Local resources for natural childbirth prep

rubride

I went natural with my first child and intend to go natural with the second. My first birth experience was great...very fast and no time for any epi, but I'd like to be better prepared for #2 now that I know what the overall L&D experience is like. However, not sure what technique I'd like to try (Hypnobirth, Bradley, etc). Any recs for a method that worked for you, or local classes/resources that helped you prepare?

TIA

tomandcourt

We loved BirthWorks, which teaches methods for dealing with pain naturally and how to avoid interventions. We saw Susan Messina and she was great. I think other nesties have used her as well.

There's a nestie on this board, LindseyJW, who teaches hypnobirthing and can provide some resources on that.

LindseyJW

Normal 0

thanks tomandcourt!

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i am a HypnoBirth practitioner (in old town, Alexandria) and would be happy to answer any questions you have about this class. feel free to ask here, PM me or email me at Lindsey AT sunflowershealingandwellness DOT com.

there is also a resident Bradley instructor (AJM796), who may chime in as well. 

i took Bradley with my first baby. the class is much longer (12 weeks) than the HypnoBirthing class (5 weeks), which gave students an opportunity to bond. we were all having our first babies, so we had an organic network and "moms" group when we birthed. we are all still in touch. the class was a great education in natural childbirth and prenatal experience for my husband. it also got him on board with natural birth (and our planned homebirth, though that was not the focus of the class). however, i had done a significant amount of research already and didn't find that i learned a lot of academic information. we learned about nutrition, exercise, and physiological changes during labor. we learned positions and practiced some relaxation exercises.

during labor, i found that the relaxation exercises were not as effective as I?d hoped. the intensity of my labor was not matched by the techniques we learned in class.

i took HypnoBirthing with my second baby. the students did not bond as in the Bradley class (partly teacher experience, partly class time, partly personalities). HypnoBirthing?s philosophy has one basic principle: removing fear and tension from the birth experience can lead to an easier, comfortable, pain-free birth. everything you learn in class supports this principle. the class also teaches nutrition, exercise, prenatal bonding with baby and with your birth companion, what to do about special circumstances, physiological changes during pregnancy and the various stages of labor, how to select a care provider and birth setting and much more.

it also goes into a history of childbirth, beginning with a period when women were revered for laboring and bringing babies into the world through a time when it was taboo to assist a woman in labor (this is where a sense of fear in childbirth originated). the class de-hypnotizes students about the mainstream view of pregnancy and childbirth, and installs instead a healthy and unassuming view that without fear and tension, childbirth can be an easy, comfortable and enjoyable experience. to this end, the class teaches several extremely powerful and effective techniques combining breathing with imagery, which together help families have enjoyable, comfortable, safe and happy experiences. The 4 techniques are: breathing, relaxation, deepeners, and visualization. though described in the book (HypnoBirthing: The Marie Mongan Method), these techniques are best taught in class.

the biggest element of the HypnoBirthing class is an emotion release, which is done in the third class. HypnoBirthing has been shown to reduce the length of labor (including the length of the birthing phase), reduce tearing and the need for an episiotomy, significantly reduce the need for a c/s, reduce the incidence of malpositioned babies, and moms who HypnoBirthed after other methods often say it was a superior method. Care providers of a HypnoBirthing mom often say it was the easiest birth they ever attended, since they didn't have to do anything.

you can visit my website (link in my siggie) for more info on HypnoBirthing, or you can just google HypnoBirthing and see a course curriculum. 

 

 

pixieprincss

We did Bradley. It is a very detailed course. so I'd be curious how many second-time parents have time to go to the weekly classes for 12 weeks. That said, they do make for some great date nights and we had a great time. It also was WAY better than the Bradley books. Sometimes-Nestie Jenair was our instructor.