Does Hypnobabies work for the cynical? - Page 3

[philomom]

This is why I stuck with Bradley. I can't drink the koolaid on anything. I'm a born skeptic and too much new agey lingo makes me roll my eyes.


I did have remarkable, natural births using the Bradley. I did not have much pain.

[mambera]

Originally Posted by mama_y_sol

I used it extremely successfully during pregnancy- I was able to use the cue and really go to my special place. When I was having SPD pain, I would lay down and cue myself into a very relaxed state...

I tend to think I have a very high pain tolerance... I wasn't able to "get on top of the contraction". I would just be thrown intensely into it. It was unbearable. It was painful. It was a lot LESS painful to breathe a certain way, and to be really connected with my body- and moan and move and do whatever felt right in that contraction.

I had a really similar experience. I used the Mongan method (which I later heard from mamas on here is not as good) but anyway yeah, I found it helpful for low-level, everyday kind of pain but kind of like an umbrella in a tidal wave for labor pain.

I also have a very high pain tolerance (at least that's what my dentist says!) and wasn't fearful of labor at all beforehand, though I expected some degree of pain (not as much as I got unfortunately!).

And I would not say I started out a skeptic. I use hypnosis in my work and I am moderately hypnotizable myself. I expected there would be some utility to it, though I wasn't expecting pain-free. I found the method to be pretty much no use at all though, unfortunately.

[Frisbee]

So I just ordered Hypnobabies. I'm 35 weeks so I won't have quite as much time with it as they recommend, but hopefully it will do some good.

I have been listening to the "Visualize Your Birth" mp3 and the free mp3 they have on the website, and both of them put me right to sleep after about 15 minutes. Granted, I've been listening to them in bed right before bedtime. Is this normal? I tried the Mongan method (hypnobirthing) last time and only listened to it a few times because I couldn't stay awake during it.

It's tough because I WOH and the only time I have to devote to this is after DD goes to bed (except on weekends). I guess I'll try it sitting up, not in bed, once I get the full package of materials. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Although my first birth wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things and I did make it though unmedicated, it was pretty excruciating at times. Less pain would be great!

[WifeofAnt]

Sorry I'm in a bit of a rush so I'm not reading it through. I started some HB this afternoon.

• Don't tell me how to breathe. I tried to follow her and nearly needed to turn it off because I was sending myself into a panic instead of calming down.
• I hate their termonology. It just doesn't rub me the way its meant to. I can replace the words if that helps any but those aren't the words I'd choose.
• STOP SAYING EYELIDS! It makes me cringe.

Although I can say I did end up getting into a relaxation/hypnosis about halfway through. I don't know if Hypnobabies helped any though.

[St. Margaret]

I ALWAYS fall asleep while doing the CDs. I swear to god, I can't make it through, no matter what. I mean, at this point I can't rest for more than a few minutes without falling asleep anyway, but it's always been like that with HBs no matter when I do it. The books does say to try to do them when you wouldn't fall asleep, but then the scripts say it's okay to blank out, that you are still hearing it all. I am going to try my darndest to listen through them awake, even if I'm not DOING them... that's what I did last time. Anyway, it's not like I was DOING HBs during my birth, but it was in no way excrutiating!

And yeah, I totally ignore her counts for breathing and just do it in a deep relaxing way on my own-- otherwise I'm out of breath and tense and all that!

[konayossie]

Originally Posted by Frisbee

I have been listening to the "Visualize Your Birth" mp3 and the free mp3 they have on the website, and both of them put me right to sleep after about 15 minutes. Granted, I've been listening to them in bed right before bedtime. Is this normal? I tried the Mongan method (hypnobirthing) last time and only listened to it a few times because I couldn't stay awake during it.

It's tough because I WOH and the only time I have to devote to this is after DD goes to bed (except on weekends). I guess I'll try it sitting up, not in bed, once I get the full package of materials. It's supposed to arrive tomorrow.

Although my first birth wasn't that bad in the grand scheme of things and I did make it though unmedicated, it was pretty excruciating at times. Less pain would be great!

