Hypnobirthing?

dublinlady

Hey ladies!
I'm 25 weeks now and starting to think about labour etc! Have kinda been in denial up until this point but now that my bump is getting bigger I feel it's time to start thinking about the challenge which lies ahead!
I'd like to go into labour with an open mind - try without pain relief but to use it if I really feel I can't cope without it. I have a feeling that st the moment I would panic with the pain and tense up which I know is the worst thing I could do - so I'm looking for advise on hypnobirthing and that sort of thing. I'd like to get a cd or two which would help prepare me for the birth and teach me techniques to cope better during the pain and fear! I think I would like something which I could listen to during labour also to keep me calm. I'm open to meditation etc etc - but really need something that I can start working on sooner rather than later as I am not used to doing meditation or relaxation techniques at all. I'm quite a busy stressed person , and before I would have thought I would have opted for epidural etc straight away - but now I'm in the situation I'd like mechanisms to try and go without. I'm not stupid tho... If I'm in pain and I can't tolerate it I'll happily take the epidural - its just I don't want to have it unnecessarily so that I can have a quicker recovery! I'd also like to keep calmer during the labour as I don't want my lively little girl to have to endure that stress!!
All advice and feedback and recommendations welcome!!!
I have started yoga - which is what has brought me to this way of thinking!! But I'm v.busy with work at the mo so would like something I could listen to at night in bed etc!
Thanks in advance!!

crazy cat lady

Do you have an Ipod? If so there are lots of hypnotherapy/relaxation things on Itunes.
I had one by Eric someone or other while I was pregnant, it was lovely and relaxing to listen to.
I also did pregnancy yoga which I loved!
Good luck with the next 15 weeks

dublinlady

crazy cat lady wrote: »

Do you have an Ipod? If so there are lots of hypnotherapy/relaxation things on Itunes.
I had one by Eric someone or other while I was pregnant, it was lovely and relaxing to listen to.
I also did pregnancy yoga which I loved!
Good luck with the next 15 weeks

Yup - have an IPod - was looking on ITunes but there seems to be quite a few and I typically would choose a crap one and have to get another so trying to get recommendations to save on that expense! Yeah pregnancy yoga is lovely - nice and easy! Mind you the out loud breathing and panting still sometimes makes me laugh... I just don't seem able to take it seriously!!!!

Cat Melodeon

I used the Gentlebirth program - it's by an Irish woman so I found it much less grating than some of the other ones out there. It's not cheap at just under €70, but you get 4 CDs worth of hypnobirthing exercises, a manual, access to an online forum run by the author and some other free mp3s to download.
http://www.gentlebirth.ie (I'm not connected to Tracy apart from being a customer).

I started it around 28 weeks on my first pregnancy and found it brilliant. It wasn't just good prep for labour, it helped me keep my blood pressure down and long since I had the baby I've even used it to keep me calm during flights or at the end of particularly stressful days. I'm using it again on this pregnancy, due in 2 weeks and I have none of the fear I felt last time.

I wouldn't build it up to suggest that you absolutely won't need other pain relief during the birth. What it did for me though was to keep me calm enough to make decisions rationally. I had gas and air from the start (I was induced) and I did weaken part way through (funnily enough just after I stopped listening to the mp3s in order to listen to hubby & midwife) and I considered getting the epi, but in the end my labour progressed quickly enough that I needed nothing else. Some women find they don't even need gas, others find the hypnobirthing does nothing for them at all - it depends on how open you are to it. I'd say if you're enjoying yoga you'll do well with hypnobirthing too. Btw, I had never done yoga or any sort of hypnosis or meditation before my pregnancy, and it worked for me.

dublinlady

Cat Melodeon wrote: »

I used the Gentlebirth program - it's by an Irish woman so I found it much less grating than some of the other ones out there. It's not cheap at just under €70, but you get 4 CDs worth of hypnobirthing exercises, a manual, access to an online forum run by the author and some other free mp3s to download.
http://www.gentlebirth.ie (I'm not connected to Tracy apart from being a customer).

I started it around 28 weeks on my first pregnancy and found it brilliant. It wasn't just good prep for labour, it helped me keep my blood pressure down and long since I had the baby I've even used it to keep me calm during flights or at the end of particularly stressful days. I'm using it again on this pregnancy, due in 2 weeks and I have none of the fear I felt last time.

I wouldn't build it up to suggest that you absolutely won't need other pain relief during the birth. What it did for me though was to keep me calm enough to make decisions rationally. I had gas and air from the start (I was induced) and I did weaken part way through (funnily enough just after I stopped listening to the mp3s in order to listen to hubby & midwife) and I considered getting the epi, but in the end my labour progressed quickly enough that I needed nothing else. Some women find they don't even need gas, others find the hypnobirthing does nothing for them at all - it depends on how open you are to it. I'd say if you're enjoying yoga you'll do well with hypnobirthing too. Btw, I had never done yoga or any sort of hypnosis or meditation before my pregnancy, and it worked for me.

Thanks so much - I think that's exactly the sort of thing I had in mind! I haven't ever been the kind of person to be into alternative methods like this but I kinda changed during the TTC process - it took us a year and a half and as I'm so impatient and was so messed up after a miscarriage I turned to acupuncture - that really opened me up to everything alternative I think as it helped me to cope so much better!
As you said - I'm under no illusion - I'm aware of how a labour can go and it may be the opposite to what I would have wanted but if this helps me even to keep the fear and stress levels down in the run up to it then it will have been worth the investment for me!
Thanks again for your advice!

