Gentle birth

stickybean

Hi girls,

Just wondering are any of ye doing gentle birth? Been reading up on it and sounds fantastic. Was thinking of doing a workshop, but not entirely sure.

Would love to hear any opinions please?

dori_dormer

I did!
Was brilliant. Best money we spent. I was advised to do it on number 1 but we didn't have the spare cash at the time. Did it about 12 weeks ago, baby is almost 4 weeks old.
The greatest benefits in my mind are
- confidence in your body
- confidence in the healthcare system ( and knowing its flaws/ your rights)
- confidence in your partner

The single greatest benefit is really how the course empowers your partner. Mine felt useless and ignored the first time. This time he took charge, we communicated really well, we were a proper team.

The fb group Gentle birth mums is a great page for birth stories and questions.

I'm recommending it to everyone I was so calm when I went into labour, really trusted and listened to my body and was really happy with my birth!

fits

When do you think would be a good time to do the workshop? With a twin pregnancy, I am quite likely not to have a very natural birth. But Id be interested in doing it all the same.

dori_dormer

You get 3 months free subscription to the app when you do v the course so I'd say for a cregular single pregnancy from around week 30.
I think you need about month for it to sink in well but you can still get great benefit from it in even as week before birth

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I did the cds on their own with both pregnancies. First pregnancy I ended being induced early so it all went out the window but for my second pregnancy everything went ok and I found it an amazing help. I was coping so well with the contractions that I was already 5-6 cm when I got to the labour suite. Stuck on the music on my phone and basically just breathed my way through the rest of it (with gas and air). When I started crowning I didn't even feel the urge to push, I just breathed the baby out in a few minutes. The midwives had never seen anything like it and said they would be recommending it in future. The only problem was that I was giving out to my OH every time he started chatting to the midwives because he was knocking me off my stride!

I suppose you could argue that I just got lucky and had an easy labour but I think that most of it was down to being relaxed about it all in the first place. I wasn't too hung up on everything going perfectly because it got me nowhere the first time around. I listened to the cds twice a day from around 24 weeks and I was also drinking bucket loads of raspberry tea in the last trimester as it's claimed to tone your uterus and make your contractions more effective. I dunno if it had any effect but strangely, I grew to like the icky taste of it so didn't mind either way

sareer

I had asked the midwife in our labor prep class and she told us that especially for the first baby, gentle birth won't happen and that it's called labor for a reason. Has anyone had a successful gentle birth for the first baby?

dori_dormer

sareer wrote: »

I had asked the midwife in our labor prep class and she told us that especially for the first baby, gentle birth won't happen and that it's called labor for a reason. Has anyone had a successful gentle birth for the first baby?

That's a bit of a weird thing to say! I know a few people who have done it on their first. There's no reason you can't have a gentle birth every time. It's about staying calm and confident and listening to your body not having a quick birth as every baby is different!

Also I don't know about the CDs, but with the app and course there are loads of tracks to help with preparing for Indiction, c section, breech , multiples etc. so even if you aren't having a straight forward birth / pregnancy it still has loads to offer

fro9etb8j5qsl2

I think the whole 'labour is called labour for a reason' is one of the many scaremongering notions that people love to scare pregnant women with. Surprised to see it being said by a midwife though, you think they would know better!

I don't think I had tracks for induction and csection the first time around, I definitely had them the second time though so maybe the program changed? Even when I was being induced, I did find that the breathing helped me to stay calm and relaxed and focused.

I read an excellent book too called Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan, some of it can be fairly 'out there' if you're not already into meditation etc, but she goes into great detail about the theory behind hypnoborthing and why it works. A good few breathing exercises too.

Dori if you were to do gentlebirth again do you think you would have to do the whole course again or would you manage by just listening to the tracks?

Lucyfur

I have the app. I love it. I've been using it every night since 20 weeks. There are no classes close to me but I'm really considering travelling for one.

I was at an antenatal refresher class last week and both physio and midwife highly recommended it.

fits

We are hoping to do a multiple specific antenatal class. So gentle birth on top of that would be another cost. Anyone know where I could get my hands on the CDs? I'm so uncertain of what the birth is going to be like with twins, I don't really know what to do.

