Birth Stories…
A Happy New HypnoBirthing Mom – Birth Story
“The HypnoBirthing experience was wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone. I was able to relax and settle into the birth. The slow breathing helped tremendously. I was able to fully relax and even doze some between surges. At some times I was able to breathe down, and at others I felt the urge to push, but the best part was that I felt like I had control and could choose which one, depending on how much energy I had. I just kept my eyes closed and went with my body. The HypnoBirthing instruction helped the most in the final stages of delivery. Thank you so much for teaching us about HypnoBirthing.”
Katie’s HypnoBirthing - Birth Story
Katie Klein is a professional photographer and another one of our HypnoBirthing moms. Katie is one busy first-time mom! In addition to her work as a photographer, so also maintains a blog. On July 2nd, she added a post where she talks about her experiences with NC Hypnobirthing, Peaceful Beginnings and her midwife, Tanya Bailey. Click here to read Katie’s post.
Dateline NBC: Hypnosis During Childbirth
If you’re new to HypnoBirthing, a really great place for you to start is by watching a Dateline NBC story on hypnosis in birthing. It’s a nice third party perspective on hypnosis during birthing and you get to watch two moms go through the entire process from learning hypnosis techniques all the way to giving birth.
HypnoBirthing TV Interview
HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator, Kathryn Beck of New York City and two of her HypnoBirthing couples were interviewed by WCBS TV. Click here to see the interview.
What is HypnoBirthing?
HypnoBirthing is a program of preparing for childbirth with hypnosis and is based on the premise that childbirth is a normal, natural and healthy function for women. While hypnosis does play a central role in HypnoBirthing, moms and their birth companions also learn techniques to encourage the release of endorphins, natural birthing positions, visualizations to prepare the body for birthing, and special deep breathing techniques. In order to facilitate a calm and gentle birth we cover three broad categories:
- Releasing fear (due to the Fear-Tension-Pain Syndrome identified by Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, MD)
- Learning to get deeply relaxed
- Practicing comfort management techniques
Does hypnosis really help with childbirth?
A study on hypnosis and childbirth, published in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, found that women who used hypnosis during childbirth had shorter labor and used less pain medication. Here are some of the results from the study:
- First-time moms: average first stage of labor with hypnosis 6.4 hours compared to 9.3 hours without hypnosis.
- Moms who had given birth before: average first stage of labor with hypnosis 5.3 hours compared to 6.2 hours without hypnosis.
- Pain medication: both groups of hypnosis moms used significantly less pain medication than the non-hypnosis moms.
According to the 2007 HypnoBirthing Outcomes Report, 70% of US HypnoBirthing mothers used no pain medication during labor, compared to 14% of mothers in LTM II.* In addition, 15.5% of US HypnoBirthing mothers birthed via Cesarean section, compared to 32% of the mothers in LTM II. * Listening to Mothers II Report of the First National U.S. Survey of Women’s Childbearing Experiences (LTM II). New York: Maternity Center Association, October 2006.
What is hypnosis?
Essentially, hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation with focused concentration and a heightened state of awareness. Hypnosis is not being out of control, divulging secrets, being unaware of what is going on or being unable to resist suggestions made to you.
What’s Included with the Class?
- 5 HypnoBirthing classes for you and your Birth Companion
- 1 Essentials of Breastfeeding class taught by Linda Donovan
- 1 HypnoBirthing book and 2 audio CDs from the HypnoBirthing Institute
When is the best time to take HypnoBirthing class?
HypnoBirthing is taught in a series of five classes. The best time to take HypnoBirthing classes is during the second trimester. If you are already in your third trimester, it’s not too late! Depending on how close you are to delivering, we often teach special weekend classes for those who are in their third trimester. Please contact us for more details.
How can I learn more?
Click the “Home” tab to get to our blog that has lots of information for our HypnoBirthing moms and, if it’s not too much detail, it could be a good place to visit to get a feel for HypnoBirthing and NC Hypnobirthing’s specific approach to birthing. The post, “Preparing for a Calm and Gentle Birth“, is a recap for the moms in our class and while there is a lot of detail that probably won’t mean much to you yet, it will give you an idea of the general areas that we cover. In class, we also cover the basics of childbirth (physical changes, birthing positions, creating a birth plan, etc). You are also welcome to contact us at (866) 274-5321 or Deana@NCHypnobirthing.com.
