“You are getting sleeeeeepy…veddy, veddy, sleeeeeeeeepppeeeee….”
That’s what I think of when I hear the word “hypnosis”. I have never been hypnotized and, truth be told, the notion of it creeps me out a little bit: that you surrender control of your mind and open yourself up to the suggestions of the hypnotizer.
Have you heard of HypnoBirthing before? I was unfamiliar with the term until a couple years ago when a close friend of mine, who was pregnant at the time, took a class on HypnoBirthing and since claimed to have had a virtually pain-free childbirth experience.
The general premise of HypnoBirthing is that most of the pain associated with labour stems from the fear that is programmed into women regarding birth. We are told it’s humanity’s most painful plight, so we dread it and revere it with awe and fear, which in turn makes the body tense and constricted, thus making the pain even worse. So, if you remove the fear and go through labour in a complete state of relaxation, the pain should, theoretically, be removed from the equation.
I am a skeptic at heart, and normally would dismiss such ideas as kind of “out there” and best reserved for the dreadlocked hippies. But since my close friend had such a positive experience with HypnoBirthing, I asked her more about it during my last pregnancy. She gladly loaned me her books and relaxation CDs and I did the daily exercises I was supposed to. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there was no actual hypnosis involved, rather just deep relaxation techniques that were intended to help train your body to be soft and loose during delivery. I wanted it to work. I really, really did. But when I finally went into labour and was already finding the pain of the contractions to be overwhelming by the 3 cm mark, I flung those relaxation CDs across the hospital room and bellowed, “Epidural, PLEASE!”
I think that deep down I wasn’t convinced I could have a pain-free labour. And since I didn’t believe it was possible, it wasn’t.
My friend has gone on to become a doula and is passionate about HypnoBirthing. She is actually going to become a HypnoBirthing instructor and I know she’ll be great. She has told me many times that in order for it to work, you can’t doubt that it will. Which is something I just couldn’t get past. In fact, after I delivered Baby #2, I called up my friend at 11 o’clock at night and cried, “We had the baby! She’s beautiful! But HypnoBirthing is a CROCK!”
What do you think about HypnoBirthing? Do you think it’s possible to have a pain-free birth?
THANK YOU for your candid & honest response! Everyone I have talked to has said how wonderful it is because it’s natural and how I shouldn’t be getting my baby drugged up…yadayadayada… but I am BIG on getting a epidural. We have modern day medicine for a reason right? However I was looking into hypno-birthing more to help me relax than anything. Do you think it’s worth my time to try it just for that part? I’m not due until Nov & this is my first. I am incredibly skeptical when it comes to people telling me it’s mind over body. I don’t think I am a weak minded person, I just think they aren’t in as much pain as I am. Maybe I have ultra sensitive nerve receptors or something. Anyway. Thoughts?
We took hypnobirthing classes for our first (born 12/24/09) and I ended up with a posterior baby so pain free labor it was not.
However, hypnobirthing doesn’t promise a pain free labor, it just asks the question, “What if you could labor pain free?” The premise is to progress through labor comfortably and relaxed and to allow your body to do the work as a means to labor and deliver drug free.
That being said – I had a very long labor (see posterior baby above) and, while in the end I could not delivery my baby vaginally (she ended up in transverse arrest) I credit hypnobirthing for getting me through 48 hours of terrible back labor + labor with pitocin (no epi) + labor + pitocin + lying on my belly for an hour on each side trying to turn the baby… The affirmations I regularly listened to and the meditations I practiced I believe kept me confident that everything would be okay. I am actually rearing to go through labor again b/c I want a second shot at a vaginal, drug free birth. How many women do you know who can say that?!
I used HypnoBirthing with my 2nd birth and it helped me before the birth and a little during it, but I didn’t stay comfortable.
I used Hypnobabies with my 3rd birth and it had a lot more tools, CDs and actual medical grade hypnosis (the same depth dentists use for dental surgeries). I had CDs just for my birthing time. It was a totally different experience! I was comfortable and calm and enjoyed my birth.
So I know that hypnosis can be a powerful tool for birth, you just want to choose a program that has a lot of tools. I moderate the Hypnobabies Yahoo Group and have gathered over 250 birth stories and many birth videos of moms who have calm and comfortable births using Hypnobabies. http://www.pregnancybirthandbabies.com
I don’t think I could do Hypnobirthing. I like me an epidural WAY too much. And I’ve had 3 of them and never had a problem so I can’t see why I would choose to go without. I get that it is a bad experience for some people (the epidural) but for me it’s awesome. And I will be requesting one again the moment I arrive at the hospital!! And I don’t have any rediculous guilt about not experiencing the pain or doing it “naturally”.
All this being said, I quite enjoy your rants about weight and brownies and feeling uncomfortable in your skin while pregnant. I’m always giggling and thinking you are writing exactly how I feel most of the time!! 🙂
I was able to have two amazing and pretty much pain-free hospital births, with my second and third babies. No meds… I didn’t even want them. It’s totally mental and so, yes, I believe that you can totally have a pain-free birth.
I really have no idea…in my “Christian” circle, the term “hypno” anything can be looked down upon. But I can relate to the idea of focusing on the fact that while in labor, your body is doing it’s job to move the baby through the canal, rather than thinking “My goodness this hurts like he$$”. It can be a mental game for sure, and you need to think positively to help yourself get through it. I was stubborn enough to do my three all naturally, no doula or hypnosis involved…but plain ol’ positive thinking and a supportive hubby to squeeze the fingers off of.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with hypnosis. Sometimes it helps people in the process of conquering their fears or quitting their addiction. Can it help to relieve pain? sure, why not. Will it take away the pain of having your vagina ripped open by a baby 10x the size of it, only to get stuck and have the doctor cut you with scissors in the most sensitive part of your body? no chance in hell.
