Keegan’s Birth Story
On Thursday, March 2, 2000 I awoke around 4:30 a.m. with some mild surges. They were coming about every 8 minutes and were lasting for about a minute each. I was able to sleep through most of them and got up about 7:00 a.m. My husband decided he’d better not go in to work since the baby would most likely be making an appearance sometime soon. I called my parents and my mother-in-law about 7:30 to let them know I thought this was "it". My mom said she would skip work and come down, my dad would be coming later in the day, and my mother-in-law would come from work closer to the time we needed her.
The surges came and went throughout the day, always returning just at the time I was beginning to doubt that I was really in labor. By dinnertime the surges were very regular and gaining in length, but I was relaxed and calm and able to enjoy our meal at a favorite restaurant.
It was hard getting our 15-month-old daughter Delia to sleep that night, most likely because she was excited that her grandma and grandpa were spending the night. My husband Sean was exhausted and went to bed about 9 p.m. and I stayed up with Delia until 11 p.m. when she finally settled into sleep. I went to bed, a little disappointed that the baby hadn’t arrived yet, but very certain that we’d have a baby by the next evening.
It was about 12:20 a.m. on Friday, March 3 when I awoke. The surge was much stronger than the previous ones and lasted for what seemed like an eternity. I was so relaxed though that I fell back asleep almost immediately after it ended. Twenty minutes later I again awoke at the peak of a surge. I calmed and relaxed myself with visualization and my breathing exercises. Again, I fell back asleep quickly and figured it would be at least another 20 minutes before the next one. The surges began to come closer together and by 1:30 a.m. I awakened Sean to let him know things were getting serious.
The surges were about 5 minutes apart and lasting approximately 1 minute by 2 a.m. Sean suggested we go to the hospital but I was perfectly comfortable relaxing in my own bed and declined his suggestion. By 3 a.m. the surges were 5 minutes or less apart and were lasting for about 2 minutes. Sean insisted that we leave for the hospital. I got out of bed, dressed and awakened my parents. We left for the hospital just shortly after 3 a.m. while my parents called my mother-in-law and got Delia ready to go.
We arrived at the hospital at 3:20 a.m. It was a beautiful night, very clear with lots of stars and crisp winter air. We walked into the hospital, declined the wheelchair (I heard the front desk clerk snicker about it!) and made our way down the hall to the birthing center. The nurse checked me and exclaimed that I was already dilated 6½ to 7 centimeters and had a bulging bag of water! She was astounded that I was so calm and relaxed even though I was in "transition".
At 5:30 a.m. the nurse checked me again and said that I was at 9 centimeters. She thought the baby would be here within an hour. I was very excited to hear that! I had been using different positions and HypnoBirthing to relax during the surges and hearing that I only had an hour or so left gave me assurance that I would indeed birth this baby without any interventions. Sean was at my side for every surge, holding my hand and helping me with the techniques we had learned in the HypnoBirthing class.
Around 5:30 a.m., Delia woke up and was rather concerned about her surroundings. She had slept through being taken from her bed at home, driven to the hospital and being placed on the couch in my birthing room. My dad decided to take her out of the room and walk with her in the hall, hoping she would fall back asleep for a while.
I felt the baby moving down the birth path and began using the "J Breath" to nudge the baby along. As the baby crowned I noticed my dad and Delia had returned to the room and were standing by the door. Delia was awake and my dad was coming back to the room to check my progress. They were just in time. After just a couple of gentle pushes we welcomed Keegan Ronan Lynch into the world at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, March 3, 2000. He weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces and was 18½ inches long.
As soon as Keegan was born he was placed on my chest. My dad brought Delia over to see her new brother and to join us in welcoming the newest member of our family. He nursed for the first time about 20 minutes after he was born.
Right after Keegan was born I noticed that the sunlight was beginning to show around the edges of the window shade. The official time of the sunrise was 6:28 a.m. Keegan wanted to arrive in time to make the most of the brand new day.
Susan Dolce Lynch
Our baby, G. B.M. arrived on the evening of Feb. 6. He is unbelievably delightful and everything turned out exactly as R. and I had hoped. Of course, our journey to this place was somewhat different, but nonetheless it got us to our destination. My surges started on Sunday, Feb. 1 and by that early morning, surges were 2‑3 minutes apart and lasting 1 ‑1 1/2 minutes. We went to the hospital only to find out that this was a warm‑up ...surges continued in this fashion spacing from 20 minutes to 2 minutes apart until Wed. afternoon when we went back to the dr. and into the hospital for some much needed rest. G. was born the next evening. R. and I used our relaxation tools and techniques throughout the five days. In fact, I think R. would tell you that he wore the edges off his note cards and used every single method we had practiced effectively. We think all were very effective at helping us through this marathon. Thank you for all of your assistance and insight.
W. and R.
j
C. G. was born on July 2nd after 24 hours of labor and no pain medication or medical intervention. My biggest worry had been that the medical staff would disregard my birthing plan but everyone was very supportive and things went exactly the way I had hoped they would happen. I was able to stay calm and focused the whole way through. The HypnoBirthing® class was really helpful. Let me know if you ever want me to talk to people who take your class.
M.
amamamamamamama
“This was the best experience of our married life! This birth has given me faith that my body can perform miracles when I believe in myself. There is a bond that my husband, bay and I have, in that, we were a perfect team. The nurses and our midwife were in awe over our calm, controlled birth and the way I looked to D.) for support and the assurance he gave me. We even had a labor nurse coming on shift tell us she wished she could’ve just come to sit in our peaceful room—quite, dim & with our beautiful music! Thank you so much for helping us to achieve the perfect, beautiful experience that birthing, breathing, and bringing a child into this world should be. We loved every minute of it!
B., D., and baby C.
Our little baby boy
Creed was born on Nov. 18, 2004 @ 11:49 pm in Colorado. He weighed 8 lbs 13 oz and was 21 ¼ inches long.
