Why I Recommend Hypnosis for Birth

My experience with the Hypnobabies was an incredibly positive one. Anyone can do it, all you have to do is believe you can and practice EVERY DAY. The following benefits to choosing a hypno-birth were taken from the hypnobabies website:

Why choose a natural, easier birth using Hynobabies? The benefits are many:

● The Hyno-mom will use fewer drugs or no drugs, which means less risk of side effects for mother and baby, due to elimination
of the Fear/Tension/Pain Syndrome, and using post-hypnotic suggestions.

● Most Hyno-mothers have shorter labors since there is less resistance of the birthing muscles when pain and fear are minimized or eliminated.

● The birthing woman generally has much more energy throughout first and second stage, due to a total relaxation throughout the birthing process.

● The birthing enviroment is much more calm and peaceful when the natural childbirth mother is comfortable.

● Breech and posterior babies can be turned using hypnosis.

● Blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature can be lowered and nausea, back and hip pain eliminated with hypnosis during pregnancy and labor.

● There are fewer interventions for failure to progress and therefore fewer fetal and maternal complications during labor.

● The deep relaxation in Childbirth Hypnosis sessions has also helped many a nervous dad to enjoy their partner's pregnancy and childbirth, and the skills that the Hypno-couple learns for relaxation and hypnosis will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

● Hypno-couple are deprogrammed from the usual negativity of childbirth stories and scenarios they've always heard, by way of training in Birth Hypnosis classed or sessions, and audio CD's which have deprogramming messages. This automatically sets them up for a better attitude and confidence in birthing.

For my birthing experience, I chose hypnosis and not only was I relaxed and calm, but I felt no pain; just pressure and tightening. I was able to create my own anesthesia and push it to where I needed it most. My labor was short and I had complete control. If you are looking to give birth naturally, I see no reason why you wouldn't want to use the Hypnobabies techniques. I will definitely do it again!

The Birth-Day!

Here is my story all about the birth of our first baby boy, Cruise Dawson Ybarra. He was brought into this world quickly and easily as I chose a Hypnobabies birth, which is a natural child birth using deep relaxation and hypnosis techniques:

First of all, I had gone to the doctor the previous Wednesday and was told that I was 3cm and 80% effaced. It was Monday evening and I had been having inconsistent but constant contractions throughout the day. I remember thinking how much I wanted Cruise to come not because I was tired of being pregnant, but because I just wanted so much to love him and take care of him. I wanted to hold him in my arms and know that he was okay rather than always wondering. So I went to my room and prayed asking that he could come and that I would begin to be in labor that evening. I told the Lord that He knew that I was not asking out of selfishness and that I knew that if I asked in faith, believing, and that what I was asking for was righteous, then it would be given to me. I then said that if this was not to come to pass, that I would know that the Lord had an all knowing reason for keeping him for just awhile longer.

David came home from work around six, we ate dinner, fish I believe, and then I gave Dave a nice haircut. Afterwards, I was still really hungry and didn’t really care about how many carbs I was allowed to eat, so we went out to Village Inn where I ate pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and a piece of banana cream pie! Throughout the entire meal I was having consistent contractions and we thought, “He’s gonna come!” We finished our meal and made our way to the house where Dave got the suitcase and things all ready. We then headed for the hospital. By this time, it was about 11:30pm-midnight. I was admitted and put into a tiny little room with an okay nurse who checked me and told me that I was still at a 3 and 80% effaced. She then monitored me for an hour to see if I changed at all: no change. So they sent us home and I was just a little sad and disappointed, but I felt comforted due to the prayer I had said that very day.

We came home at around 2am and went to bed. I then woke up at around 5:30-6am with some very intense contractions. I had slept through all the little ones and now I was experiencing some very active labor. Because I had been thrown into such intense pain without the feeling of building into it, it became extremely difficult for me to put myself into hypnosis because I had already gotten scared and tense and was struggling to relax and breathe. I did about an hour’s worth of hypnosis scripts while Dave got the rest of the stuff ready to go to the hospital and while he tried to help me go into hypnosis. At first, I couldn’t do it on my own but rather needed his hand on my forehead to make the hypnosis work. We got into the car and the ride to the hospital was where I felt the most pain and discomfort. We finally got to the hospital where I was admitted, checked, and left to experience my labor. I was at a 6now with about 90% effacement. Dave put on the hypnosis CDs while I got into a hypnotic state where I would experience my labor without pain but rather with a lot of pressure and tightening.

