Natural Birth
bluerevolution9
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hypnobabies or hypnobirth?
bluerevolution9
member
I think this was on the board before, but I don't remember what people said.
I want to do a hypno something course. I have a lot of bad history with doctors and medical issues, and my midwife thinks it could really help me release that past fear and anxiety for my birth. (I am planning a home birth) I can't do a course (don't have one around me) so I am looking to do a home study. Any thoughts on which is better? I know hypnobabies is more expensive, but I think I can get it used and its worth the money if it will really help. Thanks for your help!
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Re: hypnobabies or hypnobirth?
When I was pregnant I researched the differences and Hypnobabies won with flying colors. Hypnobabies offered a complete childbirth education program, so subjects including staying low risk and healthy by way of nutrition and exercise along with consumer issues (choosing caregivers, the risks benefits and alternatives of medical procedures and medications), optimal fetal positioning, physiology of the birthing process. I did not find a lot of info on this with hypnobirthing. Also, Hypnobabies teaches medical grade hypno-anesthesia (the same technique that people employ when undergoing surgery or dental procedures who cannot use regular anesthesia due to allergies)Hypnobabies retrains your inner mind, and it is very powerful and the sensations you feel in your body is tightening, pulling, stretching, not discomfort. You also learn two ways to instantly put yourself into self hypnosis and learn many different cues. So when you go into your birthing time you have a "bag of tricks" to use instead of one or two. Hypnobabies also has a pregnancy affirmations and birthing day affirmations cd which I LOVED the pregnancy affirmations when I was pregnant. It helped me to to feel empowered and confident. I was looking forward to actually giving birth and the whole process of it. I was confident in the skills that I learned. I progressed SOOO fast because I remain so relaxed and calm that I really didn't even know that I was in active labor. When I got to the hospital ( had blood show in the toilet and couldnt gauge if it was too much or regular because water makes everything look like a lot) They asked me what I thought I was. I thought they are going to tell me I was a 3 or something....nope! She said 8 1/2 cm dilated! As I walked down to my room (not wheeled in in a hospital gown) in my regular clothes, amazed nurses and doctors approached me and I told them all it was because of Hypnobabies. I was smiling at 9cm dilated and when my body was ready I pushed for maybe 10 minutes and my ds was born. I learned soo much from Hypnobabies and it made all the difference between me taking a back seat to my care and me being proactive and in the drivers seat. I found Hypnobabies to be more complete in every way in comparison to other hypnosis programs. I think there is someone selling their used copy here on this forum too if money is an issue. Good luck mama!
Organicmama - I'm sorry your research did not show that HypnoBirthing covered these same topics as well. I am a HypnoBirthing practitioner and I can tell you that our syllabus and curriculum does cover: "staying low risk and healthy by way of nutrition and exercise along with consumer issues (choosing caregivers, the risks benefits and alternatives of medical procedures and medications), optimal fetal positioning, physiology of the birthing process" - almost precisely in that language. It's even covered in the book in the event that you don't take a class.
Additionally, the HypnoBirthing curriculum teaches several deep relaxation techniques, several deepening techniques and several techniques that a laboring woman's partner can use to help mama relax and stay relaxed. So, you still have a "bag of tricks." There are two CDs: one for daily practice, the other for occasional use. There are birth affirmations, practice scripts for fear release and self-hypnosis, sample birth plan options, a letter to present to your medical care provider for discussion purposes and
It is true that HypnoBirthing does not use clinical hypnosis for anesthesia. However, the founder, Marie Mongan, determined through years of practice and birthings that it was not necessary, if the mother follows the curriculum that she designed. There is a technique that is taught to allow moms to create a feeling of numbness anywhere on her body that she chooses, and to transfer that sensation to other body parts. But the premise of HypnoBirthing is that childbirth does not inherently bring pain to the mother. Therefore, anesthesia is not necessary.
Following this same premise, the HypnoBirthing curriculum is much shorter and has fewer scripts and CDs to listen to. This is because Mongan found the simplicity of the HypnoBirthing program to be quite sufficient. Overload can cause the mind to have difficulty accepting and retaining. Repetition is a key to hypnosis. Mongan feels (and as a hypnotherapist, I tend to agree) that repeating the same scripts has an overall longer effect than listening to different scripts over a period of time. Hypnobabies was designed using techniques of both HypnoBirthing and Bradley, which have competing premises (Bradley's being that the pain in childbirth is purposeful).
Another difference between the two programs is the length - HypnoBirthing is a 5-week class - there is no "home-study" program, per wishes of Marie Mongan.
All this being said, if you are not able to take an in-person class, I'd recommend Hypnobabies over HypnoBirthing, because HypnoBirthing is meant to be studied in a class setting with a practitioner. The core curriculum is laid out in the book (HypnoBirthing: The Mongan Method), but the handouts and special scripts done in class are only available from a practitioner.
