Hypnobabies vs. HypnoBirthing/Other Childbirth Hypnosis Classes

Here are the Top 3 advantages to using Hypnobabies:

1. Hypnobabies is the only childbirth hypnosis course to teach medical-grade hypnosis techniques,  which enable women to enter the deepest possible state of self-hypnosis (somnambulism). These are the same techniques used successfully by people preparing for surgery who have life-threatening allergies to medical anesthetics. In addition, Hypnobabies audio tracks contain binaural beats to enhance hypnotic induction and depth.

2. Hypnobabies is the only childbirth hypnosis course to teach “eyes-open” hypnosis, which allows laboring women to walk and talk while remaining in a deep state of hypnosis. We know that movement and position changes during labor are vital to helping babies descend optimally, so this is a crucial difference between Hypnobabies and other programs that require total stillness to be effective. Women using eyes-open hypnosis frequently exhibit a relaxed demeanor and lack typical emotional signposting, leading providers to assume that they are much earlier in labor than they actually are. It’s incredible to watch!

3. Hypnobabies is the only childbirth hypnosis course to offer 18 hours of personalized instruction to women and their partners—much more information than in other hypnobirthing classes. What do we teach? The basics of pregnancy and birth, birthing choices, nutrition and exercise, how to manage posterior babies and back labor, newborn care, breastfeeding, postpartum care, birth empowerment skills, and of course, an comprehensive toolkit of self-hypnosis techniques. A unique highlight is our detailed birth rehearsal, held during our final class.

What's the consensus?

We asked hypnomoms who first took another childbirth class and then took Hypnobabies to share their experiences with both courses.
 
Blair: I wanted to let you know that I used a regular hypnobirthing program for my first birth and have chosen to use Hypnobabies for my current pregnancy. With the hypnobirthing I did not feel as prepared and as confident as I do with this one. Hypnobabies is so much more in depth and comprehensive that it makes all the difference to me. I feel so much more confident in my choices, more prepared to deal with the unexpected and a stronger resolve that things will happen the way that I want them to and not what the Docs want. My birth is not to be convenient for them but all about me and my baby’s health. This pregnancy I have made a lot of major choices like switching to a midwife at 4 months, going to a natural birthing center unit, hiring a doula, and laying out specifically what I want to happen. It is nice to feel empowered by the program simply because I know what me options are. I didn’t get that with the hypnobirthing one and that is something I feel pretty strong about. Hypnobabies (the staff and program) have been so supportive of me that I could not have asked for anything more. Bright Blessings to you!!!(Blair had a challenging Pitocin induced birth, but did it comfortably with Hypnobabies!)
 
Susan: I did research on Hyp-birth when I was doing my own comparison shopping before my second birth. What I discovered was that Hypbirth includes ONLY the CDs, and if I remember correctly a video explaining how to use them. There is no childbirth information at all, so you need to go elsewhere to get all the information you need to be fully informed on how to have as safe and healthy a pregnancy and birth as possible. As for the hypnosis, like Hypnobabies, Hypbirth does include a way for women to enter hypnosis very quickly, which is good. But unlike Hypnobabies, Hyp-birth does NOT teach a way to remain deeply in hypnosis and very comfortable while remaining upright and mobile. Which means that many women probably need to remain in bed to be deeply relaxed if things get intense for them at any point.
 
That is what happened to me while using regular hypnobirthing, (for my first birth) and the result was a much longer birth than I likely would have had if I had been able to remain upright and mobile, as I did with my Hypnobabies birth. That was one of the main reasons I knew Hypnobabies was the best choice for me, and it really came in handy during my second birthing. In fact, I walked very calmly into the birthing center at full dilation. That’s something I never could have done in my first birthing.
 
Basically, even though Hyp-birth includes much more in depth hypnosis techniques than regular hypnobirthing, it still didn’t have the two things I found to be missing during my first birth. Namely, a complete childbirth education (so I could understand all my options in the rare case that complications arose, and discuss them intelligently with my caregiver – plus use natural alternatives avoid to medical intervention, when possible) and a way to remain calm and comfortable while upright during the more intense parts of the birth. Even though I looked into Hyp-birth while preparing for my second birth, I had discovered during my first birth that I needed more birthing information than I had learned through my hypnobirthing classes, so choosing a program that didn’t include ANY childbirth information wasn’t a good fit for me. And once I found out that it didn’t specifically teach “mobile” hypnosis skills, my decision was clear. I chose Hypnobabies for my second birth and had a fabulous, fully informed, pain-free and mobile birth, just as I hoped I would!
 
