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Has anyone used hypnobabies before or is anyone planning on using it?

post #1 of 48
7/5/08 at 9:32pm
Thread Starter 
I think I'm going to use it, but just need to ask a few questions of those who have done it or are planning to do it!! Thanks ahead of time!

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post #2 of 48
7/5/08 at 10:01pm
I'm doing Hypnobabies -- first time for me. I think a lot of mamas in this DDC are doing and have done Hypnobabies before. Ask away!
post #3 of 48
7/5/08 at 11:57pm
I'm doing it too- my pack arrived last week and I plan to start on Monday (24 weeks). I've already started listening to the pregnancy affirmations and they are sooo relaxing!
post #4 of 48
7/6/08 at 12:38am
is hypnobabies different than hypnobirthing? i went to an info meeting about hypnobirthing (at least i think that's what it was). the instructor offers classes for mom and birth companion for $400. that includes 5 classes of 2-2.5 hrs each and all materials. im seriously thinking about it, and will likely do it, mostly to get dh to feel more empowered and connected and relaxed about birth.
post #5 of 48
7/6/08 at 2:03am
There is a difference between the two. I've read that Hypnobabies is "better" and gives you more tools to use the hypnosis during labour. Buutt I've never used either so YMMV
post #6 of 48
7/6/08 at 2:42am
The doula we are planning to use teaches hypnobirthing & so she is an "expert" in it. Unfortunately the classes she teaches are in spanish only so I am not sure if I will take the classes. I may just get the book & cd.
post #7 of 48
7/6/08 at 9:08am
I ordered my kit last week and it should be arriving this week! Can't wait! I decided to go for it because a) I get very "internal" during labor so I think it'll be a good match for me and b) I might get freaked out about my past c-section during this labor and feel like it would be good to get ahead of those feelings with a lot of active positive thoughts.

As far as the difference, from what I've heard they're both good. H-babies is supposed to be better if you want to study on your own, and it has a lot more relaxation scripts. H-birth is more instructor-oriented, which I can see being a benefit for some people especially if it's your first. I've heard it's a bit more external, with your partner participating and reading scripts to you, as opposed to H-babies which is more self-directed. This is all secondhand info though.
post #8 of 48
7/6/08 at 11:21am
I used Hypnobabies home study with my DD and will be using it again with the twins. I am extremely pleased with what it did for me. Feel free to ask any questions you want!
post #9 of 48
7/6/08 at 5:30pm
i was thinking of using it too, sorry if i mini-hijack your thread...

i'm not too into the idea of affirmations, they always strike me as cheesy. and i already know i want to listen to my music playlists while in labor to help me focus, not their tapes. i go to p.n. yoga every week which includes things to do to acclimate your body/mind to labor, so what are the benefits of hypnobabies? where's the greatest strengths? is it just advanced meditation techniques and visualizations? do you really need to listen to the tracks DURING labor to get the benefits?
thanks.
post #10 of 48
7/6/08 at 8:02pm
I'm doing Hypnobabies with this birth. It was highly recommended by our midwife and some friends. I'm really excited because I have seen the relaxation techniques I am practicing already working wonders. I've added a few affirmations and have been starting to work on letting go of some of my fears.

So far I'm loving it. We used Lamaze with DD and quite honestly I felt it did NOTHING, especially after we had to transport and fear came into play.
post #11 of 48
7/6/08 at 8:11pm
emc03 - I think it depends on what you want to get out of it and whether you have a support person there durring the birth. I did a lot of the yoga and meditation before I started HypnoBabies, and I think it enhanced my ability to do self-hypnosis. The affirmations are okay, I didn't do them at all last time and it didn't deter from my experience. I am trying them this time and am surprised that I like them.

As for your own music - the homestudy (and I think the live class as well) come with scripts that someone could read to you with your own music going in the background. There are also words and phrases - "Peace" and "Release" that someone can say to you to trigger a deepening of hypnosis or to help you relax at crucial moments.

The birth was beautiful! It was 4 hours start to finish, pain free (not the most important thing to me but nice), and so calm! I was so relaxed that my heartrate never went over 80 bpm. In that 4 hour period of time, I listened to one CD, took a shower and got dressed, drove to the hospital, got admitted and checked, all that and no panic or stress.

