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Natural Birth
KatFCo
member
Hypnobabies/hypnobirthing: is it REALLY pain-free?
KatFCo
member
I'll be 35 weeks along on Wednesday and have really wanted a natural childbirth, so I've been trying to use hypnobabies to prepare. They claim it can be pain-free, and a friend of mine backs it up.
Yesterday I was talking to a very good friend whose baby turned 1 last week and did hypnobabies. I attended her birth so I could see she was in quite a bit of discomfort, but at the time she chalked it up to the fact that she had to have pitocin, had back labor and the baby was turned badly. Now, however, she says, "well, yeah, it hurts." I have another friend who used the Bradley method twice and told me "anyone who says it doesn't hurt is lying."
I'm trying not to psyche myself out, because I know how important it is to go into it with a positive attitude. But with my friends in the medical community thinking I'm crazy (one friend is a dr. other is a nurse) and DH being dragged into it whether he likes it or not, I'd really rather not come out on the other side with them saying "I told you so."
What were your experiences? If it was mostly pain-free, how do you think you did it? TIA
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Re: Hypnobabies/hypnobirthing: is it REALLY pain-free?
I've not been through the experience yet, but I think it's more of a mind-set than anything - do you interpret it as 'painful' or do you interpret it as discomfort associated with a natural process that you are going into knowingly and confidently?
I think of it this way - some people enjoy some level of 'pain' during sex (nipple pinching, or whatever, sorry, TMI). Is it painful? Yeah I guess it is technically, but you can choose to interpret that pain in a positive rather than a negative way.
I have had quite a few tattoos - is the process painful? Yeah I guess it is, but I enjoyed the overall process and came out of it feeling good about it. I think it's similar. My inexperienced 2 cents!
BFP#1 1/31/12, EDD 10/6/12 Harrison Gray born sleeping @ 18w6d. You changed our lives little guy.
BFP#2 EDD 10/29/13, C/P 2/25/13, Bye little Ish, we barely got to know you.
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January PAL Siggy Challenge: Good Advice
Hindsight in childbirth is revisionist. Looking back it easy to say something along the lines of 'it wasn't so bad'. And it is true I cannot actually remember the sensation of the pain of giving birth (as a comparison, I can easily conjure the feeling of breaking my leg more than 20 years ago).
I do remember thinking to myself (during transition) that I was in an unreasonable amount of pain.
Don't do yourself the disservice of expecting a pain-free labour and delivery. Pain is part of life. It's just there. You will manage it. And then you will forget about it.
Agreed. I've never done Hypnobirth or Hypnobabies, but I would expect it to be more about learning to deal with the pain than to make the pain disappear entirely.
Also, to be honest, if you're just doing it at home on your own it may not be as effective as they 'promise'. Like I said, I've not done it personally, but I've heard that to truly get the most out of it you should attend the class with the instructor and listen to the cds and practice your affirmations (or whatever they're called) a lot! The women who claim it's pain free may in fact be in a truly hypnotic-type state, and not just closing their eyes, breathing, and listening to the cds, kwim?
Anyway, like PP said, yes it's painful, but it's accepting that pain and working with it as a part of the natural and powerful process of childbirth.
i have had a Bradley birth and a HypnoBirthing.
my Bradley birth hurt like $hit and i thought my insides were being ripped out of me. my HypnoBirthing was way better. for a while, i thought, this must just be a different labor, different baby, different positioning, etc.
then i tried a little experiment. i stopped using my HypnoBirthing techniques and went to what i was doing in my Bradley birth.
i did that for exactly ONE SURGE and never again. right back to the insides being ripped apart feeling. it really was the HypnoBirthing techniques that made a difference.
i share this story with my students - i teach HypnoBirthing now! go ahead and try it yourself, it will give you that confidence you need to keep on doing what you are doing. there is a reason you are doing it!
Okay, DS is sleeping now. Here are my experiences.
