Any other hypnobirthers?

[Rayoflight]

Hiya ladies

Just wondering if anyone else was doing hypnobirthing?

I'm loving it, I'm finally chilling out in my pregnancy and looking after the two of us all thanks to Hypnobirthing.

My husband is also the biggest most extreme piss taker in the world who takes NOTHING seriously and he has really got into it. I'm so shocked. I've found out has been googling loads of stuff on it, researching and watching vids on Youtube. I'm the one who gets the giggles in the session and he's the one who takes it all so seriously.

Anyone else doing it? If so, what do you think?

Gem x

 

[bobkat]

I'm doing it too. Your right about it being so relaxing. I was also surprised by my OH at the classes he really took to them.

We have only just started to find the time in the evenings to practice it at home together but I'm doing it every day. It's making me feel much more confident in myself too.

 

[Rayoflight]

We don't practice it together at the moment because I only get home from work at 8pm, I have my dinner and I'm ready for bed whereas he isn't. I listen to it in bed but her voice is starting to annoy me (she sounds like one of the Golden Girls!) so have got the background music and am going to get my Mum to record it for me at work next week. I've started transcribing it for her. I think it will be much more effective and soothing having my mum voice it.

Have you read the book? I can't wait to start trying the 'glove' technique that sounds weird. How far are you into it? We've only done the first session.

 

[Annie050408]

No way, give me the drugs lol!

Only kidding, good luck with it- I've heard wonderful things about hypnobirthing, I just don't trust myself to do it properly and believe in it when the time comes.

 

[K&A]

What is hypnobirthing, what am i missing out on? x

 

[cissyhope]

Hiya im doing hypnobirthing too! im on my last session 2night! the women on the cd sounds like the women out of murder she wrote i do need to practice more now though! the slow breathing i can only get up to bout 13 seconds

Hypnobirthing is hypnosis for birth programme but also helps you to understand how your body with relaxation will open with out pain to give birth and its just fear and closing the body that causes the pain.Thats the theory any way (we Will see ) not sure my explanation was that great, hopefully someone else can add to it too?
Im 32 weeks pg and am looking forward to the birth so it must be working My husband thinks its great too

 

[K&A]

Hiya im doing hypnobirthing too! im on my last session 2night! the women on the cd sounds like the women out of murder she wrote i do need to practice more now though! the slow breathing i can only get up to bout 13 seconds

Hypnobirthing is hypnosis for birth programme but also helps you to understand how your body with relaxation will open with out pain to give birth and its just fear and closing the body that causes the pain.Thats the theory any way (we Will see ) not sure my explanation was that great, hopefully someone else can add to it too?
Im 32 weeks pg and am looking forward to the birth so it must be working My husband thinks its great too

thanks, that has given me a good insight, i didnt even know anything like this exsisted x

 

[cissyhope]

K&A highly recommend it i find it gives you more confidence for dealing with the medical world too. I have only just learned that there is a British version called natal birthing which looks v good too! found out off Helen who posts on this forum too. Might be worth looking into? you can view some of the births youtube (bit boring mind as nothing happens as mum is in a trance so no dramas or screaming! ) x

 

[MrsR]

As cissyhope said above I'm doing the British version which is called natal hypnotherapy rather than hypnobirthing x just waiting for CDs to arrive and will be reading the book too! x My OH is quite open to things so he's behind me all the way x my named midwife is the only natal hypnotherapist in the north east and she is the one who led me to natal hypnotherapy as I'm hoping and praying to have a home birth (which she's 100% behind me with) and they do specific CDs tailored to the different birth experiences ie. Home birth, hospital birth, vbac, birth centre etc x my midwife when I had my daughter 6 years ago helped coach me through her birth with various, what I now recognise as, hypnotherapy techniques and it really helped! My midwife was explaining that one of the main causes for labour slowing down is adrenaline (sp?) and hypnotherapy-whether it's natal hypnotherapy or hypnobirthing-helps to keep you calm and reducing the amount of adrenalin racing around your body x

 

[Rayoflight]

Basically, in order for our uterus to work effectively during birth, we need lots of the hormone Oxytocin in our body. This is the love hormone that we secrete naturally during orgasm, when we feel love, even light touch massage helps us produce Oxytocin. Our uterus muscles comprise of three layers, outer layers are long and run vertically, the middle layers and the inner layers are coiled and circular running horizontally. The long vertical muscles help push the uterus down during labour whilst the inner coiled muscles help drive the baby down the birth canal.

