Hypnobirthing?

feebebe23 · Aug 18, 2007

To be perfectly honest....I have seen more people "try" to do hypnobirthing as oppossed to the few who have been sucessful....I am not saying it is not a good method or effective. I have just not personally seen many be that sucessful.

We do bedside charting and have computers in every labor room....I once had a dad tell me that I could not "type" at the bedside as his wife was hypnotising herself.....

When approching the concept of natural childbirth just remember.

1. billions of women have labored and given birth w/o pain meds....there is no questions as to weather you CAN or NOT....you can...but it is a chioce....

2. if you don't want to be seen as a "pain in the a$$" don't be a pain in the a$$.

as a nurse you understand that developing a positive relationship with your nurse is key in receiving the highest level of "customer service"

There are 2 types of people in this world....those who know they are getting epidurals....those who know that they are not...

if you tell yourself "if it gets that bad I will get an epidural" you will get one.....because it does get that bad.

My advise....remember that you are in labor....don't get hung up on "I am only 5cm" Tell yourself "I made it through the last contraction so I will make it through the next....." you have to take it 1 contraction at a time. People don't have natural childbirth as much anymore because they associate pain with fear.....if you take away the fear....then you will do fine....

A birth plan is fine.....I am not opposed to them.....but be aware of what you are asking. Since you work at that hospital you have an advantage to find out your hospitals policy.....

for example....don't put on your birthplan that "in the event of a CS I would like my SO to cut the cord" in reality....in the event of a CS no one is going to teach your SO how to perform a surgical scrub and gown and glove them....

don't put.....don't clamp the cord right after birth....and that you are cord blood banking....because you can't have both:)

put things in your birthplan that are important to you and that are choices you have....like "health status permitting I would like the baby placed on my abd after the delivery" believe it or not some people want the baby wiped down before they hold their baby for the first time....or weather you want circumcision or not....or weather you would want a mirror at delivery or not....when you put things on your birthplan that are a violation of hospital policy that is when you start to be percieved as a pain in the a$$.....

these are just my opinions:)

EGKB · Aug 18, 2007

Hello there - I am not any kind of a nurse yet, but as a newer mom who read every available resource on natural childbirth, and whose childbirth classes supported medication-free births and meditation as a pain-management tool (not hypnotism per se, but relaxation techniques & breathing), I can say that it is very effective (at least it was for me!). I still ended up with an unplanned c-section, but easily managed without pain medication up until the decision was made for the emergency C (three days after I started leaking amniotic fluid and after about 12 hours of active labor, my cervix still had not dilated - even after induction!).

I saw a great program on discovery channel (I think!) about hypnobirthing before I even got pregnant, and I decided that it was how I wanted to approach my own childbirth experiences.

If your doctor/hospital isn't supportive of your birth plan (most of the my friends/family have had absolutely no problems having their wishes respected as far as meds, music, quiet, etc... as long as neither they nor their babies were in any danger), there are plenty that will be.

Something to keep in mind, though - if you do choose to give birth in a hospital, they have rules and procedures for a reason. If you do not want to be seen as a "pain in the a$$" but you don't want the nurses/doctors to do the jobs they are required to do (within reason), you should consider giving birth somewhere else - at home, or at a birthing center if there's one nearby. I have several friends who have given birth at home with outstanding results - one even had a completely natural birth with full-term twins. (not sure if I could have handled THAT!!!!) She even went for a walk (back and forth on her porch on a beautiful spring day) between twins!!! Just something to keep in mind!

Good luck, and congratulations!!!!

jrring1019 · Aug 18, 2007

I think that most L&D nurses support natural childbirth and are supportive of pts choices. If a pt is going natural I always give encouragment, tell her how strong she is and I am always so impressed by these pts.

The time I think my pt is a pain is when they come in the door with a chip on their shoulder and you know that they do not trust you or believe in anything you are doing. If a pt thinks everything I am doing is not necessary and won't even discuss things with me then it makes the whole experience awkward. When the pt is suspicious of the hospital then the partners are not very friendly. I am sure almost every L&D nurse knows what I am talking about. There are some pts who bring their doulas and ask them for advice for every intervention, never really listening to the medical professionals. Those pts can be a pain. We recently had one as an example who refused PCN for +GBS...she was informed of risks, baby will need blood work etc..she still refused with doula at bedside supporting her. BTW, when this pt took some Nubain, the doula LEFT!!!

Think about it, if a pt came to the ER and refused all kinds of basic care, you would be annoyed.