I did Hypnobabies but wasn't the greatest practitioner -- I usually fell asleep! With my first, labor started with 36 hrs. of prodromal labor. By the end, I was handling the contractions well but they were definitely painful. I got to the hospital and I was only 4cm. Since I was 41w6d and scheduled to be induced the next morning, they started me on pitocin. The contractions were rough -- more painful, longer and little to no rest in between. I was exhausted at that point and just gave up and got the epi. I was not disappointed; it just felt like the right thing to do at the time. It took another 12 hrs. to dilate fully. I do not think I could have done it without the epi because it allowed me to sleep and DS was 8 lbs 15 oz and took 2 1/2 hrs to push out.
The second time around, I had 0 progress at 40w but my water broke early the next morning. I went in for monitoring but since I wasn't in active labor, was given the chance to go home. I went home and all day long, just felt like I was constipated. In retrospect, I was having back labor! Unlike what so many people say, to me it wasn't bad at all. Then, later that even, my water really broke and the contractions intensified. When I got to the hospital, I was 8cm and DS was born 45 minutes later. The hardest part was not giving in to the urge to push before I was fully dilated. Also, the midwife had me pushing between contractions so she could turn DS the right way (she was successful). It was scary and felt out of control. But DH is a family medicine doc who does OB and said my labor was pretty typical for a natural birth.
I think this my really long way of saying that everyone's experiences are different. I had the dreaded back labor and it was easier than my 36 hrs of prodromal labor with my first. I believe there are some women who can really get into the zone and manage to have those wonderful endorphins coursing through their veins during labor and delivery. I think they are few and far between. The rest of us make it through regardless.
I practiced hypnobirthing at home with the Mongan book, no classes. I had a great labor, most of it at home. The whole time I was at home I would say I was pain-free. I had intensity, but not like "owww" pain. It is a hard thing to describe. I was very calm, very quiet, and very serene with myself. In fact, I didn't want to go to the hospital because I was waiting until I "couldn't stand it" anymore--thank goodness I had to leave the house for MD appointment or I don't think we would have gotten to the hospital because the true pain came moments before she was born. I did however have a NST already scheduled and had to go to the appointment (the nurse at the MD's and my MIL who was at the house with DD didn't think I was in active labor because I was so calm). I did have pain in the car and while on the monitor because I couldn't do my thing and had to be still. It was harder for me to focus on my breathing out of my comfort zone of the house. I left the MD's office at 6cm and then again would say I had an intensity and pain until DD was born, but that was only an hour later.
Honestly, I would say take time to get to know yourself and your response to different sensations. I know that when I hurt, I am ok if I can keep my breathing calm, my mind distracted, and not let myself get to the wound-up place. If I go there, I experience a lot more pain and can't regain control of myself and let myself really "feel the pain". This is why hypnobirthing worked for me. This all sounds very vague I'm sure, but it's hard to put into words. I guess my best advice is to try to let go of fear of the pain and just try to let yourself handle the sensations as they come without defining it.
I haven't given birth yet, but have started the Hypnobabies home study course. I've also talked to others who have used Hypnobabies to find out their experiences. The biggest takeaway has been that "you get what you put into it". People who don't take it seriously, don't dedicate the time to practicing, don't use it consistently throughout labor, tend to not get as much benefit out of it.
Also, while some women have reported a "pain free" birth, I wouldn't go in expecting that. If you need a "pain free" birth, then a natural birth may not be in your best interests. However, from my research and anecdotal gatherings, it seems that most women felt that Hypnobabies at least helped reduce the pain, and made it more manageable.
Mama's Clone - 07/18/12
I have to agree with PP and say you have to prepare for some pain. Everyone's labor is different but most women are going to experience some pain (especially during transition).
I did Hypnobabies with my DD and fully intend on using it again. I definitely felt pain but doing the relaxation techniques the pain was completely manageable until transition for me (when they broke my water). I'm not going to lie. Transition was the worse pain I've ever had in my life but at the same time everything was always manageable because I made it through med-free. I knew my body knew what to do and used Hypnobabies to relax through it!
I actually had prodromal labor for 3 days leading up to it so I made it through despite having very little sleep as well. The night I finally gave in and went to the hospital I had been having contractions for a few days already so I thought I was going to be sent home so I hadn't bothered to try my hypnobabies relaxation yet and wish I had! As soon as I was admitted and had my mp3 player going the pain became much more manageable and I dilated really quickly because I was able to relax so well.