Ayla

dublinlady wrote: »

...I'm under no illusion - I'm aware of how a labour can go and it may be the opposite to what I would have wanted but if this helps me even to keep the fear and stress levels down in the run up to it then it will have been worth the investment for me!

Try to remember that many times when a labour goes pear-shaped it is directly related to the woman's stress level. For instance, as a visual, keep in mind that your uterus is simply a muscle, and what happens when your brain registers fear? It stimulates the "fight or flight" reflex, thus pumping all the blood & energy to the brain and extremeties...and away from the uterus (a biologically unneccessary muscle in the efforts to "fight" or "flight". This then impedes the progress of the labour and your abilites to push, which has a massive knock-on effect which includes medical emergencies/interventions.

How many women have noticed that they were labouring well when at home or comfortable, but then the labour slowed (or even stopped) once they were hooked up to the hospital monitors? I know this happened to me...

The 100% cure to this is to calm down, relaxing your mind & body and allowing your body to redirect its energy & blood to where it really is necessary. This is the whole principle behind the hypnobirthing & meditation, but it's not something you can half-do. You have to commit yourself to it fully, believing you can birth naturally (which is not something that society likes telling labouring women).

Visualisation is very helpful during labour...as is just letting go. We all like to think we can manage our bodies and control what happens when, but this is absolutely not the case when you're in labour. You have to let go and let your body do what is somehow inheriantly knows how to do. This means letting go of all modesty (I moo'ed like a cow through both of my labours), moving as and when your body wants... and just letting go.

wmpdd3

I found the hypnobirthing CDs above really good, for when I was in labour on the ward. I had them saved onto my phone and I had my earphones in my hospital bag. I also started listening the them around 30 weeks so I knew that she was going to say next!

dublinlady

Great to get that feedback!! Thankyou all!!

That's exactly what I had in mind really - something that will teach me how to keep calm so instead of flipping into a panic and causing myself complications and more pain I will hopefully be able to relax and stay at home for as long as possible - possible have a hot bath and then start with the tens machine, I'd love to arrive at the hospital with only a short bit to go! Calm calm calm! That's what I want!!
V excited about getting my c.d's now! I think I will prob start listening to them soon so like you I will also know the run of them and so be more familiar with it all!

P.s I laughed myself silly imagining the moo'ing!!!!!!!

Ayla

dublinlady wrote: »

P.s I laughed myself silly imagining the moo'ing!!!!!!!

Yeah, I still laugh at the memory

seriously, though, doing this did serve its purpose. Graphic but true: imagine you're horribly constipated and you're bearing down, jaws locked while people are hovering over you & yelling at you to "push!" Do you think it's going to work? Of course not.

There's a theory out there that claims that what you're jaw's doing is what your excretatory muscles will do, so by moo'ing I was deliberately keeping my jaw open & relaxed. The idea being that my vaginal muscles will follow suit. Whether or not it worked is anyone's guess, but both of my labours were completely pain-free and quick.

How Strange

I moo'ed up and down the corridors for about 3 hours. I remembered someone had told me to just let whatever noises come out and not to fight it. Anyway, I obviously felt like mooing.

DeeRottie

Lol love the idea of all the mooing! I'm not pregnant but am starting to look into hypnobirthing and home birthing, as that'a the way I'd want to go if I ever let my poor hubby get me pregnant! Congrats on all your bundles of joy btw x

wmpdd3

I didnt moo, but I 'shussssssssssshed' through each contraction!

Quirkygirl

Hi Dublin lady I would highly recommend Marie Mongans book hypnosis for childbirth, it comes with a CD and has picture of a happy baby on front. I read the book, listened to one relaxation track twice a day, it's about 5 mins long and practiced the breathing and visualising the birth I wanted, peaceful, calm, safe loving, pain free and that is exactly what I had. It was truly unbelievable. My body just did its job and my god was I astounded. I relaxed, just let go, focused on my baby and breathing with my body, not tensing and grinding my teeth, open mouth, open cervix, relaxed jaw relaxed vagina! Buy this book it will change your life. I have passed my book onto about 15 ladies now and all but one have had the same experience as me! Best of luck.

Quirkygirl

Oh my god I'm only reading now about the mooing, girls that is so so funny, I used hypnosis for childbirth, I was silent.... And I mean silent throughout all my labour, i barely spoke except to get food or water from my hubbie, and then I felt the need to push, my body arched up and I was mooing just like a cow! I thought it was only me! That is hilarious!

littlemissfixit

Hi ladies I am 2 weeks after my 2nd hypnobirth, I used the "Effective birth preperation cd. It is just one cd with one relaxation track (i think 15-20 min) and one hypno track (25 min). I done the relaxation track as often as possible from about 30wks and hypno when it draw closer, obviously the second time around my mind took to it very quickly.
My first labor, I stayed at home as long as possible, was laboring in hospital for about 5hrs before she was born. Used tens machine as well, lost my focus at pushing stage, thinking back I wish I had given instructions to my hubby to guide me with the hypno had he listen to it himself, or brought the cd and put it on.
The second labor, had to have membranes ruptured at 12 days over, labor was little over 2hrs and this time didnt lose my focus and pushed for about 5min before seeing my boy!
I cant recommend tens enough, as well as hypno. Remember to visualise the ideal labor and ideal outcome for you as often as possible, welcome every pain like a step closer to seeing your baby, and to completely let go of the pain when it subsides.

best of luck!