hypnobabies home study course

Remember back in this post I talked about natural child birth and using hypnobabies. I also said I would update on the progress of using the home study course. This will be my update / review on the course so far. I have so far completed weeks 1-3 out of 5 total.


Hypnobabies is a complete study course and can be worked through in your own home. It comes with multiple CD's containing many different hypnosis tracks. There's commitment on your part - you need to find the time to listen to your assigned tracks daily (one each day; what you listen to varies with what week of the course you're in). There's also a pregnancy affirmations track you can listen to as you work around the house, drive, exercise, or as you're drifting off to sleep at night. I actually loved the affirmation track. It was an easy listen since I could pop it in when ever I wanted ( mainly driving).

Let me start with the only issue I have with hypnobabies. The name! I think the thought of hypnosis or self hypnosis turns people off immediately. When people think of hypnosis they think of people clucking around like chickens and having no recollection of doing so. This is not what hypnobabies is! Hypnobabies uses the power of suggestion and positive thinking to put you in a deep meditative and relaxed state. During my use of hypnobabies I am completely aware of what is going on with me and my surroundings. I guess this is why they call it eyes open hypnosis. Also, because you are so aware of your body sometimes I find my self thinking "this is not working". Some of the scripts I have a hard time feeling relaxed and cannot wait for the 30 mins to be over with. Over time, I came to realize that the previous hypnosis I had done was "lighter" and more like guided relaxation, so it didn't have the same effect on my subconscious mind that Hypnobabies does. So I didn't react strongly by fidgeting, etc during those previous scripts because they weren't as effective at getting into my subconscious, not because it worked better!

Here are a few tips when using hypnobabies:

1. Even when you feel fidgety, continue the session. Just move as you need to move, (with your lightswitch in the center or on, when you reach that part) without judging how much you are getting out of it.  
2. If you're having trouble focusing and find that you're missing most of what is said because of your fidgeting or wandering mind, stay calm. Look at each word individually, rather than entire thoughts. That focus helps keep your conscious mind active and gives it something to do, so it doesn't run off as often. While it's thinking about each word, your subconscious mind is actually absorbing the meaning and learning the lessons being offered. And if your conscious mind does run off again, just bring it back and return to thinking of each word as you hear it. I often find that I am asking myself questions. I simply respond by saying " i don't know" it really helps to settle the mind and bring it back to where it needs to be.
3. Move on to the next week as suggested. Most people find that they respond differently to different scripts, so you may find that things go much differently now. I also sometimes go back to scripts that I had issues with if i have free time. 
4. Be patient. Your subconscious is learning new skills, and it will take time. 

Your First Week

During the first week of Hypnobabies you learn more about what hypnosis is and what hypnosis for childbirth is.  Hypnobabies presents hypnosis scripts that walk you into a state of deep relaxation. Your body is comfortable and relaxed and your mind is open to the Hypnobabies suggestions. However, you remain in control and can bring yourself out of this deeply relaxed and open state at any time. The course covers this in detail and each CD track reminds you of these facts.

You also learn just how powerful words are. This is a great part of the course - it's very true. Hypnobabies asks you to change some of the language surrounding pregnancy and birth. One of the biggest examples of this is the word "labor." When it's time for your baby to come you don't go into labor - you enter your birthing time. The Hypnobabies course says "[l]abor is hard work and your Birthing Time is not; it is easy and joyful." There are several other terms that you'll replace with more positive words as you work through Hypnobabies ( contractions = pressure waves).  The changing of words to more positive ones makes a ton of since. The more positively you look at something the more easier and open you are to it.

The power of your mind is outlined and emphasized in the first week. You'll learn just how much your mind can influence what manifests physically in your body (and birth). And you'll learn how practicing and affirmations can really help you to program your mind - and thus your body - for a good birth.

You also learn some of the anatomy of your uterus and you begin your first hypnosis scripts and tools. The "Bubble of Peace" and "Special Place" you get in the first week.

The Second Week

You're introduced to solid principles of good pregnancy nutrition during the second week of Hypnobabies. The advice is based on the work of the late Dr. Thomas Brewer. It's good information that'll keep you and your baby healthy (the nutrition articles on this site are based in part of Dr. Brewer's recommendations!)

A protein chart and nutrition log are provided to help you ensure you're getting all that you and baby need. There are also several helpful articles about other nutrition issues such as salt intake, calcium supplementation, and toxic substances you should avoid. I wish I would have had this guide earlier in pregnancy.

This week covers common pregnancy discomforts, sleeping positions, and some basic pregnancy exercises (including important exercises such as the pelvic rock and kegels.) The week rounds out with a good description of the stages of birth.

You also go more in-depth into hypnosis, learning some new tools and listening to two new tracks. One of the tracks begins by letting your get yourself down into hypnosis using a new technique (the "finger-drop" technique). It's good practice.

 A little info on the finger-drop technique.