There is pain (at least there was for me) but it is manageable so as long as you trust yourself and follow the techniques you have been practicing you can definitely do it
I plan on doing it again with my second!
This sounds like good advice to me.
You know, I think my Hypnobirthing instructor said it best: She said that you are going to feel something, your job is to reassign it in your mind, so feel it as pressure, tightening, energy, etc.
So that's what I did, I chose to feel it as tightening, there were points where it felt hard to breath the surges were so tight and I remember sometimes saying in my head, "loosen, loosen, loosen." But I can honestly say that the surges, while intense and requiring all of my focus were never painful. The only part I would label as true pain (sorry I know I'm not supposed to use that word) was the last 3 pushes where I felt the 'ring of fire' and when DD's shoulder got caught and I tore but even then I just gasped, I never lost control.
I know some people would say I've forgotten, but I guess my argument to them would be if it was so bad then why didn't I start pushing when I was fully dilated? I was told I could start pushing, but decided to 'labor baby down' for 1.5 + hours, I just was too comfortable lying in the tub to get out and didn't want to waste my energy pushing.
I think what made my experience so manageable was staying focused. I know some people like to distract themselves by playing cards, talking, etc. As much as I could I just stayed in my quiet, safe place. Even in the beginning when surges were not as intense I still used that time to rest and focused inward.
You can do it mama, I know you can! Just keep telling yourself, "Every surge of my body brings my baby closer to me." It won't be long before your sweet baby is safe in your arms.
Thanks everyone! It's good to know, even if it does hurt, it's not because I've somehow "failed" in the method or something.
I had a hypnobirth with DS that was amazing and wonderful and everything we hoped it would be. I never expected it to be pain free--just told myself that would be a bonus.
I definitely would not describe it as pain free, but it was also a manageable level of intense-ness, not a sharp, I'm dying sort of pain, if that makes sense. I never yelled, never screamed, and in fact, slept between most of my contractions.
I took a Bradley class and read a lot about hypnobirthing. I also borrowed the Hypnobabies CDs from a friend. I listened to the affirmation CD religiously for the last 2-3 months and I credit it with helping me find the right mindset to have the birth I did. I am a firm believer that the whole birthing process is largely a mental game. If you believe you can, you will, if you doubt yourself, you might not.
My water broke at 1 in the morning. After telling DH to call our midwife (we were to deliver in a birthing center), I went back to bed and focused on relaxing every single muscle I could. My face was the big one. If I relaxed my face, the rest followed suite and I found myself sailing through contractions. It wasn't pain. Like the pps have said, it was intense pressure. At that point. the only "pain" I had started when we had to leave the house and make the 50 min drive to the birthing center. Going through transition in the car is no fun. Being unable to relax, lay down, and focus on letting my body do the work is what brought the pain on. After we got to the BC, I was ready to push pretty quickly. Did it hurt? It was VERY hard work. I remember saying (only once!) "This hurts!" and I immediately regretted it. It's caught on tape now forever, but it wasn't really what I wanted to say.
Listen to your body. Let it do the work. Relax your face. It's not going to be pain free, but it will be completely worth it.
I do credit Hypnobirthing my 6 hour labor, btw. Water broke at 1:10, contractions started 15 minutes later, got to the BC a little after 6:00 and DS was born at 7:20 (after 40 min of pushing).
Listen up natural mama! I did hypnobabies with my birth and it sure does work! My labor was only 7.5 hours long and my husband and midwife just sat there and watched me. I didn't even wake my husband up until my birthing waves were 2min apart. It felt like a slight tingle in my back and some pressure during pushing. On a scale of 1-10 i would say my "pain" was at a 3. It was an amazing experience! I tell everyone I know about hypnobabies because more women should enjoy bringing their babies into the world! Protect your mind against what other people try to tell you. It isn't fair to those who haven't had their experience yet to already be convinced that it will be bad. I would stop asking people who you know have had a bad experience and only fill your mind with positive birth stories. I watched a ton of hypnobabies birth videos, read a ton hypnobabies birth stories and blocked out all the rest. Use your fear clearing cd, and bubble of peace. Those were the most beneficial to me. You can do it! Good luck!