Sarah: I took a hypnobirth course when I was pregnant with my first daughter, and ended up not really using any of the techniques for a variety of reasons. For one thing (the big one), I was never really sold on the idea that it would actually work. There weren’t that many recorded scripts to listen to; my “birth partner” was supposed to supplement those by reading a few short scripts to me, but DH lost interest in the whole project pretty quickly and was always “too tired” to go over anything with me (which made me frustrated and angry); I found the instructions for the breathing exercises to be confusing and never got the hang of the exercises themselves; and the hypnobirthing book itself, while it has good information, isn’t laid out in a very helpful format.
 
By the time I got induced, I had pretty much lost interest in going natural. I got an epi when things got ouchy, and gave birth to a lovely little girl. Not a bad experience by any means, but I decided this time around that I’d like to have more control and more options than the first time around.
 
I haven’t actually birthed using the Hypnobabies course yet, but I have SO much more faith in it than in hypnobirthing. The week-by-week (and in the maintenance phase, day-by-day) schedule is VERY easy to follow. There are more CD scripts to listen to covering more topics. DH is still not very interested (not negative, just not willing to prepare in any way), but I feel like it doesn’t matter nearly as much as I have so much more information available to me–plus I’ve hired a doula who is really interested in hypnosis, so she’ll be there to help me out when needed.
 
I started doing the course at about 5 months and have followed it pretty faithfully. It’s basically really relaxing and enjoyable, so it hasn’t been a chore to do it. And I’ve been sleeping better than I did with my first pregnancy, so that alone is worth it! Another big plus has been reading all the wonderful birth stories here, which have given me much more confidence than I had with my first pregnancy and birth.
 
Rose: I took a basic hypnobirthing class with my first child. I found the class empowering, and it enabled me to relax. However, they did not teach us anything but how to relax. I never really felt like I was deeply in hypnosis. During the birth I was relaxed but I did end up asking for narcotics. At the time I knew very little about pain medication.
 
With my second pregnancy I used the Hypnobabies program and it was amazing. I was deeply in hypnosis, and there are so many wonderful scripts. There is also SO much information on staying healthy and low risk, as well as choices in childbirth. It was so great I flew across country to become an instructor!! 😮 )
 
I definitely recommend the Hypnobabies program.
 
Sandy: I took a private hypnobirthing class with my hypno-doula. I was not happy with the material or the CDs (only 2 come with hypnobirthing the class). My hypno-doula was great and she supplemented the material some, but not enough for me to become comfortable and confident in hypnosis. I then found the Hypnobabies course and ordered it and switched to it. My doula worked with me to learn the new cues and changes and she thought it was great too. If you take a hypnobirthing course, make sure the person truly has a background in hypnosis and is not just a childbirth person who learned hypnosis via hypnobirthing training. Mine was a truly certified hypnotherapist and childbirth educator with strong backgrounds in both.
 
I personally preferred the Hypnobabies and would choose it again. I love my hypno-doula, but I did not care for the hypnobirthing material. The book doesn’t explain everything – leaves a lot of holes to be filled in by class instructor and they only give you two CDs which don’t really help that much in my opinion. The rainbow relaxation helps you relax but doesn’t really give a lot of post hypnotic suggestions and doesn’t really prepare you near as well as the Hypnobabies CDs. The Hypnobabies course is so much more complete than hypnobirthing, although a few people might find their simpler approach preferable, most people don’t. The extra scripts in the Hypnobabies keeps you from becoming bored listening to same thing all the time and gives you much more tools and scripts to work with.
 
I had my DS with Hypnobabies in December and it went very well and I did not have pain, although I was uncomfortable at times from the pressure and tightening which was sometimes much more than I expected.
 
Kirsten: I had 3 babies before Hypnobabies. Hospital babies. Medically orchestrated babies. Nightmare deliveries. Prep was the hospital course, where they tell you Pitocin does not make birth waves stronger…lies…. They told me how to behave to make life easy for hospital staff. Hypnobabies was a ray of light. I had 3 more babies. Hypnobabies. A home birth, a vaginal breech birth. With Hypnobabies. I wish I had had Hypnobabies from the start, but thanks to having a variety of experiences, I can wholeheartedly endorse Hypnobabies. God bless you, Kerri!
 
