How is hypnobabies different from other childbirth preparation courses?

I first encountered Hypnobabies in 2013 when I was pregnant with my second child. I felt out of control and unprepared during the birth of my first child, despite taking the childbirth course provided by my hospital. So this time around, I was on the hunt for something more comprehensive and reassuring. Hypnobabies promised not only more complete childbirth education, but also a more comfortable and peaceful birth. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I believed that second promise, but I was grasping at any opportunity to feel more in control for this second birth experience.

And let me tell you, Hypnobabies delivered! (No pun intended.) We covered all of the normal material in a childbirth preparation course, but much more in-depth than I had ever learned it. Stages of birth, exercise and nutrition, creating a birth plan and in-depth information on options and possible interventions, and comfort measures for me and for my husband to use during pregnancy and my birthing time. But on top of that, we learned self-hypnosis and practiced it in the hopes that I would be calm and have a peaceful birthing time. In Hypnobabies, we practice re-training our own minds to interpret the contractions of labor (though we call them “waves” and “birthing time” in Hypnobabies) as waves of tightening or pressure instead of the pain that we’re conditioned to expect. Hypnobabies teaches us to use hypnosis in such a way that we are completely awake, aware of our surroundings, able to walk, talk, make decisions and advocate for our care, even while we are deeply in hypnosis. We create “hypno-anesthesia” that we can direct around our own bodies with our minds, to wherever it’s needed. This anesthesia is medical-grade self-hypnosis, the same method used to help surgical and dental patients with allergies to pain medications. And we use daily affirmations to clear our fears and make room for more positive expectations. We learn that our bodies are servants of our minds.

I had my first birthing wave at 9 am on a Monday morning, just as I had envisioned in my Hypnobabies visualization practice. That first wave was questionable- I remember thinking, “Did I imagine that?” But it was quickly followed by three more waves. They were completely manageable, but very close together, and my hospital was an hour away. So, thankfully, my intuition urged me to call my husband who was working 30 minutes away. Right after that call, I engaged my hypnosis and I was able to get my daughter ready to go to my sister’s house between waves. During the waves, I focused on using my hypnosis tools to find comfort and stay centered and focused. My husband arrived home in record time, and by then it was clear that it was already time to head to my hospital. We drove immediately to my sister’s house, where I was able to work through one more wave, then take a minute or two to talk with my daughter, and enjoy that last moment when she had me all to herself. Then I centered myself again while my sister took my daughter’s hand and waved goodbye, and we headed straight to the hospital.

I’ve heard horror stories about spending birthing time in cars. I’ll admit, I was nervous about driving an hour to the hospital- until my birthing time began. But when the time came, I was in awe of how powerful my waves were, but how I was so in control and comfortable! I let go of my fears and just submitted to the waves. My eyes were closed the whole time so that I could focus, except at one point when I cracked on eye open to see where we were. My husband was speeding and it was distracting, so I let it go and closed my eyes again. As soon as I did, I had a realization- I couldn’t feel the seat beneath me! I felt as though I were floating a few inches above it. And then I realized, the combination of the air conditioning with the sunshine on my face had created the most comfortable air temperature I had experienced in my entire pregnancy! I smiled to myself and thought, “This is really working! I could easily do this for the entire day!” My brain perceived my waves as very tight, reassuring hugs! I assumed I had at least 6 or 7 more hours before I would meet my baby, and I was certain I could handle it.

We reached the hospital (again in record time, about 40 minutes) and I was able to advocate for myself as needed. I said no to a hospital gown and IV because they just didn’t appeal me at that moment. I told the nurse I needed to urinate, and my doula, who had met us at the hospital, escorted me to the bathroom. While I was sitting on the toilet, my water burst and my doula told me, “Your baby boy is crowning!” I had no idea that he’d been in my birth canal at all, but that does explain why I couldn’t walk from the car to the hospital! I hobbled over to the bed and crawled on, where my son easily slipped out and was caught by the doctor. I gave birth on hands and knees, exactly as I had visualized. He was born at 11:44 am, approximately two hours and 40ish minutes after my first easy wave. As soon as he was born, I thought to myself, “I did it! That was fun! I wish I could that again!”

Now, am I promising that you will have this experience if you use Hypnobabies to prepare for your birth? Nope! As we learn in Hypnobabies, every birth is unique, and your birth will take the shape of whatever is best for you and your baby. My own babies both had complications after birth (meconium aspiration) and after my first birth, I blamed myself unnecessarily for a long time. After my second child had the same complications, I realized that birth had been ideal for a meconium baby- a quick, peaceful birth with my water intact until the very last second. And I was grateful to know I had done everything in my power to bring him safely earthside. I have since had students and clients who used Hypnobabies and had to make some changes to their birth plans that they weren’t expecting. But they were fully informed and made deliberate choices with the most current information. They found peace in being in control and being informed. Hypnobabies isn’t a promise for a painless experience, but it is a promise for informed consumption of maternity care, peace of mind, and relative comfort and ease in childbirth. That’s why I love teaching Hypnobabies so much!

If you have any questions or want to learn more about what Hypnobabies can offer you, or if you’d like to suggest a topic for the next blog post, please get in touch with me! I would love to discuss your options with you!