Our first surge began around 8 am on Tues. morning, Nov. 18th. The surges simply felt like mild, achy menstrual cramps low in my abdomen. We were unsure if this was the “real” thing so my husband decided to go to work about 1 hour away.
I continued to do menial things around the house and ended up calling my husband around 12:30 or 1:00 pm to have him come home so we could start some relaxation together. He got home around 2:00 or 2:30 pm and I climbed into bed where my husband played the Rainbow Relaxation tape and read me some additional scripts.
I called my midwife around 4:30 pm to let her know that we were laboring and she told me to call her when I decided I didn’t want to labor at home any longer. We continued to do some relaxation with some other music and continued on with our scripts. Around 6:00 pm we called our midwife and told her that I wanted to come in. She said “well, we’ll see if they will admit you, but I’m not sure if they will.” She didn’t think I sounded like I was “really” laboring to the extent that the hospital would admit me and keep me. (The only reason I felt like going to the hospital was because I wanted to know if I was making any progress. I wasn’t sure if my surges were making a lot of headway or not and my preoccupation with that thought was causing me to lose focus.)
We ended up checking into the hospital at 6:30 pm and our midwife was surprised to announce that I had already opened 6 cm. She thought for sure that I would only be at 3 cm or so. The L&D nurse was surprised that I was so calm and so collected especially since I was already opened to a 6. We climbed into bed where I continued on with my relaxation and I labored on my side in bed until I was opened to 9.5 cm. At that point, we determined that I had a little cervical lip left and it was preventing me from opening to the full 10 cm. I labored at 9.5 for about an hour and was becoming frustrated that I wouldn’t open the last .5 cm. My midwife ended up pushing the lip the rest of the way so that I could finish opening.
After that she persuaded me to get on the birthing stool…it was heaven! Once I got onto the stool I had the urge to push our son out. I actively pushed for about 45 min. He was born at 11:49 pm.
He nursed well from the get go, was very alert, aware and calm and in the end we had our midwife, L&D nurse and even nurses that were coming on shift say that they wanted to stay in our room to just sit and relax! They said it was one of the most relaxing births that they had ever attended or witnessed and said that they could see the benefits of it in our son.
I loved pregnancy and even loved our birth. The next day I told my nurses that I could do that again and that I couldn’t wait to have our next baby. They said they hardly ever hear those words out of the mouth of a new mom!
I never wanted any medications, never swore or yelled at my husband. It was an extremely loving, tender moment that bound my husband and I tightly together and bound the three of us in love for forever! Thanks to Mickey for HypnoBirthing and to our wonderful HBCE Kathie for helping to empower us and for helping us to have the most beautiful experience of our lives!
Sincerely,
Brandy, Dax and Creed
Tanner's birth story
It was perfect! It was really perfect. I could not have asked for a better birthing, really. I woke up early on Monday morning and went to the bathroom because I felt wet. Since I did not leak a lot I shrugged it off and went back to bed. I woke again with a wet feeling and got up to use the bathroom
again. This time I wondered about it for a while. I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink and felt wet again. At this point I woke J.up and told him that I thought my water had broken but that I was not having any labor signs other than that so to go back to sleep but to listen for me in case I need him. I tried to go back to sleep myself but I was too excited to sleep. I took the sheets off the bed and noticed that a spot the size of a
washcloth was wet and that convinced me.
I called my doula after a couple hours and told her the situation. I had already gotten J.'s father over to watch the kids since we were supposed to be headed to the hospital, according to the nurse at my midwife's office. I was still only having [mild surges] though, and did not want a pitocin induction. J. took me to my acupuncturist to try to get labor going, he said it would take about 2-3 hours to really get surges going (we left at 9). While there J. talked to my midwife and told her that I was reluctant to go to the hospital. We went to the office instead to test the fluid. Sure enough there was a leak and she said that today was the day.
We headed to the hospital, because at this point it had been 7 hours since my water had broken. I was firm about no pitocin at this point, so at 12:30 she gave me only a small dose of prepidil on my cervix to see if they could help “ripen” it since I was 1 cm and only 20% effaced. I knew that 4:30 PM was our “deadline” to beat because that was 12 hours after my water had broken. During the half hour that I was to stay in bed after the application, J. and I did several relaxation and hypnosis scripts together. He was perfect in combining the different scripts and techniques to suit our situation and to suit my mood that day. By 1:00, the surges were regular and getting slightly stronger and I was allowed to get out of bed. J., our doulas, and I went for a walk. We walked the halls for about an hour before we were told that they had to do another test strip on the baby for 20 minutes. By 2:45 I was
allowed to get back up again and I labored on the birthing ball for a while with my head in J.'s lap. He continued to do the light touch massage on my arms through each surge, while I quietly breathed my baby down and visualized the rosebud opening to help ripen my cervix. I could actually feel the changes as I did the visualizations. At about 3:30 we decided to get in the Jacuzzi tub and try to get the surges even more powerful and closer together
since the "deadline loomed." My doulas encouraged more opening visualizations, then took a walk by themselves while J. and I went into the Jacuzzi tub and followed their suggestion to try nipple stimulation between the surges. It only took two surges to really see a difference, but there was a huge difference. I went from silently breathing through each surge to needing to "hum" through each one. I sat in the tub until about 4:00 or so and then I felt that had to change positions, so I got out. When I got out the surges went from about 3-4 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart immediately. I got in bed so the my midwife could check the progress, and was asked if I wanted to walk, get back in the tub, on the birthing ball, or what after this and I answered that I didn't know and could not talk anymore. At that point, I went within and kept my eyes closed for the majority of the time. I started to get hot flashes and the midwife could not check me for a while since my surges were coming too close together. I kept saying that I felt hot, my doulas helped me to breathe all the way down, my midwife
fanned my face with a cool wet washcloth, and J. did a light touch massage. My midwife said that she just had to check (I over head my doula saying that she thought she could feel me pushing while her hand was on my lower abdomen for breathing).
