Thursday, January 24, 2013

Hypnobabies part 1: unboxing

I thought I would write a series of posts about my experience with the hypnobabies home study course.  I ordered the thing last week some time and it turned up eventually.  The spouse did the actual box opening since I was typing up a case report (that's a practice patient report, more specifically).

In case you're unfamiliar with the "unboxing" video meme, here's one of my very favorites. There exist unboxing videos for almost anything in existence these days.

First impressions: it rained pamphlets and packing peanuts when the box finally came open.  The cover letter that goes with it was fairly comical, as performed as a dramatic reading by the spouse with louder parts indicating RANDOM CAPITAL LETTERS, as-written pauses (or run-on sentences actually), and some eyebrow waggling for underlining.

Second impressions (or, when I had the course itself in my hands): I am unconvinced that doing only this childbirth preparation method is necessary or a good idea.  It also entertains me a great deal how many places on this thing it has a blank for Baby's Name.  Since we don't know if Little Monster will be a lady or gentleman baby, we don't know a name.  We've only recently narrowed down the lady baby names to probably one or two choices.

I laughed really hard at the 12 pt, dense text page for my healthcare provider to read.  As if I could convince my OB to read that!  I don't think I could even manage to read the thing fast enough to him for him to listen to it.  It has a vaguely cult-ish tone that I suspect would further suggest to my OB that I'm some crazy hippie who is to be patronized into shutting up and not taken seriously, and that's not going to get me good care.  That will make me a joke among the docs (and yes, the docs should be more sensitive and open to different things, but I am not an optimist when it comes to healthcare provider's time and willingness to try new things AT ALL).  If I were to write something for that purpose, it would be not more than a half page of text, and in bullet points.  I am going to bring it up at a visit, mention that I'm doing it and that it's typical for labor to look different for someone using self-hypnosis (and hey, the book mentions that, and it's exactly the slightly weird labor pattern I had with the kid, so that's something interesting), and that I do intend to try really hard to avoid any meds during labor and INCLUDING pitocin after delivery.

Third impression: The "brief guide" that's bound with the Partner Guide is 20-some pages long, so not all that brief if you ask me.  The Partner Guide is shorter yet. Hmm.

Overall: I'm excited about the course but unsurprised that it's a bit far out into right field for my personal tastes.  I prefer organic food when I can get it, but I recognize that sticking to a food budget is more important to survival.  This course feels like it is the ultra-free range, super duper organic, fair trade, here's-the-life-history-of-your-chicken crunchy childbirth option, so anything less than absolute adherence is made out to be just AWFUL... so I guess I will continue to be a terrible, irreverent person.

4 comments:

  1. Hm... as someone who used HB and LOVED it, I hope you come to think more positively about it. The positive affirmations CD was cheesy at first...and then I realized it really WAS getting into my subconscious. :) Also, I didn't strictly adhere (no 5x/day practices of finger drops for me), but I do truly believe that it made a world of difference in my birth experience. I have 5 friends who have also used it in the past year who have all loved it as well (not all 1st time mommies either).

    I'm curious to read your review of the program post-birth!

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  2. Definitely sounds... interesting. I would love to do completely drug-free labor, but I have no idea what to expect, so I'm doing my best to not have strict expectations. I hope that you can decipher something in all that stuff that is helpful and useful!

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    1. I'd recommend it. I did self-hypnosis while in labor with the kid and it was pretty decent and made it all much more manageable (and no drugs were needed, which was nice). I figured that this time I'd do more than my little bit I can do myself. Hokey outsides, but the course itself seems pretty all right so far.

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  3. I can relate to having laughs/troubles with how the materials are written. After some initial eye-rolling though, I just started taking it with a grain of salt and began to look past the "accessible" writing style and more at the message. I also did a lot of skimming on things I already know about (like the nutrition stuff, a lot of the intervention descriptions, etc.). I focussed more on the first few pages of each "Class" and what the focus for that week would be. Now that I am in "maintenance" phase, I have read back through those pages and I *get it* a lot more now because I recognize the cues and it is more meaningful, if that makes sense.

    Yesterday I sat down and made myself a document of HOW TO USE IT during birth, because I still wasn't totally sure, and I feel a LOT better (I am a person who needs one sheet with bullet points!). I have liked the program so far because it has helped me to feel calmer overall, and I think that has a lot to do with MAKING myself lie down for a half hour each day and listen to the tapes. I didn't do the affirmations everyday (and some are... weird), but they do help. I promise! Every once in a while, one will really hit me and I'll focus on that. Right now, the one I am sticking to is "This is a new baby, and a new birth experience unique unto itself." That one is keeping me calm!!!

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