I'm happy to answer any specific questions you have about HypnoBirthing!
G/L with whatever you decide to pursue!
Just to clarify, Hypnobabies hypnosis techniques come from master hypnotist Gerald Kein's Painless Childbirth program and are completely different from those used in Hypnobirthing. Also, Hypnobabies does not teach the Bradly philosophy of "pain with a purpose" in any manner.
If you are looking for home study, Hypnobabies is definitely the way to go, since it is designed to be used on its own. The Hypnobabies live classes are also a wonderful choice if you want a group atmosphere. I really can't compare Hypnobabies to Hypnobirthing, since I have only used Hypnobabies, but I can say I used Hypnobabies and had two wonderful births.
I used HypnoBirthing with my 2nd birth and Hypnobabies with my 3rd. I preferred Hypnobabies as I felt it gave me more tools to use during my birth.
Also Hypnobabies is the best home study option out there! You can see my birth video and read a lot of great hypnosis for birth stories at www.pregnancybirthandbabies.com
Enjoy your birth!
Sheridan
I took the HypnoBirthing class during my first pregnancy because I thought as a first time mom, I would benefit from having a teacher, and there wasn't a live Hypnobabies class in my area at the time. It still makes me sad that I didn't do more research and find out the differences, because HypnoBirthing just wasn't a good fit for me, but Hypnobabies was great. Both are fine for the right person, so it is very important to understand exactly what you're getting from each one before deciding which is the best fit for your personal needs. Also, it can be helpful to talk to your caregiver. The midwives I use require women to take a comprehensive childbirth class to prepare for their birth. Hypnobabies is one of their recommended classes, but if a woman chooses HypnoBirthing she is required to take a Bradley class as well.
The HypnoBirthing premise that childbirth is not inherently painful is a nice step in the right direction, but it leaves women who develop any kind of complication or less than perfect birth experience without any skills to get her through her birth comfortably. By learning deep hypnosis skills that include the instant creation of endorphins, women using Hypnobabies can have a calm, comfortable birth even when things don't go smoothly, so they are prepared for anything.
When I first looked into childbirth hypnosis, I knew I wanted to learn as much about birth as I could. Unfortunately, I walked out of the HypnoBirthing class knowing almost nothing about how to achieve a natural birth. The course touched briefly on diet and mentioned exercise. I knew to avoid interventions but didn't know the pros or cons of anything except pitocin, so I didn't actually know how to make informed decisions. Despite being extremely relaxed and calm, my birth turned out to be long and complicated. I was forced to consider interventions and felt like a complete idiot because I kept saying I didn't want interventions, but since I hadn't learned anything about them in the class, I couldn't have an intelligent conversation about WHY I didn't want them. It was humiliating. I did choose to have one intervention, which helped me avoid the c-section that was quickly looming in my future. But it wasn't until I learned Hypnobabies that I found out the questions I should have asked and the other more natural options I could have considered first. But I didn't know that at the time, because HypnoBirthing doesn't cover those topics in the detail I required. It really upset me to find out I had endangered my baby through my ignorance, after my HypnoBirthing instructor had assured me that I was getting a "complete childbirth education". My experience showed that that simply wasn't true and learning even basic childbirth information would have made a huge difference in how my birth went. The biggest drawback to my attempt to use HypnoBirthing skills during my birth was the lack of tools to help women remain mobile during the birth. My body needed me to move, and every instinct was asking me to change position and remain upright to help my baby move down. But the only way I could remain at all comfortable using HypnoBirthing skills was to close my eyes and get into a fully supported position. That lack of mobility was so frustrating, and really made my birth longer and more difficult than it needed to be. I actually developed the same complication with my second birth, but using Hypnobabies skills I was able to remain comfortable while moving easily and following my instincts, so I worked through it quickly without endangering my baby as I had the first time.
I wanted to learn deep hypnosis skills to help me have a great birth, and my HypnoBirthing instructor said we would be learning that. But all I learned was some guided relaxation, a bit of chakra clearing and some light visualization. I understand that is what some people want if they are just looking to increase their relaxation during birth, but it wasn't what I wanted. Oddly, there were a few actual hypnosis scripts read to us during the class, but we never heard them again. Since repetition is the key to successful hypnosis, I still wonder why they were even included. I felt betrayed by my instructor for telling me I would learn so much that simply isn't included in the class. My husband was very disappointed, because the class didn't give him much preparation and he had no idea what to do to help me. There were a few short scripts he could read, and the "glove anesthesia" that proved to be useless for me. We kept asking our instructor for specifics on what to do during the birth and all she would do was smile and say that we would "know what to do when the time came." Um - if that were true, why would we take a class? We wound up having a nice, drug-free birthing, but the skills we had learned in the class and practiced daily for almost 5 months weren't helpful after the first few hours of our 24 hour birth. We wound up using simple hypnosis skills from supplemental materials we had gotten through another source, and they were far more effective.