In my hypnosis, I used my PEACE cue, my visualization of blue anesthesia surrounding my baby and filling up my uterus, and something new that I had never used was the visualization of baby Cruise, as a little toddler, throwing buckets of blue paint all over my abdomen, spraying a hose full of blue paint all over me, finger painting in blue, etc. all while saying, “Mommy! Blue! Blue, Mom!” This visualization worked more powerful than any of the other relaxation techniques I had used before. David, throughout all of this, was incredible, he stayed by my side using the hand on my forehead cue, and continually whispering cues and wonderful things in my ear to help me relax. He has no idea how much he helped me, I couldn’t have done any of it without him. He made sure the right hypnosis CD was playing, he made sure I was comfortable and in the position I wanted to be in, and continued to encourage me and reassure me that I was doing great.

1-2 hours after being admitted, they checked me again and I was at an 8 and 98% effaced. I was progressing very quickly. I continued to breathe slowly and calmly and even though I was making only a quiet deep breathing noise, I felt like I was being so loud! And around becoming an 8, I went into transition, where the contractions were right on top of each other, they were very intense! But I continued to breathe deeply and to relax. Dr. Gordon came in an hour later and found that I was still at an 8, which then we proceeded to ask me if I wanted an epidural. I thought to myself, “Are you crazy? I got this far without one, why on earth would I want one now?!” But I just said ‘no’. They looked at the baby’s monitor and noticed his heart rate dropping, at which point they placed an oxygen mask over my face to help get more oxygen to the baby. Dr. Gordon then left the room and all of a sudden I began to feel the need to push and even though they told me not to, I couldn’t help it, I just wanted to and I did. My pushing caused me to break my own water and to get to a 9 and then slowly to a 10 within minutes…they had to go get Dr. Gordon again.

He came in and they got my legs high up in the stirrups at which point I began to push. I was so hot and the mask I had on my face just made me feel even hotter. Dave got a cold wet washcloth and began to wipe my face, neck, chest, etc. which made me feel a whole lot better. My pushing stage didn’t last long and I pushed as hard as I possibly could…I thought to myself, “so all those crunches, sit-ups and ab workouts from previous years finally are paying off!” Cruise finally came out, his head all stretched out and his body all purple. Dave cut the umbilical cord but Cruise still wasn’t breathing. They finally got him breathing after having called in the NICU people and everything was fine. Cruise was born at 2:27 pm on August 7, 2007. He weighed in at 7lbs 14oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. The labor lasted only 6 hours.

They gave him to me and I immediately put him on my chest and tried to get him to feed. He latched on real well the first time and even though nothing came out, I at least knew he could latch well and would be able to feed. The placenta came out and while I held Cruise, Dr. Gordon stitched up my episiotomy, which didn’t feel so nice, and the nurse pushed on my stomach to get excess blood out of the uterus (that definitely didn’t feel so nice).

Finally, once everyone left, Dave and I got to oogle over baby Cruise and call our friends and family. Mom and Abby were the first ones up in the delivery room but we were all quickly rushed out into my room were I’d be staying for the next day to make room for more deliveries. The nurse wheeled me and Cruise out and Dave walked beside us. We first went to the nursery where Cruise had to be examined and poked and prodded, so Dave stayed with him while I was taken to my room. There in my room, I got to lay down on a comfortable bed (finally!). I was in some pain, mostly in my abdomen and where I was given the episiotomy, so I was given something for the pain.

Dave and Cruise finally got back and all of my family showed up (all of which were happy to get out of whatever they were doing). Dad brought Dave some food since he hadn’t eaten and the hospital only gave me some food. Abby brought me an oreo shake (since that was one thing I had really wanted when I was pregnant). Eventually they all left and nurses came and poked and prodded me and Cruise once again. That evening, Dave’s parents and Katie and Jeromy, along with their 3 kids, came and brought us flowers. I didn’t get a nap in and even that night I couldn’t sleep much, but I did get a shower in and that felt so wonderful! We didn’t let Cruise sleep in the big plastic tub they call a bassinet, instead he slept with us; we had waited for so long to see him that I didn’t want to set him aside, I just wanted to cuddle him.

The next day was full of paper work, more poking and prodding, lactation consultations, and Cruise’s circumcision. Actually, the latter I couldn’t attend, I just didn’t want to watch them cut my little baby, so I had Dave go. Apparently Cruise didn’t cry much and he was really brave, so I was so very happy to hear that he wasn’t screaming. Earlier that morning we got a visit from Mike and Eileen Burningham who just oogled over Cruise and thought he was the most beautiful baby they’d ever seen. At around 7pm, Dave and I had had enough hospital interruptions and we decided it was time to bring our little baby home!