Hypnobirthing?!

Designmamauk · April 2017

Has anyone been through a hypnobirthing experience before? I would love to hear experiences good and bad. Thinking of taking a class...but really on the fence.

shan24 · April 2017

I'm thinking about it, too, but using the hypnobabies system. There aren't classes near to me and hypnobabies has an at home study course.

natleilynn · April 2017

I had a friend who did it and said it helped, but wasn't a miracle solution or anything. She listened to CD's I think throughout her pregnancy (her kids are in middle school now) and said she was able to use some of the techniques, but she probably didn't submerse herself the way you're really supposed to.

jessafishy · April 2017

I did what I call half-assed Hypnobabies.

I did the self-paced home study and listened to the tracks almost every evening and every evening I fell asleep listening. I always woke up near the end of the track so maybe I really was under "hypnosis" and didn't realize it?

Either way, I handled labor much better than I anticipated. I had no epidural and just a few doses of fentanyl (which, btw, did nothing so I won't be doing that again). I really think if things go similarly this time around I can definitely do L&D with no meds.

Maksim's Mom · April 2017

I have no advice on hypnobirthing but I also labored without epidural or any other pain meds. For one reason only...I'm terrified of not having a feeling in my legs which is what you have with epidural. Mortified!

I cant say what got me through the 12 hours of agony but at some point I remember that I started this weird humming lol every contraction I would close my eyes and just hum. I don't know. It was weird lol but it helped to distract from pain.

melarowan · April 2017

Maksim's Mom said:

I have no advice on hypnobirthing but I also labored without epidural or any other pain meds. For one reason only...I'm terrified of not having a feeling in my legs which is what you have with epidural. Mortified!

Exactly! My legs hurt a lot ALL the time from a previous back injury, but I'd rather feel them than not.

hippiegirl884 · April 2017

I read a book on it last pregnancy but I was never fully committed. I did take bits and pieces and it seemed to help...I was induced (but they do it slightly different in Germany) and when I would have contractions I would visualize my cervix opening and would kinda chant ooooooppeeeeenn during a contraction. I would also try to visualize ocean waves during a contraction. It helped right until 5seconds before I actually gave birth and I was begging for drugs but the baby was already cominnout so I just had to commit lol!

natleilynn · April 2017

Maksim's Mom said:

I have no advice on hypnobirthing but I also labored without epidural or any other pain meds. For one reason only...I'm terrified of not having a feeling in my legs which is what you have with epidural. Mortified!

I cant say what got me through the 12 hours of agony but at some point I remember that I started this weird humming lol every contraction I would close my eyes and just hum. I don't know. It was weird lol but it helped to distract from pain.

Hey now, I could completely feel my legs and move them with an epidural! It actually felt glorious. They put on a warm blanket and these massaging sleeves on my legs. But I could move them the entire time I was in labor - but the labor pain was gone, I just felt pressure.

Boobopgirl · April 2017

I considered hypnobirthing for this baby but I think I might go with one of the yoga based methods instead. The whole idea of moving and positioning yourself mindfully through labor just makes a lot of sense to me.

Designmamauk · April 2017

@Boobopgirl I've never heard of the yoga based methods. Are their 'official' training styles or do you learn from a specialist yoga teacher?

I'm on the fence but will prob sign up for the course hearing that no one hated it, even if not fully committed. I had a not-so-great birth experience with DS1. Induced with PIH, took 70 hours till they broke my waters, then given epidurals to try to bring down blood pressure....three of them as first 2 didn't work. Already looking for ways to try and make this experience different.

emwj10187 · April 2017

I'm a FTM so have nothing to offer except that I plan on taking the Hypnobirthing class at my hospital. I'll update in a few months after i go.

Boobopgirl · April 2017

Designmamauk said:

@Boobopgirl I've never heard of the yoga based methods. Are their 'official' training styles or do you learn from a specialist yoga teacher?

I'm on the fence but will prob sign up for the course hearing that no one hated it, even if not fully committed. I had a not-so-great birth experience with DS1. Induced with PIH, took 70 hours till they broke my waters, then given epidurals to try to bring down blood pressure....three of them as first 2 didn't work. Already looking for ways to try and make this experience different.

There was a book I was looking at. Not sure if anyone does classes or anything. Your first labor sounds a lot like my first except my Dd had to be pulled out with forceps and on oxygen for awhile because her lungs didn't clear on the way out. My second was all natural and born in the bathtub at the birth center (not the plan, I was going ro get out for the birth, but I relaxed wo much in the water that she came really fast after I got in.)

Maksim's Mom · April 2017

@natleilynn seriously?? Maybe it's a person to person thing because somewhere I heard that you can't walk around or use the restroom with the epidural. And that legs are tingly. It freaks me out. I wish they could test it on my toe or something lol then I'll see if I want it

jessafishy · April 2017

@Maksim's Mom I think it might depend on how anesthesia affects each person. One of my good friends was basically numb from the neck down.

natleilynn · April 2017

@Maksim's Mom Seriously! I mean, I had a very quick labor/delivery for a FTM, so maybe that had something to do with it. But I asked for the epidural as soon as I walked into the hospital around 2:00pm, had DD around 7pm and was up and walking around by 10pm (with assistance, obviously). But I could feel everything, I could wiggle my toes and legs. They felt heavy and I wouldn't have wanted to go walking around. But I was worried about being completely numb, too, so I was pleasantly surprised to realize I was only numb from the pain.

Boobopgirl · April 2017

I was pretty numb for quite sometime and I DIDN'T like it. It depends on a lot of things (how well it's placed, amount and type of med they use, your body's reaction to it) Also some places will do what they call a "walking epidural" which is a much lower dose and you can still move around, but my hospital didn't do that.

Maksim's Mom · April 2017

Very interesting. Thanks everyone for describing how the epidural affected you differently. I guess it does depend on a few things. I will ask my dr about options for a walking epidural possibly.

PizzaMonster3 · April 2017

+1 thanks for epidural stories. I have the lowest pain tolerance known to man and have always assumed I'd elect to take all the drugs. But I had a very bad reaction coming out of anesthesia when I got my wisdom teeth out that maybe I should discuss with my OB more thoroughly...

Boobopgirl · April 2017

Pain management is a good thing to discuss ahead of time. When you're in the moment its so hard to think clearly about the options.

shan24 · April 2017

There is a walking epidural and a regular epidural. I'm not 100% sure of the difference, since my hospital didn't offer the walking epidural, but I'm assuming from the name that you can get get up and walk with it?

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