Ok im a little anxiuos of my bubba's arrival. Im scared something is going to happen to her, and i hate feelin like this. So i was wondering has anyone done these calm birth classes, and what exactly do they do there?? Also how much and does anyone know of any of them in Newcastle??
I am just gunna throw something out - whilst Calmbirth is an option for you - what about some sessions with a psychologist for the lead up - help you with the visualisation etc for a one - on - one? Your fears are perfectly understandable.
Good luck - hop on the Calmbirth website and e-mail them - they will be able to help. They have the weekends in Bowral but for instance there was an associated practitioner here in Canberra that ran a similar course too as part of Peter whathisnames course.
I used the methods described and had a wonderful labour. If you have the time, read through all the posts from Blue Daisy, she gives some awesome information and advice
i am an anxious person by nature and found doing the calmbirth course extremely helpful. after losing five pregnancies early in the piece, i was wrought with worries about E's birth so DH and I went to the course and found it really beneficial. there is a lot of focus on breathing and relaxation techniques, visualisation etc. i ended up with pre-eclampsia and an induction that went on for days resulting in a c/s but at no point did my anxiety get the better of me. every time i felt it creeping up, i focussed on what we'd learnt and did all i could to NOT let the anxiety overwhelm me. in the end, i ended up making the decision to have the c/s due to my own health issues. there was no fear, it was purely a medical decision. i was able to think it through logically and come to the conclusion that was best for us (mum and bub) - and i have no regrets. i think it would have been VERY different had i not done the course.
our course was, from memory, about $400 for a weekend. money well spent. our course was on the weekend of the Victorian Black Saturday fires which were extremely close to my family, and only one week after fires that had burnt part of our own property and we'd been evacuated. the difference in my response to those stresses after only the first day was, in itself, enough to show me that it was working.
hope you can find someone local to help you out - it really is a worthwhile investment
I did hypnobirthing (same thing as calmbirthing) with DS. There have been a few threads about hb, so maybe do a search on 'hypnobirthing' and you'll find lots of positive posts about it.
As mentioned, hb is essentially focused on self-relaxation techniques. You'll find hb uses a different language - surges, not contractions (for example) and the word pain is never used. Don't let any of this put you off - hb was great. And really, I can't fault the theory that women who fully expect to feel pain prepare themselves for pain, tense up and "fight" it ... and hence can experience more pain. The relaxation techniques I learned (mental AND physical) were worth their weight in gold. And as much as anything, hb was very empowering for myself and my DH. It taught us that we could be in control of our birthing, and that we didn't have to be pushed around by anyone in the medical profession. Our birth = our way. Don't get me wrong, we were also advised to be prepared for our birth plans to not happen as we hoped (ie/ in case of an actual emergency). I wouldn't say the courses were necessarily anti-drugs or anti-c-section - it was about empowering the parents to educate themselves on all options and to make informed choices - not be pushed/scared into anything. Of course, the idea of hb is to assist mum to have a natural, intervention and drug-free birth - but I think the learnings from the classes would assist in all types of deliveries.
There's a bit more to hb than just what I've mentioned - but I wanted to pass on the truly valueable lessons I learned - how to stay as relaxed as possible and not "fight" the birth; and being empowered to birth my way. For the record, I birthed my son in about six hours, drug free and intervention free. Yes, I was lucky it all went according to plan ... but by the same token I was 100pc mentally prepared to birth naturally. Dunno if that was the main factor behind my "easy" birth, but I'm sure it helped.
All the best, Andie
Last edited by AndiE; June 27th, 2009 at 04:13 PM.
I've just finished another version called Hynobirthing. I did the course over 5 weeks, and just had an hour catch up to see if there were any issues remaining before my birth. He'll then catch up with me about a month after birth. So in the end I feel very cared for by my practitioner.
All I can say is I was worried about the cost ($450) as I was wondering if it was worth it, but after doing the course, I would pay twice that for the benefit and calm I have now thinking about my Birth. I had an emergency C-section last time and it scared me off having more kids for years, so being pregnant was very scarey for me. I also wanted to have a VBAC and didn't know how to go about it. But from the course and very supportive people around me I can't wait to start birthing my baby and enjoying the experience this time. And like BG said, it also helps in other areas of your life to cope with sudden stress and anxiety.
But you can always read the articles on here as well, I have found them very useful as well as speaking to you caregiver about your concerns. They want you as relaxed as you can be as well.
Definitely worth it. It might seem like a lot of money, and it pays off. I knew it was worth it at the time but my partner was very doubtful. Until we did it and he knew it was worth it. Better than health insurance because it gives you tools you can use forever! We did the HB, which is the US version of CB - not many accredited CB practitioners around when I did the course.
A good practitioner can not only teach you the techniques and give you the education, but will also help you with specific anxieties, like PP have said
Very normal to feel the way you do and it's fantastic that you are aware of what is available to you to help you with the birth!
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