Hypnobabies didn't work for me - Page 2

[Mosaic]

Originally Posted by MegBoz 

Quote:

Originally Posted by mama_y_sol 

I was sad to throw the whole thing out the window and do things that actually worked- walking, moaning, tub, breathing, kissing, visualizing, etc.  All that hynobabies taught- minus the creation of the special place, was useless during labor. 

Whoa! Am I understanding this statement correctly... Hypnobabies does NOT advocate things like walking, moaning, & a bath tub as effective measures for coping with normal labor pain (and effective means of helping labor progress)? REALLY?! Does it really teach that you should only lay still, in a silent, quiet, non-moving hypnotic state???

No, that's not true at all. Hypnobabies teaches "eyes open hypnosis" so that you CAN move, talk, joke, etc. during your birthing.

My first birth experience was totally opposite of what mama_y_sol experienced, except that it was also a long birth. Due to the baby's position, I had hours of back labor and very, veeery slow progress (i.e., 4 hours to get from 7 to 8 cm). Not once during the birthing did I lay in a fully supported position.... for the back labor, I was on hands and knees pretty much for a day and a half.

And oddly enough, I didn't use my special place at all, but I did use everything else in my hypnobabies toolbox and had a fantastic, awesome, albeit exhausting birth.

ETA: the reason I posted was to clear up the confusion about hypnobabies and movement, but also to make it clear that hypnobabies doesn't just "work" for "easy" births. There are lots of women with challenging births who love hypnobabies and some women with textbook perfect births who didn't get the hypnobabies experience they wanted, I'm sure.

[gina8177]

I took Hypnobabies and I did not have a pain free childbirth.  However I did not feel that the goal of taking the course is a pain free birth.  I found that the course provide lots of different tools that you can use in combination with your hypnosis tools, like positioning, belly lift, etc.  It definitely does not teach you to just lie there and do nothing.  :)  To me Hypnobabies is about educating woman about pregnancy and childbirth to empower them about the choices they can make, to teach them how to relax and to provide tools to ensure that you view your birthing process positively in a time when so many negative birth messages are portrayed.  

I had 55 hours of excruciating back labor before I transferred to hospital for an epi and oxy, at that point I knew that the pros of intervention were outweighing the cons of remaining home after 55 hours with almost no sleep and no dilation (due to poor fetal positioning, back injury and short rise).  For me Hypnobabies allowed me to take the time to make rational decisions during a challenging time and to know exactly what the pros and cons of those actions were.  Throughout the whole process I never lost control and was able to remain positive (although I did cry a bit when I agreed to transfer).

I did not get the home birth that I was hoping for but I know that if I did not have the knowledge and tools from my class that I would have ended up having a cesarean versus a successful vaginal birth. 

It did take me some time to come to peace with my birth and I found that talking with other people really helped the process.  I found my hypnobabies instructor very helpful for this.  She also said something I will never forget - we may not always get the birth we want but we always get the birth we need.  I look at the changes in my life that resulted from my labor that I never would have made if I had a much easier labor and I would not change anything.  :)

[sunnysummerdays]

I'm so sad to see how many people seem to have misunderstood what Hypnobabies is all about.  I'm not very familiar with Hypnobirthing but my understanding is that it differs greatly from Hypnobabies. Hypnobabies is designed to create an "easier, more comfortable birthing time". It never promises a pain free birth. 

The goal of the course is to reprogram your brain to view childbirth as a natural normal part of life and that it does not have to be the painful negative, screaming purple faced pushing, drugged up experience women like to talk about and media likes to portray.  Some women experience discomfort free births as a result of using the program and that's so wonderful for them! As part of the course they like to talk about and show those pain free births to help affirm that child birth is natural and normal and safe and that it is possible to be pleasant. It never is presented that your birth is going to be exactly that way.  Its all about surrounding yourself with positivity. My favorite quote from the program is "what you dwell upon most shall indeed come to pass."

I just had my first baby in Sept. and I personally had a wonderful experience using Hypnobabies. I can see how if one misunderstands what the program is all about how terrifying it would be and how disappointed one would feel if they experience discomfort.  Its unfortunate that the program was presented that way or that it was misunderstood by the student. 