My midwife checked and said, "You're 9!" and with that came a surge. The very next surge, out came Tanner. :) My body did all the work, there was no need for me to hold my breath or intentionally push at all. My body and my baby took over and did the work. In fact, if someone had told me not to push I am not sure if I could have held my body back from what it was going to do
instinctively anyway. The moment that Tanner's body passed through my birth canal, I felt such a relief and an overwhelming feeling of amazement, awe, and raw loving emotion. It is such an incredible feeling to have this slippery little person pass through your body and then to feel his first movement against your legs, followed by the first cry. From the time that the midwife said that she had to check to the moment the nurse announced as Tanner's birth time was 7 minutes. Honestly, I was in a state of euphoria and could not have told you how long it was because to me it was only 30 seconds. I admit, my "birth song" was loud and deeply guttural and I don't think that I could have done it any other way, I felt like I had all the women of the world birthing with me at that moment.
Tanner was perfect, he was covered with vernix, alert and content immediately. We had an incredible nursing staff, who allowed us to do everything just as we wanted, and Tanner was able to breastfeed and to stay on my chest and belly for nearly 2 hours before they weighed him or did any of their other things. We were able to bond with each other, and comfort each other after our short but intense birthing experience. We just looked at each other and felt each other’s skin against our own skin after nine months of dreaming of this moment. He was just perfect in every way. By the time they took him for his weight check the vernix had been mostly absorbed back into the skin and he was perfectly pink and soft. J. bathed him, and he was back with me in only a matter of minutes.
If I had to do it all again, I would. I loved birthing. I am sad to think that I will never experience labor and birth again. It was just beautiful. I cannot express how much help my doulas were either. I was not sure what they would be able to do for me since J. and I did so well on our own the last time, but having them there was icing on the cake. They had the perfect suggestions at the perfect times, and said the right encouraging words at the right moments. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had a doula
at each of my births. They knew what to say, when to say it, how to touch, how to encourage relaxation, and tips on keeping my birthing plan intact while respecting the changes that had to occur due to circumstances. They were great, J. was great, my nursing staff was great, and it was the ideal birth.
Well.....if you made it through that novel then good for you! :) Seriously, I wish that I had gotten more sleep since going into labor because I would be able to articulate much better how amazing this whole experience was. Each birthing has been so incredible in its own right, and so special, and one might think that because it is the third time that it would be more routine but every time that I have done this I have come away thinking just how incredible it is and how I would love to do it all over again. (I am still getting my tubal though, I love birthing but my family is complete now).
I feel so overjoyed having Tanner. Newborns are so sweet, so precious, and so grounding. I just wish that I could keep him a newborn longer than I will be able to. J. and I are so thrilled at this surprise gift that we were given, because if it had been left to our "controlling planning" he would not be here and what a shame that would be. He is such a beautiful addition to our family, and having him here makes each one of us feel as if we are now complete and whole....and can now go on with raising our perfect little family. That, my dears, is Tanner's birth story.
again. This time I wondered about it for a while. I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink and felt wet again. At this point I woke J.up and told him that I thought my water had broken but that I was not having any labor signs other than that so to go back to sleep but to listen for me in case I need him. I tried to go back to sleep myself but I was too excited to sleep. I took the sheets off the bed and noticed that a spot the size of a
washcloth was wet and that convinced me.
I called my doula after a couple hours and told her the situation. I had already gotten J.'s father over to watch the kids since we were supposed to be headed to the hospital, according to the nurse at my midwife's office. I was still only having [mild surges] though, and did not want a pitocin induction. J. took me to my acupuncturist to try to get labor going, he said it would take about 2-3 hours to really get surges going (we left at 9). While there J. talked to my midwife and told her that I was reluctant to go to the hospital. We went to the office instead to test the fluid. Sure enough there was a leak and she said that today was the day.
We headed to the hospital, because at this point it had been 7 hours since my water had broken. I was firm about no pitocin at this point, so at 12:30 she gave me only a small dose of prepidil on my cervix to see if they could help “ripen” it since I was 1 cm and only 20% effaced. I knew that 4:30 PM was our “deadline” to beat because that was 12 hours after my water had broken. During the half hour that I was to stay in bed after the application, J. and I did several relaxation and hypnosis scripts together. He was perfect in combining the different scripts and techniques to suit our situation and to suit my mood that day. By 1:00, the surges were regular and getting slightly stronger and I was allowed to get out of bed. J., our doulas, and I went for a walk. We walked the halls for about an hour before we were told that they had to do another test strip on the baby for 20 minutes. By 2:45 I was
allowed to get back up again and I labored on the birthing ball for a while with my head in J.'s lap. He continued to do the light touch massage on my arms through each surge, while I quietly breathed my baby down and visualized the rosebud opening to help ripen my cervix. I could actually feel the changes as I did the visualizations. At about 3:30 we decided to get in the Jacuzzi tub and try to get the surges even more powerful and closer together
since the "deadline loomed." My doulas encouraged more opening visualizations, then took a walk by themselves while J. and I went into the Jacuzzi tub and followed their suggestion to try nipple stimulation between the surges. It only took two surges to really see a difference, but there was a huge difference. I went from silently breathing through each surge to needing to "hum" through each one. I sat in the tub until about 4:00 or so and then I felt that had to change positions, so I got out. When I got out the surges went from about 3-4 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart immediately. I got in bed so the my midwife could check the progress, and was asked if I wanted to walk, get back in the tub, on the birthing ball, or what after this and I answered that I didn't know and could not talk anymore. At that point, I went within and kept my eyes closed for the majority of the time. I started to get hot flashes and the midwife could not check me for a while since my surges were coming too close together. I kept saying that I felt hot, my doulas helped me to breathe all the way down, my midwife
fanned my face with a cool wet washcloth, and J. did a light touch massage. My midwife said that she just had to check (I over head my doula saying that she thought she could feel me pushing while her hand was on my lower abdomen for breathing).
