Anyone tried hypnobirthing?

[mudgey]

Hi, my midwife has suggested I try hypnobirth classes as Im having really bad nightmares and starting to get really stressed about the birth, thinking there is sonething wrong with bubba etc. She thinks they will help me to relax and as Im not getting much sleep because of it Im happy to try anything

I was just wondering if any of you know anything about it, have you tried it? What exactly is it etc? Id be grateful for any advice or help, thanks.

 

[Laur_250]

I thought about it as I was terrified too but I never did it. I did however get a CD that was for pregnancy relaxation that may help you, they also do one which is for actual self-hyonosis regarding the fear of labout too......

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Birth ... 1905220030

I only tried the relaxation one but if you are really worrying and dont want the hassle of joining a class then I woul try it. It's £16 a disc but you can probably get one on ebay cheaper, here you go......

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NATAL-HYPNOTHERAP ... 240%3A1318

Just pop some headphones on, relax and do it in your own home.

Also I will add that despite being terrified like you, I ended up havng a really easy, straight forward labour and it was nothing like I expected so you will be fne. xx

 

[DaisieBee]

I am reading Marie Mongans book at mo and finding it really useful. It has helped me to view the whole birth process is a much calmer and spiritual way. cd is included with the book, got mine from amazon.

 

[trixipaws]

redshoes did it! she got to 7cm with hardly any pain! i was throwing up from pain at 5cm it must bloody work!

 

[LucyBee]

I did a hypnobirthing course. Blooming brilliant. It was the highlight of my pregnancy.

Here's a link to a previous thread...

viewtopic.php?f=62&t=89423&p=1132045&hilit=hypnobirthing#p1132045

 

[Fly]

I didn't do a course but i read the book and used alot of the breathing and relaxation techniques and pain referral idea's on the few very achey weeks at the end of my pregnancy and also in the early stage of labour before my c-section. Birthing from Within is another excellent read for helping you overcome fears about the birthing experience

 

[BabyMagic]

I also read Marie Morgan's book and used the CD on a daily basis from about 34 weeks. Using the techniques really helped me to prepare for the birth. My favourite was repeating positive affirmations ('I look forward to a beautiful birth', 'I am strong and confident when my baby is born' etc) whilst I was swimming or walking in nature. I then repeated them during labour.

My birthing experience was mostly gentle and I coped very well with contractions (or waves if you prefer using positive language). The only time I felt pain was when it was time to go to the birthing centre and there was a problem with taxis and I became tense. Being fearful or tense causes pain. Once I got into a birthing pool in the centre I was fine again and LO was born before the pool was full of water!!!!

Next time I would definitely do the workshop and opt for a home birth, if at all possible.

It's great to start preparing for the birth early. It's usual to have nightmares etc. about the baby and birth, and I am pleased to hear that someone has recommended hypnobirthing. I found it very useful!

Good luck. Enjoy the rest of your pregnancy and preparation for the birth

 

[BabyMagic]

Oops, I didn't answer what hypnobirthing is about. In a nutshell, it means using relaxation and breathing techniques to make the birthing experience as pain-free and pleasant as possible. There is a great emphasis on preparation and positive thinking.

An example of a preparation would be using positive affirmations and practicing breathing techniques. My favourite breathing technique during birthing was a 20-20 breathing, which means that you breath in and out VERY slowly (counting to twenty both in and out). By doing this the contraction will feel shorter as if you do it correctly you can only take 1 - 2 breaths per contraction. You MUST practice this upfront as it's not easy to breath in that slowly without getting out of breath.

As I said earlier I listened to a relaxing CD from 34 weeks onwards on a daily basis. I also listened to it during birthing three times (last time I wasn't able to focus on words that much, but it didn't matter as it still helped me to relax).

An example of a positive thinking is that instead of using 'negative' words you use 'positive' ones. E.g. instead of talking about labour (which sounds like hardwork indeed!) you use words such as birthing.

 

[sparky]

didnt read anything but used breathing and dismissed the fear...got through it without any pain relief and enjoyed the experiance.

Its important to remember fear makes you tense which makes the pain worse. Try to remember that your body is designed to do this over millions of years we've done it, it helped me to remember that there were thousands of women doing the same across the world.

 

[Redshoes]

Thanks trixipaws lol
With Isaac I did dilate well without any 'pain', I do believe reading Marie Mongan's book helped greatly, as did the Rainbow CD from the Hypnobirthing classes. The greatest thing hypnobirthing does is it teaches you how your uterus works, how to mentally understand it with a contraction so you see it as working correctly and not painful, and the relaxation helps your to breath through contractions, correctly, as in down into your uterus, instead of panting or getting upset.. I've never had an ante-natal class so cannot compare, but hypnobirthing focuses on staying calm, in control, working with your body, and helps to dispell the 'What if...' questions as to any unforseen events.

However, ANY kind of relaxation will help you, hypnobirthing is specifically geared to pregnancy and childbirth, and as its the only one I've used I would always highly recommend it When I got out all my CD's for Ophelia's pregnancy and birth, it all came back to me again and helped me stay perfectly calm, although Ophelia's birth didn't really let me use any techniques as she was very quick, I think I was too relaxed