Hypnobirthing anyone?

[StaceyinLA]

Has anyone used this? Is the set worth buying, and do you actually need all the cd's and stuff, or just a book?

 

Dd is interested in it, but with already taking other classes, she really doesn't know if it's worth the money.

 

Input?

[VeganCupcake]

I used HypnoBabies for both of my births and both my babies were born at home, with no anesthesia of any kind. I didn't think birthing was painful--hard work, yes, but not painful. My labors were 32 and 28 hours long, too, so not like I had a 15 minute labor and babies shot out. :)

 

I think it's worth it. HypnoBabies has a homestudy course that is very complete. (We took the live class for our first birth, but for the second I just practiced on my own.) They recommend *not* taking another childbirth class with it, though, because a big part of the program is using different, more neutral vocabulary about birth (not using the word pain, for instance) and retraining your brain to look at birth in a more positive way.

 

HypnoBabies works best if you practice daily, so you have to be committed.

 

ETA: Yes, I think she does need the CDs, or she needs to have someone to record all the scripts from a book, and she needs to listen to them daily toward the end of her pregnancy. The book Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan comes with just one CD, but IMO that book alone is not really sufficient to get a woman through her birth. There is a Hypnobirthing course which is probably more complete.

[mommymilkies]

Hypnobabies is great. Sometimes you can find used sets. It is definitely worth it. You need the CDs, not the book, if money is an issue. I *think* you can download them as mp3s at their shop now.

[PrincessMommy]

I used hypnobirthing with my first. We took a class, so I cannot say anything about the tapes or book. But, I utilized the techniques I used for all of my births. FWIW, mine were all out of hospital births (1 BC, 5 home).

[Hypatia.]

I used the Hypnobabies home study for all my births, but I'm probably more toward the 15 minutes and babies shot out end of things. My labors ranged from under 30 minutes to just over 2 hours, babies from 9.5-10.5 lbs, I slept through the Hypnobabies CDs through all of my pregnancies (they were great for my insomnia). I checked out the Hypnobirthing book from the library during my 2nd pregnancy but there wasn't a class near me and the Hypnobabies was a better fit for me doing the course at home.

[Guest]

I used Hypnobirthing with my last two births. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants an unmedicated birth. You need tapes/CDs; not the book so much. I also had a hypnotist who worked with me every week for...I forget...maybe 12 weeks, with my first hypnobirth. I didn't use her the second time, just listened to tapes. It was very effective. The second time I used it, I had an emergency induction with Pitocin. The staff continued to ask me if I needed pain medication and I continued to decline. They even increased the Pit several times when I stalled and also ruptured the membranes. I never did think it was painful, although I did turn into a wild animal at transition! :laugh: That was my longest labor, though - at 9 hours. One of my hypnobabies was 9.2 lbs and one was 7.11, so not tiny babies, either.

[Annie]

I did hypnobabies with my little guy. My baby was poorly positioned, and I had terrible back labor. It was far from a pain free labor, but I didn't ask for an epidural during the 37ish hours I was in labor, so I guess that's something. My guess is that it would work better for "normal" contraction pain, rather than back labor type pain because it focuses mostly on relaxation. I think the relaxation helps a lot with the muscular pain of contraction but not as much with the extreme pressure pain of back labor. I will say that it was great for helping me get to sleep during pregnancy. I would do it again if I were planning a natural birth (ended up with a csection, and I'm not a vbac candidate).

[Mrs_JWM]

Used it and loved it! First baby and a twelve-hour labor with nearly no pain. You need the complete set, IMO. We took Bradley classes and did the HB homestudy. It was wonderful. I also use the techniques for dental fillings and IUD placement - both of which are rare, thankfully, but still!

[xixstar]

I did Hypnobabies with my last labor and it was awesome, super awesome! As soon as I was done, I was excited and would have done it again right away. So yeah, it worked really well. I highly recommend it. I usually recommend it to other moms who have given birth before, just because I really think it's easier to convince yourself it won't hurt if you've been through it before. I didn't use anything with the books, just listened to the tracks religiously.

 

I've also used the stuff for dental appointments too.

[staceyobu]

I tried it for my fourth baby. You are supposed to listen to these cds that are like 45 minutes long. Every. single. day. I honestly decided that pain free labor was not worth an hour of my day and tossed it. I just don't think it was really my thing. I think I'm able to get in a good, focused head space on my own and I'd rather listen to music I like during labor.

 

I know people rave about it, though!

[Momof3littles]

I used it with three births. I took a Mongan Hypnobirthing course in person, which was really helpful. I used a Hypnobabies supplemental course for #2 and #3. The supplemental course was designed for people who had already done the Mongan course; I don't think they carry this product any longer.

 

I loved the CDs. I didn't connect with all of the tracks, but that's okay. I found ones that made me feel really relaxed. I slept soooo well after using my CDs that I occasionally would pull them out when not pregnant to help with insomnia.

