My wife and I did the online course thing where we watched the videos and then did the practice etc in our own time. I just wanted to write in to say that the hypnobirthing experience we had was amazing. My wife is the only person in our immediate family and close friends who did everything without intervention (well apart from a suck on the gas at the very end of both) and we are in the vast minority of people who had positive birthing experiences.

Being a scientist, I must admit when my wife first suggested we do this thing called ‘hypnobirthing’ I thought it was some new age rubbish akin to anti-vaxxing or something. But really, hypnobirthing should be called ‘compulsory birth preparation’. It is that good and totally makes sense that staying calm and zenning out is the way to go. The course really empowered our birthing experience and gave us the information we needed when things started ramping up.

We stayed at home for as long as we could, and both times my wife transitioned as we arrived into the hospital (Clementine’s one was a bit dicier as we were a 30 min drive from the hospital. So the drive in was a touch over the speed limit!). Edith’s was pretty funny as well because I had to park in the emergency bay and walk my wife through. The emergency nurse started freaking out and asking my wife a whole bunch of panicked questions. I had to pretty much click my fingers at the nurse and say, do the hand gesture of eye contact to me and said along the lines of “All questions to me, she doesn’t need the distraction”.  Then shortly after she was whisked away to the birthing suites so I parked the car and walked our bags up.

Clemetine’s was similar though as three different nurses offered us a wheel chair from the walk from the carpark to the birthing suites which were about 300 m or so. Each time though my wife shook her head walked for a bit then lent on me through a surge. It was impressive.

Edith’s birth was about an hour at the hospital and Clementine’s was about 40 min. Both were pretty textbook and calm(ish) water births.

As the husband who is essentially a passenger for the birthing experience, I think the best thing hypnobirthing gave me was tasks and responsibilities. I was terrible at doing the positive affirmations thing as I sounded like an out of work infomercial actor. It made my wife laugh too much so we brushed that. But things like to getting the room right, the ability and confidence to ask nurses and doctors questions and keeping my wife in the zone when things were getting close to go time were the best thing. It did help though that the midwives at both Sutherland Hospital in NSW for Edith and The Sunshine Coast University Hospital for Clementine were great and were very receptive to our desire to do the hypnobirth.

But anyway, just thought I would write in as I pretty much spruik the whole hypnobirth thing to all our friends who get pregnant. It was for sure one of the best decisions we have made as a couple and your course and ethos are great.

In saying that but I am looking forward to my vasectomy. Two is enough!

Cheers

Adrian