Hypnobirthing?

[bunny's mama]

hi all,
we're expecting baby #2 in the spring and we are planning a homebirth. dd #1 was born 2 years ago after our planned homebirth turned into 25 hours of latency stage labor without much progress and a hospital transport for pit. in retrospect, i can see that it was my fear (and inadequate processing of that fear) that i believe caused my body's inability to dilate. thankfully, i still had a lovely, midwife attended, vaginal birth (after 38 total hours with 3 hours of pushing), but i so much want this baby to be born at home with no drugs in his or her system.

i believe that we get the birth we (and baby) need, which is not necessarily the birth we want or plan. and i also believe that birth is something that is in the realm of the divine...so much of it is simply out of our control.

BUT..........in an attempt to do my best to have this babe at home, if that is what is meant to be (i.e. in my attempt to try to make my own destiny ) i would really like to do something this time to help me with my fear. because now i am even MORE afraid. because now i'm afraid that with the first contraction, i'll remember dd's birth and think "oh no, here we go again. it's gonna be just like last time!" so i'm looking into Hypnobirthing, but i can't tell if it's legitimate from the websites. has anyone used it successfully or unsuccessfully? is it really as amazing and miraculous as they say?

thanks for listening, if you got this far, and i'd love to hear your feedback.

[MysticHealerMom]

Breathe.

It isn't a lie, but it is what you put into it. It isn't for everyone. You should see the videos. Folks who have seen a hypnobirth say that the women just lied there as if in a trance and didn't move or respond until the 2nd stage. That'd be one way to get everyone to leave you alone. Most of the birth practitioners thought it was weird. Who cares what your attendants think? Whatever works. Aparently the relaxation techniques help with other areas of your life, as well.

They shouldn't promise (and I didn't think they did but some folks said they were disappointed) no pain. As wiser women have said before me, there are other reasons for pain than fear. Managing your concentration and being into the labor will help.

I say, watch the videos, and find someone in your area who does it. Talk to them. I didn't really like the woman who teaches in my area, but that doesn't mean that it's useless to me or wasted informatoin.

[gurumama]

I did Hypnobirthing and had DS2 in a hospital but without drugs or an epidural or interventions (though they made me wear that damn fetal monitor strap for 20 minutes...grrrrrrr).

I too was terrified that I'd freak out and have a tough time reliving my first tough experience, but the best part of Hypnobirthing is that they're trying to retrain your brain to think of birth as completely natural, a process your body instinctively knows. You learn relaxation techniques, the physiology of labor, etc.

The birth DID hurt, but it was a stretching pain, not the horrible sharp panicky pain I felt with DS1.

Check out the website. Nothing I learned was new to me, just packaged in a great way, and the tapes were very good at keeping me calm.

Good luck,

Mel

[gurumama]

...and I had a doula who supported hypnobirthing and helped me stay at home as long as possibly. Went through transition mostly in the 10 minute drive to the hospital. Delivered 40 minutes after we arrived. Nursed IMMEDIATELY, cut the cord myself, and THEN they did the admiting paperwork! Hee hee!

The doula made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for us. And our wonderful CNM, who basically arrived for the last 20 minutes and helped catch Reilly!

Mel

[bunny's mama]

mel, do you think getting the tapes WITHOUT taking the class would also work? (not that i don't want to take the class, i am just wondering how that'll be possible with a 2 year old dd and no one to watch her while dh and i go to class).

[e&r]

I know someone who used Hypnobirthing

Hi,
I took the Hypnobirthing class with my dh, but we haven't had our baby yet so I can't tell you how it worked for me. My chiropractor is who recommended it, she used it for her second daughter and said that it was great.

I am at 38 1/2 weeks, so if this thread is still around when I birth, I'll let you know how it worked.
e

[gurumama]

bunny's mama,

It depends on the person. A big part of the class revolves around deprogramming yourself from the societal attitudes that birth is a highly medical issue, that it's painful, that it's painful because of eve's curse, etc. Accepting that labor is just that--hard work your body goes through to birth the baby. If you need to have that reassurance from being with a group of folks who are likeminded (I did need it), then the class is important.

Getting the book and the tapes and going through them carefully would be a good start. You could probably find them for sale on ebay for cheap. I did the tape 5x a week (you're supposed to do it 2x a day...) and then used my own music during labor. I supposed you could do the book and tapes and then, if you're still unsure, go for a class.

Good luck,

Mel

[bunny's mama]

mel, thanks. i PMed ya.

[EmmaJean]

I haven't used it, but I've seen it on TV . But I'm very interested. Have you ever read "Birthing From Within"? I think a lot of her ideas would help you process through your fears and prepare for this next birth.

Blessings, Emily

[SpiralWoman]

hi-
I don't have any experience with hypnobirthing except seeing the ads & having a real healthy skepticism & dislike of what sounds like an "over sell" to me.