Portia: For my first child I used the Bradley method and had a hard hospital birth with unwanted medical intervention 30 hours after my water broke. For my second child I had in September, I used Hypnobabies and had an AWESOME birthing experience. Labor started at 8 PM, I went to bed at midnight listening to my birthing day affirmations/ first stage labor, went to the birthing center at 7AM well rested and had my baby girl at 8AM! Such a better way to relax and let your body do the work!
 
Carly: I did Hypnobirthing on my first, and Hypnobabies on my second. I felt FAR more prepared and much more calm and comfortable on my second.
 
Veronica: I did Hypnobirthing and found that in comparison to Hypnobabies, it was more of a visualization and focusing technique but not a true hypnosis method for managing discomfort. Ultimately I learned more about how to take care of myself and my baby during pregnancy and how to use hypnosis to truly focus and stay as comfortable as possible when the birthing process can get intense. I felt robbed by the Hypnobirthing course after taking Hypnobabies. I hope this helps!
 
Meinemo: Hypnobirthing was a waste of my time and money. I haven’t tried Hypnobabies yet but that’s on deck for my next birth.
 
Hailey: First baby I used Lamaze, had a typical hospital delivery, made it 9 hours with Pitocin, got an epidural, flat on back for 3 hours, pushed for one hour and 9 lb 5 oz baby boy was born. Wasn’t able to nurse him.
 
Second baby, used Hypnobabies, was in birthing time all day but was so comfortable we didn’t make it to the birthing center before his head was born in the car, got to parking lot and midwives helped deliver the rest of my 9 lb 15 oz baby boy. Hypnobabies is so amazing! Oh, and number 2 is nursing like a champ!
 
Kim: We did regular Lamaze for our first birth (natural). It was a very quick labor and from 6cm through 10cm I was very close to asking for an epidural. I’m quite sure if it had taken any longer to progress that I would have asked for one. Our 2nd birth was a c/s (twin breech). Our 3rd birth was a twin VBAC with Hypnobabies. I had a wonderful birth experience and never had that “out of control” feeling during transition like I had with our first birth. I never felt desperate for it to be over. Just a nice calm feeling that I was in control and everything was progressing like it was supposed to. People find it hard to believe that we had a twin VBAC, but then when they hear it was drug free (and as close to painless as possible) they are really shocked. It also came in handy for IV placement, shots (I had to have terbuteline shots a few times due to PTL), and cervical checks, etc… The nurses actually didn’t believe I was in labor because I was so calm. Definitely worth it!
 
July: For my first baby I used a class called natural childbirth offered at the hospital. I was extremely tense during that labor and my baby did not descend. I had a C-section with her. My hypnobaby on the other hand came in three hours. love Hypnobabies and I would recommend it to anyone. I loved using the relaxation tools before labor and during it. Labor was so much more manageable using the program.
 
Vanessa: I used Lamaze and HypnoBirthing … nope, didn’t work. So excited to use Hypnobabies this time!
 
Bridget: With my first I just took the hospital class. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go natural at the time, because I was so scared of pain and the unknown, so I decided to play it by ear. I’d heard great things of Lamaze from my mom and other ladies but every time I looked into the “breathing techniques” I just couldn’t buy it. I would probably end up working myself into tizzy trying to figure how to do the breathing right and end up with more stressed. I didn’t really have a plan other than to see how far I could make it without meds and I didn’t last long. Cervadil–Pitocin induction at 41 weeks, begged for epidural at 2cm! Second baby, I found Hypnobabies and dived in head first. Felt so confident and excited for the birth, despite how much I disliked my first one. Water broke naturally on my due date at 6pm and by midnight I had delivered a 10lb 15oz completely natural! Labor was an absolute breeze due to the relaxation techniques I had taught myself, and my hypnosis playing on my iPod. Nothing compares to the confidence this program gives you. Love it!
 
Marilyn: Hypnobabies includes the kind of information you would get in Bradley (nutrition, exercise, the process of birth, risks and benefits of procedures and medications commonly offered, etc.) as well as medical hypnosis techniques for comfort in birthing that you won’t find anywhere else.
 
Susan: I took Bradley for my first and used Hypnobabies home study with my second, with much better results – I felt comfortable for most of my Hypnobabies birth! I’m now a Hypnobabies instructor. I love the whole Hypnobabies philosophy and see more and more how it applies not only to birth but life in general. Our minds, thoughts, and the words we choose to use are so powerful. I saw it in my birth experiences too. And I have to agree that you get everything and more in Hypnobabies that you would get in other classes.