My midwife checked and said, "You're 9!" and with that came a surge. The very next surge, out came Tanner. :) My body did all the work, there was no need for me to hold my breath or intentionally push at all. My body and my baby took over and did the work. In fact, if someone had told me not to push I am not sure if I could have held my body back from what it was going to do
instinctively anyway. The moment that Tanner's body passed through my birth canal, I felt such a relief and an overwhelming feeling of amazement, awe, and raw loving emotion. It is such an incredible feeling to have this slippery little person pass through your body and then to feel his first movement against your legs, followed by the first cry. From the time that the midwife said that she had to check to the moment the nurse announced as Tanner's birth time was 7 minutes. Honestly, I was in a state of euphoria and could not have told you how long it was because to me it was only 30 seconds. I admit, my "birth song" was loud and deeply guttural and I don't think that I could have done it any other way, I felt like I had all the women of the world birthing with me at that moment.
Tanner was perfect, he was covered with vernix, alert and content immediately. We had an incredible nursing staff, who allowed us to do everything just as we wanted, and Tanner was able to breastfeed and to stay on my chest and belly for nearly 2 hours before they weighed him or did any of their other things. We were able to bond with each other, and comfort each other after our short but intense birthing experience. We just looked at each other and felt each other’s skin against our own skin after nine months of dreaming of this moment. He was just perfect in every way. By the time they took him for his weight check the vernix had been mostly absorbed back into the skin and he was perfectly pink and soft. J. bathed him, and he was back with me in only a matter of minutes.
If I had to do it all again, I would. I loved birthing. I am sad to think that I will never experience labor and birth again. It was just beautiful. I cannot express how much help my doulas were either. I was not sure what they would be able to do for me since J. and I did so well on our own the last time, but having them there was icing on the cake. They had the perfect suggestions at the perfect times, and said the right encouraging words at the right moments. If I knew then what I know now, I would have had a doula
at each of my births. They knew what to say, when to say it, how to touch, how to encourage relaxation, and tips on keeping my birthing plan intact while respecting the changes that had to occur due to circumstances. They were great, J. was great, my nursing staff was great, and it was the ideal birth.
Well.....if you made it through that novel then good for you! :) Seriously, I wish that I had gotten more sleep since going into labor because I would be able to articulate much better how amazing this whole experience was. Each birthing has been so incredible in its own right, and so special, and one might think that because it is the third time that it would be more routine but every time that I have done this I have come away thinking just how incredible it is and how I would love to do it all over again. (I am still getting my tubal though, I love birthing but my family is complete now).
I feel so overjoyed having Tanner. Newborns are so sweet, so precious, and so grounding. I just wish that I could keep him a newborn longer than I will be able to. J. and I are so thrilled at this surprise gift that we were given, because if it had been left to our "controlling planning" he would not be here and what a shame that would be. He is such a beautiful addition to our family, and having him here makes each one of us feel as if we are now complete and whole....and can now go on with raising our perfect little family. That, my dears, is Tanner's birth story.
Maeve’s Birth Story
Looking back, I can tell that it was already starting on Sunday evening.
Tom and I went for our usual walk after dinner, then for the rest of the night, I was starting to go inward. I wasn't as much aware of my surroundings. Now my sense of time is somewhat fuzzy, so I'm estimating here. We went to bed around 11.
Between 12 and 1, I started to feel "something." What I mostly noticed was that I had to go to the bathroom frequently. I knew this was a precursor to labor, but I also knew that it could still be a couple of days.
From midnight to about three, I was napping and getting up to use the bathroom a lot. I put on my HypnoBirthing CD and relaxed/slept. I noticed, though, that if I was asleep when a surge started, I would tense up and it was ncomfortable. I also found that they were uncomfortable when I was lying down (even though I was on my side).
So I got up and went into our office, I found that using different positions was really helpful. I used our birthing ball, and that was divine! Being on all fours felt good. And I also used this round foam thingie as a squat support. I quickly noticed that in certain positions, my surges actually felt good-satisfying even.
At one point (around 2 or 3), Tom came in and asked me what I was doing and I said, "maybe having a baby." He seemed excited but calm. I told him that he should go back to sleep so he'd be rested for when I really did need him. For now I was fine. It was a warm night, so Tom got out a fan and directed the cool air on me. That felt wonderful.
For the next several hours I moved around, shifting positions, still going to the bathroom a lot, occasionally I slept a bit. I was listening to the HypnoBirthing music as I seemed to like that better than the guided relaxations at that point. At one point I timed my surges, and they were about 4-5 minutes apart.
I have one wonderful memory from this time. I was in our office, it was right before sunrise, and I was squatting against the wall with my foam-squat support thing, and still listening to the music. Across the room from me was a window that faces east and overlooks the open space. I was squatting, feeling totally peaceful and as the sun came up I was filled with such a sense of possibility-and I knew that today my baby would be born.
A little bit later I went into the bedroom and woke up Tom. The first thing he said was, "why'd you let me sleep so long?" I told him I was fine and he should rest while he could cause who knew what was ahead.
During the morning, I rested and Tom would rub my upper back. We made some phone calls to put people on "alert." I had a midwife's appointment that morning at 9:30, but I called them to say thatI wouldn't be coming in but they should expect to see at the hospital later that day. I chatted with Eliza (the midwife on call) for a bit. I told her what my surges were doing (still about 4-5 minutes apart). She told me to come in to the hospital when it felt like it was time, but to keep in mind that, “although it's good to labor at home where you are comfortable, you don't want to give birth in the car."
Now at this point, I thought I was in early labor (or early-early labor). My surges were completely bearable-I didn't mind them one bit. And they were not getting any closer together time wise. And when I wasn't having surges, I felt and acted totally normal. And during surges, all my sensations were in my back and down my legs, which I also thought was part of early labor. So I kept wondering and doubting whether or not I was "really" in labor.
For the rest of the morning, I stayed home with Tom. I was alternately hungry and/or nauseous, but I wanted to try to eat to have strength. Tom made me a smoothie, I took one sip and then said, "Nope!" I rested a bit, Tom timed my surges, we took a long shower together (the last one for a while, right?). Around noon we decided to make some Irish soda bread to bring to the hospital(my mom's recipe.) Tom made it and I supervised, around the time that we just got started, my surges got more intense. I still wouldn't say painful, but they were more intense and I had to focus more.
