I used hypnosis/relaxation techniques for my 2nd and 3rd births.
I had what I would call a disastrous experience with an epidural during my first birth - labor was progressing fine until epidural, contractions were manageable, I was dialated to 6 cm when I requested one (so I wouldn't miss the window for getting one). Big mistake! The epi crashed my blood pressure and made me vomit for the next 7 hrs, including 3 hrs of pushing, which ended in a vacuum extractor birth and 4th degree tearing!
For my 2nd birth, I KNEW I was going NCB. I hired a doula. She had a few tapes from a hypnobirthing type class she had taken with a previous client. 6 weeks before my edd I started listening to them at night, often falling asleep to them - not exactly hardcore studying and practice, LOL. My dh was highly skeptical - "You're not a mind over matter person," he said. I ended up with my water breaking 3 weeks before edd so I only had 3 weeks of semi-study/practice. I was birthing in a hospital with a midwife. After natural induction techniques didn't start my labor, I ran up against the 24 hr window after membrane rupture and had pitocin for the next 8 hrs. Pit makes the contractions much more unnatural but with just the techniques I picked up in my lame studying of hypnobirthing, I listened to the tapes, and I stayed calm and focused and tolerated the labor very well.
- the pitocin didn't really work for me. It took me 4 hrs to go from 3 to 4 cm, 3 more hrs to go from 4 to 5 cm, with increasing doses of pit. At that point, the midwife stuck her hand up me (OUCH) and thought she "felt something soft." She called in the backup OB, who stuck HIS hand up me (OUCH) and said, "That is definitely a cheek. Your baby is presenting cheek-first, transverse asynclitic. It will NOT come out that way." He said I would need a c-section and we should prep for it right away.
I felt devastated. Completely emotionally wrecked. I had been so strong and positive with my hypobirthing and my tapes and my cheery attitude about having a NCB and here I was 7 hrs later, having a c-section.
My doula stepped in and SAVED THE DAY. She said, "She's still not at the 24 hr rupture point. Could we have a little more time? I'd like to put her in some positions and try to turn the baby."
The OB said, "You can try for a half hour, I guess."
I said, "You don't think it will work, do you?"
The OB said, "Anything is possible...." but I could tell he didn't mean it."
The OB left and my doula Diane started putting me in different positions. I started out on the bed, on my hands and knees with my bottom in the air to "pop the baby back out a bit." After about 5 minutes of this (I was crying and feeling very low), she cranked the hospital bed up as high as it would go. My dh sat at the end of the bed with his legs extended in the stirrups and I dangled by my armpits from his legs during contractions. Diane said this was to lengthen my spine to give the baby room to turn. It worked!!
I stood up, completely consumed by one long contraction that seemed to last forever. I said, "Somebody check me, I'm going to push!!" I had gone from 5 to 10 in 15 minutes!!! After 30 minutes of easy pushing, my 7lb 10oz dd was born.
I considered Hypnobirthing a Huge Success.
With my 3rd birth, I was sold on hypnobirthing so I bought the Hypnobabies Home Study course. I followed the course fairly faithfully and enjoyed the practice, though I felt I was not great at the self-hypnosis stuff but very good at the relaxation aspect. I visualized myself carrying to term this time without having my water break and having a 5 hr labor start to finish. My labor was EXACTLY as I had visualized it. It was really amazing. The first 2 hrs of contractions were so mild as to feel like slight cramping. If not for the bloody show (sorry if graphic) and feelings of panic, I would not have known I was in labor. We headed for the hospital - I was already at 5 when I checked in. I walked the halls to speed up labor, stayed alert and active, listened to the "birth guide" tape, had no interventions, not even an IV, wore my own nightgown, stayed perfectly calm and relaxed and though I could feel the contractions, they were not overwhelming or especially painful until about 9 cm. Then I panicked and lost my hypnobabies groove. My water stayed intact until 10 cm. I got up on the table, my water broke, and 6 minutes later my 9lb 3oz dd was born. Amazing!!!
I really liked the visualization aspect of Hypnobabies and the Birth Guide tape was great and perfect during dd's birth. But I have to say that I really never felt that I got the hypnosis part down as well as I should have.