In my class we spent a lot of time talking about making sure we were practicing at home getting up and walking around and talking while in hypnosis and covered many different positions to make the birth easier and more enjoyable.  We also talked about that its totally acceptable to be as vocal as you'd like! I was very active in my birthing time walking and talking and moving around and laughing and joking with my husband right up until a few minutes before my baby came out. I was also very vocal using loud "Ahhhhhs" and "Oohhhhs" through my pressure waves.  The feelings I experienced were very intense- but sensational and I can't wait to do it all again. It provided me with the tools I needed to remain calm and collected and I felt totally in control at all times.

I'd like to add that it is not possible to take another child birth course in addition to Hypnobabies. First of all, Hypnobabies covers everything other classes cover so there is no need. Even if you were to decide not to use the hypnosis (but why would you?) you would have all the skills you would learn in the other classes. The course educates you and provides you with all the tools you need to make educated and informed decisions no matter what your personal scenario may be. It also provides you with a "Change of plans" script in the unlikely event your birth does not go as planned. Second of all, it is important to be 100% dedicated to the program for it to be effective.

My husband was not totally sold on Hypnobabies in the beginning. Even right up to the birth I could tell he had some resistance even though he loved the whole process and bonding time he and the baby and I got to have.  After the birth of our son, my husband is 100% a huge fan of Hypnobabies.  He tells everyone he can about the class and birth and recommends the class to everyone we talk to, even people who are not expecting!

I think that no matter what your birth experience, in the end we end we have these teeny tiny bundles of joy in our arms and that's all that really matters. And I'm sad that people have the wrong idea about the Hypnobabies course because it is such an amazing beautiful process and made me have a peaceful, happy, stress free pregnancy.

[llevine17]

I'm sorry things did not go as you expected and please know you did nothing wrong. I can identify with your feelings, my first Hypnobabies birth was 19 hours of back labor and it was tough. In my case, I feel like Hypnobabies was completely responsible for helping me deliver a high, posterior baby vaginally, so I give it a lot of credit. I honestly feel like I would have ended up with a C-section had I not used Hypnobabies, instead I got a drug-free (though not pain-free) vaginal delivery -- even though the birth was longer and harder than I had hoped. I also realized that I had kind of hoped for a hard birth. I know that doesn't make sense, but I heard over and over from doubtful people "well maybe that hypnosis stuff will work with an easy birth, but not if you have a tough birth...." so in the back of my mind, I wanted a challenging birth and I got it.  With my second I focused on having a perfectly positioned baby and ended-up with a 2 hour labor and about 15 minutes of discomfort, so I feel my expectations really played out in both my births.

I don't think you should feel guilty because you didn't have a "pain-free" birth -- that's really not what Hypnobabies is about. I know there are women out there who do get those pain-free births and their stories are incredible, but really the goal of Hypnobabies is to help you have as normal and uncomplicated labor and birth as possible in your particular case.  Nothing, not even drugs (many people still have pain with epidurals) can promise you a pain-free birth.

I’m studying to become a Hypnobabies instructor and I do think this expectation is one thing we have to balance. As I have learned more about hypnosis I understand more about the role of expectation and why it is important to believe that childbirth does not have to be an excruciating experience, but depending on how things go (in may case intense back labor) pain or discomfort may exist in your labor and that’s normal and OK. I understand feeling lost and caught off guard if you didn’t expect that. I vocalized, got in the shower and moved around a lot during my first labor – none of that conflicts with Hypnobabies. Upon retrospect I realized I did not use my “light switch” or partner cues at all during this labor – I think that would have probably helped me. You may look back and realize you could have done things differently or you may not -- it sounds like were well-prepared and did your best. In either case I would contact your instructor and talk to her about your feelings. I know I would want to hear from one of my students if she was uncomfortable with her birth experience.

[Acacia]

 A few things really stick out to me about this post.

1.) It seems that there is still quite a bit of confusion about the differences between Hypnobabies and Hypnobirthing

2.) I have seen a few say that it didn't work for them yet they were never open to it working in the first place

3.) I have seen a few take other childbirth classes in addition to the Hypnobabies class even though it specifically states NOT to do so!

4.) There are misconceptions about what the program actually teaches.

I think it's important as informed consumers to research and know our facts a bit before speaking about them on open forums. I know it is easy to just write about something you have heard from someone else or to give advice based on opinion rather than factual information, but typically speaking most women on these forums are full of knowledge and educate themselves on options religiously. It kinda makes me sad that the same effort hasn't been shown in this thread.

