HypnoBirthing® UK

[angy]

Hi I am new to HB and living in Japan with my Japanese husband, so although there are no HB classes on offer for me here I have started reading the book and am getting onto the relaxation techniques with halfway of my pregnancy to go. I have a lovely birthing clinic where the doctor practices natural births, and as in Japan medical intervention and pain relief are quite frowned upon I feel very comfortable having the baby here, as opposed to back home in Australia.

I have just found out that I have O type blood with no plus or minus RH balance, and they call this Weak D. There is no harm to my baby now, but could pose harm to a second baby as after this birth my body will create anti-bodies that will most certainly harm a second baby. To correct this, I will receive an injection shortly after the birth, so I have no fears here-my mum also has some friends back in Australia who had the same thing and after the injection went on to have healthy second and third babies.

The only problem I face, is that with Weak D blood, I can only receive O- blood in the event of a transfusion. And the problem there is that 99% of Japanese people have positive blood, and of the 1% with negative there are even fewer with O-.

My birth clinic doctor sent me to the Chiba University Hospital to do further testing, which was a horrible experience far away from the comfort and pleasant surroundings of my local birthing clinic. The Chiba Uni doctors tried to scare me with tales of possible death if I lose too much blood and that my local birthing center would not have the means to find me the right blood on time....I was so worked up that during just a routine ultrasound my whole body started to heat up, I was sweating profusely and nearly threw up and passed out! Despite all this the doctors here still tried to convince me I should be having my baby at their hospital to be safe, but I know there is no way I could do it there....

My husband and I decided that the safest thing for me and our baby is for me to be in an environment where I can practise the HB methods and stay as calm as possible, so on our follow up visit to our local birthing clinic doctor we told him what the Chiba Uni docs had told us......he said that in 4,000 deliveries he has only had one birth where a lot of blood was lost and he had to do an emergency transfusion, and he thinks there is nothing to be concerned about. He said, that if I did lose too much blood, yes there is a risk that I won't be able to get any in time for a transfusion, but the actual risk of needing a transfusion is so low...

I told him that I feel afraid at the big hospital and would still like to go ahead and have my baby at the birthing clinic, which is setup very homely and extremely natural. He said he thinks the best thing for me and our baby is for me to have it there, so that's the choice we have made.

My mum is coming over 3 weeks before my due date, and she is going to buy the HB book before she comes so she can help me with the relaxation and breathing, but she is still concerned about the blood problem.....I on the other hand am starting to feel concerned that I am not concerned...should I be suggesting that they stockpile some of my own blood just in case, or isn't this just creating room in my mind to doubt that my birth will be trouble free??

For now, I am planning to just stay positive and keep going with the self-training. If anyone knows of a trainer in Japan please let me know, but so far my research has found no-one so I am just going to work hard everyday with the book and cd.

Thanks for listening!

[kaz]

Hi angy Congratulations on discovering how wonderful HypnoBirthing is and for finding such a lovely environment to birth your baby I have O negative blood and have had to have anti D injections after each of my three children and that has never been a problem. I lost quite a bit of blood with the birth of my daughter but they just used a clear fluid in the drip, not blood, and I was fine.......I think that unless there are good medical reasons to do so you are better off in the birthing centre and focusing on the positives of birthing and not the negatives.

Wishing you well with the book, CD and the search for an HB practitioner. I am a practitioner but live in the UK

[kaz]

I just searched the practitioner directory for you and there are two practitioners in Japan......both in Tokyo. Here is a link to their details

http://www.hypnobirthing.com/japan.htm

[angy]

Thank you for your replies and help! I have looked up the Japanese instructors, but according to their website the company is an actual Hypnotherapy center and they do private evaluations and trainings, from $300-$600 per session! I have emailed the contact anyway just to see if they do run any HB sessions too....But if they are around that price there is no way I would be able to afford them.

I am happy to hear that I'm not the only one with the Weak D blood and needing the injection. Can I ask you, did you birth your babies all with HB, and when you lost a lot of blood with your daughter how did you manage to keep calm and follow the HB methods? Like I said, I have only just started the practise and am studying by myself, so I have a lot of work to do from here on in but I am excited about the birth and feel confident I can block out the small fears I have about the blood loss....

I am open to any tips to improve my home study, or just any tips in general about HB.

Thanks again!

[kaz]

Oh that's a shame about the cost Maybe though the actual course itself will be affordable...........Home study is good but the course offers so much more

No I didn't birth any of my three with HypnoBirthing, my youngest is nine years old and I have only been a practitioner since 2007. My tips would be that regular practice is essential......the more you do it, the better HB will work for you Practice the breathing techniques until they are second nature and make time for regular relaxation - most of all believe in yourself, in your body and your body's inate ability to naturally birth your baby with no problems.

All the best, Kaz x

[angy]

Thank you Kaz.
I got a reply from the Japanese practitioner however her next course is not until September, and that is when I am due. The course is 4 days at 3 hours day, so a total of 12 hours. The price is as I said, about $700. Is this usual? I was thinking she might be able to set up some private trainings with me, but I assume the cost would be even more. I know that the course would be invaluable, however my husband and I are merely freelance writer and photographer with home and car loans....we really couldn't afford the course...

One thing I wanted to ask; I've been having a bit of difficulty getting into a good breathing rhythm. I have been suffering from Hayfever since early March and have found myself with a stuffy nose right throughout my pregnancy as a result. At night especially it is quite hard to breath, however I still practise the sleep breathing technique and do find some relaxation from it, however I feel quite restrained because I can't take in the deep breaths I would like to-actually, I find that the outgoing breath is where I struggle the most. Could you offer any advice for this?

Thanks for all your help. You guys should consider starting online training sessions using Skype for people like us who can not attend a class! It would be great to practice in our own home and in English (the Japanese lady only offers Japanese classes....)

Angie

[kaz]

I'm not sure how much $700 is in pounds - is that Australian dollars or US? If US it seems pretty high compared to the average UK charges but it is left to the individual practitioner as to what to charge.

The breathing can take a while to master, according to my clients especially the longer outgoing breath, but once you do you will find it second nature. Have you tried any remedies for the hayfever? I'm sure a doctor or good homeopath could help you out. Have you considered good old-fashioned steaming? Head over a basin of hot water, under a towel before you practise? Hopefully the seasons will turn around again soon (depending on what triggers your hayfever) and this will no longer be a problem

Skype? Yikes I'm a bit of a technophobe even though my husband is an IT security specialist

[angy]

Hi Kaz,

As it turns out for 12 hours of private lessons she wanted about $1500, yes that would be the amount roughly in US dollars. I thought that price is totally unreasonable...I have looked at other rates all over the world and no-one is charging that much. It is a shame because I think she is the only person teaching in Japan, so obviously she can still charge whatever she likes. Unfortunately most Japanese people can not afford this type of course, so I think HB will take a long time to kick off due to those kind of prices, as well as the lack of information available. Hopefully as I work in the media I can change this a little once I have my birth and it is successful, I would love to spread the word and encourage more to try HB!

Yes the breathing has been difficult for me lately, but I am working on it and hope to get it right before long.

I do use a steam bath and seem to get no results for the nose....not much I can do about it except learn to work around the allergies I think.

Thanks for all your help,

Angie

[kaz]

You're welcome angy. I wish you well with the birth and by all means spread the word about HypnoBirthing

Kaz x

[zonInertcot]

Hi everyone, I am Lorna , I am new here at www.hypnobirthing.co.uk
I am from Canada, where are you guys from?