Hypnobirthing: A Natural Approach To A Safe, Easier, More Comfortable Birthing (CD is not included)

My birth was literally pleasant. I was laughing and talking through the entire thing (including pushing, crowning, etc.).This book changed my entire life. It completely changed my perspective on birth, mothering, and even just life. I took the Hypnobirthing class at my hospital which was taught by a nurse. That was amazing because she had more of a scientific/medical approach to it. It wasn't anything like a hippy class that I was expecting!The entire premise is that fear leads to tension, which leads to pain. When you're afraid, your body goes into flight or fight mode. Unfortunately when you're birthing, your body can't flight or fight, so it just freezes. Your brain doesn't let your body send enough blood to your non-essential organs, aka your uterus! Without enough blood, it can't do its job, and you have to force your baby out without the help of your body.Hypnobirthing allows you to learn relaxation techniques that will help you during labor. But mostly I appreciated the fear release aspect. I was not at all afraid to give birth, I was excited! Keep in mind that I am the biggest wimp - I cry (literally sob) when I need to get shots! I cried when I got my cervix checked at 37 weeks. I never thought I was a strong person, but Hypnobirthing gave me the confidence to know that birth does NOT have to be painful. It can be a beautiful, pleasant experience and it was for me!Just so you know, I received an epidural after laboring with Pitocin for 3 hours. My husband was walking me through our Hypnobirthing exercises and I literally thought I had been laboring for less than an hour. Nope, I made it 3 hours and didn't even realize it!!!Once I received the epidural, I was still happy and confident that my birthing would be a good experience. And it was! I was literally smiling and laughing the entire time, including the pushing, crowning, and the entire delivery!! Again a lot of it was the epidural, but I credit Hypnobirthing for my birth being LITERALLY 100% PAIN-FREE AND PLEASANT!!!! The second my baby was out, the first thing I said was "I'm ready to have another baby!" My beautiful baby girl was born with no crying or screaming - just a happy, calm baby ready to experience the world!Other moms who have delivered with an epidural all agree that childbirth is painful but worth it. Well let me tell you...it is worth it but it does not have to be painful!! BUY THIS BOOK AND TAKE THE CLASS!!!! It will change your life!!!LITERALLY I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW AMAZING AND WONDERFUL MY BIRTH WAS!!!! The absolute worst part was getting an IV!!!!

Great book and great content. Definitely surprised there were as many editing errors as there were in a 4th edition but this book really helped me to have a natural childbirth

Purchased this to read based off of the recommendation from a friend of mine that read it during her pregnancy and had an incredible, unmedicated birth experience with her first child! I mostly credit this book to being the reason I no longer fear the upcoming birth of my first child. Highly recommend if you have anxiety about labor and delivery and pregnancy in general. I promise this book makes so much sense. My mom had unmedicated labors with both me and my sister but she reflects poorly on her experiences. She told me I was being unrealistic by saying how good this book was but I convinced her to read it so she could understand why I am taking an approach following the guidance of this book. After she finished reading it, she said she wishes this had been around in the 90’s when we were born because she feels she would have had a completely different experience, in a positive way. You won’t regret buying this book. I did decide to proceed with taking the full course with one of the instructors I located from the hypnobirthing international website which further solidified the confidence I have to give birth and without fear. (Which is saying SO MUCH) considering my history with terrible anxiety and as a nurse with knowledge of “the worst that can happen”. When I signed up for the class I was sent a second book as part of the materials and this is the copy I gave to my mom. I still think it was worth the money to purchase this book ahead of time to read it before the class, it helped me feel more prepared and able to focus on the content provided in class and working on my breathing and meditations.

Just finished reading this book, I'm currently pregnant with my first baby, at first I didn't like how it kept saying you'll learn this and that in class because I wasn't taking a class I bought this book to inform and teach myself but then the second half of the book had a lot of good and interesting information and I definitely am gonna utilize some of what I've learned in this book for my natural at home birth with my midwife. I paired this book with some of Ina Mays books I also have read to prepare for my baby on the way. Interesting stuff worth the read when it comes to learning ways to help have an easier potentially pain free delivery. I am currently practicing the skills learned to prepare and implement these things but I got this book because it was recommended by other woman who said it really helped them during their babies births.

Really good book for labor planning

This book is a must for every pregnant woman out there! Actually it's great for women who are not yet pregnant, too. I cannot even begin to describe what an amazing birthing method HypnoBirthing is. For my 1st birth, I used a different childbirth education method. And while I enjoyed it and found it very informative, it didn't make a huge difference in how I labored. For my 2nd birth, I discovered HypnoBirthing and I just want to shout from the rooftops that EVERY WOMAN OUT THERE NEEDS TO KNOW ABOUT HYPNOBIRTHING!!!!! I can honestly say that my birth was quiet, gentle, calm, and for the most part even pain free! I had no fear, I knew to trust my body, I understood the different hallmarks of labor and could keep track of approximately where I was in my labor process. The breathing techniques were perfect and so effective. I can't stress enough how important it is to take the HypnoBirthing class. The book alone isn't enough, I'm sure. You need the help and guidance of a class to really get it and to get everything you can out of it. I won't ever stop recommending this childbirth method to every pregnant woman I know. Thank you HypnoBirthing for helping me to have the birth of my dreams!

Adorei o livro. Como iniciante nesse processo de hypnobirthing gostei das partes teóricas e práticas, pena que não vem com algum link para download de áudios ou até mesmo um CD. Espero que ajude no meu processo de parto. Me deixou interessada em ler mais sobre.

It’s so nice to read an alternative look at childbirth that doesn’t involve trauma and pain. Wish I had this for my first born. A must read for any expecting mum!

Gran libro. Me ayudó mucho en mi embarazo para relajarme. Lo recomiendo para mamás primerizas

I used the program in this book for my baby's birth and achieved painless labour (although a few stitches were needed afterward).I had horror stories from both sides of my family and almost didn't have a baby because of them. However, this book explained birthing in a new perspective (or should I say the natural way it should be). It arms you with the insights, breathing techniques, and mental perspectives to allow your body to relax and the endorphins to do their work...which are the strongest pain killers you can have and stronger than morphine. It also includes a hypnotherapy/meditation CD which you listen to every night for a few months leading up to your birth and even during your birthing. Pretty much, the less you tense your body, the less painful the birthing usually is. You need to treat this like a mental program, not like a casual read. Don't get me wrong, birthing using the techniques and frame of mind from this book is still very intense, but for people with healthy pregnancies, this is an amazing option for low pain or pain-free birthing.

This is probably the only book you need during prengnancy (giving birth wise). It completely changed the way I used to think about giving birth. It helped me get through a lot of myths and fears. It also teaches the nature of giving birth, how it is such an instinctive process and what us as mothers can do.