First let me say that I am a believer in the Hypnobabies program and used it for my third birth and had wonderful results. It was an intense labor, but I never thought my birth would be pain-free...only agreed with the suggestions given in the tracks that I would have a comfortable birth. I went into the program with a willingness to learn the techniques fully, to practice daily, and to avoid other classes. Hypnobabies does not teach a stationary method as has been stated before. During our Birthing Time class we practiced being in open eyes hypnosis and moving around to various stations about the room. I knew how to continue my hypnosis while on a birth ball, while standing, laying down, while someone was massaging my back or applying counter pressure etc. I still had all of the tools that other classes promote as coping techniques as well as the added benefit of being completely relaxed. I was taught a few different techniques with Hypnobabies and was able to choose what worked best for me as labor started. I felt that that the finger drop as well as the peace cue were what helped me in my birth hypnosis the most. Others I have spoken to have said the secret place was what the gravitated to.

I was NEVER sold on anything pertaining to a pain free birth...not once. I was taught to re align my birth philosophies with those pertaining to normal birth and to relish in those thoughts rather than the stories of pain and agony and horrid experiences that were being consistently thrown in my face by others around me.

Hypnobabies opened my eyes to a new way of birthing my baby in peace. Intense as it was, I still knew that everything was normal, that my body was working properly and that I was well equipped to spot when something wasn't going right. It taught me to be more in tune with my body and my baby and to not rely so much on traditional methods.

Hypnobabies may not be for everyone, but for me I received a quality childbirth education with a multitude of tools to use as well as learning the art of self hypnosis. Some may not have the same results and do every single thing the "correct" way, but overall I believe their success rate is quite high for comfortable births in comparison to other methods and even in comparison to Hypnobirthing. I also want to mention that the Home study course is meant for those without actual class options in their areas. You get SO much more from the class situation than  you would from the home study course. That comes straight from the Hypnobabies site as well.

To the OP. I am very sorry that your birthing experience wasn't all you believed it would be. It truly breaks my heart to hear of women being saddened by their experience. My hope for you is that your able to come to a place that in light of how your birth journey went, you will be able to find certain parts of it that were beautiful and pleasing to you. I'm sure your baby is a beautiful representation of you and the courageous qualities you have earned in becoming a mother!

[Veritaserum]

Hugs to the OP.   I agree with everyone else.  You have no reason to feel like a failure!  Giving birth is a Big Deal, no matter how it happens.
 

Originally Posted by llevine17 
I don't think you should feel guilty because you didn't have a "pain-free" birth -- that's really not what Hypnobabies is about. I know there are women out there who do get those pain-free births and their stories are incredible, but really the goal of Hypnobabies is to help you have as normal and uncomplicated labor and birth as possible in your particular case.  Nothing, not even drugs (many people still have pain with epidurals) can promise you a pain-free birth.

I agree.  While hypnosis does increase the odds of a woman experiencing a pain-free birth, it is not a guarantee (nothing is!).  I've given birth four times using hypnosis (after a non-hypnosis epidural birth with my first).  One of those births was painfree during labor. I felt some stinging/burning as the baby was coming out with her hand beside her head.  Two of them were comfortable labors. I wasn't in agony, but the sensations were not the most pleasant.  The last few waves before pushing crept into the "ok, I'm really ready to be done with this" category.   One of the labors was excruciatingly painful no matter what I did because the circumstances of that birth made comfort and impossibility (physical complications outside of my control).

So, my perspective is that Hypnobabies gave me tools (hypnosis, vocalization, fetal positioning, water, massage, movement, position changes, etc.) that increased my chances of reducing the pain of childbirth.  BUT, every birth is different.  My painful non-epidural birth was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. I wanted to die.  I am, however, still enormously grateful that I had my hypnosis training.  It allowed me to stay calm and focused and to work to create the best birth possible under the specific circumstances I was facing.  So, it "didn't work" in terms of pain relief, but it did work in terms of minimizing the trauma of what was happening by keeping me calm and focused.  Short of being knocked out, I don't think there was anything that could have taken all the pain away.

What I'm trying to say is that I hope no woman judges her birth experiences based on external parameters of what makes a "good" birth. I know that I did the very best I could with the births I had given the circumstances of each one. I'm sorry you are disappointed with how your birth went.  You have every right to feel those feelings.  I hope that, with time, you will find peace and healing as you realize just how amazing you really were!  Please be gentle with yourself.

