Natural Birth
Book recs and a question
Here's the thing - I want to be able to help control the pain during the first part of labor. I thought maybe looking into hypnobirthing or Bradley. But, I am not against having an epidural and I think I will want one.
My one question is - is it pointless to do hypnobirthing or Bradley if I'm not going all the way natural?
If anyone has any book recs on either subject that would be great.
TIA
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Book recs and a question
The most important part of labor (IMO) is just relaxing and not tensing up. I thought hypnobirthing was great for this. If you have the time to practice it, I think it might be a good coping skill during early labor as well as a great backup in case you happen to miss your window for an epidural or wait longer than expected for it. And you might end up deciding you don't need it at all.
I still use some of the same relaxation techniques for times I need to relax quickly, like at the chiropractor or the dentist, so I think I learned a skill that continues to be of use.
I don't think it's pointless at all. Even if you think you will want an epi, you should think about when you'll want it. Most research says that if you get it too early it can often slow down labor, which leads to other interventions and can result in putting extra stress on you and baby. Much better to get farther along before you need it, which will lessen the chance of labor stalling, and you'll want to be able to have the knowledge, confidence and tools to get there. I wasn't 100% anti-med for DS's birth, but I knew that I wanted to wait until a certain cut-off before I considered the epi and I read the bradley books in hopes of getting there, and maybe even beyond, without meds.
This is my favorite bradley book. I've read the hypnobirth book, but really thing taking a class will be necessary for me to utilize it. Hypnobabies has a home study course.
I think Bradley classes are great even if you think you may want an epi - they focus on so much more than just epidurals. A big part of going natural for me was believing I could and braley really helped.
Also definitely read Ina May's book - think it's called Guide to Childbirth - or something like that. It was great.