Lucyfur

fits wrote: »

We are hoping to do a multiple specific antenatal class. So gentle birth on top of that would be another cost. Anyone know where I could get my hands on the CDs? I'm so uncertain of what the birth is going to be like with twins, I don't really know what to do.

I've seen people ask for them on the fb page. The app is €12.99 a month and so worth it, even just from a relaxation point of view. I use it to help me sleep. I rarely remember getting to the end of a track. I might wake again in an hour, but sure it's better than no sleep. I do feel very calm about everything, even though on paper, this isn't a smooth pregnancy at all.

dori_dormer

Alejandro Salmon Nail wrote: »

I think the whole 'labour is called labour for a reason' is one of the many scaremongering notions that people love to scare pregnant women with. Surprised to see it being said by a midwife though, you think they would know better!

I don't think I had tracks for induction and csection the first time around, I definitely had them the second time though so maybe the program changed? Even when I was being induced, I did find that the breathing helped me to stay calm and relaxed and focused.

I read an excellent book too called Hypnobirthing by Marie Mongan, some of it can be fairly 'out there' if you're not already into meditation etc, but she goes into great detail about the theory behind hypnoborthing and why it works. A good few breathing exercises too.

Dori if you were to do gentlebirth again do you think you would have to do the whole course again or would you manage by just listening to the tracks?

Probably depends how far away I got pregnant! In the next 2 yrs, prob not again but if it was more like 4 then probably would do another course! The difference in the coombe alone in the 2 yrs between my boys is amazing. First time in 2014, there was no delayed cord clamping, no natural 3 rd stage, no birth pool. Now they've all those things as standard, or allowed.

sage girl

I did a Gentle Birth course at the weekend and really cannot recommend it highly enough. Both myself and my partner feel so much better informed and empowered about the birth now. I've been using the app, which has loads of resources including a daily programme which suggests specific hypnosis exercises/affirmations etc.

There were couples there at all stages of pregnancy including some at around 38 weeks as well as women who had previously had C sections and were hoping for natural delivery this time round.

I wondered too whether it was worth the money or should I just use the app, but I'm really delighted now that we did the weekend.

Lucyfur

dori_dormer wrote: »

Probably depends how far away I got pregnant! In the next 2 yrs, prob not again but if it was more like 4 then probably would do another course! The difference in the coombe alone in the 2 yrs between my boys is amazing. First time in 2014, there was no delayed cord clamping, no natural 3 rd stage, no birth pool. Now they've all those things as standard, or allowed.

I'm sooooo delighted to see how much things have changed. Even though my first labour was fine, I got no skin to skin, no help breastfeeding, no delayed clamping. I wasn't allowed move around. They didnt even want me getting up to use the bathroom. So happy to see how much things have improved

fits

Oh I wonder what it will be like at st Luke's (Kilkenny)

Eabanos

Sareer just out of interest was that in an ante natal classes in a maternity hospital in Dublin (don't know if we're allowed name hospitals) . Sounds like the midwife we had doing the ante natal class. Still tempted to complain about how scary she made the whole thing seem. I did gentle birth and I recommend it to EVERYONE! It was so fantastic. Really. Best money I spent in my whole pregnancy. I love that they really reinforce that you can have a gentle birth no matter what path your birth takes. I progressed really slowly and ended up being induced (even though I was in labour) and had an emergency section in the end. But I still maintain it was a gentle birth because I felt reasonably in control, informed, listened to and most importantly calm. I never thought I'd hear myself say I really enjoyed parts of my labour. Do it do it do it!

dori_dormer

Lucyfur wrote: »

I'm sooooo delighted to see how much things have changed. Even though my first labour was fine, I got no skin to skin, no help breastfeeding, no delayed clamping. I wasn't allowed move around. They didnt even want me getting up to use the bathroom. So happy to see how much things have improved

If your in a dublin hospital, you could ask for a domino midwife when you arrive. They are very pro natural birth, and are well informed on the gentle birth ethos!
My husband asked for one to be assigned to us when I was admitted, turns out it happened anyway but I'm glad he asked as the battle we had with my midwife on my first where she said I could have all then stuff I wanted, then backtracked as soon as my son was born I felt so robbed

lazygal

sareer wrote: »

I had asked the midwife in our labor prep class and she told us that especially for the first baby, gentle birth won't happen and that it's called labor for a reason. Has anyone had a successful gentle birth for the first baby?