[Mosaic]

I realized after rereading my post that I really didn't express what I wanted to say well at all.

What I meant by that rambling up there is that some tools will work for you, and some tools won't, some births are "easier" and some are harder,and our experience boils down to a combination of our expectations, the physical realities, and how we feel about all of the above. I hope that when evaluating whether Hypnobabies (or any other birth preparation) "works", we can look at the whole picture and see if we found it helpful, or to consider if our birth experience was enhanced or in any way better with the knowledge we gained from the course, or if we would have been better off not having any preparation at all. Births seldom go as we expect them to, so I think it's ok to feel disappointed or confused when things don't turn out the way we envisioned.

Also, I realized after I posted that you JUST had your gorgeous DD; so I read your birth story and I think you did AWESOME, OP! It sounds like there were some real challenges there, and you listened to your body and made some changes to your plan to get your beautiful baby girl. Recognizing when you need a change and acting on that need are two things that can be very, VERY difficult! I hope that you're able to see what an amazing job you did, regardless of how you feel about your birth preparations.

[llevine17]

annablue, I just read your birth story. You did such a great job of listening to your body and made wonderful decisions about accepting interventions when they were beneficial. Sometimes in our enthusiasm for natural childbirth we set an expectation that doesn't really serve us well, but remember there is no failure in birth -- no one does it better than anyone else. There is no one way to give birth that is best, all the time for everybody; there is only the right way for you in your situation. In my view the goal of natural childbirth is to keep a normal labor as normal as possible by leaving it alone as much as possible. When a normal situation changes, you adapt to those changes and accept the interventions you may not have thought you wanted, because now they are helpful to you; you adapt to the changing situation, which is just what you did.

I think it's hard in the fog of the first few newborn weeks, your body is flush with hormones and you are balancing the excitement of a newborn, along with the overwhelming realities of taking care of another, helpless person -- it often hits you like a ton of bricks. Be gentle with your self. You did a wonderful job.

Edited by llevine17 - 2/2/11 at 4:00pm

[Jayray]

Acacia, most women on this form give advice based on their own experiences.  I read and fully understand what Hypnobabies was professing.  I also understood that they recommended not taking any other childbirth classes in order for it to "work."  I made my own decision based on my own knowledge and intuition to take another course.  You are free to believe that I sabotaged myself by doing this, but I don't think it excludes me from commenting on my personal experience.

[mama_y_sol]

Originally Posted by Mosaic 

Originally Posted by MegBoz 

Quote:

Whoa! Am I understanding this statement correctly... Hypnobabies does NOT advocate things like walking, moaning, & a bath tub as effective measures for coping with normal labor pain (and effective means of helping labor progress)? REALLY?! Does it really teach that you should only lay still, in a silent, quiet, non-moving hypnotic state???

No, that's not true at all. Hypnobabies teaches "eyes open hypnosis" so that you CAN move, talk, joke, etc. during your birthing.My first birth experience was totally opposite of what mama_y_sol experienced, except that it was also a long birth. Due to the baby's position, I had hours of back labor and very, veeery slow progress (i.e., 4 hours to get from 7 to 8 cm). Not once during the birthing did I lay in a fully supported position.... for the back labor, I was on hands and knees pretty much for a day and a half. And oddly enough, I didn't use my special place at all, but I did use everything else in my hypnobabies toolbox and had a fantastic, awesome, albeit exhausting birth. ETA: the reason I posted was to clear up the confusion about hypnobabies and movement, but also to make it clear that hypnobabies doesn't just "work" for "easy" births. There are lots of women with challenging births who love hypnobabies and some women with textbook perfect births who didn't get the hypnobabies experience they wanted, I'm sure.

No, you are absolutely right, Mosaic.  I don't think I was very clear in the quote above.  Hypnobabies never encourages you to lay there passively, I'm sorry for giving that impression.  

What would happen to me was this:  I would cue myself, be super relaxed feeling great, and suddenly would "be" mid-contraction and be totally lost.  I tried over and over and over with the hypnosis technique in many different places and positions in my house- in the yard outside, in the shower, on all fours, etc and I instead of relaxing would struggle intensely mid contraction and be squirming in pain.  I found it much easier to NOT cue myself and just do breathing and other things that YES hypnobabies does encourage, but these things are not exclusively taught by hypnobabies- and I view them as more universal birthing techniques.  