Hi!
I used Hypnobabies for the birth of my first son and will be using it again. I personally had a totally discomfort free birth. It was very intense but never uncomfortable. If you keep asking people about their birth experiences of course you are going to get all kinds of answers. Birth is not discomfort free for everyone and not everyone uses Hypnobabies. Not everyone who uses Hypnobabies makes the choice to use their tools or maybe they are not fully dedicated to the program. People who gave birth using other methods can only speak to their experience with that method, so don't even read their responses! It's like comparing apples to Oranges! I've also heard stories from Hypno-moms who had much better second birth experiences because they realized that the first time around they hadn't dedicated themselves as much as they could have.
I say this lovingly, the fact that you even posted this leads me think that you have not yet made the choice to fully dedicate yourself to Hypnobabies. It is a choice. One of the reasons it is so wonderful to take a group class is because you are able to talk to your fellow students and instructor about your concerns and not others who do not fully understand or support what you are trying to do. If you are looking for someone to tell you that birth is painful there are hundreds of women who will tell you that it was for them. There are also hundreds of women who have used Hypnobabies who will tell you that they had an amazing birth experience. Look up the Hypnobabies wordpress blog and spend your energy reading stories that will empower you rather than going on forums like this. I was addicted to the blog stories when I was studying Hypnobabies and I followed my instructors advice and I didn't indulge any conversation about birth with anyone who was not 100% on board with what I was doing.
I can tell you first hand that it is possible to have a discomfort free birth. It is up to each individual to set themselves up for the greatest level of success by fully diving into the Hypnobabies program. I want you to have the greatest experience possible and I'm concerned about you! Use your bubble of peace and quit talking to others who don't understand what you are doing.
Fill yourself up with the good and leave out all of the bad! You're going to do great, just practice every single day and be confident that it will work for you!
Wishing you the very best!!!
*lurker*
I have used Hypnobabies twice and have been really happy with my birth experiences with it (I also had one birth with an epidural). I may have had some discomfort, but I am positive that my births were *significantly* easier and more comfortable than they would have been without it. Actively using the Hypnobabies tools made my birthing so much easier. In one of the births, there was one moment where I lost focus because I got scared, but as soon as I focused more on using Hypnobabies, it got easier again. In the other birth, I had irregular pressure waves for 34 hours before active birthing started, and I slept between waves for part of that time, and being woken up in the middle of a wave made it harder to use the techniques, and those were much more uncomfortable than the ones where I was awake and able to really focus through the whole thing. There was a significant difference in how it felt when I used the Hypnobabies tools.
Also, I feel a need to remind you of something that is in the letter from the Founder/Director of Hypnobabies that begins on page 8 of the Hypnobabies workbook. On the last page of that letter, there is an explanation that Hypnobabies does not promise a pain-free birth. A majority of moms who use Hypnobabies describe their births as comfortable or mostly comfortable, and SOME say it was "pain-free." I think it is really important for moms not to feel like it "didn't work" or worse, like they didn't "do it right" if they don't feel like they can honestly describe their birth as "pain-free." If it helps you in any way to enjoy your baby's birth, then I call that a success!
There was a great discussion recently on the Hypnobabies (Official) Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Hypnobabies?ref=ts) that a lot of people responded to about being worried that it won't work. Scroll down to where it says: In a comment to the post below ~ "I just hope I can do Hypnobabies when my time comes...I think my previous 2 awful births are still in my mind. Any [moms] skeptical of [hypnosis] themselves, and then found it still worked?"
I agree with what a lot of other posters have said about it being intense, and about it being your choice as to how you perceive the sensations that your body is experiencing.
I did an Ironman triathlon prior to getting pregnant with DD, and I compare that experience to labor all the time. Ironman was definitely intense, and I did experience discomfort at times. I wouldn't ever confuse the sensations my body experienced during that race with the sensations my body experiences sitting on the couch watching TV. But I also wouldn't say it "hurt," really. I perceived it as the power of my amazing body, doing its thing.