Some midwives are really old fashioned and they nearly see it as a threat to their profession when you start questioning anything. I had one recommend a crazy homeopathic 'treatment' to me on my first and another suggest arnica. I wish I hadn't bothered with the ante natal classes, I learned a lot more from discussions with people who'd been through the system already. I know people who got great benefit from gentlebirth, it was not for me but I wouldn't let a midwife put you off.

Lucyfur

dori_dormer wrote: »

If your in a dublin hospital, you could ask for a domino midwife when you arrive. They are very pro natural birth, and are well informed on the gentle birth ethos!
My husband asked for one to be assigned to us when I was admitted, turns out it happened anyway but I'm glad he asked as the battle we had with my midwife on my first where she said I could have all then stuff I wanted, then backtracked as soon as my son was born I felt so robbed

Nowhere near, I'm afraid! I'm high risk, so consultant led care, but I see the midwives at every visit too and they are BRILLIANT. I'm really happy with the care I'm getting. Any midwife I've spoken to has the same attitude, it's my body, listen to it and do what feels right. If I need a section, so be it. If I want an epidural, I'll ask for it but I'm *hoping* to have a gentle birth. My nurse in my GP's is a lactation consultant and hugely into having as natural an experience as possible. My husband is so laid back, but can be assertive if needs be. My mum is the total opposite off all that and thinks pregnancy and labour are the most unnatural things in the world but sure she's not gonna be in the labour ward so that's grand!!

I'm surrounded by positivity, it's great!

Gatica

fits wrote: »

When do you think would be a good time to do the workshop? With a twin pregnancy, I am quite likely not to have a very natural birth. But Id be interested in doing it all the same.

There's no reason you cannot have a natural birth just because you're having twins, unless there are actual complications. It's just another type of pregnancy, and it's been around as long as humans have, I'm sure. Being informed about your pregnancy and birth choices I think are the best tools.

sareer wrote: »

I had asked the midwife in our labor prep class and she told us that especially for the first baby, gentle birth won't happen and that it's called labor for a reason. Has anyone had a successful gentle birth for the first baby?

That's an awful thing to say and all it does is reinforce fear in women. She probably had a bad birth herself and is embittered by anyone else having it easier.

OP, how far along are you? I started on the Gentlebirth CDs at week 16. The were absolutely amazing right from the start. Very relaxing, really helps with sleep and a positive outlook. The accompanying workbook was also very informative.
I've registered for our local upcoming workshop in 3 weeks, will give feedback after. It's 325E and says it includes 3 months of the app and CD boxset (which I already have, but will pass onto a friend). Although they don't sell the boxset anymore as it's been replaced by the app, so I dunno if it's just an old description. It's 2 days and includes partners for the whole thing, which I think is great for getting dads involved and on your side supporting you through the hospital policies and your wishes.

fits

Gatica wrote: »

There's no reason you cannot have a natural birth just because you're having twins, unless there are actual complications. It's just another type of pregnancy, and it's been around as long as humans have, I'm sure. Being informed about your pregnancy and birth choices I think are the best tools.

Great in theory but in practise over 65% of twin pregnancies result in c sections. Often when a natural delivery is attempted the second twin needs to be delivered by emergency c section. Also epidurals are given in majority of deliveries in case emergency c section is required. Deliveries often take place in operating theatre. The risks and issues involved are just different to singletons including growth restriction, presentation etc etc I realised pretty early on that there is no point having heart set on any one thing in relation to their delivery. As long as they arrive safely that's the main thing.

stickybean

Does anyone know of hand do Holles Street support gentle birth?

Also if you get the app, do you need the CD and books to?

Thanks

Gatica

I think for every birth the gentlebirth approach encourages being open to any path your birthing takes, whether it's a necessary caesarean or induction. Wonder how women used to cope with twins before then?

stickybean, as far as I know, the app has replaced the CDs now. The CDs are hard to get but are sold sometimes second hand. I wanted them because I didn't know whether you'd get to keep the tracks from the app and it's a monthly fee, but with CDs I'd be able to keep them.

fits

Gatica wrote: »

I think for every birth the gentlebirth approach encourages being open to any path your birthing takes, whether it's a necessary caesarean or induction. Wonder how women used to cope with twins before then?