I didn't take any other courses when I did hypnobabies with my second child.  For my first child, I took a general childbirth class.  I don't know why I struggled with the hypnosis part during labor and birth.  I'm not sure what I did wrong.  I felt like I would snap out and be stuck in the middle of a contraction struggling.  But no, nothing about hypnobabies encourages a passive hypnosis, absolutely not.  I'm sorry I wasn't clear.  

[Acacia]

Originally Posted by Jayray 

Acacia, most women on this form give advice based on their own experiences.  I read and fully understand what Hypnobabies was professing.  I also understood that they recommended not taking any other childbirth classes in order for it to "work."  I made my own decision based on my own knowledge and intuition to take another course.  You are free to believe that I sabotaged myself by doing this, but I don't think it excludes me from commenting on my personal experience.

I never meant to offend at all. I am actually glad you decided to post your story and kept in that added detail that is so important- that you chose not to follow the program fully. All I am saying is that saying the program didn't work just because it was insufficient isn't exactly true unless you have chosen to follow the program to a T. The OP did such and expressed that in her post and had every right to make those conclusions based on the effort she put into the program. The only point I was trying to make was that most of the naysayers in this thread are forming negative opinions on the program based on factor that would indeed cause them to fail at what Hypnobabies teaches. If you don't believe it will work, you don't practice and you decide to take outside courses, the opinion that it doesn't work isn't valid. I just want to make sure that people reading and following this thread and deciding on what class to take have an understanding that a majority of those stating negative opinions did not follow the class the way it was instructed.

[limette]

It didn't work for me either and I tried it for three births. I don't know if it was that hypnosis doesn't work for me of if it's just that I have posterior babies that come with insanely painful back labor that is untouched by anything.

[phoebe33]

hi all, just wanted to add to the discussion... i did hypnobirthing and then switched to hypnobabies, which i studied and practiced rigorously. it helped me a lot in my pregnancy, and kept me calm and deeply relaxed. i was very 'good' at being hypnotized, and felt sure it would carry me through labor with the hypnosis. i also had a doula who did hypnosis and hypnobabies/hypnobirthing. i broke my foot the day before i went into labor, so i'm not sure if that stress and lack of mobility played a part in my birth but the hypnobabies techniques did nothing for me past about 4cm dialited. i don't want to go into a detailed description of the sensations, which were never "pressure", but way different.... but, no matter how deep i went into the hpynobsis inbetween waves, when they came, it was ... there was nothing but moaning and begging goddess to help me get through this. i had a 16 hour labor, and baby came out great. i still would recommend it to people, but for myself, if i have another child, i will study something else.. more vocalizing and other ways to adjust to what is happening to my body during the birthing process. this was my first birth, and my mother had a 48 hour, incredibly painful, birth with me, and her mother had a 1.5 day birth with her (first baby), so it could also be that in my family first births are just very challenging for the body. anyways please don't feel alone if it didn't work for you. i felt very disappointed for a day, but the joy of having my baby healthy and happy is so much that i kind of just forgot all about it.

[babies2]

Originally Posted by Smokering 

AFAIK, Hypnobirthing only has one "position", in which the woman goes limp and has to be in a fully supported position (ie, lying on a bed, unless her partner is willing to hold her up in a supported squat for several hours!). Hypnobabies also has a "limp" position, but it's not the only one; it also teaches a type of hypnosis in which the woman is free to move, moan, talk and so on. So it's fully compatible with other kinds of pain-relieving techniques, including water birth.

I haven't actually studied either technique (yet - planning to start Hypnobabies in a week or two!), but this is what I've gathered from many internet discussions. If I'm wrong, someone correct me! It was one of the reasons I chose Hypnobabies over Hypnobirthing; no way I want to lie on a bed all through labour!

I just wanted to clarify, as a HypnoBirthing Instructor, that at no point is HypnoBirthing saying a woman should stay laying down, or in any one position.  In fact, what it teaches is follow your body's lead, and adjust your position as you feel necessary.  At NO point does HypnoBirthing tell a woman to not move in labor. Some women lay down in labor, some squat, some dance, some walk, some rotate into numerous positions.  Entirely up to the woman, her body, and her baby.  HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method has a book available  which is a great starting point for finding out what it really is. FYI check out page 253 in the book, has many illustrated positions as options that women can use in labor.  

