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Experiences giving birth using hypnobirthing?
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Anonymous
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There are a couple of threads that touch on hypnobirthing but none where people share their experiences having given birth using the approach.
So, what happened in your birth? Was hypnobirthing helpful? (please no responses by those who teach the classes - I am looking for the stories of women who gave birth this way) |
Anonymous
| great question! I would like to know this, too. |
Anonymous
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3 of my friends used hypnobirthing and 2 of them said it worked well for them, one of them said it did not. So I took a hypnobirthing class, listened to the CD every day, did all the tricks.
When I finally started labor, I found the techniques really helpful in early labor, while I was at home, until I was about 3-4 centimeters dialated. However my birth got complicated and I finally ended up with an emergency C-section that really was unavoidable. I wish my birthing experience was as easy as some women who use hynpobirthing, but it just wasn't meant to be for me. I still found the relaxation tapes useful during pregnancy - I think they helped me relax & not worry so much about all the things that can wrong during pregnancy and birth. |
Anonymous
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I took HypnoBirthing classes also and listened to the CD every night. That said, this being my first labor, I didn't realize that I was in labor (I had thought that it was just cramping from a membrane sweep).
By the time I realized I was in labor, it was too late to listen to the CD and try to get relaxed. Soon after, my water broke and my contractions were one on top of the other and we went to the hospital. My husband was trying the techniques with me, but I wasn't in the mood to listen as I was going through transition. They checked me when I got to the hospital and I was 6 cm. They checked again less than an hour later and I was 10 cm and ready to go. So, in that respect, maybe HyponoBirthing worked and my body was really relaxed to go that fast. I was told that I was going within myself by people in the L&D room, but I really don't remember that. That said, between contractions, I was able to relax fully and I credit HypnoBirthing with that. But, in terms of "breathing the baby down", I was not doing that, and I was not one of the quiet women in the videos that they show you in class. All in all however, I would recommend the HypnoBirthing classes as they gave me techniques to relax for the latter part of my pregnancy, and also kept me calm when I was cramping and then when I finally realized that I was in labor. Hope this helps! |
Anonymous
| Can you recommend your hypnobirthing class? I am thinking about doing this for a delivery at VHC. Also, is hypnobirthing something that you can do with a doula present? Or is Lamaze or Bradley better for that? I am 15 weeks and starting to explore my options-- I am very nervous about the delivery since I sometimes have panic attacks or fainting spells when I get around medical stuff, esp needles and blood. (I know, great phobia to have when having a baby.) Thanks. |
Anonymous
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I did a Hypnobirthing class at Yoga Birth and Beyond (http://www.yogabirthandbeyond.com/). The class itself was helpful because it made me feel a lot more peaceful about the fears I had about childbirth, and I felt a lot more confident about my body and what it was capable of doing. It was also a nice way to spend an afternoon per week with my husband, just focusing on our little one, and it was nice meeting other couples who were expecting.
That said, the actual relaxation techniques were not all that helpful for me. I ended up using a lot of the Lamaze breathing (my mom was with me for much of the labor, and she had done Lamaze before she had me), and that helped take my mind off of the pain; the CDs and hypnobirthing "scripts" did very little for me when I was experiencing intense contractions. I labored for about 12 hours at home before I went into the hospital, but after over a day of labor, I ended up having an emergency C-section. So---in terms of effectiveness, I would have to say that the techniques that I learned were not all that effective. But, if you are looking for a way to help you get focused on the birth and help put aside your fears, it is a great class. Hypnobirthing places a lot of emphasis on natural childbirth---no interventions, epidurals, etc. While I do believe this is the ideal situation, it is not always the way that things unfold, and I wish that I would have educated myself a little more on what to expect if I did end up with a C-section. I was totally unprepared for the emotional and physical recovery. |
Anonymous
22:32 I have the exact same thing, which is one reason I'm aiming for a natural birth (Sibley, though, bleh). If you find anything that works, please let me know! |
Anonymous
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20:59 here. I did HypnoBirthing through Yoga Birth and Beyond as well, and did have a doula present for my son's birth. The relaxation scripts helped me throughout my third trimester. As someone who had always feared childbirth (due to the awful stories that I'd heard!), I have to say that by 36 weeks or so, I was so looking forward to giving birth, and I can honestly say that it was without fear. But, I did listen to the CDs each night and practiced breathing, etc. as much as possible.
One of the affirmations that really resonated with me was "I put all fear aside as I prepare for the birth of my baby" However, I too couldn't "breathe the baby down" and used more traditional breathing methods that the midwife and L&D nurse suggested. So, your mileage my vary with what works for you, but overall I would definitely recommend HypnoBirthing. |
Anonymous
This may be hard to know but do you think it made your contractions less painful for you? |
Anonymous
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This is 10;40 -- to answer 16:35's question - I had back labor, and was in **a lot** of pain. As soon as my water broke, my contractions were one on top of the other, and I could barely move. Once the baby shifted to a better position, the contractions no longer hurt - my body was just telling me to push.
But, I also went from 6-10cm in less than an hour...which, from what I understand is pretty fast for a first time mom. So, at least I wasn't in that amount of pain for a long time, and maybe HypnoBirthing helped with that (keeping my body relaxed, even if it didn't really feel it)? |
Meconbear
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| I had a really good experience with hypnobirthing. It really made the day that I was in labor really relaxing and pleasant. It wasn't pain-free, but made the pain much more bearable (when I stopped the breathing and tensed up, it was ALOT more painful). I loved the soft touch massage, and was able to sleep in between conractions (ok, every 2-5 minutes wasn't very restful but still). It was working until I went to the hospital and my doc insisted that I get pitocin. The pain went from managable to crazy in minutes and I ended up with an epidural. Still, I thought I had a good experience and would recommend it. I've heard that hypnobabies works better than hypnobirthing though. |
Anonymous
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I had a great hypnobirthing experience. I was skeptical, but we did the class and I listened to the cd everynight before bed. DH practiced some, doing the light massage, different cues and touches etc. When I went into labor, I put the cd on and lay very still, focusing on my breathing. I wasn't in pain, and was managing my "surges" well. When we got to the birthcenter, the midwife kept the room dark and quiet, and would slip in and out every hour or so to check me. I just lay there, breathing, with DH doing some light massage. After a couple of hours, the midwife checked my progress and said I was at 6cm - and I was crushed! This was my third, and labor with my second was barely 4 hours. Here I'd been in labor for 6 hours, and was only 6cm. I started to get upset, and lost focus, and then I really felt the surges (ok, now they were contractions!). I managed to regain focus, and relax again. In about 10 minutes I started to lose focus again, and I realized it was time to push. Then it got a little crazy and the hypnobirthing went out the window. I had popped open from 6 cm to 10 in about 15 minutes. So I pushed a few times, and my DD was born. She was 10.5 pounds - I was shocked!
Long story short - IMO hypnobirthing works. I was relaxed and calm. It was a peaceful and quiet labor, and only got crazy at the end, but heck, she was over 10 pounds! For the record, my 1st and 2nd were a good size too, 8 and 10 pounds respectively. Also, our midwife said we were her third hypnobirthing family of the weekend, and she was incredibly impressed with how well the mothers did. She said all her hypnobirthing moms were calm, relaxed, and pain free. And honestly, as long as I listened to the cd and relaxed, I was not in pain. |