Hypnobabies

Class last night was AWESOME.  I am so so so happy I chose to go with Hypnobabies as our birthing method.  And that we are doing a water birth.  I know that some women prefer having their babies in the hospital and with epidurals, but that just never appealed to me.  With Hypnobabies, I can birth my baby at home, in a calm environment, all while being comfortable and relaxed.

Hypnobabies is a course that not only teaches you techniques in natural childbirth, prenatal exercises, pregnancy healthy diet rules, lactation practices, etc., but they also instruct mommies and their birth partners (Patrick) in learning medical grade anesthesia.  This class is not to be taken lightly though.  You can't randomly listen to your cds, scripts, or attend class with the hopes of great results.  You have to set aside around 40 minutes a day to study and practice the techniques.  You have to believe completely that you will have a pain-free birth, that your body and baby will know what to do.

We are also not allowed to watch reality birthing stories, movies, or other television shows that portray birth in any other way than the peaceful experience it can be.  Basically, we are deprogramming everything society has taught us from birth - that having a baby is scary and frightening and a disease needing to be cured.  This is far from true.  I am going to have to ask now though, very politely, that everyone refrain from telling me their birth horror stories, or even just rumors they have heard about childbirth.  Patrick also needs to be cut away from these stories.  We love all of you, and we respect your own experiences, but this is part of the method we have chosen.  And we are embracing the method completely, not halfheartedly.

It's funny to me.  If someone is going into a major surgery on their heart or to remove cancer, people give them uplifting stories of hope.  When a woman goes to give birth, people come crawling out of the woodwork to tell her EVERYTHING that could go wrong.  No one needs that kind of negativity.

Here's a breakdown of what we went over last night in class:

• Circle yourself with only positive visualization and imagery about your birth
• Construct and stay in your "Bubble of Peace"
• Focus on only what you want - The mind is not as capable of dealing with negatives, so don't think about what you DON'T WANT, only what you WANT
• Allow no negative birth stories from friends, family, strangers, tv, or movies

We were also given "homeplay" instead of homework... because it's so fun to do, you can't call it work... yes corny jokes are awesome.  I giggled in class when she said it.  Not even going to lie!  CDs to listen to, practice putting ourselves under deep hypnosis, reading scripts together, and reading informative articles and books.

Know what the best part of class is?  We get to bring pillows and blankets to lay on the floor and be as comfortable as possible.  There is even a part of class that the lights are dimmed, and we undergo hypnosis.  How many college classes encouraged pillows, blankets, and sleep???

Just a different kind of final exam!

If anyone has any further question about Hypnobabies, my instructor, or how to get in touch with 9 Months and Beyond, please feel free to contact me!  I don't know a lot right now, but I will help all I can.