It all dawned on me one afternoon while my husband and I were driving home from brunch. This baby has to come out! The fear sunk in and I began visualizing child birth as a painful, bloody, war like experience. A few days later, I came across an informational meeting being held at the Rochester Whole Foods. It said ” Relaxation for Childbirth-How Hypnobirthing Works”. I marked my calendar and on a Thursday evening my husband and I showed up for this class. Little did we know, our view on childbirth and future birthing experiences would be forever changed because we attended this free class and found out about Hypnobirthing.
I wasn’t sure what to think after our first encounter with Janice at Whole Foods Market. The word “Hypnobirthing” sounded hokey pokey. Could I truly have a peaceful childbirth without fear!?! We came home and I began my Hypnobirthing research and I dug into the theory behind the practice. Everything I read was positive and made sense. I even found that many hospitals offer Hypnobirthing classes including Troy, Beaumont where I planned to deliver my baby. The next big discussion was, should we take Hypnobirthing classes to prepare for the birth of our baby? We quickly looked at our options and a few weeks later my husband and I attended our first class at Peaceful Birthing in downtown Rochester. We attended for 5 weeks and I can’t tell you how much confidence I gained in my body and its ability to labor. My husband also gained confidence as a birthing partner and together we were both more educated and prepared for delivery.
My first delivery went better than expected. I delivered our son naturally without any medications or IV’s and best of all without any fear. The delivery went by quickly because I was in a relaxed state and was focused on my breathing.
Fast forward two years and I’m back in the delivery room. It was this delivery that made me an extreme advocate for Hypnobirthing. I had the most peaceful birth you can imagine. Throughout my entire labor I didn’t make a peep. I mastered each surge (contraction) with the various breathing and visualization techniques taught during class. I went deeper and deeper into relaxation as I soaked in a hot tub. My husband prepped me for each surge as we were on a calming 3 minute off, 1 minute on cycle for about an hour. I had a rhythm going and was in tune with my body as minutes later we greeted our sweet baby girl. Wow we were speechless! Who ever thought giving birth could be so beautiful! Thanks to our experience with practicing Hypnobirthing.
My Hypnobabies!
Hypnobirthing changed my entire view on childbirth. It also made my birthing experiences both memorable and special. I am so thankful I stumbled across that free class at Whole Foods. It was that evening that I decided to stand up to my fears and conquer them through Hypnobirthing. I’m not one who likes to give advice unless someone asks for it. I know that we all have our own special birthing stories and in the end, it’s a healthy baby we all hope and pray for. But if you fear childbirth and would like to gain more confidence for your delivery, I highly recommend looking into Hypnobirthing. It’s an amazing practice and can truly change the way you view childbirth.
Have you practiced Hypnobirthing or had success with something similar? If so, how was your experience? Please share below.