I do have some experience with fear overtaking me (mine is fear of another miscarraige). I have done a couple of things to help with this 1) "rewrite" my story: instead of reprocessing the same story over & over again, I have opened up my mind to a new story, one in which history does *not* repeat itself. This is very difficult for me to feel emotionally, but in my mind I am releasing myself from the past. 2) when a positive image of the future doesn't help, I hold no image of the future- I absolutely ground myself in the *now* and only the *now* This is a very interesting discipline and really stops the fear from having any control over me. I just can't maintain it for very long

I think you are right, that destiny provides us with what we need for our growth. Maybe this dealing with fear is part of your journey? I know it is part of mine! Maybe hypnobirthing will be a tool for learning about yourself, your body's ability to deal, and your mind's ability to let go. One of the things that throws up red flags about hypnobirthing for me, is an impression I get of this technique being about escaping the experience. Sometimes the descriptions I hear of it makes it sound like a mental epidural. That doesn't sound like what I want. I want to be in the experience, not detached from it. But I could be completely wrong about how it feels to use hypnobirthing.

In addition to exploring Hypnobirthing, I would recommend "Birthing From Within" which has already been mentioned. And for getting a really really different perspective on birth "pain" I would recommend Ina May Gaskin's "Spiritual Midwifery". If you havent already read it, it is wonderful, bcz it sets up a polar oposite to the "Maternity Ward" mentality & this is very good for you to have in mind a "rebuttal" to the horror stories your mind is conditioned to. Also, anything I have seen by Suzanne Arms has been completely uplifting & reassurring to me. Her website is Birthingthefuture.com & I got a wonderful video called "Giving Birth: Challenges & Choices" there.

I don't know if my post has been on target or off, but I wish you the best!
blessings, Maria

[vegmama]

I used hypnobirthing with my dd and loved it! There was still pain, but I truly believe it helped me to manage it better. I ended up having to have pitocin because I was in the hospital and my water had been broken over 24 hours. With the hypnobirthing I was able to stay ahead of the contractions and to use the breathing techniques taught to relax through them. I definitely would not say that you are detached from what's going on. In the videos you see parts where the women look asleep, but you aren't. Hypnobirthing's main focus (at least what I got from it) was that birthing is a beautiful process and we need to relax and allow our bodies to do what they know how to do. I would recommend it to anyone. My hypnobirthing teacher was also our doula! I did not have the kind of birth like some women on the videos where they are totally in control 100% of the time, but I was never able to let go of all the fear either. And like I said, I had the pitocin as well. If you want to PM I'd be glad to answer any other questions you have!

As for not going to the classes, having the one on one is always better for me. Are you disciplined enough to learn new things on your own? If so, you may do fine with just the tapes.

[candiland]

I didn't use it with the birth of my two kids, but I attended two births as a doula where the women used hypnobirthing techniques. It was amazing. None of the other births I have done can come close to what I witnessed with these two hypnobirth mamas! One didn't even tense up or squirm during transition.... we figured she was still seven cm. because she was so serene, just breathing peacefully and squatting with each contraction. The other lady was handling labor so well, when she started shrieking and screaming I thought she had gone out of her trance and was panicking.... nope! The baby was crowning!!

[brookelynnp]

Bunny's mamma,

Your first birth sounds all too damn familiar to my own horrid experiance right down to your thinking about why it happened! I too thought hypnobirthing sounded hokey but in September I went to a midwife conferance and because of my all day pregnancy sickness I could not get up to move when the Hypno birther gave her presentation. Well let me tell you it was a blessing that I could not move, because it really changed my view and I will start my first class with her in two weeks! It does sound like they really think that the best results are from women who come to get the formal classes. It is not that popular so most classes are one on one anyway. I figure it is worth the money to pay for because without it I may have to spend three times that going back to the hospital. I am uninsured this time too! I expect the pain but I hope to avoid the panick, especially if baby # 2 is also posterior! I am a student in the homebirth community and I have not told anyone of my intention to take these classes based on my fear of their response so it is nice to have this forum to speak with others on their experiances. We are due mid-March, I will let you all know how it goes. Best of luck to you too!

[Chloe]

I found out about hypnobirthing too late for this birth, but I plan on doing it or taking yoga for the third baby I also am planning a waterbirth in the hospital this time, which hopefully will happen. I am practicing deep breathing during BH contrax, and concentrating on my body's ability to birth. I also want to stay home as long as I can. (I live 5 miles from the hospital!)

Good luck everyone!

[EmmaJean]

Brooklynnp, why would your homebirth community be negative about hypnobirthing? I would think they'd be interested in anything to help women cope with labor and do it naturally. Not being judgemental or anything, just curious.

And Chloe, that is *awesome* that you have a hospital with a birthing pool, and that they'll actually let you use it! What is the facility like, and will a doc be attending or a midwife? This is an exciting thing to hear!

Emily