Unfortunately, a lot didn't make it. yes I still think gentlebirth is still worth doing, but just trying to be pragmatic about how we use our money. I wont have any income early next year at all, (not even maternity benefit) and we are already forking out for private care, which is brilliant but comes at a price.

livinsane

stickybean wrote: »

Does anyone know of hand do Holles Street support gentle birth?

Also if you get the app, do you need the CD and books to?

Thanks

The app has all the CD tracks and more, and the book in ebook form. It has totally replaced the CD and book.

I looked into Gentlebirth on my first pregnancy three years ago but found it very hard to find credible feedback online, and it's not cheap so I decided not to go for it. However since joining the Facebook page and seeing the real birth stories and helpful posts, I subscribed to the app. It's really good. I'm trying to listen to something every night before bed and in the evening instead of turning on the tv. It's really about being confident in your abilities to birth, no matter what way the labour goes. It also views all the difficult parts of labour as totally natural. I think that having the mindset that, for example, a contraction (or surge as the tracks call them) is a positive thing because it is bringing you closer to holding your baby really helps release some of that fear. It also gives you practical advice like breathing, and explaining the pushing stage. I'd love to do a workshop but they all clash with my OH's work shifts.

Anyone interested in it should join the FB page.

lazygal

Gatica wrote: »

I think for every birth the gentlebirth approach encourages being open to any path your birthing takes, whether it's a necessary caesarean or induction. Wonder how women used to cope with twins before then?

stickybean, as far as I know, the app has replaced the CDs now. The CDs are hard to get but are sold sometimes second hand. I wanted them because I didn't know whether you'd get to keep the tracks from the app and it's a monthly fee, but with CDs I'd be able to keep them.

Childbirth used to be a very common cause of death, so women didn't really cope with twins before if and when things went wrong, and the babies and/or women died. I had to have a section on my first pregnancy for medical reasons-if I'd been pregnant in the 1950s I'd have been dead or a victim of symphisiotomy more than likely, had I tried to give birth vaginally.

stickybean

Gatica wrote: »

OP, how far along are you? I started on the Gentlebirth CDs at week 16. The were absolutely amazing right from the start. Very relaxing, really helps with sleep and a positive outlook. The accompanying workbook was also very informative.
I've registered for our local upcoming workshop in 3 weeks, will give feedback after. It's 325E and says it includes 3 months of the app and CD boxset (which I already have, but will pass onto a friend). Although they don't sell the boxset anymore as it's been replaced by the app, so I dunno if it's just an old description. It's 2 days and includes partners for the whole thing, which I think is great for getting dads involved and on your side supporting you through the hospital policies and your wishes.

I'm 21 + 1 Gatica

cupcake queen

This is a really interesting thread! I am 14 weeks and definitely going to look into Gentle Birth. Out of interest, is it similar to hypnobirthing? I registered to do 2 days of hypnobirthing classes at the hospital as part of the Domino scheme and am wondering would it be the same sort of thing?

Lucyfur

cupcake queen wrote: »

This is a really interesting thread! I am 14 weeks and definitely going to look into Gentle Birth. Out of interest, is it similar to hypnobirthing? I registered to do 2 days of hypnobirthing classes at the hospital as part of the Domino scheme and am wondering would it be the same sort of thing?

Yeah, it's apparently very similar!

January

Gentlebirth is fantastic. If anyone would like an instructor recommendation in the Dublin area PM me (not me, I'm not a Gentlebirth instructor but I know a few).

I didn't use it on any of my children and I regret it.

fits, gentlebirth isn't just for natural birth, they have specific tracks for gentle cesareans too so it is well worth looking into.

Gatica

stickybean wrote: »

I'm 21 + 1 Gatica

you've plenty of time to decide on whether you wanna do the workshop then, and find one near you as I think there's only 1 workshop per month in any area. Never too early to start though apparently.

As for hypnobirthing, I think you'll find that there are some differences with gentlebirth if you look at their website: http://www.gentlebirth.ie/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=18

Awful about the amount of women that would have died from childbirth in the olden days I've no doubt that modern medicine has helped women's survival rates a lot, however, I'd say there were a lot of natural births that went quite well too.