It's really common to fall asleep while listening to them. I tried to make it through every track at least once while awake so I'd "know" what was on it, but honestly, I don't think I ever did make it through the last track. I liked using using the hypnosis to help me go to sleep when I was so uncomfortable at the end of pregnancy, so the falling asleep was a godsend for me! And, HB totally worked for me even though I didn't consciously hear what was on all the tracks. j

Also, sometimes you can think you're asleep, but you're actually in hypnosis. I can't remember what they call it. I know it happened to me once because one night while listening to the track, my husband started talking to me, and I told him to "be quiet b/c xyz" and I had absolutely no recollection of it after the track was over. i thought I had been asleep the whole time and then "woke up" a while after the track ended, but my husband said I looked like I was awake during the track, and he couldn't believe that I had no memory of telling him to stop talking.

[Beauchamp]

any update, Smokering? I keep thinking about this post of yours, wondering if hypnobabies might work for me, too.

[Smokering]

Oh, hey. :)

I'm in Week 5 of the program now - that's the last week, except for maintenance. I'll presumably have at least 10 weeks of maintenance, so it's not exactly the home stretch! But I've listened to most of the CDs now.

Whether or not it's "working"... well, it's hard to say. It's definitely doing something. I find I can relax quite easily and deeply now at the start of each CD, and it's not the same as "ordinary" relaxing. I do tend to fall asleep during the CDs (as a PP said, it could be hypnotic amnesia, but I'm very tired these days so I suspect it's actual sleep). I tried to use hypnosis the other day when I got a blood test, but DD was watching and the tech was talking to me, so I couldn't really get into it. It was less painful than usual, though (not a fan of needles). I don't feel anaesthetised during the sessions, although the lady on the CD assures me that it's fine and I don't have to.

In terms of cynicism... there a few things about the scripts that bug me. There's one bit where the lady tells me to go to my "special place" with my baby and make friends with him. I don't personally believe I have a mystical connection to my baby (no offense if you do, it's just not part of my belief system), so the thought of "getting to know" him just seems... fake, like I'm imposing a personality on him. So I can't quite dig that. She also says a few odd phrases, like "deeper relax" and "breathe out slowly to your mind", which kinda drive me nuts. I'm trying to get over it, but I always have a mental hiccup every time she intones "deeper relax" and I think "It's RELAX DEEPLY, for goodness' sake!".

She's also big on getting you to affirm "I deserve a fast, easy birthing", which again kinda grates on my worldview. I want a fast, easy birthing, but I can't think of a good reason why I deserve one. And sadly I've been majorly depressed of late, so the whole empowering affirmation thing kinda backfires on me, depending on the day. There's a possibility I may have to birth in hospital, and even possibly have a C-section - the cord's wrapped 3 times around the baby's neck, or was at the last scan; I have another in a few weeks. It might all turn out fine, but I feel a bit grim about listening to serene statements about how my body and baby are doing everything perfectly, when chances are they're not. Basically, my mental health has seen better days.

So yeah, I think my cynicism might be hampering me to some extent, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it makes the CDs worthless. I'm not going to give up, anyway (although I have kinda stopped listening to my Pregnancy Affirmations). Guess I should update again after the birth!

[prothyraia]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

So I had an awful labour with DD and want to try Hypnobabies this time.

The thing is, I'm not very comfortable with the terminology or even some of the philosophy behind it. I believe that the mind is powerful and that hypnotism works (for some people at least, never tried it yet myself). I don't believe that birth is inherently painless - I can't, after the pain last time! - and I tend to snort and giggle at euphemisms for contractions ("surges", "birthing waves" etc), referring to pain as "p***", talking about my "bubble of peace" and so on. No offense if you do those things - if they work for you, super. I just don't think I can use those words with a straight face. They're not me.
 

This is me, exactly.  I used hypnobabies home study for my second birth (and am planning on using it again).  I did not have a painless birth, but I was actually really comfortable - i.e. in the tub reading a novel between contractions- until the final two hours.  And even when things were really intense, I was able to stay very physically *relaxed* .  I recommend it, even if there were parts of many of the tracks that made me want to grit my teeth at some aspects.

Hey, maybe practice relaxing through that mental irritation actually helped, who knows?

Edited to add: Hah, and I just realized I already responded to this thread months ago.