I think it was around now that I started moaning through them, and that felt wonderful. Then I noticed that I was having a harder time finding positions that I really liked during the surges, and while they weren't killing me or anything, they were more intense. So I said to Tom that although it wasn't really close, we should think about moving. After that point, things slowed down a bit with the surges. Tom loaded up the car, and we called our parents and our good friends who were going to meet us at the hospital. Before we left, though, we were sitting at the table discussing if it were "really" time to go and was I "really" in labor. And I finally said, "I just want to be there, so let's go." And it was decided.
On the ride there, I had a couple of surges but again they were really bearable, even though it was harder to relax in the car-and with that darned seatbelt! We were driving along and passed a stand that sells "New Orleans Style Shaved Ice." Now it was 95 degrees out and I was thirsty so I say, "I could enjoy a Shaved Ice." Tom said, "are you sure?" and I said, "Yeah! A lemon shaved ice!"
So Tom pulled into the parking lot and we were driving toward the stand and I start to have a BIG surge and I tell him to stop the car, and then I said, "Let's just get to the hospital." So we drive on. I walked myself into the hospital, to the elevators and was very calm on the way up to the birthing place. When we got there we were sent to triage. The nurse strapped me to the Fetal Monitor and measured my surges and asked a lot of questions. While I was on the monitor, my surges were 5+ minutes apart, and the nurse said, "If we admit you." She didn't check me for dilation as my midwife was going to do that. The surges while in triage were the most uncomfortable ones I had as I couldn't move around and the nurse was pressing on my belly while they were happening-but I only had three or four.
The nurse asked me what my plans were for pain management, and I told here, "HypnoBirthing. The Tub. Making Noise."
She said, dubiously, "okay, but think about authorizing for an epidural ahead of time so we don't have to do that later." I talked to Tom about that and he didn't think I should do the paperwork because he knew how much I wanted to do unmediated child birth. I remember saying, "But what if I'm only 2 centimeters. I'll cry if she tells me I'm 2 centimeters."
Then Eliza, my midwife, came in and we chatted and she said she was going to check my cervix. I did not like being flat on my back, but she said she'd be quick. She was reaching around in there and then she looked, and her eyes were all big and she said softly, "Cindy, you're 9 centimeters. Your baby is going to be here real soon."
I said, "Are you kidding? No you can't be kidding-because that would be a really horrible joke." Eliza said, "I'm not kidding. You are 9 centimeters. Let's get you a room." And then I did start to cry and held Tom's hand. As I got up we had a great big wonderful hug.
We walked to my room (I gave a big smile to the triage nurse in the hallway). And I knew that I wanted to get into the tub. There was a lot of hectic busy-ness in my room as the nurses were hurrying around getting ready and they were talking loud. Interestingly, they didn't really bother me as I was so focused. But Tom took care of things by putting my HypnoBirthing CD on the stereo. That quickly changed the feel of the room and suddenly everyone was quiet. Our friend Rick was there and we sent him to the car to get all of our stuff and to park the car-we had expected that Tom would have a chance to do that, but he didn't.
I got into the Jacuzzi bath tub-and that was wonderful. It was really long and deep. Tom was able to get in there with me, and Eliza put some lavender oil in the water to help with relaxation. During surges I would lean forward and kind of float and moan these wonderful moans. Between surges Tom would pour water over my belly.
I would guess that I was in the tub for about an hour. The surges kept getting stronger, yet they weren't what I would call painful; they were more intense and required more of my focus, but they weren't painful. After particularly strong ones I would say, "That was a good one!" I remember smiling as they were ending, and between surges I was chatting and making jokes. (Both Eliza and Rick later told me that when I wasn't having surges it didn't seem like I was in labor.)
For a bit, Eliza was in the other room and it was just me and Tom in the bathroom. I had one surge that felt "different" and I guess my vocalizations changed and I heard Eliza say, "THAT sounds different."
My next surge I swayed and moved a lot more and POP, there went my water. It was a very forceful bursting actually and it startled me. The water was clear so all signs were good. Then it was time to get out of the tub and deliver the baby.
Then my surges changed and it really felt like my uterus was pushing that baby out. I could see my abdomen contracting violently. While still not painful, this stage was overwhelming at first. I got into the bed and we used the squat rack for a few pushes. Then I was in the reclined squat position and holding my legs. They got the mirror out for me and I could see the top of my baby's head peaking out, and I said, "Oh my poor vagina!" Eliza assured me that vaginas were elastic and could take it and mine would recover sooner than I would imagine (she was right). The mirror did help me, though, to focus on what I was doing and to understand what I was feeling and how that related to what was happening to me. I pushed, all total, for about 20 minutes.
Then I heard Eliza say "Her head's out,” and sure enough her head was out and the rest came right along with it. Rick said that she popped out like champagne cork!
And then Maeve was there on my belly and I was crying and saying "My baby! My baby!" and Tom and Maeve and I were hugging, and we were three.
We had arrived at the hospital at around 3:00 p.m. and Maeve was born At 5:53 p.m.
It's a good thing we didn't stop for the New Orleans Style Shaved Ice!
L. B. was born at 1:13 am on Sunday, July 7th. It was quite an experience. Did lots of hypnosis work prior to Sunday am. Woke up at midnight with a [surge] and my water breaking. First timed [surges] minutes later were five minutes apart, so we left for hospital at 12:23 am. (I remember because it was the start of another [surge]) We arrived at 12:50 for check in at Avista. [Surges] now 2 minutes apart. We got to the room at 1:00. Then they checked me and I was 8 cm. Baby L. was born at 1:13 am! Intense, but so satisfying. They weren't ready for L. and such a fast birth. Wonderful! Nurse basically delivered her head‑‑I “pushed” 1 time once doctor arrived to deliver L.