 

All 3 of my births ranged from 3-6 hours and were very easy; I am not sure if I just got lucky, but I do think Hypnobirthing really helped me stay relaxed and in a good place mentally.

[Maela]

I used hypobabies with my second. It was SO amazing! It wasn't pain free, but definitely manageable (it was my second unmedicated home birth - the first was awful!). It is a pain to find time to listen to the CDs uninterrupted, but it's also nice to have that required rest time each day. You can fall asleep and it's still supposed to work.

 

I know I can't be sure, but I believe it's the reason I had such a quick (3.5 hours) and easy labor. I listened to the CDs during labor to the end, and only panicked when a track ended (DH would quickly fix that for me :-) ).

 

I called the company and asked them if they had any used copies for a cheaper price. I think I got it for $70(?). Then I was able to send it all back to them after the birth for some money back.

 

I highly recommend Hypnobabies!!

[I.Dup.]

I tried it for my fourth baby. You are supposed to listen to these cds that are like 45 minutes long. Every. single. day. I honestly decided that pain free labor was not worth an hour of my day and tossed it. I just don't think it was really my thing. I think I'm able to get in a good, focused head space on my own and I'd rather listen to music I like during labor.

 

I know people rave about it, though!

 

 

I am borrowing the CDs from a friend, and this is what I'm having trouble with. I'm really going to try to make more of an effort to listen to them more regularly, but it's difficult to find the time.

[VeganCupcake]

I always listened while going to sleep. I think I spent most of my practice time either asleep or nearly so. It still worked for me--and they say that it's fine to fall asleep. I used an iPod and earbuds. When my DH read me scripts (which is recommended in the live class for some scripts--probably so that the birth partner knows what's going on, too), I also often fell asleep and he'd just finish reading and go to sleep himself. At least, I think he always finished reading. Maybe when he noticed I was asleep, he stopped reading. :lol:

[WistfulRidge]

I did hypnobabies... kind of. I've always used self hypnosis as a pain management technique and reading the book helped me get more structured about it. I definitely noticed a difference between my first birth (before I read book and put suggestions into practice) and my other births. For me it doesn't make birth "pain free", though painful isn't a word I'd normally associate with childbirth. (Intense and hard are more accurate), but it makes it easier to relax and just work instead of freaking out, ykwim?

 

With DS3's birth I was so relaxed by the time I got to transition/ pushing that I was sleeping between contractions. It was great! I also found it very interesting that the transition-pushing stage, probably because of the whole "falling asleep" thing felt like it took about an hour. However, when my midwife gave me a copy of her birthnotes I found that the events that I marked as the 'beginning' and the 'end' of that stage took place less than 20 minutes apart, and active pushing (which I would have said lasted about 15 minutes) in fact lasted less than 3. I think it felt longer because my body needed it to take longer, because I needed the time to rest. For me that is what the true purpose of self hypnosis is - to put my conscious mind into such a relaxed state that my body can do what it needs to do without interruption.

[hsmamainva]

I used it with my 4th baby -- worked great but I had a doula, too....not sure which made the most difference but both were lifesavers!

 

I got to the hospital at 6:05 and she was born 20 minutes later. I had been in labor for 10 hours total and those last 20 minutes were the worst of the entire ordeal.

[mommymilkies]

I tried it for my fourth baby. You are supposed to listen to these cds that are like 45 minutes long. Every. single. day. I honestly decided that pain free labor was not worth an hour of my day and tossed it. I just don't think it was really my thing. I think I'm able to get in a good, focused head space on my own and I'd rather listen to music I like during labor.

I know people rave about it, though!

 

I always put it on before bed. That way I'd get my time in. It made a huge difference in my pain and anxiety during my 4th birth-back labor homebirth.

[StaceyinLA]

I think her plan is to use it at bedtime. She's gonna be a sahm and has already left her job though, so I feel like she should have some time either way.

 

She also has a doula, and is taking the doula's classes as well (which I took from the same doula when I had my first VBAC).

[Veritaserum]

I had an epidural with my first and used hypnosis with the other five. I took a HypnoBirthing class with my second child and taught it for a couple of years after that. I used the Hypnobabies supplemental set to practice with babies two and three because the HypnoBirthing materials are so limited. I ditched HypnoBirthing when I was pregnant with my fourth because my students were not prepared when I stuck to the official curriculum. I certified as a Hypnobabies instructor and used Hypnobabies for my fourth, fifth, and six babies. I taught Hypnobabies for four years. Most of my students had positive birth experiences. Some described their labors as painless, some had manageable discomfort, some had pain. The majority felt prepared with tools and information that helped them navigate their labors and births in a calmer, more positive way--even if unexpected things popped up.

 

My best time to listen to tracks was in the middle of the night after using the bathroom.