Edited by prothyraia - 3/16/11 at 6:17am

[SithLadyFred]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

Oh, hey. :)

I'm in Week 5 of the program now - that's the last week, except for maintenance. I'll presumably have at least 10 weeks of maintenance, so it's not exactly the home stretch! But I've listened to most of the CDs now.

Whether or not it's "working"... well, it's hard to say. It's definitely doing something. I find I can relax quite easily and deeply now at the start of each CD, and it's not the same as "ordinary" relaxing. I do tend to fall asleep during the CDs (as a PP said, it could be hypnotic amnesia, but I'm very tired these days so I suspect it's actual sleep). I tried to use hypnosis the other day when I got a blood test, but DD was watching and the tech was talking to me, so I couldn't really get into it. It was less painful than usual, though (not a fan of needles). I don't feel anaesthetised during the sessions, although the lady on the CD assures me that it's fine and I don't have to.

In terms of cynicism... there a few things about the scripts that bug me. There's one bit where the lady tells me to go to my "special place" with my baby and make friends with him. I don't personally believe I have a mystical connection to my baby (no offense if you do, it's just not part of my belief system), so the thought of "getting to know" him just seems... fake, like I'm imposing a personality on him. So I can't quite dig that. She also says a few odd phrases, like "deeper relax" and "breathe out slowly to your mind", which kinda drive me nuts. I'm trying to get over it, but I always have a mental hiccup every time she intones "deeper relax" and I think "It's RELAX DEEPLY, for goodness' sake!".

She's also big on getting you to affirm "I deserve a fast, easy birthing", which again kinda grates on my worldview. I want a fast, easy birthing, but I can't think of a good reason why I deserve one. And sadly I've been majorly depressed of late, so the whole empowering affirmation thing kinda backfires on me, depending on the day. There's a possibility I may have to birth in hospital, and even possibly have a C-section - the cord's wrapped 3 times around the baby's neck, or was at the last scan; I have another in a few weeks. It might all turn out fine, but I feel a bit grim about listening to serene statements about how my body and baby are doing everything perfectly, when chances are they're not. Basically, my mental health has seen better days.

So yeah, I think my cynicism might be hampering me to some extent, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it makes the CDs worthless. I'm not going to give up, anyway (although I have kinda stopped listening to my Pregnancy Affirmations). Guess I should update again after the birth!

I understand where you're coming from, especially with the "get to know your baby" bit, because that would totally get to me too.. is it possible instead of "getting to know" your baby in the sense they may mean you just focus on the physical stage of development your baby is in and visualize your baby slowly growing, safe and sound, within your womb? That's a little less "woo woo", you're not imposing any personality and you can still focus in on the baby being physically connected to you?

Reading this thread and some other reviews/critiques is making me think there needs to be a hypnotism birthing program for all us skeptics/cynics out there

Also, please do update after your birth! Hopefully the cord unwraps itself and you can go forth with the birth you had wanted!

[Smokering]

is it possible instead of "getting to know" your baby in the sense they may mean you just focus on the physical stage of development your baby is in and visualize your baby slowly growing, safe and sound, within your womb? That's a little less "woo woo", you're not imposing any personality and you can still focus in on the baby being physically connected to you?

I don't think it's how she means it in the scripts. She says thinks like "Make friends with your baby", and you're meant to take your baby to your special place, hold him in your arms, say his name (or a nickname) and kinda... hang out. Your interpretation is indeed less woo-woo, but it's not exactly "canon", KWIM? Maybe I'll do what you suggested and ignore the lady while she talks about that bit, though... it's a fairly short segment of the CDs, so I can probably tune it out pretty easily.

[prothyraia]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

I don't think it's how she means it in the scripts. She says thinks like "Make friends with your baby", and you're meant to take your baby to your special place, hold him in your arms, say his name (or a nickname) and kinda... hang out. Your interpretation is indeed less woo-woo, but it's not exactly "canon", KWIM? Maybe I'll do what you suggested and ignore the lady while she talks about that bit, though... it's a fairly short segment of the CDs, so I can probably tune it out pretty easily.

Yeah....

Once I got to the "maintenance" phase of the program last time, I just cut out that one entirely.  I found it the least useful.   And I actually do believe in the possibility of a mystical connection, blah blah blah, and I wasn't getting it from that.