It’s mental, just like walking across hot coals. If you think it’s going to hurt, it is. As a homebirther, I think Hypnobirthing is a great concept. I’ve never done the classes but have heard great things about it.
It was nice to finally read a pregnancy blog from you that isn’t self-deprecating. It gets tiresome to read over and over again how fat and disgusting you think you are. Truly, it makes me sad for you.
My mom did hypnobirthing when she gave birth to me. When I was pregnant I asked her about it. I was surprised when she said it had nothing to do with hypnosis. Just focused thought, deep breathing and relaxation. I used it and even the nurses said they were impressed with how I handled the pain. No epidural, no gas and with oxytocin. That of course ended when I had to have an emergency c-section but until that point…For sure not pain free but pain manageable. And that’s all you can really ask for.
I have not read all of the above comments, but from what I have read I feel I must provide you with some feedback.
HypnoBirthing is very much”real” – it works wonderfully! It takes practice and more practice. I teach HB and my clients have had great success. How many moms do you know who fall asleep at 10 cm dilated? No one claims birth to be pain free, but it can be a relaxing, comfortable beautiful experience. My one last remark would be not to just read a book and listen to some cds – take the time to take a class and benefit from the knowledge of an instructor, it truly does make all the difference in the world.
I have had three births, the last one only a few weeks ago. And each time I have found information that has supported me to face my fears before birth, any niggling fear can bring a labour to a standstill. I have never got into hypnobirthing, I have always been supported by women friends and midwives to go into anything that is coming up, even past birth traumas so you can be free to be in the birth that you are about to experience. This last baby I found Ina May Gaskin’s work, she has two books and even if you don’t birth at home they are simply incredible. THere is also the movement of Orgasmic Birth, which most people would scoff at, but the image and gesture of kissing and being loving with your partner in labour helps everything progress rather quickly, IF you are truly relaxed and loving. A birth group that I went to, also mentioned having another woman there, a woman that has been through birth, in that moment can support you in what you are working with. They also said that no woman should give birth without seeing a real live birth, how much difference that makes to how we birth.
I was blessed to have had my last baby at home, with her two sisters, her dad, our midwife and a special friend to support the big sisters, it was amazing, it all started with a kiss and I was holding her 2 hours later, no tears, nicks, grazes, no swelling NOTHING, and it was a wonderful easy birth. A birth that was informed by lots of reading and talking, and sharing with friends and my husband.
Can I suggest another topic??? Perineum Massage???? Enough to make women and men alike cringe, but a sworn by technique and loving way to prepare for birth……
I used HypnoBabies (slightly different from HypnoBirthing) with my second baby. While not a pain FREE birth, certainly manageable. Using HypnoBabies allowed me to trust the process of birth more and chill the F… out. Certainly worth the time and money that I put into it.
I read the Hypnobabies book and practiced the relaxation techniques while pregnant.
Was it pain free? Not even close. But I think the relaxation techniques really helped me focus and get in the zone so to speak. I think it also made me more enjoyable to be around as I was not the classic right from the movies screaming woman in labor. Errr except during my very quick and painful 10 minutes of pushing phase where I told my husband and my doula to please help me because I was going to die.
You make me laugh. Out loud. Which is awkward when there are people around.
I know that friend of yours. 🙂 I also bellowed for an epidural after “trying” to do it “naturally”.
I’m also a skeptic, but am curious about the whole hypnobirthing thing, because that friend of yours (ours) is a smart cookie.
Well, since I am “that friend”, I obviously believe wholeheartedly in it.
That being said, hypnobirthing doesn’t promise “pain free”. It does provide a calmer, more relaxed state where pain (or what is perceived as pain) is more manageable.
I’ve been a doula for a few people who’ve done hypnobirthing and then births are unmistakeably different from those who didn’t go the Hypnobirting route. Not one of them were “pain free” but definitely were more managable, the room calm, the mom’s were not afraid and trusted their bodies.
In my mind, YAY FOR HYPNOBIRTHING! 🙂
I’m somewhere in between. I don’t think it’s a complete crock, but I AM skeptical of “pain-free” labor due to using a particular method. I read a hypnobirthing book that came with a CD while pregnant with my 2nd.
While I definitely DID feel pain, I also know that I greatly benefited from the relaxation techniques. I had such a frantic experience with my 1st (I have fast labors and was totally not ready for the intensity!), and I really believe that my tension/fear during my 1st labor made the pain even worse. Cue epidural.
With my 2nd, it was painful. But I was calm, at least mostly. Well, till I got towards the end– ha. But I did it drug free (I had a midwife deliver in the hospital, also had a fabulous doula) and I have absolutely zero regrets. I know it’s not for everyone, but it was pretty much the most incredible physical experience that I’ve had.
I took a Hypnobirthing course, was pretty disciplined in practicing relaxation and delivered my baby (1 year today!) without any medication. I didn’t go to the hospital until I was 6 cm and I was so calm even that far along that my doula actually encouraged me to continue laboring at home longer as she assumed I was only at a few cm dilated.
For me, though, labor and birthing (esp pushing, good god) did hurt. And I wasn’t calm and serene during labor – I did moan loudly through contractions. But in between them I was really focused and determined and, I suppose you could say, deeply relaxed. So it wasn’t textbook Hypnobirthing, but pretty close. I still don’t know if I fully buy into the idea of a pain-free birth and there are aspects of Hypnobirthing that really irritate me. But! I do believe that there can be good, productive pain (think exercise or yoga poses) and that is how I approached it.
PS – I’ve heard great things about Hypnobabies and plan to use that technique for future babies.