 

[wombatclay]

Big hugs OP... I think I know a little of how you feel (my first birth ended in a c/s despite doing everything "right" and it took a loooooong time before I no longer felt like the natural birth community had lied to me).  In my case it got better, but it took a lot of talking and kind of obsessing over my birth to work through it.

That said, I used HypnoBabies (the home study program, not Hypnobirth/Mongan Method) to prepare for my VBAC.  The workbooks that came with the program were really complete in terms of "what a birth class would cover"... not too surprising since the HypnoBabies founder had been a Bradley instructor.  In my case, that birth was "pain free" but certainly not sensation free.  Parts of it really really sucked.  But I ended up with a 4th degree tear due to a true shoulder dystocia, and that required 200+ sutures to repair so I was actually able to compare no-medication-hypnosis only "sensation of birth" with no-medication-hypnosis-only "sensation of suturing" and can say the birth didn't "hurt" even though it wasn't sensation free. (I ended up with iv pain meds for the suturing because it hurt so much)

With my third birth, second VBAC, I used Hypnobabies again.  And in that birth it did nothing... I screamed for the full four hours it took to go from closed/no dilation to babe-in-arms.  I think there just wasn't time for me to wrap my mind around the experience.  It was one four hour long contraction that had me screaming in the fetal position because I couldn't actually inclench my muscles enough to move!  But Hypnobabies was still a help in terms of getting through thet pregnancy... the affirmations during the day, the practice tracks helping me fall asleep each night, the confidence to face another hospital VBAC, etc.  I did have a shot of pain meds that also did nothing to help, so I think that birth just wasn't going to be comfy, no matter what!

I'm using HypnoBabies again, planning another VBAC for this fall... I don't know if this birth will be more like dd2's where I had extremely uncomfortable but not actually painful sensations or if it will be like ds's where I was one raw nerve of pain for the entire birth, but it will be what it is and I know I'm not wasting time with Hypnobabies during the pregnancy.  It will again help me sleep, encourage me to eat well and exercise, remind me to include dh in the birth preparations, help me focus on the birth in a positive manner, set the stage for discussions about birth style with my provider, etc.  But after the crushing depression caused by what I saw as a failure of the whole natural birth world and myself following the insane labor and surgical birth of dd1...I've found that the only way I can keep going is to just accept that I've done my best, that I've prepared as well as possible, and that my birth plan covers everything from quick/easy to impossible/surgical so that I can look back on the birth without feeling like I failed, no matter what actually happens.

I'm so sorry you're feeling hurt and betrayed... and I hope that as time goes on you're able to look back and really feel like you did the best you could with what you were given and that that is all anyone can do.  Big hugs.

[briannas auntie]

Now, are all childbirth hypnosis programs the same?  My friend recently got me that HypBirth CD set and DVD, so she could help me practice progressive relaxation even before I become pregnant. I have trouble with tensing my muscles when I am in a lot of pain, and not relaxing my muscles to allow endorphins to work.  According to the box that it came packaged in, the HypBirth program shows you how to use different relaxation techniques to help ease the pain of labor and keep your muscles relaxed enough to dialate faster.  It doesn't say anywhere about a pain free birth.  My friend and I watched the DVD last week and there was one lady on the DVD that even said that labor was uncomfortable, but thanks to that HypBirth program, it was manageable. 

My sister tried a couple techniques out of a book called Hypnobirthing I got her while she was pregnant (it came with a CD).  She liked them during her pregnancy, but found them distracting during labor.  She liked changing positions during labor and that helped her a great deal. 

In my opinion, I don't think there is anything that completely makes labor and delivery 100% pain free, unless you want to be under general anesthesia the whole time.  My friend keeps reassuring me that one day of pain is worth it for that bundle of joy in your arms. 

Jessie

[Simonsez2u]

I did the Hypnobabies Home Study Course for my second pregnancy.  I would say that my daughters birth was definitely not pain free but those were not my expectations with Hypnobabies.  What I wanted and got from the course was the ability to manage and deal with the pain.  With my first born I felt a loss of control with the pain of contractions.  With my second labor I was able to really focus, breath, and moan (loudly) through the pain.  I credit hypnobabies with giving me the tools to do that.  Did I follow it to the letter during labor, no way.  However, I did use some of the techniques and personally found them helpful.

[wombatclay]

Now, are all childbirth hypnosis programs the same?  