When we get frightened (like many many many women do in labour) we produce Adrenaline and our bodies go into the 'fight or flight' mode and we tense up. In this state, we don't produce oxytocin and our uterus muscles tense and stop working. This causes extreme pain and makes delivery very difficult. Also, in the same way medication stops the production of oxytocin, and therefore stops our uterus muscles from working in the way that nature intended and birth becomes drawn out and difficult.

Hypnobirthing is about creating a calm, serene, low lit environment that allows women to believe in themselves and the capabilities of our bodies. It's not a miracle cure and is not promised to be pain free but watching videos and reading other women's stories, particularly stories from women who have had complicated and traumatic births the first time round to happy hypnobirths for further children it's hard not to take notice.

This is one of my favourite videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qriqhDFo088

We in the western world are all socially trained to prepare ourselves for extreme pain and know we have a cocktail menu of drugs to fall back on should we want them. Women around the world give birth every day. I remeber seeing a woman when I was on my travels squatting in a doorway in india looking like she was in a world of our own and our guide told us 'she is in labour about to have her baby today' and I was amazed at how calm she was. Ignorance really is bliss though and these women in third world countries give birth easily every day without the medical intervention we've come to rely on, because they don't know any better. When we get scared and adrenaline takes over, or we introduce medication that's when our bodies stop working in the way nature intended.

When you start reading about it, it all makes perfect common sense. For me, I was PETRIFIED of labour before I started this course and now I'm not only OK with it I'm actually really excited about the day I go into labour and birth my baby. It's like a complete turnaround for me.

 

[cissyhope]

Could not have said it better my self!

 

[Rayoflight]

I've only done one session but that sounds right cissyhope doesn't it?

 

[cissyhope]

oh absolutely! you said it all! fab sounds like you have a v good teacher! took me till second session to get it! its so exciting though isnt it!

 

[Rayoflight]

Yes it's brilliant. We went for a 'taster' session first with our practitioner so learnt a lot then. I think because we have a lot of people in our life questioning us about it and giving us negative feedback we've said the above about 20 times already! It's quite funny hearing my husband arguing the function of the birthing uterus in his thick scouse accent to female doubting friends!

 

[MrsR]

Absolutely couldn't agree more! I have an iPhone app which is like a message/question board and is mostly Americans and their attitude to birth is so completely alien to me! Just like to point out that not all Americans are like this but the majority of the ones on that app are! The majority are choosing sections and epidurals before even having the experience of being in labour! x I wouldn't judge anyone who decided to have an epidural or a booked section after a previous section but to not even try is so strange to me! I was really lucky the first time round and am really looking forward to giving birth this time round! x I have a high pain threshold anyway and know I'm lucky in this way but I can't wait to give hypnosis a try to help me even more x

 

[Buttons8]

I have also done the hypnobirthing which i thiought was so informative and interesting. I am a practising hypnotherapist so I didn't need convincing but i actually can't wait to try it for myself and am so looking forward to birth its so true when you look at other cultures and how different they treat birth we should take what we can learn form them

 

[SKR_Derby]

Hi Ladies I've got my first hypnobirthing session tonight after work. I'm so excited and cannot wait to see what is in store! This may sound like a silly question but what did you wear to your hypnobirthing sessions as I will probably need to go home and change out of my formal work wear. Was thinking leggings and a shirt / baggy top? Something that I will be comfy in. Will we be required to sit on the floor and do breathing exercises? I really have no idea do I??? Lol

 

[bobkat]

You can wear pretty much anything, I just wore some baggy cotton trousers and a vest top. For the relaxation you could pretty much do whatever you wanted like lying down, sit in chairs, lean against OH, sit on bean bag etc... so clothing needs to be comfy but not necessarily 'sporty' or 'yoga-ish' if you get my drift. You might want to take a pillow with you though. You might not be doing anything too extensive tonight, we had like an introductory session to the theory of it first and watched some videos, then did the basic breathing exercises which you can do just sat in a chair. Think it all depends on the practitioner so your experience might be very different.

Let us know how it goes.

 

[titch]

I did the hypnobirthing and found it totally fantastic. I really think everyone should do it. Unfortunately my baby was born under genuine 'special circumstances' and was very medicalised (neccessarily so) but the techniques definately helped me cope. I was very positive about labour during my pregnancy and didnt have any fears about giving birth, i was really looking forward to it thanks to hypnobirthing! Im still quite gutted I didnt get to do it!

 

[titch]

have got the background music and am going to get my Mum to record it for me at work next week. I've started transcribing it for her. I think it will be much more effective and soothing having my mum voice it.

I love this idea!!! after 30 hours of contractions I wanted to throw my ipod out the window cos of her voice, and it didnt even annoy me during practice! I had to stop listening to it then.