Hypnobabies makes for a very peaceful pregnancy...

So, as I mentioned in my last post, Miss E was born by a scheduled C-Section. This was probably the farthest from what I was expecting, since I had planned for a completely natural birth using Hypnobabies. Here's the first part of the story:

When I first found out I was pregnant, I got on the internet to my BFF about her birth. She'd had this awesome birth story, and I hoped to have something even kind of that awesome. Turns out she had used this program called Hypnobabies. They have in-person classes along with home-study ones. Since I was in the UK, and they don't have Hypnobabies classes there as far as I could see, she said she would send me her home-study materials, and then I could do the classes on my own time.

Hypnobabies isn't just a self-hypnosis study, it's a full childbirth education course. You don't just learn how to cope with pain; you learn all about what happens during the birthing time (Hypnobabies speak for 'labor') and methods to help your body do what it's supposed to do without pain (but not necessarily without discomfort). Essentially, you put yourself into a very relaxed state, getting around the Fear-Tension-Pain cycle that is commonly discussed in childbirth classes. I absolutely loved doing the classes! I was so incredibly relaxed from the first class I did, and I stayed that way throughout the pregnancy.

In fact, people kept mentioning how calm I was, and really, I felt calm! Even when things started not going to plan, I was calm about it. I had prepared myself for such a calm natural birth, but I hadn't realized how awesome I would feel during the pregnancy too. In fact, I had lots of people ask toward the end of my pregnancy if I was just ready for the baby to come already. I never ever felt that way. True to Hypnobabies, I wanted her to come when she was ready.

Doing Hypnobabies also helped me come to peace with having a scheduled C-Section, something which I don't think I would have been okay with otherwise. But more on that next time...

Suffice it to say, I'd recommend Hypnobabies to anyone who was interested in a non-medicated birth. If for nothing else to help with relaxation during pregnancy and birth!