Well, self hypnosis programs for birth all have the same goal (a more relaxed and comfortable birth as the result of self hypnosis techniques) but they go about it a little bit differently.  Some programs focus more on visualization, others on patterned responses, some are very general while others are tailored to a person's specific concerns (VBAC, planned c/s, GD or blood pressure concerns, etc).  And some encourage a more "active" birth (stressing techniques that allow a mother to walk/talk/interact while maintaining a hypnotic state or stressing techniques that can be adapted to different birth settings) while others encourage a more "calm" birth (encouraging mom to go into and out of a hypnotic state, or using a progressive relaxation performed while mom is sitting/laying).

Using non-hypnosis programs while also studying hypnosis for birth- This is ot a cut/dry "rule" but more of a grey area based on the specific programs being combined and the individual person doing the combining.  Basically, self hypnosis for birth programs hope to reach their goal of a comfortable/relaxed birth by giving the mom a set of conditioned responses to muscle activity... sort of like those crazy pavlovian exercises they run freshman psych classes through?  You know, ring a bell and the whole class yawns or something?  In the case of a birth, the stimulus might be uterine muscle activity (or a deep breath, or the spoken word "relax", or a finger motion/touch on a specific body part) and the trained response may be to relax all your other muscles or the muscles that have just been touched, or visualize an opening flower or shifting rainbow, or feel a sensation of warmth or tickles, or "enter a peaceful space", or something similar. . So the affirmations and scripts and exercises during the pregnancy are kind of focused on creating this association... feel X, sutomatically do Y.  Now if you're taking another birth prep class it may be harder to create these associations.  Many women have grown up with specific mental associations surrounding birth ssensations, and a self hypnosis class is already working "against" these associations... adding a class that might reinforce the social norms (even if the message of that class is "birth is painful but...") can make that process even more difficult.  It's one reason many self hypnosis for birth programs introduce "new" vocabulary (surges, pressure waves, bubble of peace, etc)... there are fewer associations with those words and so creating new associations is easier.

It's obviously not an either/or situation, and different programs/people respond differently.  Combining two programs isn't "wrong" necessarily and it certainly doesn't mean you wont have a wodnerful birth, but it may be counter-productive in terms of time spent and results achieved.  That said, I think that if you're using a self hypnosis for birth program that is very limited in scope (meaning it only offers a few techniques, and doesn't cover a wide variety of birth paths... for instance, does it offer techniques to support a home to hospital transfer? a birth suite to surgical birth shift? techniques to cover situations where mom has to move quickly or where she needs to be more interactive without losing focus?  And does it encourage moms to practice these techniques?) then it would be a good idea to read up on some other techniques or ask a partner/doula to have a list of alternative techniques they could share with you during the birth (Penny Simkin has some wonderful books written for birth partners/support givers that would be perfect for this).  That way IF the self-hypnosis techniques don't work as hoped there will be options for mom.

[JudiAU]

Hypnobabies doesn't promise or even state as a goal to have a pain free birth. Yes, some women do. I believe its primary goal is to reduce stress which allows your body to labor better. I used it with my second and although it was bloody painful (broken water, posterior)  I do really think it helped me. I had two hours of active labor that I felt but my water was broken well in advance and I was listening to the tapes. In retrospect, I think my body was working and that they hypno was keeping it from my subconscious. But, also in retrospect, the great thing was very that I remained really calm about the birth (2 hours labor, accidental unassisted homebirth) even when I realized I was going to delivering the baby unassisted. It also really gave me something to focus on. So, I don't think it failed and I wasn't expecting it to be pain free but it def helped. It may be in retrospect you can see signs of it helping, as well. I also credit it with a very calm and relaxed pregnancy.

And if it didn't work for, if you think you got no benefit, find another way of preparing for labor. Different things work better for different things and hypno approaches aren't for everyone.

The only thing that hypnobabies claims and I think it is lacking in is that it is a complete program. I learned a lot more about birth in other ways, way more that was helpful, than the hypnobabies litterature. I get the reason they want you to stay away from the negative stuff, but if so they need to provide a lot more information to mothers.

[luvymommy]

I love this thread. I didn't use hypnobirth/hypnobaby techniques but I did use the techniques described in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.  I think her's are very realistic and natural.  I've been curious about the hypnobabies thing for awhile so this thread is very interesting to me :)