All you need to do is do the fingerdrop. There is nothing to "get". You are training your subconscious mind to enter a deep state of hypnosis when you use the technique. There is no reason to believe that you will experience anything that indicates you are in hypnosis when you do it.  As long as you are listening to your scipts in the order detailed in the workbook and practicing your finger-drops, you are doing it correctly, and your subconscious mind is learning what it needs to know. It truly is that easy. f you are dropping your finger and turning your lightswitch off, you are doing it correctly, no matter how you feel while doing it. It will most likely improve over time, until you at least feel very relaxed when you do it. But even if you don't feel that, you are still doing it correctly, and it is still working.

The Third Week

 This week is a good week because it covers interventions in birth and how one intervention can lead to another (the "cascade of interventions" or the "Domino effect") There is good coverage of the most common procedures as well as risks and benefits of each.
You'll also learn about informed consent and creating a birth plan in this week - Hypnobabies emphasizes birth plans strongly. A nice thing about the course is it gives a lot of guidance on working with your hospital and care providers (doctors and nurses) to have the kind of birth you want. If you're planning a natural hospital birth Hypnobabies will provide you a lot of advice on talking to your care team.
One new track is introduced in week three. You use it along with the "Deepening" script you began in week 2. The new track helps you learn to create anesthesia in specific parts of your body. It's a good lesson. For some reason, however that particular track was hard for me to listen though and I was glad to be done with it!
You'll learn a new technique too - Eyes Open Hypnosis - which is very helpful in preparing for your birth.


So far I have really enjoyed doing hypnobabies. It's about 30 min in my day that I get to unwind and relax. Sometimes It can be tough and I find myself questioning how this will work during childbirth or if it will at all.  I just have to remind myself that whether I feel like it is working or not my subconscious is being programmed to do what it needs to do when I am in childbirth. The whole positive thinking can be hard sometimes. I think as human beings it is alot easier for us to go to the negative and question things. I will do another review once I finish the next three weeks.

I thought I would leave you with two videos of a hypnobabies births. The first one explains the process as she is going through it. The second if you actually go to you tube and look at the description you explains what is going on in the video. You can also hear the scripts playing in the background. This one is my favorite! I like how after she gives birth how with it and in the moment she is.

 

 

Natural child birth and Hypnobabies

As I wrote about in one of my other post I have decided to try a natural birth. There are so many different birthing classes ( lamaze, the bradley method, etc. ) to choose from. After doing some research I have decided on hypnobabies. It uses tactics that I already believe work. Like relaxing the mind and body. As well as using positive thinking to navigate situations.

So what in the world is Hypnobabies?

It’s a childbirth preparation course designed based on the philosophy that childbirth is a normal, natural event. It does NOT have to be agonizing. Rather, we associate pain with childbirth because we’re surrounded by a culture that insists childbirth is a scary, painful time that requires being rescued by epidurals and modern medicine just to survive it.
It doesn’t have to be that way! Pregnant moms shouldn’t be afraid of their baby’s birth. This course helps de-program the mother from all those negative connotations associated with birthing. It teaches the mother how to allow herself to deeply relax, both physically and mentally.
It also gives the mother specific tools in hypnotic anesthesia for childbearing. It’s the same sorta technique that hypnotherapists use for clients who are allergic or who otherwise cannot tolerate pain medications, but require a surgical procedure. For instance, there’s this guy who used hypnosis during his wisdom tooth extraction.
Now, the method used in that dental procedure is not quite the same as what I will learn in Hypnobabies. Since childbirth is a natural event (and getting a tooth yanked out isn’t), the body is already making preparations for birth to happen.

The course was developed by a woman who was a Bradley Method instructor for a decade, and then also an instructor in the HypnoBirthing method (different from Hypnobabies!). She saw that the two methods were somewhat lacking, and set out to create a course that gave moms more tools for birthing. You might recall that I did Bradley with my preparation for Jonathan, so it’ll be interesting to do a little comparison later on.

Hypnosis for childbirth

As explained in the HB course materials, all hypnosis is self-hypnosis. You don’t do anything against your will. You are in complete control of what happens, and whether you accept or reject suggestions given to you while under hypnosis.
Visit the hypnosis for childbirth page on the Hypnobabies site for a lot more details.
As mentioned on that page, the HB course will teach you how the body works to get the baby out, and how the muscles involved work more efficiently when the body (and mind!) is in a relaxed state.
From the site: “Comfort in childbirth depends on much more than deep relaxation, so you are also taught the most in-depth hypnotic anesthesia techniques that exist.” This point is key.
Some other childbirth classes do emphasize relaxation, but I think some fall short in giving moms tools on how to effectively relax and stay there — and regain your relaxation if you start to lose it. Or, they are effective at the relaxation part, but they don’t give you additional tools (like hypnotic anesthesia). Hypnobabies doesn’t just tell you to relax — it teaches you how to relax.

The course emphasizes “eyes-open childbirth” which I think is really cool. You don’t have to be laying completely still in a bed, or have your eyes closed to still benefit from your hypnosis. Instead, you can be mobile, talking, and moving about and still use your hypnosis during your birthing.


