Hypnobirthing courses give women a positive birth experience. This article discusses the hype surrounding hypnobirthing based on other women's' stories. Is hypnobirthing really worth it?
What Exactly Is Hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is a labor pain management method aimed at giving women a positive birth experience. Hospitals offer hypnobirthing courses, or you can use online hypnobirthing courses and free hypnobirthing resources available on the internet. However, you will only achieve the desired results through practice.
Hypnobirthing involves the following techniques:
- Breathing exercises.
- Mindfulness.
- Meditation.
- Visualization
These techniques help moms relax during labor for an easier childbirth. In addition to relaxation techniques, a hypnobirthing course will teach you about labor and delivery. Hypnobirthing tackles issues like:
- The anatomy of how childbirth happens. You will know what is happening to your body during labor.
- Your delivery choices before labor.
- The possible scenarios that you can expect in the delivery room.
- Demystifying common concerns that expectant moms have.
- Demystifying common myths surrounding childbirth.
Hypnobirthing empowers you and gives you the confidence you need to deliver your baby. A positive birth experience is not only useful for moms; research shows that birth experience influences the baby’s behavior. A gentle birth results in a calm baby, and a stressful birth leading to an unsettled baby. Hypnobirthing can be used along with pain relievers for the best childbirth experience. With pain aside, you can enjoy the warm and natural feeling of childbirth.
Here’s a peek at moms' thoughts from the Reddit community. “We had our first appointment with our birth team today, and it was pretty overwhelming overall, but one thing we are wondering about specifically is hypnobirthing," one mom shared. "It was offered as an optional class at our hospital, but it comes with an 18-hour class commitment and a $500 price tag. That seems like a lot. Has anyone here had success with it?” This is what hypnobirthing moms shared.
Hypnobirthing Alleviates Anxiety
“I found it to be really effective at managing the birthing process. I also found it to be hugely useful during pregnancy to alleviate anxiety and help me sleep - that alone was worth the cost of the home study course.” One mom commented.
She achieved the hypnobirthing results through an online hypnobirthing course. She says that diligence and repetition are key. She did pre-labor warm-ups every week and listened to hypnosis tracks offered as part of the course. When labor kicked in, she listened to one of her hypnosis tracks which made her sleep through most of her labor. She was having minute long contractions but seemed too calm that her doula could not believe she was already dilated 6 cm. Her relief through the contractions was the finger drop hypnosis technique. Her labor was not painless, but it was neither painful. It was more of an incredibly intense workout. She pushed her baby for only thirty minutes.
Hypnobirthing Empowers And Keeps You Calm
“I did almost none of the techniques during labor, but I still think it was worth feeling calm and empowered through the whole thing!” another mom said.
This woman did not pay for any hypnobirthing course, yet she delivered at home with no medical intervention. Instead, she used a hypnobirthing audiobook which listened to on repeat for months as she went to work. For months, she also did guided meditation each night and spent time in the places she wanted to deliver while setting her positive intentions. Although she used none of the hypnobirthing techniques, she was empowered, calm, and loved her homebirth.
Hypnobirthing Helped Me Through All My Births.
“I did it with my first and carried the practice with me through my other two births so far,” another Redditor and hypnobirthing mom shared. She loved the hypnobirthing course, especially the meditation practices, and used it in all of her births. Taking a hypnobirthing course could be a once in a lifetime investment because, like this woman, you may use the techniques in all your subsequent births.
Hypnobirthing Keeps Your Mind Focused In The Intense Moments.
“Not only did hypnobirthing increase my knowledge of the birthing process, but it also helped to focus my mind especially during the intense moments.” Sarah shared her positive birth experience powered by a hypnobirthing course on Wingingitmama. It is through hypnobirthing that Sarah’s thoughts of childbirth changed. What she once considered a painful and scary experience turned out to be a beautiful and natural experience. It was through the hypnobirthing course that she changed her mind and appreciated the beauty of childbirth.
Although this knowledge didn’t take away her nerves, she went into labor very optimistic and ready for delivery. During her contractions, she actively thought about the changes going on in her body, appreciating them and reminding herself that she was about to meet her baby boy. This is how hypnobirthing kept her mind focused on the process, rather than the pain. She managed to dilate 7cm using the power of her mind! To cope with the pain, she did the breathing exercises taught in her hypnobirthing course.
Hypnobirthing Helps You Choose The Birth You Want.
Tessa is a mother of three daughters, her first two daughters' births were marred with trauma and complications. Her two daughters were born late after an induced labor, and with forceps after hours of labor. These two labors scarred and harmed her physically (she developed bladder complications) and emotionally. So for her third pregnancy, she decided to try hypnobirthing. She wanted a calm birth, in a pool, and without the need for inducing; and that’s exactly what she got.
“Everything about this birth was totally different. It went as smoothly and comfortably as it possibly could have.” Tessa shared her positive birth experience with Hypnobirthingplace. She started her hypnobirthing sessions at 25 weeks pregnant. She practiced the techniques and listened to relaxation tracks in the evenings religiously. When labor kicked in she went to the hospital wearing her leopard printed scarf and lavender spray, which she had used during her hypnobirthing practice. She was armed for delivery. Unlike her previous births where she had no control and no idea how to breathe, this time she did. Even her husband James felt it. Unlike the previous births where he felt like an observer of a painful and terrible event, this time it was different. She was very calm and in control when she walked into the birth pool while fully dilated. Her baby girl, Dolly, was born 24 minutes later. Dolly is a calm baby, which Tessa says directly resulted from the calm birth experience
These stories speak volumes about why you should consider hypnobirthing with your baby's birth. But in summary, this is what hypnobirthing will help you achieve.
- A positive birth experience.
- A short and more controlled vaginal childbirth. You are also less likely to require medical intervention.
- You can confidently make critical decisions during delivery.
- When you take the course with your partner, you will have a very useful birth partner. He can give you tips during delivery, and even help you practice your hypnobirthing skills.
- It will relieve your stress and anxiety during pregnancy. This impacts your baby's brain development positively.
- You will deliver a calm and happy baby.
- You will not only carry your skills to subsequent pregnancies but also in parenting.
Is Hypnobirthing Worth The Price?
If you are looking for a solution to childbirth anxiety, hypnobirthing is worth a try. You will look back on your pregnancy and think as Tessa did, “I did so well!”
Sources: Reddit, Winging It Mama, The Hypnobirthing Place, The Happy Parents Club