The first week of Hypnobabies was very enjoyable! You jump in with two of the CD tracks right away and I got a lot out of both of both of them. There's also a set of assignments and reading for the week.
Class #1 Assignments
To start Hypnobabies off, you read the introduction section of the book (if you haven't already) and “Reading – Section 1” in the Class #1 section of your book.
The first section covers the basics of hypnosis, the power of the mind, and how all of that applies to childbirth. It's a well-written section with good information. There's also information about your body and how the baby and everything to support him or her is developing inside you and anatomical information on the uterus.
You get the Bubble of Peace script, which somebody is supposed to read to you (birth partner, trusted friend, etc.) I actually just recorded myself reading it and then listened to it. I'm sure it's supposed to be an experience for you to build a Hypnobabies foundation with your birth partner, but I do wish they had the option of listening to it pre-recorded if you're working through Hypnobabies alone.
I think the most powerful part of the Class #1 written materials was Reminder #1 — this section delves more into hypnosis and why you should not judge your unique experience of hypnosis using the Hypnobabies CD's/scripts. Reading this has really helped me to relax, enjoy the CD's, and learn from them without feeling anxiety over “doing it right”.
Class #1 CD's
The CD schedule for week 1 was two CD's to use on alternating days. The first track is Special Place and the second is Easy, Comfortable Childbirth.
I love the Special Place track. It was really nice to just sit back and create a place in my mind for me to be with my baby. I've actually done this sort of thing before, with a guided relaxation I used in my first three pregnancies and I enjoyed it then. The Hypnobabies track is focused on creating that place, though, and it gets really deep into that and bonding with your baby and I just love it.
Having older kids can leave you going through pregnancy feeling a little guilty — you just don't have to the time to focus on the new baby the way you did with your first pregnancy. Hypnobabies creates a little bit of space in my day that's just Riceball and me… nobody else.
This is the first time my “special place” for a pregnancy has been an actual, physical place in my life. It's kind of fun to have it somewhere I'm intimately familiar with 🙂
The second CD track is Easy, Comfortable Childbirth and it focuses on helping you program your mind with a new mindset about childbirth. Though it's hard for me to do since I'm involved in childbirth and its terminology every day (running a birth info website), I decided I wanted to do my best to work with the Hypnobabies terminology. I followed this track carefully and have been careful to frame my thoughts with the Hypnobabies recommended language. I'm even being careful on the blog and my newsletter to try to use the positive terminology Hypnobabies introduces.
Joyful Pregnancy Affirmations
A third track is introduced this week, and you listen to it daily until your baby is born. It's the Joyful Pregnancy Affirmations track, and again, I really like this one 🙂
It's so nice to listen to positive, empowering messages about how well my body is doing and how my baby is doing. I also like the little “pep talk” I get reminding me that even though my body is changing and preparing for a baby, I'm still beautiful and can accept the changes 🙂 Sometimes it's hard to see that during pregnancy.
Recommended Reading
Class #1 ends with a list of recommended reading and it's a great list of books. I've read most of the books on the list and recommend many of them myself, so I think they're a great supplement to your Hypnobabies work.
All-in-all, Class #1 and the first week of Hyponbabies went really smoothly and I'm looking forward to Class #2!
Note that I receive a small affiliate commission if you order Hypnobabies through my affiliate link – thank you for your support! 🙂
Going Through Hypnobabies with “Riceball”
- Starting Hypnoabies!
- Class 1 Review
- Class 2 Review
- Class 3 Review
- Class 4 Review
- Class 5 Review
- Maintenance and Visualizing Your Perfect Birth
Photo by shawnzrossi
