Tell me about Hypnobirthing...

[kater07]

How much did it cost? How well did it work? What was your favorite part? What CDs worked best for you?

Thanks!

[freistms]

Love, love, love it! We did hypnobirthing. I will definitely hypnobirth my next child. We paid $250 for a ten week course, 2.5 hours per week. The class was very informative about all aspects of birth.

I used the rainbow relaxation tape on the way to the hospital. This was when I started using hypnosis, as our instructor encouraged us to not start too soon, so that we would not exhaust all of our coping tools during early labor. This is different from the way some other courses teach it, but it worked for me. I don't remember most of the trip to the hospital. At the hospital, I listened to the birth guide (by hypnobabies), and it was great, too. I think I also listened to the rainbow relaxation tape again. I stopped using the tapes and started using my hypnotic cue (also a hypnobabies technique) during transition (unintentionally, it just happened that way). I was able to rather easily achieve a deep hypnosis during the entire car ride and at the hospital. Good luck!

[chickiebabe]

I loved hypnobirthing!!!! We took a 2 day weekend course ( 8hr/day) for $295. That format worked really well for us. I listened to Rainbow Relaxation almost daily after the class and the birthing affirmation tape intermittently. I used a recording called "Ocean Dreams" by Dean Everson as my background for the scripts that DH and I practiced. I did not use much music at home but took the Ocean Dreams tape to the birth center when we went and listened to it until DS was born. We did not actually do any of the hypnosis scripts - I just used the music and some breathing along with lots of gentle back massage from DH. I had intense but not painful contractions (I might have thought this oxymoronic but it's true!). I had I think it worked incredible well for me - I had a typical first labor (about 12 hours of active labor) and felt completely in control the whole time. I never experienced a transition and had little urge to push until shortly before he was born. I would absolutely do it again. My mother (who had two ineffective spinals) was amazed at my recovery.
Although the course was great for me, the best and most unexpected benefit was how well it worked to relax my husband. He is *not* typically comfortable with pain, blood, etc. He also is very straitlaced and not your typical hypnosis guy. He found that the practicing of scripts before hand helped him feel more part of the pregnancy and gave him a good direction during labor. I'd whole -heartedly recommend it!

Amy

[SamuraiEarthMama]

i would recommend it but caution against having high expectations.

i did hypnobabies because it had a home course. i did all the recommended tasks and then added a bunch more to make sure i was really with the program. i really wanted it to work!

i found that it was helpful in early labor, but once the intensity of active labor rolled over me, the cds and techniques were useless. the motto of this program is "no drugs for baby, no pain for mommy." well, there was pain but i was able to handle it. to promise "no pain" i think is actually very irresponsible, and i'm pretty angry about it.

but it did help manage early labor beautifully, and as long as your expectations are realistic, and you're willing to do ALL the work involved (not an insignificant amount of time, btw), you should have some positive results.

katje

[kater07]

Thanks for your insight, SamuraiEarthMama, I appreciate it.


I have read both the Hypnobabies site and the Hypnobirthing site, and I am not fond of the idea of using a system that says "painless". I can't actually imagine a birth being painless, but I'd LOVE to have some control over myself and how I react to the pain. I am leaning toward using the Hypnobirthing class because I can take a class here AND because what I've read just sounds better to me. I dunno.

I think that the reason that Hypnobirthing sounds good to me is that I am a high stress person. I'd like to learn to manage my stress during labor. Being able to send my fears away while I concentrate on birth would be nice, and I have a hard time letting go of everything. I am still mad at the bee that stung me when I was 8... go figure.

So... that's really what I am hoping for. I am not even sure that a pain free birth would be what I want. If that's what I was after, then I'd just let the stupid docs medicate me. I think I really want this as a stress management during pain kinda thing.

That's what I'd gotten from most of the literature that I've read. The Hypnobabies stuff says a lot about painless birth and that bugs me because I know some women DO have painless births, but I am skeptical about hoping for that for ME b/c I can't really handle another HUGE disapointment in birth.

I can hope that I can continue to use the "pain management" in my daily life. DH keeps telling me I need to find a way to manage my stress.