HypnoBirthing - Was it worth the effort?

To answer that question ... basically, yes it was. The effort was pretty much minimal and although the birth didn't necessarily go according to plan whilst I was in labour using the breathing techniques, things went very well. The breathing kept me focused and enabled me to get through the surges. It also enabled us to remain calm and rational when we knew we were going to have to have assistance in the birth. Given that Genevieve was posterior, the level of discomfort would have been much greater than if she was facing the correct way. Had I not been using the techniques I think I would have been calling for drugs pretty quickly.

From a pregnancy perspective the breathing practice kept me calm and taught me how to fully relax quickly and easily. Post partum this is turning out to be a blessing as I can drop off to sleep or have a deep relaxation session whilst Genevieve has her sleeps. Genevieve is also quite a calm baby and seems to have little trouble sleeping so far. From what other people have said, this seems to be a characteristic of babies born to mothers who have used the Hypnobirthing techniques. Cory also gained a lot from the experience, and definitely felt he took a very active role in the birth - certainly not just a bystander. I couldn't have remained focused without him. A good birthing companion is essential to the process (and no... you can't have mine).

So I would definitely recommend Hypnobirthing to anyone who is looking at ways to improve their birthing experience and wants to keep things as natural as possible. As a practitioner, we also highly recommend Kayte Walton (see link on right of blog).