Labor was the same way.
Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)
Hi,
It is true that everyone's experience is different. It is also true that some women experience no discomfort or pain during birth. A third truth is that many more women report comfortable births when they prepare using Hypnobabies. Bottom line, Hypnobabies has a very good track record of helping women have the most comfortable births possible for them.
I've had two natural births - the first I took a Bradley course. The second I used the Hypnobabies homestudy course. They were both amazing experiences and both had very intense moments. I would not say either were "pain free." But they were both empowering and life changing and I would not have changed a thing about either of them. The most AMAZING thing was that for my first I imagined a long, drawn out labor and for my second I focused on fast and easy - guess what? For each one I got exactly what I focused on.
Our mind are much more powerful than we often give them credit for. Listen to the women who had good experiences and who are telling you to fill your mind with powerful, positive thoughts and stories. It is the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby. Hypnobabies is the best for helping you prepare for your best birth.
Good luck!
Susan
I can say the exact same thing, and I didn't practice any method.
Honestly, I didn't want to spend the money or the time on that kind of preparation... and I had an excellent, calm birth. It hurt a times, but I never felt out of control or overly stressed. I never yelled or screamed. I was very focused and calm.
I think you just have to know yourself and what you think will help YOU the most.
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I used Hypnobabies for my first birth and know a lot of woman who have used Hypnobabies for their births. I think that the most important thing to remember that the goal is to have the easiest, most comfortable birth possible for you (and for many women that will be pain free). My birth was uncomfortable however I was very calm, happy and focused throughout the whole time, all my tools and knowledge really helped with this. I am using Hypnobabies again as I prepare for this baby's upcoming birth in June.
I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of women who have had pain free births and it is very inspiring. As well as the entire spectrum of different levels of comfort too. As a doula all my Hypnobabies clients had really great, beautiful births. Seeing and hearing first hand I can tell you that the "anyone who says it doesn't hurt is lying" statement is definitely a false one. There are lots of women who have pain free births without hypnosis too.
I would go onto the Hypnobabies blog (www.HypnobabiesBlog.org) or this site (https://pregnancybirthandbabies.com/) and read lots of positive stories written by women who have used Hypnobabies to really help boost your confidence about comfort in your birthing time. You've taken the course, practiced your tools and they will be there for you in the way you need them most in your birthing time.
I totally understand where you are coming from. So many women talk about how painful childbirth is. It's hard to not be skeptical!
But yes! For some women, it can be pain free. Hypnobabies doesn't promise a pain free birth, but says it is possible. If it's not pain free though, you can guarentee that you will have a much more easy and comfortable birth. You'll also be very educated.
My first 2 births, I had pitocin. Ouch. My third, I found Hypnobabies and I practiced and prepared. It was night and day different. It was amazing! I was sooo comfortable. As for the pain? Labor was not painful. It was extremely intense, but I was shocked that not even once did I consider a drug to help me. I didn't need. It. I felt a little bit of discomfort at the very end. Maybe 5 minutes? So... 5 minutes out of a 22 hour labor. Yes, please. You can do it! It's amazing.
I know you've already gotten a lot of replies but I just wanted to put in a little plug for Hypnobabies, and rephrase what some of the other posters have said. I do think Hypnobabies is superior to general hypnobirthing and superior to Bradley Method and I'll tell you why: Hypnobabies takes the best of Bradley and expands upon it. It leaves no stone unturned. For every logical fear there is a suggestion given, that if accepted, will change your perception and interpretation, which changes your experience for the better.
I think there are two things to understand about hypno-birthing: first is releasing that fear-tension-pain cycle which a previous poster was able to accomplish using the Bradley Method. For me it was just so much easier to release that by using the suggestions given in Hypnobabies. And secondly (and I cannot stress this enough), you just have to choose to use the tools given to you in Hypnobabies. It's completely within your power to do so, and so to me the question is not does hypnobirthing work, but rather does it work for a person who chooses to believe it will work for them, and then the answer becomes a resounding yes. So to go in expecting pain, you are going to experience pain. To go in expecting Hypnobabies will work for you, you are likely going to have a much more pleasant experience.