The only prep I did for my birth with my first was hypnobirthing, and while I got my unmedicated birth (on pit no less) I felt very very very unprepared for it. In this episode I go over three problems with my birth prep and what you can do instead.

Summary

Three ways hypnobirthing didn’t prepare me for birth:

1. I didn’t practice the techniques enough

Just like with any type of meditation technique, I didn;t practice them enough to actually be able to utilize them once labor really took off. I had no ways to cope with labor during active labor or transition and labor actually slowed partly because of it. 

• Solution: Teach your birth partner your coping techniques so they can help you get through the harder parts of labor, use hypnobirthing audiotracks, and have other tools in your labor coping tool kit.

2. I was not prepared to handle the hospital interventions

While the original hypnobirthing book does cover belief in birth and has a whole chapter on not needing a bunch of “stuff” to birth your baby, there were no tips on exactly what that stuff was and how to navigate around the hospital interventions in an informed way. So while I knew enough to decline pitocin just because my waters were broken, when they suggested it because labor was moving slow, I didn’t know what to do.

• Solution: Take an advocacy based birth course , or get informed on your own, in addition to using hypnobirthing as a labor coping tool. 

3. I didn’t know how intense birth would be

There is some degree of this for all moms. You can’t truly understand what birth is like til you experience it. However, I think knowing the signs of transition and how my mindset would shift would have been valuable to know while I was preparing for birth.

• Solution: Learn about unmedicated birth for someone who has been there, and someone who isn’t going to sugar coat things, like your fierce birth bestie AND learn how to surrender to birth instead of suffer, check out episode 68 for more.

Mentioned on the show

Unmedicated Academy – enrolling now!

Get informed on your own

For More:

• To subscribe: on iOS, go to our iTunes page and subscribe. On Android, click this podcast RSS feed link and select your podcast app.

• Leave an iTunes review. These are huge for me! The more reviews, the greater chance another mama will find me.

• Like Fierce Lizzie on Facebook and follow on Instagram  for the latest updates and related information.

• Share your thoughts! I’d love to hear more about the conversations you’re having. Shoot me an email, or find me on social media.

• Tell others. I truly hope this podcast empowers mothers to take control of their birth – I’d be honored if you shared and encouraged others to listen in.

*Affiliate links used where appropriate. Thanks for supporting the podcast!