But honestly, as beautiful and calm as the birth was, the biggest benefit that I saw with the program was during the practice. The CDs helped me stay relaxed and worry free. After each 30-35 minute practice session, I felt like I had taken a 2 hour nap without any of the grogginess. I listen to one now right before I fall asleep and feel like the quality of the sleep is so much better.

The text that comes with the program is a very complete childbirth education course. Most of it was more informative than what I had in the hospital course I took with DS.

Okay this turned much longer than I intended. Any other questions?
post #12 of 48
7/7/08 at 4:03pm
I have been thinking about trying the hypnobabies home study course this time around, if I can scrape up the $$!!
post #13 of 48
7/7/08 at 4:56pm
Thread Starter 
Whoa!! I didn't get any email notifications that anyone replied to this thread: I will get back on when I don't have a toddler trying to help me type and ask my questions! Thanks ladies!
post #14 of 48
7/7/08 at 6:33pm
Well, my midwife recommended Hypnobabies so I think I will order the books and CDs and try them out!
post #15 of 48
7/7/08 at 10:02pm
Im going to start hypnobabies in a couple weeks, I can't wait! I have to concur with other pp's about how it is more self-directed where as hypnobirthing is more of a "class-teacher" thing, but then again I haven't done either yet. Im sure both are good.
post #16 of 48
7/7/08 at 10:11pm
I'm not officially in the Nov DDC, but I could birth in late Nov and am interested in Hypnobabies this time around.

What do you do if you don't have someone else to work with you? I am pretty sure my DH won't be a very effective support person to practice with. I am currently planning to have a doula (maybe more for DH than for myself), but I'm not sure how much she would help with Hypnobabies. I know there's a lot you do on your own, but is it something you have to practice with your support person on a regular basis?
post #17 of 48
7/7/08 at 10:37pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, please don't flame me for asking these questions....I'm going to be blunt and honest.

I already have my hypnobabies stuff. I started looking it over and I am totally worried now that I won't be able to buy into it or make it work for me. Here's why:

-Call me immature, but I couldn't help but laugh when my Dh was reading the first script to me in week one. It is just sooooooooo not us, and we both felt silly

-I am the type of person who "calls a spade a spade". All of this alternative language has really made me nervous about the whole program. There's no way I can buy into it. I will always call things what i've always called them. And I don't think I could get my DH, doula, and mw to always say the right words as well. I just can't see myself having a BH ctx, and saying "oh boy, that one doozy of a fake pressure wave"

-I'm nervous about having to constantly listen to or have someone reading me the "scripts" during labor (ahem....I meant 'birthing time').

-I'm nervous that I will have noooooooooooooooooooooooo back up plan as HB really strongly suggests not using any other methods. I mean, those methods like Bradley have worked for many women....it would be nice to have something to fall back on if hb doesn't work out.

-During my first birth, my doula made me index cards with affirmations for me to read. Ummm...I thought they were silly and I never used them. I know affirmations is certainly a chunk of hb right?

Ok, well there you have it...my concerns. I am an analytical and uptight person, and wondering if this can really work for me. Please talk me into hb because I really want it to work as I have seen some amazing HB birth videos and read stories and really think its an awesome program.
post #18 of 48
7/7/08 at 11:02pm
Okay, in order here are the best responses I can give with only my experience:
1-My DH never, ever read one of the scripts to me. We both thought it was hokey and never even tried. I think I might have felt different once I was done with the program and in maintenance, but we never tried. So no failure there.

2-When talking to friends and such, I still use all my original language. The alternate language is really meant for people who have fear issues with the language. If contractions=pain to you, stop thinking about contractions. If, like me, you never had a bad association then don't worry about it. I didn't find that it distracted me, I often substituted one word for another. I did switch to saying birthing time, because I like it better than labor.

3-You don't have to listen all the time. You may feel that you want to, but they also teach you ways to go into hypnosis without anywords at all (fingerdrop technique).

4-Honestly, if this doesn't wok I'm not sure what would. Most of the women who report that it "didn't work" for them got distracted by stuff going on at the hospital. I haven't read too many stories of homebirths that had any issues. I would think that other methods would be just as suseptible to distraction. A few also stated that they chose not to use any of their tools, so of course it didn't work. HB just uses hypnosis to focus the relaxation and visualization tools you might learn in another method.

