Hypnobirthing: A Good Approach, Despite My Previous Post

So, my post on HypnoBirthing generated more comments than any other, and the responses were thoughtful and thought-provoking. I am very grateful to all the HypnoBirthing instructors whose comments underscored what the birthing approach is really about.

Reflecting on both the post and my experience with the classes, I shouldn't have been so cavalier and inflammatory in my accusations. My disappointment in the learning experience overshadowed the fact that I do think HypnoBirthing is relevant and important.

As someone who has studied mindfulness meditation (and in fact used it along with both Chinese and Western medical practices in order to get pregnant), the principles of HypnoBirthing seemed like a natural extension of my approach to pregnancy.

What I should have underscored is how unnatural it felt to work a nine-hour day at an office, then race home, perform prenatal yoga for 90 minutes and then head directly to a 2 1/2 hour Hypnobirthing class that usually ended around 10:45pm at night.

Even when I gave up yoga (much to the chagrin of my hips) the late night class (and the instructor's admonishment when we arrived late) felt more burdening than empowering.

Did the instructor realize the strain my body and mind felt by 10pm? Maybe. Did she believe that the value imparted by Hypnobirthing was more important? Perhaps. Did I agree with her?

Absolutely not.

I appreciate that HypnoBirthing is about reinforcing the choice we have as parents to determine how our children are brought into this world. But that choice, that responsibility, doesn't start with contractions--it begins now. I've already made dozens of choices as a mother--my choice to be with a midwife, to practice prenatal yoga, to take classes, to warn my family that my hubby and I want privacy for the first couple of days with our newborn.

If I choose not to forgo dinner and thereby come 15 minutes late to a prenatal or HypnoBirthing class than I am making a parenting choice that should be respected by someone advocating for parents making informed decisions.

I was told by another prenatal instructor not to be "too skeptical" about HypnoBirthing. It's good advice for life in general, and upon reflection, my first post really didn't present a fair picture of my view on the practice.

To remember to breathe, to remember that we are our own advocates--these are important daily lessons that rest at the core of HypnoBirthing. In my exhaustion and prenatal-class overload, I may have lost sight of how simple these principles really are.