Anyway. L. B. weighed 6 pounds 9 ounces and is 19 inches long. She's adorable, and we're all doing well.
Thanks for everything,
C.
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Our baby girl A. M. was born yesterday morning October 14th at 4:07am! She was 71bs 8 oz and 20 inches long. She is healthy and doing very well. I am still feeling a little tired but gradually getting my strength back. We went into labor Sunday night at around 10 pm. Next thing I knew, I was laboring hard and we left for the hospital at 12:30 am. I had six surges in 25 minutes on the way there and knew she was coming soon. When we arrived I was checked in at 3cm. I was so discouraged! I thought I'd never make it through as the surges were more intense than I had ever dreamed. I made it to my room, the nurse filled up the Jacuzzi and I spent an hour and a half laboring there where I went from 3cm to fully [open.] I thought of drugs but never mentioned them. I started to push in the tub uncontrollably and so I got out and ended up using the squat bar to get her out. She was born at 4:07. We were only in the hospital for 3 hours before she was born. We labored for 6hrs hard and fast. It was a miracle! I think HypnoBirthing helped me most by guiding me to stay calm during pregnancy and when the birth happened it just happened. I am thankful for the relaxation it did provide for us leading up to the birth and I hope it can help other women in the future. Thanks again for all the information and help you have given us.
A.
Cameron’s Birth Story: HypnoBirthing® works, even when plans go awry
I decided to try HypnoBirthing because I am afraid of doctors and pain, perhaps unreasonably so. I very much wanted to have my baby without feeling fear and anxiety. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I joked that if I could set up the appointment for the epidural in advance, I would. As I learned more about HypnoBirthing, I downgraded my insistence on an epidural to an "if‑needed" basis. When I would tell people about HypnoBirthing, they would look at me as though I were crazy. I would say, "For some reason, it just makes sense to me." No one thought that it would actually work. I must admit that I remained somewhat skeptical as well.
It's worth noting at this point that I had three major fears around labor:
1. Pitocin induction ‑ I had heard so many horror stories about Pitocin, I was determined to avoid it at all costs.
'2. No possibility of epidural ‑ One of my sisters had a very fast delivery with her second baby and had no time to have an epidural.
3. Back labor ‑ A friend's account of birthing her posterior baby sounded horrific.
At 6:00 am on June 30, after a night of no sleep, I decided to call my doctor. I had been having quite a bit of pain in my upper abdomen. I wasn't due for another month and the pain was constant and different than any description of labor I'd ever heard. It felt as though a steel band were being tightened around my rib cage. My doctor told me to go to the hospital to have blood work done to try and determine what the problem was. My pregnancy had been incredibly easy so far. I joked to my husband that I was going to be given a dose of Gas‑X and sent home.
Within an hour of the blood draw, my doctor said, “You're going to have your baby today." It turned out that I had suddenly developed severe preeclampsia.
It goes without saying that my Birthing Plan did not include preeclampsia. I was supposed to begin labor and stay at home‑for as long as possible before heading to the hospital, where I would be five to six centimeters dilated upon check‑in. I would recite birthing affirmations all the while. I would have an epidural, if I felt I needed one. My baby would arrive peacefully and I would feel no fear or anxiety. In reality, I didn't even have my bags packed for the hospital.
The form of preeclampsia I had was called HELLP Syndrome. H=Hemolysis, bursting red blood cells; EL=Elevated Liver enzymes; LP=Low blood Platelets. The cure was to have the baby.
I put on my headphones and listened to my Rainbow Relaxation and the Birthing Affirmations over and over again.
My blood work continued to return results that my condition was worsening. My doctor told me that they would have to begin Pitocin. With my greatest labor fear a reality, I asked for an epidural. I was told that because of my low blood platelet count, I was at risk for uncontrolled bleeding. I could not have an epidural.
I put my headphones back on and said, "I'm checking out now." I knew that I would need to be completely relaxed once the Pitocin started, so that I could stay "on top" of things.
I remember feeling my surges suddenly and greatly intensify. The sensation was all in my lower back. I couldn't believe it. Back labor. I told J. and R. what was happening and they looked through all of my HypnoBirthing materials to see what they could do. There was a method for getting the baby to turn that involved stacking pillows under my knees and having me turn from one side to the other with each surge. We tried that for three surges and I found it exhausting. At that point, I asked that we stop and asked Robin to apply counter‑pressure to my back and for John to recite HypnoBirthing cues and provide light‑touch massage on my arms and head. I was completely calm and felt no fear.
I can't say that there was no pain. But my mind was so far away from my body, it didn't seem to register in the usual way. The counter‑pressure massage from my sister served to move the sensation from my back into my abdomen. Once it was there, I remember rubbing my abdomen lightly and saying, "Thank you my body for bringing my baby to me." This had a definite anesthetic effect. I think that acknowledging and being thankful for the fact that my body was completely in charge prevented my mind from registering the pain. I used many visualizations: breathing in to fill up a balloon that then floated away from my body, the opening rose, and being on a beach were the most effective for me. …[Nothing ]interrupted my hypnosis.
When I felt that it was time to begin breathing the baby down, I let J. and R. know. They told the doctor. As the room was being prepared, I remember talking and laughing. Because my condition was worsening, I was asked to abandon "breathing the baby down" in favor of downright pushing in order to get the baby here faster. Even that did not break the hypnosis. After 20 minutes of pushing, C .arrived at 9:08 pm, two hours and 28 minutes after the Pitocin began.
Despite all evidence to the contrary, it was exactly the birth I had hoped for. I was calm and unafraid and the mood of the room was the same. There was nothing but joy when our little boy came.
Carol
Cameron’s sister has arrived!