About the home study

You can opt to take an in-person Hypnobabies course, which is six weeks long. Or, you can do a five-week home study (plus maintenance!). Due to scheduling and personal preference, I’m doing the home study.
The course kit for about $125 shipped.With a 20% discount for signing up for their newsletter.
Contents:
- Hypnobabies workbook (195 pages)
- Quick Reference and Birth Partner’s Guide booklet (39 pages)
- CDs containing 12 Hypnobabies scripts
- Big stack of misc. handouts


Visit this link for more information on the pack, plus descriptions of what’s on the CDs. Also on that page is an outline of the course contents for each week.
If you’d like more info, of course you can visit the main Hypnobabies page, but you can also download two tracks for free. One is an intro to Hypnobabies, and the other is called “Relax Me,” which is simply a track to help you, ya know, relax!
I have already been listening to the "relax me" track. I suggest it for anyone who needs to distress. I absolutely feel more relaxed and energized when I am finished.

There are tons of you tube videos on hypnobabies. This one is my favorite:  hypnobabies birth of Grace. Obviously she is still having pain, but the way she peacefully manages it and how relaxed she seems is pretty amazing to me.

I guess in a couple of months we will see how well it works. I have read alot of birth stories where it has worked and a few where it didn't work well enough to not get pain meds. I will post updates on how the home study course is working when I start it.

Ob vs Midwife

When I first found out I was pregnant I had no reservations about using an OB.  The further I go through pregnancy, the more Dr's appointments I have, and the more researching I do I have slowly begun to change my mind. If you read the Dr's apt. update on my 24 week post you know I have only seen my OB once. The rest of the times it has been the Nurse Practitioner. 

Here are the issues I am having with keeping a Dr:

• only seeing the Dr once so far. They try to get you in to see the Dr every other visit. Obviously, for whatever reason, this has not been case. The one time I did meet with the Dr was my second visit. I must say... I did like her. She was way more put together then the scatterbrained NP they have me seeing. She always seems like she is in a huge rush and I always have to remind her of things that she should be reminding me off ( like getting a flu shot).  The way the practice works I may not even get my Dr when I go into labor. So getting to know this Dr and her ideologies may be pointless in the end.
• lack of time at Dr's appointments. I guess I should have expected this. I feel like everything that goes on in my 10 min Dr's apt. could be done at home. Just give me a doppler to monitor the heart rate. I can take my own blood pressure. Unless I have something serious going on there is no point. I guess I was expecting a more nurturing aspect to the appointments. 
• higher risk of interventions during labor. I always new this to be so but it has really been weighing heavy on me for what ever reason. I don't want to be rushed or pressured into things because it is convenient for the Dr. I absolutely do NOT want pitocin. Unless it can save mine or the babies life no thank you. In no way am I interested in having very unnatural contractions. I am also further concerned with interventions being put on me because I am GBS+.  I tend to have a slight type A personality. I do not like being in control of my body. So it's really important that I have a say so in my birth.

These are the main things that bother me with having a Dr vs a midwife. Using a midwife would eliminate these factors. A midwife:

• will see midwife every time
• Relationship is professional, but also more personal and nurturing. Are known for longer appointments to answer questions and to guide you through this major life event.
• the use of interventions declines greatly when using a midwife. 
• I can still give birth in a hospital. In no way do I want to do a home birth. I really wish there was a birthing center here. I think that would be a perfect in between.

Another reason for my change in thoughts is I have decided to try to do it all natural. In no way do I feel like I need a gold star at the end. If I end up needing an epi. or pain meds oh well. From what I have read you feel much better after giving birth when you don't have an epidural and the baby is less likely to be groggy because of it's side effects. The majority of the women in my family did it natural so why can't I. I have also been doing alot of reading on managing pain.
The two books I am currently reading are :

• Mindful Birthing by Nancy Bardacke it has many exercises on breathing and using the breath to keep you present in the moment. Instead of focusing on what has just happened or will happen next. There is also alot of looking at things in a more positive light. The way it explained pain was pretty cool and really put it into perspective. It makes so much sense when reading it and could really be applied to lots of things not just birthing.
• Birthing from Within by Pam England this book has alot of similar ideas as the first. I think the main thing to bring away from this book is Birthing From Within means really listening to your own story, your own art, your own family and trying to take steps that are best for your baby and yourself. There is no formula. There is no one right way.

There are a few more books I want to read. One is Ina May's guide to childbirth. I also want to do Hypnobabies. It is basically learning to self hypnotize and once again using positive thinking .  It also really makes sense after reading about it. I'll do a whole post on it later to explain further.

Part of me thinks I should just stay with a Dr this time and see how the experience goes. If it wasn't what I really wanted then I can go  a different route next time. I just wish this wasn't weighing so heavy on me. I feel like if I stay with a Dr I will be really disappointed in the outcome. If I do stay with a Dr I am seriously considering getting a Doula ( a nonmedical person who assists a woman before, during, or after childbirth, as well as her partner and/or family by providing information, physical assistance, and emotional support). I think nursing school made me very keen on this idea. I think the fact that they are there to advocate for you and your wishes and not what is protocol  is very important.

Have any of you used a midwife or doula? I welcome advice on this topic :)