The short answer is Yes! Students who come back to Hypnobabies for a second (or third or fourth!) time are lovingly called our "repeat offenders"! This post explains why we recommend that students repeat the entire course for a subsequent birth.
We don't offer refresher courses in Hypnobabies. We also don't suggest that couples refresh on their own from the classroom set of materials. Many hypno-doulas who've worked with repeat offenders who chose to 'refresh on their own' have found that couples didn't practice as well when left to their own schedule, as they do when they are in a live class. They also didn't BOTH refresh on the reading materials which teach the information needed to create informed choice and their birth preferences.
We don't offer refresher courses in Hypnobabies. We also don't suggest that couples refresh on their own from the classroom set of materials. Many hypno-doulas who've worked with repeat offenders who chose to 'refresh on their own' have found that couples didn't practice as well when left to their own schedule, as they do when they are in a live class. They also didn't BOTH refresh on the reading materials which teach the information needed to create informed choice and their birth preferences.
Because the class materials are updated on a regular basis, if a year or two has passed since you last attended the course, there's a very good chance the materials will be updated for your second time through the program. Additionally, the interpersonal interaction you receive in class from both the instructor and the other students is extremely valuable. Often with subsequent pregnancies, couples don't spend as much time preparing as they did for the first, and finding time to attend Hypnobabies classes again gives you a wonderful opportunity to focus on this pregnancy is a very special way.
Hypno-doulas who've supported repeat offenders for a subsequent baby have found everyone's role during the birthing to be a bit more challenging if couples practiced on their own, and that included the doula's role! Moms didn't have their 'eyes-open' childbirth hypnosis, finger-drop technique or the cues in place to deepen their hypnosis as easily, and as a result many of those moms were not as comfortable as they remembered being with their first baby.
Some Moms listen to the tracks only...thinking that they already know this stuff, and would be as well prepared for this baby's birth as their first (and it must have seemed so to them, because it was easy for them to slip into hypnosis while listening). Since Hypnobabies is not a 'listen only' program, and these Moms most often didn't re-instate and reinforce their lightswitch and eyes-open hypnosis tools as thoroughly on their own, it was more difficult for them to do what they needed to during their baby's birth. It made it unnecessarily challenging for mom to remain deeply in hypnosis and comfortable with their eyes open and while moving around.
We've also found that the birth partners didn't read scripts to mom as regularly on their own as they did when they were accountable for Home Play in class, so this meant that the birth partners were also not as familiar with the program, or as well prepared for their role in supporting mom and advocating for their birth preferences.
In order to make sure mom has the tools in place that her birth support team needs in order to support her, Hypnobabies Twin Cities strongly encourages you to attend class again, and some Instructors may require their "repeat offender" Hypnobabies doula clients to repeat the class. Because we feel so strongly about this, the cost for the class will be very severely discounted. Please contact your doula/instructor for price information. Note: This only applies to students who are using a Hypnobabies Instructor as their doula. If you are a repeat student but not a doula client of your Instructor, please speak to her about the possibility of a reduced fee for class if you have a financial need.
We don't believe 'refreshing' is the best option for using the Hypnobabies Course to its maximum potential. Our repeat offenders love being in classes again, and do very well! It's a lot of fun and very encouraging to the first-timers to have 'graduate students' in the classes.
If former students absolutely need to 'refresh' on their own...the Hypnobabies Home-Study course is a better option than doing so from the classroom set of materials. The Home-Play is geared to moms doing mostly all of the script and cue practices on their own, with all of the weekly scripts on CDs. After the mom has re-learned and reinforced her hypnosis techniques and cues, there is a printed script that helps birth partners to (re)learn their role with all the cues and techniques, after mom has practiced everything on her own for 5 weeks. Coverage of birth choices in the Home Study Course would suffice as a reminder to those who have already been through the classes. And, if they opt to take a Home Study Advantage class it can work well to remind them how to work together with the program during a birth rehearsal session. The Home Study Course is available on the Hypnobabies' website here:
https://www.hypnobabies.com/store/category/37-home-study-course
Hypnobabies Twin Cities Instructors offer the Home Study Advantage class for couples who may choose this option.
Hypno-doulas who've supported repeat offenders for a subsequent baby have found everyone's role during the birthing to be a bit more challenging if couples practiced on their own, and that included the doula's role! Moms didn't have their 'eyes-open' childbirth hypnosis, finger-drop technique or the cues in place to deepen their hypnosis as easily, and as a result many of those moms were not as comfortable as they remembered being with their first baby.
Some Moms listen to the tracks only...thinking that they already know this stuff, and would be as well prepared for this baby's birth as their first (and it must have seemed so to them, because it was easy for them to slip into hypnosis while listening). Since Hypnobabies is not a 'listen only' program, and these Moms most often didn't re-instate and reinforce their lightswitch and eyes-open hypnosis tools as thoroughly on their own, it was more difficult for them to do what they needed to during their baby's birth. It made it unnecessarily challenging for mom to remain deeply in hypnosis and comfortable with their eyes open and while moving around.
We've also found that the birth partners didn't read scripts to mom as regularly on their own as they did when they were accountable for Home Play in class, so this meant that the birth partners were also not as familiar with the program, or as well prepared for their role in supporting mom and advocating for their birth preferences.
In order to make sure mom has the tools in place that her birth support team needs in order to support her, Hypnobabies Twin Cities strongly encourages you to attend class again, and some Instructors may require their "repeat offender" Hypnobabies doula clients to repeat the class. Because we feel so strongly about this, the cost for the class will be very severely discounted. Please contact your doula/instructor for price information. Note: This only applies to students who are using a Hypnobabies Instructor as their doula. If you are a repeat student but not a doula client of your Instructor, please speak to her about the possibility of a reduced fee for class if you have a financial need.
We don't believe 'refreshing' is the best option for using the Hypnobabies Course to its maximum potential. Our repeat offenders love being in classes again, and do very well! It's a lot of fun and very encouraging to the first-timers to have 'graduate students' in the classes.
If former students absolutely need to 'refresh' on their own...the Hypnobabies Home-Study course is a better option than doing so from the classroom set of materials. The Home-Play is geared to moms doing mostly all of the script and cue practices on their own, with all of the weekly scripts on CDs. After the mom has re-learned and reinforced her hypnosis techniques and cues, there is a printed script that helps birth partners to (re)learn their role with all the cues and techniques, after mom has practiced everything on her own for 5 weeks. Coverage of birth choices in the Home Study Course would suffice as a reminder to those who have already been through the classes. And, if they opt to take a Home Study Advantage class it can work well to remind them how to work together with the program during a birth rehearsal session. The Home Study Course is available on the Hypnobabies' website here:
https://www.hypnobabies.com/store/category/37-home-study-course
Hypnobabies Twin Cities Instructors offer the Home Study Advantage class for couples who may choose this option.
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