDs, etc.)
Home study course and did three weeks, maybe three times a week. (This was my SECOND hypnobirth though!)

Are you happy/satisfied with how your birth went? So very very happy!

Would you use it again (if you were to birth more children)? Yup, for sure!

Would you recommend it to others? YES YES YES

[feminist~mama]

I didn't actually feel like it worked as intended for me! I *always* fell asleep listening to the scripts and never felt like I really managed a "hypnotic state" before labor, so I'm not surprised that I wasn't able to get into a hypnotic state during labor, KWIM??

That being said, it was awesome for helping me get to sleep!!

I listened to the cds during the beginning part of my labor when I was experiencing a lot of back pain and didn't try them later with the rockin' contractions because they hadn't really helped when I was only in a mild amount of pain. I did repeat to myself over and over "My job is to relax". Granted, I said it very fast over and over whilst tensing up (but trying not to!).

I listened to all the cds while awake more than once and did the affirmations regularly until they really started annoying me!

[emnic77]

I never had a "hypnotic" moment during my intense labor, but I do credit hypnobabies with helping me figure out how to release into the pain, which is exactly what I did. Two thumbs up
I couldn't listen during birth. I tried, it just wasn't for me. I needed music to match what I was feeling - went with one Neurosis song over and over that really helped, then Mark Lanegan, then Portishead.

[Mosaic]

I should probably answer my own question!

Did it work?
Yes, but it worked very differently than it did the first time around (I'm a 2-time Hypnomom)

How much time did you spend on it?
I listened to a track per night 4-6 nights per week and nearly always fell asleep. I also listened to the affirmations a couple of times a week, when I remembered. DH recorded himself reading the scripts, so he didn't practice with me. We pretty much followed the maintenance plan.

FWIW, first time around I took the in-person class and did my homework religiously.

Are you happy/satisfied with how your birth went?
Yes! If anything, it worked almost too well! I was at work until about 1:00, chatting and organizing things, with waves 2-4 min. apart, and the baby came 4 hours later. The only down side was that no one (including myself!) knew how far along I was because I was apparently too calm and pleasant. I literally walked into the birth center and pushed DD out within 20 min. I honestly think the birth could have been even faster had I realized earlier that I was fighting my "release" cues because I didn't want to have a baby in my dirty bathroom!

Would you use it again (if you were to birth more children)?
Without a doubt!

Would you recommend it to others?
Any chance I get!

ETA: I didn't listen to my CDs during the birth. I obviously didn't listen to them at the office, then did listen to them at home, but then didn't listen in the car ride over (DH was on the phone) or while pushing (no time to bring the CDs in!) But I had an awesome birth anyway!

[AliciaP8]

Did it work? It had no positive effect for me except for the few hours during the relief from my sterile water injections. They took the excruciating pain away for about 2 hours I think and I was able to feel my contractions and think a bit. Then the hypno worked to get me in a zone.

How much time did you spend on it? (Classes, homework, listening to CDs, etc.) I did the home study and maintenance dilligently.

Are you happy/satisfied with how your birth went? I wish my outcome had been different but feel confident I did all I could to reach my goal.

Would you use it again (if you were to birth more children)? Maybe. I'd be hoping for no back labour too

Would you recommend it to others? I'd share my experiences and be supportive if someone wanted to use it.

[AliciaP8]

Maybaby, our experiences sound similar except that as soon as I had the epidural Reuben went into distress

[jecombs]

Did it work?
It worked pretty well for labor, but no so well during pushing. This could be because I only listened to the pushing track 1-2x before I gave birth (I was afraid it would trigger labor!).

How much time did you spend on it? (Classes, homework, listening to CDs, etc.)
I did the Hypnobabies homestudy. I read the whole book and listened to my tracks at least 3x per week. I also listened to my affirmations 5 days a week (while I drove to work).

Are you happy/satisfied with how your birth went?
I am really happy with how I handled my labor. Even in transition, I felt totally in-control. However, things kinda fell apart for me during pushing. DS rotated into a posterior position, so pushing felt like my tailbone was about to snap. It took me 2.5 hrs to get him out. The first 2 hrs I don't think I moved him at all. Finally I was able to get into a squat, using a squatting bar and use gravity to my advantage. The squat also allowed my tailbone to flex back, without having any pressure put on it by the bed, which allowed DS to rotate back to OA.

Would you use it again (if you were to birth more children)?
Yes! But I would make sure to start listening to the labor and birthing tracks as soon as I hit 37 weeks!

Would you recommend it to others?
Absolutely! My water broke before labor started and I felt really panicky. I was able to do a fear-release, which helped get my contractions going and I arrived at the hospital completely confident and in-control.