I have never done a search here and pulled no results. I though everything had been covered before. Anyone want to talk about clinchers v. tubulars? Jk
So, my wife and I are trying to do our birth naturally. We started a Hypnobabies class. It seems pretty good. So I have two questions. First of all, does anyone have any experience with this program? What are your thoughts?
Next question is connected to training and athleticism. A lot of what Hypnobabies is all about seems to be what we do all the time in training and racing. It is a state of “zoning out” or blocking the pain and discomfort while still being in full control of what is going on. My wife and I have been doing endurance activities for most of our life. I guess what I am thinking of is like mountaineering and Ironman. It is rather an uncomfortable thing to do. When you think about it like normal people it is a horrible thing to do. I kind of question my sanity when I am doing it too. But I seem to keep going back and never really remember the pain.
Is the same sort of mind set that we use in training, racing, and other sport bludgeoning going to get us through the birthing process? My wife is really tough and everyone is telling us that it is really bad. I generally don’t listen to the horror stories becuase if that is what you expect, that is what you get. Are we being totally ignorant? We expect discomfort, but it just seems to me that women have been doing this for a long time before pain killers. We should be fine right?
I am a former Labor & Delivery RN and taught childbirth education classes for a number of years. While I don’t specifically have experience with the Hypnobabies classes, I did take a brief look at their homepage. Several principles they teach are in line with what we taught; i.e., the problems with the fear/tension/pain cycle, the importance of preparation for and relaxation during the labor and delivery process, and the benefits of a drug-free birth for both mom and baby.
You’re right – there are parallels that can be drawn between racing and labor. The mental toughness that your wife has developed from triathlon will certainly help her in labor. Knowing that there is an end to the pain/discomfort she is feeling (as she knows from racing) will certainly help her during labor. And staying as relaxed as possible during the process will help the physical process along. Again, there are similarities to training and racing.
One important thing to remember, though, is that we are much more “in control” during racing than we are during labor and birth. By far, most of the time, a healthy pregnancy will yield and uncomplicated labor and birth. However, sometimes the unexpected can arise (as in racing), and it’s a good idea to be prepared for this possibility. It could be a longer than expected labor, fetal stress/distress, etc. Again, the odds are in your favor that this won’t happen, and certainly** expecting **that the negative will happen may increase the chances that it will; however, mentally rehearsing what you would do should an adverse situation occur is not a bad idea. Don’t have unrealistic expectations – kind of like not expecting that you’ll finish your first IM in sub-10 without any pain.
Lastly, remember what the ultimate goal is – a healthy baby and a healthy mom. When all is said and done, that is what really matters. Be prepared, have a plan, but be prepared to modify it should that be necessary. However you all meet that ultimate goal, it can be a positive experience. Sounds similar to racing, again.
Congratulations, good luck with the birth, and hope this helps!
I’ve never heard of hypnobabies, but I did deliver both of my kids naturally. Most people say I’m nuts to do that, but I’m really glad I did. I spent 9 months taking no medication, not even caffeine, so why would I stop just moments before birth? I took the approach that I would try it and go as long as I could, but I knew the anesthetic would be there if I needed it (I gave birth in a regular hospital). I’m of the belief that no one really knows the effect that anesthetic has on children, so why take the risk if I didn’t need to.
For the most part, I found labor to be mostly just extreme cramping like during menstruation. I had no problem handling the pain for most of the time. I think I generally have a high tolerance for pain to begin with, so that certainly helped. I wasn’t a triathlete at the time, so I can’t compare that aspect of it.
The only time I had trouble was at 3:00 am, I had been in labor for 26 hours (only the last 8 hours had been intense labor) and I was just plain tired. I didn’t sleep well the night before, so I was getting to the point where I wasn’t sure I could handle it anymore. Then, the doctor said it was time to start pushing, so the meds weren’t needed.
The second baby came much easier (in fact, I almost delivered her in the hallway on our way to the birthing room!), so I didn’t need meds for her either.
I applaud you and your wife for looking for alternatives. If Hypnobabies can give you a process to help you get through it, then all the better. I know that walking around helped me quite a bit, as did taking lots of showers. The warm water on me really helped soothe the pain I was in.