Our new baby girl, Allison Mina, was born on Friday, September 17 at 9:05 PM. She weighed 6 pounds, 10 ounces and is 19 1/2 inches long. It was a beautiful, healthy, peaceful delivery. I began feeling her signaling her arrival at about 5:30 AM on Friday. I spent the day preparing - packing clothes, doing laundry, taking walks and even went to have a manicure and pedicure. At about 6:30 PM, we went to the hospital, when surges were about 2-3 minutes apart and lasting just under a minute. I was 5 cm along upon arrival. At 8:40 and 7 cm, my membranes were ruptured by the doctor and Allison arrived 25 minutes later. We're so happy she’s here and that we had exactly the birth we dreamed of. Thank you for your help and support, Kathie. Our doula had never attended a HypnoBirth before and was amazed. I was so calm at home, she was a little concerned that we'd get sent home from the hospital! Take care and thanks again. Love,Carol, John and CameronDylan’s Birth Story
On Thursday Dec. 12th our beautiful baby boy was [born], and very quickly at that.
At 7pm I started feeling what felt like Braxton Hicks practice contractions, yet something was different. I also felt pressure in my lower abdomen. Within about 20 minutes they began to feel stronger and were getting closer together. R. and I were at a rock‑climbing competition and decided to head home to get comfortable. When we arrived at home I laid down and started my breathing through about 8 [surges] or 30 minutes total. They were already about 5 minutes apart so I called my doctor and she said to stay put because they were only about 30 seconds each and she wanted them to be 45‑60 seconds long.
Within 5 minutes I had a birth show and knew it was time to go to the hospital. Things were happening fast. We got to the hospital and while walking to the labor rooms I had about 5 more [surges] within 10 minutes. We were taken directly to a room and when the nurse checked my cervix I was between 8‑9 centimeters [open] ...WOW!
The pressure was the most intense I have ever experienced but I did my deep breathing while R. massaged my low back. I found that standing/leaning on him rather laying in bed felt the best until my legs got shaky and tired. Then I moved to a squatting bar set on the floor and leaned over the bed using gravity's assistance. In between [surges] I felt fine and grounded myself with breathing.
Within 1 hour I started to feel the baby move down and I was told to get on the bed, so I lay on my side and the doctor could feel the baby's head. I had strong urges to push at that point, so I did, with gentle guidance. It was an incredibly amazing sensation and within 30 minutes of pushing and breathing my baby came out! He was born at 10:36 pm, 3 and a half hours after my first [surge]!! He was, and still is, the most beautiful thing to ever come my way.
Although overwhelmingly intense at times it was an amazing and empowering feeling to be able to feel the baby and to have control over breathing and [nudge] him down the birth path. I didn't listen to my tapes during labor but I feel strongly that all the listening and practice I did while I was pregnant gave me the positive and "no‑fears" outlook I had going into each stage of labor. The breathing, massage and focusing totally inward were the 3 things that really got me through.
Kathie, thank you for your guidance. R. and I both agree that we wouldn't have felt the confidence we did without the HypnoBirthing technique, which helped create the most wonderful experience of our lives!
Sincerely,
K.
Eva Genet’s Birth Story
On Monday, February 9, 2004, I woke up at 1:00 a.m. My lower back was cramping up and my uterus felt a little tight. I wasn’t sure whether this was a “real” surge or merely a Braxton Hicks contraction, since I hadn’t had many of those during the last part of my pregnancy. The overall sensation was similar to a menstrual cramp, except that it went away after a minute or so. I noted the time, then tried to go back to sleep.
Fifteen minutes later, I had another surge. This time, I got out of bed and checked in my pregnancy books for labor symptoms. I was uncertain whether this was the real thing or false labor. Since I had symptoms of both, I still was uncertain (so much for relying on the books!) I went back to bed again, but had another surge fifteen minutes later. At this point, I decided to keep track of the time in between surges, but they were all over the place. One would come ten minutes later, the next would be seven minutes, and then the next would be twenty minutes. Somehow, I managed to sleep in between surges, but I kept tracking the time until 7:30 a.m.
At that point, I called our midwife. After listening to my experience, she told me that I should focus on relaxing and eating well for the rest of the day, and only time the surges if they seemed to be getting closer together. Once I was up and moving around, the surges seemed to lessen in intensity and were further apart. I spent most of the day doing light cleaning around our house and taking naps. I called my mom and told her to come down, even though it was possible that I wouldn’t be giving birth for awhile. Scott stayed home with me and caught up on projects and ran around doing errands (like getting diapers and other baby supplies!)
Around 5:00 p.m., Scott and I decided to go for a walk to see if that would get the process moving a bit more. Just as we headed out of our house to go on our walk, my mom arrived, so she joined us. At this point, I needed to stop whenever a surge came, but otherwise, it felt like any other day.
When we returned to our house, Scott and my mom made dinner while I took another nap. When I woke up, around 6:30 p.m., I timed my surges again.
They were now coming six minutes apart. I called our midwife, and she said we could head over to the hospital, but since I was a first time mom, I probably would not be dilated enough to be admitted. We packed up the car and headed off. I felt so anxious and very excited about going to the hospital. Scott and I talked about how this would be the last time we would be “just the two of us” and that when we returned home, we would be parents.
We arrived at the hospital around 8:00 p.m. In the triage room, my initial blood pressure reading was relatively high, which was a surprise since I’ve always had low readings, even through the pregnancy. The triage nurse, Lisa, said that that alone could get me a bed for the night. She encouraged me to relax, and we told her about our plans for a hypnobirth.
She wasn’t familiar with it, and seemed a bit skeptical at first. My next reading came back low, so it must have just been the anxiety of going to the hospital.
When Lisa checked my cervix, it was at 5 centimeters. As she said, I “bought a bed for the night.” After we moved to our room, we went for a walk around the halls while the jacuzzi tub filled. Each time a surge came, I would hold on to Scott and he would remind me to breath deep and relax. The only real discomfort I felt was in my back, but Scott would massage it while a surge took place. When we got back to the room, I sat in the tub for a while with the lights dim and soft music playing, then I bounced on the exercise ball. Since we didn’t want a fetal heart monitor, Lisa would come in every 15-20 minutes to listen to the baby’s heart beat during and after a surge. When I had a surge, I wasn’t showing outward signs, so she asked me to tell her when one was happening in order to monitor me.