5-I never used the affirmations at all in my first HypnoBabies birth. Didn't seem to affect it.

I am an engineer by trade so highly analytical discribes me quite well. I honestly think it works better for us than for others if we get fully committed to it.

I add more if I get a chance after dinner. HTH!
post #19 of 48
7/8/08 at 12:00am
Okay, back with another thought or two.

I was completely overwelmed by the program when it first arrived. Would I really be dedicated to it? As it turned out, I used the peices that felt right to me and left the others alone. Still had a great outcome. So if something doesn't feel right, stop doing for a while. Maybe try it a gain later in the program and see if it is better.

The other think to decide right now is what you want out of it. I didn't really care about having a pain-free birth. I wanted calm. I wanted controlled. I wanted peace. So I didn't worry about practicing the things that were meant for pain management. A pleasant side-effect? I had a pain-free birth. Mild discomfort is the strongest words I would use. Complete calm, peaceful, controlled birth is what I ended up with, even through transition. I never lost it.

Okay off to get DD to bed, she's falling asleep on the floor snuggling the dog.
post #20 of 48
7/8/08 at 8:44am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MamaChicken View Post
Okay, in order here are the best responses I can give with only my experience:
1-My DH never, ever read one of the scripts to me. We both thought it was hokey and never even tried. I think I might have felt different once I was done with the program and in maintenance, but we never tried. So no failure there.

2-When talking to friends and such, I still use all my original language. The alternate language is really meant for people who have fear issues with the language. If contractions=pain to you, stop thinking about contractions. If, like me, you never had a bad association then don't worry about it. I didn't find that it distracted me, I often substituted one word for another. I did switch to saying birthing time, because I like it better than labor.

3-You don't have to listen all the time. You may feel that you want to, but they also teach you ways to go into hypnosis without anywords at all (fingerdrop technique).

4-Honestly, if this doesn't wok I'm not sure what would. Most of the women who report that it "didn't work" for them got distracted by stuff going on at the hospital. I haven't read too many stories of homebirths that had any issues. I would think that other methods would be just as suseptible to distraction. A few also stated that they chose not to use any of their tools, so of course it didn't work. HB just uses hypnosis to focus the relaxation and visualization tools you might learn in another method.

5-I never used the affirmations at all in my first HypnoBabies birth. Didn't seem to affect it.

I am an engineer by trade so highly analytical discribes me quite well. I honestly think it works better for us than for others if we get fully committed to it.

I add more if I get a chance after dinner. HTH!
Quote:
Originally Posted by MamaChicken View Post
Okay, back with another thought or two.

I was completely overwelmed by the program when it first arrived. Would I really be dedicated to it? As it turned out, I used the peices that felt right to me and left the others alone. Still had a great outcome. So if something doesn't feel right, stop doing for a while. Maybe try it a gain later in the program and see if it is better.

The other think to decide right now is what you want out of it. I didn't really care about having a pain-free birth. I wanted calm. I wanted controlled. I wanted peace. So I didn't worry about practicing the things that were meant for pain management. A pleasant side-effect? I had a pain-free birth. Mild discomfort is the strongest words I would use. Complete calm, peaceful, controlled birth is what I ended up with, even through transition. I never lost it.

Okay off to get DD to bed, she's falling asleep on the floor snuggling the dog.
: Mama, I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to respond! You have helped me more than words can say, and restored my confidence that I can make this work if I commit it. When you said take what feels right and leave the rest until later then try it again, made me feel so relieved! I am the type of person who would have done the whole program from start to finish, not missing a thing, even if it didn't feel right

Not looking for a pain-free birth, just calm and controlled, just EXACTLY what you said! I do like birthing time instead of labor, definitely stirs more positive feelings in me than saying labor, I may be able to used to that one. And I never had a pain association with the word contraction, so I be able to use that one!

Well , I'm definitely going to give it a go now! You gave me the confidence in the program that I needed to jumpstart it!
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Archives › Pregnancy Archives › November 2008 › Has anyone used hypnobabies before or is anyone planning on using it?