With our second baby, there still wasn't a Hypnobabies instructor in the area, so we got the Hypnobabies Home Study and were blown away by it. We literally knew more about birth, hypnosis and how to have the birth we wanted within an hour of opening the Hypnobabies Home Study than we had picked up through the entire first pregnancy and HypnoBirthing class. Hypnobabies was far more thorough, easier to learn, easier to use during our birthing time and so much more effective it seems unfair to even put them in the same category as HypnoBirthing. I know their names are similar, but there the similarity ends, which is why it is so important for people to choose the one that suits their needs.
My husband loved that Hypnobabies gave him so many ways to instantly increase my comfort, and used them like a pro. We felt WONDERFUL going into our birth with confidence because we actually knew what to do and how to do it! The birth itself was so fun, we were positively giddy for days. I was so comfortable I actually did our taxes in my early birthing time, then slept for 4 solid hours before wandering cheerfully into the birth center fully dilated.
Here is more information on the differences:
https://www.pregnancybirthandbabies.com/comparison_between_hypnoclasses.htm
https://www.birthnaturally.org/hypnobirthing.htm
The second one is written by a woman who has used and taught both Hypnobabies and HypnoBirthing, so she has a good understanding of the differences. And here is a free CD discussing Hypnobabies and a sample hypnosis relaxation session, so you can "try before you buy", which I thought was a cool thing to offer:
https://www.enjoybirth.com/Free-Hypnobabies-Tracks.html
Again, it comes down to each person's individual needs. If someone is already an experienced doula or midwife, or has already had a few unmedicated births and is looking for a little extra relaxation during their birth, HypnoBirthing is probably a good match. If someone does not yet have a complete knowledge of childbirth or is looking for a deeper comfort in a wider range of circumstances, Hypnobabies is a better choice.
I am taking a hynpobirthing class now and love it. Our instructor has covered ALL of the interventions that could happen and how to handle them. I'm sorry some of you didn't get that from your class. I also have to agree that I'm glad I have two cd's and a few scripts to practice with rather than a ton.
I will say my instructor is a former labor and delivery nurse so we get a GREAT idea of what to expect at the hospital and from the nurses.
sudonk thanks for the detailed reply. The only thing is that I can't get the link to work for the sample hypnobabies tracks. Can you post it again or PM me?
I just used Hypnobabies for my vbac homebirth and I will say I did really enjoy the cds. i found them very comforting and relaxing before labor. that being said, my baby turned posterior during labor and i ended up with excruciating back labor. if you end up with back labor, you will not be fixing the pain with the finger drop technique. i think it may have worked if i had a hypnosis practitioner present, but that wasnt an option for me.
I havent researched any of the other hypnosis methods, my friend and i both just decided to do the hypnobabies home study. but i think it is definitely super helpful prep work. not too helpful during labor though.
have an awesome homebirth!!!!
Did you by chance to the belly lift that Hypnobabies recommends for turning a posterior during your labor?
My first Hypnobabies baby was a back labor baby, too. I agree that I could not make the pain disappear with the finger drop -- but I did find that I was able to remain calm and, although I basically had one continuous contraction from 3:00 am until 2:30 pm when he was born, I was able to remain confident and as relaxed as possible. He was a high, posterior baby and I delivered him med-free and vaginally with relative ease and I completely credit Hypnobabies with helping me to do that.
My second baby was lined up much better and I can say I had very little discomfort and absolutely no pain during his birth. I later learned about the Belly Lift which is taught in the Hypnobabies live classes and I really wished I had used it during my first birth.
I read the hypnobirthing book and ended up going with hypnobabies. I loved the home study option. And the amount of tracks wasn't overwhelming at all. There is a very easy to follow plan for listening to them and I feel like each track built on the last.
I had back labor and had a very fast (felt that way but was 13 hrs) pain free birth. A lot of kneeling and counter pressure on my hips coupled with the deepening track and finger drop technique was all I needed. The thought of pain meds never entered my mind.
Now I couldn't even fathom having a baby without hypnobabies.
Congrats! And whatever you choose will help you obtain the birth you needed to have.
Anytime is good. I started mine at 17 weeks and thought it was a great time to start as I had LOTS of time to practice, compound .I felt really prepared. Some start around 6 months. It is a six week course and after that you do a maintenance schedule of your cds (rotating certain scripts with the deepening script every other day.) The pregnancy affirmations ROCK too!
Thanks!