About hypnobirthing...one of our L&D nurses did it and did great!! you couln't even tell she was in labor and only looked uncomfortable while pushing.

tacobarlass · Aug 18, 2007

Hello, I used hypnobirthing with my second child. It was a wonderful experience and while I did feel pain, it helped me to be able to focus, which was a problem for me with baby #1. I put my headphones on to listen to my hypnobirthing CD and fell asleep! I didn't even know I was having contractions! I started to feel uncomfortable when transition began but because I was more relaxed and focused, made it through just fine without drugs. I really encourage you to try it, if it helps, great, if not, it won't hurt anything.

Christi321 · Aug 18, 2007

Thanks for the answers so far, I already feel a little better:). I know that it can't be quiet in the room all the time, obviously the nurses and doctors have to do there job and if you are taught right about the hypnobirthing you use those outside sounds to go deeper. I guess I probably won't be a pain in the ass because I am the type that if it makes the doctor feel better I have an IV, thats fine. I totally understand the type of patients that are frustrating and I think its stupid that if they are planning on no interventions that they don't at least learn the different possible interventions so they can make informed decisions and not automatically say no if something arises within the pregnancy.

Thanks again for all the replies and hopefully I'll see more!

labcat01, BSN, RN · Aug 19, 2007

There are 2 types of people in this world....those who know they are getting epidurals....those who know that they are not...
if you tell yourself "if it gets that bad I will get an epidural" you will get one.....because it does get that bad.
My advise....remember that you are in labor....don't get hung up on "I am only 5cm" Tell yourself "I made it through the last contraction so I will make it through the next....." you have to take it 1 contraction at a time. People don't have natural childbirth as much anymore because they associate pain with fear.....if you take away the fear....then you will do fine....

I think this is some awesome advice. Also, make sure you have a good doctor that knows your wishes. If you don't have a doctor that backs up your wishes, you are more likely to get pushed into inductions and the like. You can do it!

Good luck :)

Mrs.S · Aug 19, 2007

hi,
i i've read a lot of the threads on here about natural births and it sounds like most of the patients doing this end up being viewed as a pain in the ass.

no, no, not at all!! i would love taking care of you in labor!!

i've only taken care of a few patients who did hypnobirthing but it worked well for them. it's worth learning about, anyhow. it's good to be well prepared.

crysobrn · Aug 20, 2007

I have seen some really great hypnobirths, including a coworkers... and I have seen some hypnobirths from hell as we referred to them later. Births that everything seemed to go wrong. In retrospect we as nurses had high hopes for these women that had choosen a different route. Prepare and educate yourself to give yourself the best possible chance at getting what you'd like out of your birth.

Definately do some research into what is protocol and the rational... talk to your doc before you go into labor about what if anything that you would like to see done (or not see done)... Good luck to you!!

waterfall99 · Aug 24, 2007

hi,
i am an emergency room nurse who is going to have her first baby sometime around december 20th. i have always kind of been into the natural birthing and read many books about it. i have been researching hypnobirthing and it sounds like it works quite well (if you prepare beforehand). i was wondering if any of you have seen anyone do this and if it works? also i was wondering if there will be a lot of opposition to this natural kind of childbirth in a hospital setting? this is my only option, there are no birthing centers here and it is illegal for midwifes to assist in homebirths in my state. i've read a lot of the threads on here about natural births and it sounds like most of the patients doing this end up being viewed as a pain in the ass. i don't have a birth plan, i and my husband know what we want and that is to mainly have our baby in peace and not be viewed as "weird" because i don't want any unnecessary meds/interventions. i think it will help that i am a nurse and i am aware of the many situations where interventions are needed and i'm not opposed to this.
sorry about the book...just wondering what the thoughts of l&d nurses are:)
:monkeydance:

if you want to deliver at home, look into professional midwives, they are not nurses, so it's not illegal for them. don't rule out homebirths just because a cnm can't do it, how about crossing over state lines? or even unassisted birth?

rpbear · Aug 27, 2007

I have no problems taking care of well educated natural birthers or hypnobirthers. I say well educated because even though you don't want any interventions it is important to know what interventions might be needed and why they are needed. Durring labor is not the time to try to explain in great details these interventions and why they are needed (usually an emergency situation that requires quick action). So do some research about what interventions might be needed and why so that if they are needed you will know what to expect and understand why we are asking for these procedures. This will make your experience so much better for both you and your partner.

Good luck and congrats!