Around 11:00 p.m., I tried to go for another walk around the halls. By this time, my surges were more intense, and I quickly realized that I would rather be back in the tub. Before I got back in, Lisa checked my cervix again – it was at 7 centimeters. I sat in the tub for a little while before Lisa came in to have another listen. While she was holding the Doppler on my belly, I felt a huge “pop.” My water had broken. I looked up at Lisa, who confirmed my suspicion. I had a feeling that the baby would come soon, and Lisa suggested that I get back to the bed. I stood up to get out of the tub, and felt another surge coming, but this time, it was totally different. I grabbed on to Scott, and felt my uterus working to push the baby out. It was such an overwhelming sensation, and I was sure that Eva would fall right into the tub. I called out, “the baby is coming, the baby is coming!”
Lisa came back into the bathroom, and she and Scott helped me into the bed. Another push overcame me and I felt myself bearing down. I couldn’t stop at that point. Lisa checked me again and I was just over 9 centimeters. She left to page my midwife, and, although I was unaware of it, the staff was scrambling to get everything set up. Our midwife came and she and Lisa encouraged me to turn over onto my back. Scott and my mom held my legs while I pushed. I did try J-breathing, but it didn’t seem to work for me. Instead, I just tried to work with what my body wanted. I ended up pushing for about 40 minutes before little Eva Genet made her appearance. I didn’t tear and she was suckling on my breasts within 20 minutes of being born.
The whole experience was so empowering, intense and exciting. My mom told me later that we were the talk of the Birth Center staff, and she kept hearing them say that they had not participated in such a calm, peaceful and confident birth. We were just grateful to have a healthy, calm little girl. I couldn’t be more satisfied with our experience, and we are now even bigger advocates for HypnoBirthing.
Thank you, Kathie!
Our Baby’s Birth Story
Life with a baby is flying by. We had a boy on November 30th at 10:52 a.m. He weighed 6lbs. 12 oz. and he was 20 inches long. We named him B. B. G.. Labor went beautifully.
I couldn't go back to sleep after 2:30 or 3 a.m. because the surges were getting stronger and I could tell they were close. We got to the hospital around 5:30 stopping in the parking lot and hallway to breathe and relax through surges. After getting checked in, they checked me at 6:30 and I was at 4 cm. and completely [thinned]. I labored on the birthing ball and S. read his script to help me get into relaxation and we listened to relaxing music with the lights low.
At 8:30 I was [open] to 7 cm. My surges for the next hour were very intense, but by breathing I never felt like they were more than I could handle. I started to feel the urge to [breathe the baby down], so my nurse and midwife helped me back to the bed. When the midwife checked me I was [open] to 10 and the baby was at +1 station. That was at about 9:45. [B. was born about an hour later, just over 8 hours of labor.]
Both my midwife and nurse were very impressed with my labor and both commented how well they thought HypnoBirthing had worked for me. I feel that my birth was a complete success. Steve and I really bonded through the experience and B.'s heart rate never jumped during labor or [birthing]. He is a very mellow baby who seemed peaceful and calm after his birth. He cried for about 30 seconds right after he came out and then looked around for the next hour before falling asleep.
Thank you for everything. I know HypnoBirthing really helped my confidence level about birth and helped to make my birthing experience a beautiful one.
Sincerely,
J. G.
Zoie’s Birth Story
Zoie Michelle arrived Thursday, April 24 at 8:00 PM on the dot. Everything went really well. Here’s the story:
I was due on April 16. But that date came and went. I went to the acupuncturist, without seeing any results. That Friday, my doctor told me I was about 2 cm [open] and 70% [thinned] and he expected the baby over the weekend. On Monday, he said I was about 2‑3 cm, but he expected the baby that night. (Shows what the doctors know!) I had him strip my membranes both those days, but it didn't seem to do much.
When I went to the doctor Thursday, he said I was 3‑4 cm. I walked out of his office and back across the street to work. I was feeling really tired, so I told my boss I was just going to go home for the rest of the day. As I was walking out of the office, I felt my water break! This was about 11:00 am.
We arrived at the hospital about 2pm, and spent the next 5 hours walking the halls and bouncing on the birthing ball, waiting for labor to start. I was having occasional surges, but they weren't regular and didn't feel very strong. We did some emotion release and acupressure. I [began] having pretty regular [surges] around 5:30. But they were so mild and we were so relaxed and having so much fun that we must not have been paying very close attention to them. I don't remember even describing them as uncomfortable‑‑I remember mentioning them only because I was hoping some serious contractions would start soon and feeling impatient. At 7pm, my doctor checked my cervix again and didn't seem impressed (I didn't want to know how far along I was, because it was so disappointing and misleading with [my first child’s] birth). The doctor mentioned to the nurse that I was way too cheery and relaxed and didn't seem anywhere close.
Just a few minutes later, about 7:10pm, I had a couple of really strong surges just a couple of minutes apart. After about 15 minutes I decided to get into the Jacuzzi, because the surges were getting really uncomfortable. When the nurse checked on us a few minutes later, she said things were progressing really quickly and she wanted to check my cervix. She wanted me out of the tub NOW because she thought the baby was on her way. At this point, the surges were feeling much lower in my abdomen & back and I was starting to feel some pressure, but I didn't believe I was that close, because things had just gotten started!
I thought that I might feel better if I went to all fours, so I turned over in the tub, on my hands and knees. Immediately I felt one more surge, and I felt the baby start to crown. I yelled, "She's coming!" and I heard J. yell after the nurse, "I see her head!". I think I gave one push (but I'm not sure I even pushed at all), and she just popped out. J. held the baby's head, while the nurse came running back in. She told me to push once, and the rest of the baby slipped out into her hands.
The doctor ran in just a second later. He had been just down the hall, but still hadn't had time to arrive for Z.’s birth!
Z. was beautiful and healthy, 7pounds 9 ounces, 22 inches long. I felt great and we went home early the next afternoon. I think I have to consider myself a HypnoBirthing success story!
T.
