Welcome to the Bring Birth Home resident expert series. This is the second of six guest posts from Mavi Gupta, M.D., C. C.Ht. Board Certified Physician, Headache Specialist and Hypnotherapist & Jeremy Dyen, C.Ht. Certified Hypnotist, professional musician and teaching artist.
Part 1: What Hypnosis Is (And What It Is Not)
Part 3: Hypnobirth Case Study
Mavi and Jeremy are also the creators of Birth Relaxation Kit. If you’ve been loving this content series, and/or interested in birth hypnosis, scroll down to the bottom of this post and you’ll see a form to input your email. Once you do that you’ll be redirected to new page where Mavi has recorded a presentation with important tips to eliminate anxiety and have the healthiest, most comfortable birth. You’ll also be given details about Birth Relaxation Kit, and can make a purchase by clicking the link under the presentation.
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What Is Hypnobabies?
Hypnobabies is a childbirth education course using hypnosis.
Hypnobabies was created by Kerry Tuschhoff, HCHI, CHt, CI, a certified hypnotherapist and childbirth educator. After her own painful childbirth experiences, she sought out and discovered hypnosis. Over time she developed her program, which now includes Gerald Kein’s “painless chilbirth” techniques, among other ideas and concepts.
The goal of Hypnobabies is for expectant mothers to have safe, unmedicated and comfortable births.
Here’s why we think the Hypnobabies home study course for expectant mothers is an effective program
The program helps you feel positive about childbirth by allowing you to create what Tuschhoff calls a “bubble of peace,” in which negative influences about birthing cannot get in. This aspect of Hypnobabies alone is very empowering for those who have experienced anxiety about birthing.
What You Get
You get 12 hypnosis sessions on CDs.
Each session addresses a different aspect of hypnosis for childbirth, and the sessions have a set order to progressively train expectant mothers for a comfortable and joyous birth.
Hypnobabies is comprehensive.
The Hypnobabies workbook is not just about hypnosis, but also includes some information on nutrition, comfort in pregnancy, birth plans, optimal fetal positioning and breastfeeding information.
You can use this course in the privacy and comfort of your own home. It can often be challenging to learn these techniques or to relax in a class setting.
Even if you don’t experience a completely pain-free birth after using Hypnobabies, you may enjoy the benefits of better pregnancy sleep, shorter labor and a more comfortable birth.
Some Highlights Of Hypnobabies
Highlights include learning self-hypnosis, creating hypno-anesthesia and the advanced fear-clearing session.
In learning Self-Hypnosis, you learn how to instantly enter hypnosis on your own.
Creating Hypno-Anesthesia is the session that includes Gerald Kein’s “painless childbirth” in which you learn how to practice “Eyes Open Childbirth Hypnosis,” and move around comfortably and freely during birth.
The Fear-Clearing Session helps release fears and concerns, including past birthing experiences, negative influences and any anxiety about childbirth or parenting.
The Not So Good About Hypnobabies
While we have a lot of great things to say about the Hypnobabies program, there are a few things we would change about it.
The Workbook Needs Some Work
The workbook borders on being unprofessional with the number of *asterisks*, bolds, underlines, ALL CAPS and exclamations! Most of the information is great, but we found it extremely distracting to read something written that way. In addition, the pieces are written by numerous people, some things pulled from here, some from there and lacks a cohesive whole.
Comprehensive Childbirth Course?
Although this is a comprehensive childbirth course, you can find most of the information in the workbook online or in other books about labor. We’re not convinced Hypnobabies’ selling point should be that it is a comprehensive childbirth course. In other words, you might be better off spending less on a hypnobirthing program that is not a full childbirth class, or just purchasing a few of the Hypnobabies CDs.
About The Price Of Hypnobabies
Speaking of price, $147.95 is high.
Isn’t it possible to make it more affordable? Maybe $100 or less? Hypnobabies used to buy back their home study course for about half the price, but that is no longer the case.
Distractions
Keeping in mind that every hypnotherapist’s approach is different, we sometimes found the inflections and word choices on the recordings to be distracting. We felt that some words were repeated too often, or were over-emphasized. This sometimes broke the hypnotic trance.
We also did not like the background music used in the recordings.
There were moments when the music bordered on ominous (especially at the beginning of each session) especially at a time when we envisioned peace. Plus, on some of the recordings the music would end and then start over again, which was jarring.
Less Is More
We found the Pushing Baby Out and other birthing day sessions unnecessary. Hypnobabies might actually be better off with a few less CDs.
Ideally, if you have already learned self-hypnosis, you may need to listen during birth. It is unlikely that the timing of your birthing waves (contractions) or progression of your labor will be in sync with any recording. And if you do choose to listen to the recordings, it is more comforting to work with recordings that you are already familiar with, rather than a brand new CD.
We believe music provides a much better backdrop during labor and can actually be a great focal point when breathing and visualizing through birthing waves.
Final Thoughts About Hypnobabies
We think it is a little presumptuous for Hypnobabies to say they are the only “Eyes Open” birth hypnosis program.
Hypnobabies does teach this technique in a specific way, using their “lightswitch” and “finger drop” techniques.
But remember:
Hypnosis is a natural state that we all go in and out of daily, with our eyes open. This could even be when driving (and often it is!). So an “Eyes Open” technique is a complicated way of pointing out the fact that you can experience hypnosis with your eyes open just as effectively as with your eyes closed. The truth is, once you practice hypnosis regularly, and once you know that you can enter a hypnotic state on your own, you can really use any cue word or “switch” that you decide.
If You’d Like To Continue Learning About Hypnobirthing…
Mavi and Jeremy have recorded a 50 minute informational presentation about hypnobirthing.
In this FREE presentation below, you’ll find out:
- Detailed and somewhat shocking facts about epidurals and how you can create “natural anesthesia” during birth.
- Why anxiety about birth has raised C-section rates and how you can avoid them.
- Unconventional techniques to shorten labor, decrease pain and avoid medical interventions.
- One easy technique to relax, sleep better and empower you during pregnancy.
- Motivation tips for positive birth and lifelong health.
Also included is a 40 minute interview with me and Mavi about further advice for expectant mothers who would like to consider hypnobirthing.
We’ll also send you -via email- more information about hypnobirthing including the following:
- The Science Of Stress: Why It Is Bad For You, Your Baby And Your Birth
- How To Relax In 5 Minutes With This Specific (and Easy) Breathing Exercise
- What Induction Can Do To Your Child’s Brain – A new study that reveals the truth about Pitocin and neurological diseases
Get Started By Filling Out The Form Below:
