Janet Field HCHI, CHt, CD, BS EarlyChildhood Development

When I was 37 weeks, 5 days, my midwife discovered my baby was in the breech position.  For me, this was especially disappointing, as I am desperately hoping for a VBAC.  I was really upset to think my chances for a VBAC were flying out the window because of a breech baby.

For a week I tried everything:

•Moxibustion (did everyday for 6 days)
•Chiropractic – Webster technique
•Knees to chest position multiple times per day
•Headstand, shoulderstand, down dog
•Laying on ironing board at 45 degree angle
•Hypnosis daily – Turn Your Breech Baby script
•Visualizing and talking to baby
•Using flashlights, music, talking and having 2-yr old sing through TP tube at belly
•Pulsitilla homeopathy
•Swimming – handstands, somersaults, deep dives
•and some good emotional releases (I think I cried a box of tissues)

None of the above worked (although I think it was all helpful to send baby a message and give her more room), so at 38 weeks 5 days, I went in to have an external version done and it was successful!

In the morning, I did one more moxibustion treatment at home, then on the way to the hospital, I listened to the Fear Release.  When it came to the part about creating my bubble of peace, I was thinking about all the comments I received from friends/family in response to an email I sent out the day prior requesting their good thoughts, good vibes, and prayers for this baby to turn.  I took those comments and visualized them typed on strips of paper and I pasted them to the outside of my bubble.

When we arrived at the hospital at 7:30 AM, we luckily got a very nice nurse who got us settled into the triage room.  They hooked up the fetal heart rate and contraction monitors and baby was very active, which was good for establishing a baseline.  I listened to the beginning of the Turn Your Breech Baby script and tried to get relaxed into the setting.  My doula arrived around 8 AM.  I listened to more HB while we waited for the doctors.  Just before 9 AM, the perinatologist I consulted with arrived with one of her colleagues, who the nurse later informed me was the `one to have for this procedure’.   I had explained to the doctor during the consult that I was planning on using my hypnosis practice for the external and she was very excited and supportive.  So, they asked me what I needed and I asked them to just give me 5-10 minutes, if possible, to get relaxed.  The nurse gave me a shot of Terbutaline, a smooth muscle relaxer, to relax the uterus.

About 10 minutes later, the doctors came back.  I made sure that I was listening to the part of the Turn Your Baby script where you visualize your hands reaching into the uterus and gently stretching it open, making more room for your baby, and then reaching your hands around your baby and nudging her around when they did the procedure.  I wouldn’t say that I was in a hypnotic state, because it was difficult with all the interruptions, but I was staying relaxed and focused on the script.  I kept my headphones on the whole time, and my eyes closed and I didn’t listen to what they were saying, or watch what they were doing.

It was SO intense, but I stayed totally relaxed and calm the entire time, even though I swear my diaphragm was in my ears and I could barely get any breath into my lungs, and I was sure my xiphoid process (little bone attached where your ribs come together) was going to pop off!  I did want to scream out “STOP!” but I just focused on the script and was talking to my baby the whole time.  I finally opened my eyes after about 2 minutes when I felt the hands come off and looked at one of the doctors and she was smiling, so I removed my headphones. It was good news!

I was really surprised at how forceful it was and I never felt the baby turn on her own.  I guess I thought they’d give her a little nudge and she’d turn herself around.  The doctors said they couldn’t believe how relaxed I seemed and they said, “We need to find out what that is you are listening to!”  [Of course, I told them all about HB.]  They also said that a big part of her getting to turn was because I was so relaxed. I figure if it took four hands to move her, she doesn’t have room now to flip back on her own. I’ll be 39 weeks tomorrow.

They kept me for 3 hours to monitor my contractions and baby’s heart rate. She was just fine – never wavered outside a normal range. I was having some pretty strong contractions (according to the monitor) although I never felt any sensation beyond strong tightening of my uterus. I also had some mild cramping, but after about 90 minutes it all normalized, although I was still crampy, which I’ve been feeling for a few days anyway. The nurse called the doc to see if she could release me, and the doc wanted her to do a cervix check before they sent me home.  I politely declined and assured the nurse I was not in labor, as I have labored before. She was okay with that, just smiled and said, “Okay”.

I kind of struggled with the fact that this was a bit of an invasive procedure, but I figured it’s a LOT less invasive than another cesarean and I truly did try everything else I could to get her to turn on her own.  I’m glad we tried it and now I am confident that it will be smooth sailing from now until the birth…

~Karen
39 weeks, VBAC

Mom had a comfortable long birthing time, but some different issues necessitated a cesarean.  Hypnobabies was still very helpful despite the change in plans.

I hadn’t taken the time to write up my birth story until just
recently, partly because my birth detoured from what I had planned
and I needed some time to grieve the birth that I had worked so hard
for but wasn’t able to have, so I’ll caution my fellow Hypnomommas
to read with your BOP.

I’ll start by saying that my experience with Hypnobabies was
wonderful and a true gift to myself and my child.  I believe in
Hypnobabies so much that it is my goal to become a Hypnobabies doula
and eventually to teach.

I chose to birth with a midwife who is part of a OB practice in a
hospital.  On Wednesday, April 2nd, my birthday, I was at work and
remember, after leaving a meeting, having the distinct feeling that
I should be at home.  My birthing time had not begun (although I was
five days past my guess date at this point) and I wasn’t feeling any
pressure waves but I just had this feeling and I remembered hearing
in our HB classes and in the discussions from the Yahoo Group how
important it is to listen to your body, so I did just that and went
home.  On Thursday, April 3rd, I was feeling the same so I called
into work.  I did venture out for my scheduled chiropractic
appointment and that evening is when I finally felt something
begin.  We started keeping track of my pressure waves but they were
very irregular and so we called it a night and began again the next
day.  It was the same story that Friday.  I was having waves but
they weren’t regular and didn’t feel like they were doing much.
Jeff, my husband, went ahead to work and I spent the day relaxing
and in Center.  I had been in Center since Thursday afternoon,
recalling that it is a good idea to begin using your hypnosis
early.  (As a side note, I have to say that I think this is one of
the two reasons that Hypnobabies worked so well for me.  This and
remembering to choose to use my hypnosis.)  It wasn’t until that
evening, when Jeff arrived back home, that things finally began
kicking into gear and my pressure waves became regular.  In
hindsight, I think I was asking my body to wait until he got home
and then once he did I opened up and gave myself permission to go
ahead with the birth.

Things continued into the night and Jeff called Kathy, our doula,
and asked her to head our way.  She arrived at our house around 2:00
am.  I was comfortable through each of my pressure waves and found
that my favorite place to be was on the toilet, funny enough.  I
continued to progress at home until about 3:00 am when we decided to
head to the hospital.  We got checked in and per our birth plan Jeff
handled most of the questions while Kathy set up the room, dimmed
the lights, and posted the Hypnobabies sign on our door.  When they
checked me to see what my progress was, we learned that I was
between 5-6 cm.  I was so ecstatic!  I couldn’t believe that I had
progressed this far at home.

Over the next four hours I changed positions, several times,
utilized the bathtub in my room, which was great, walked the halls,
hydrated myself and snacked.  When they checked me again, at 7:30
am, I was at 9 cm, which was great.  This is where my story begins
to detour.  An hour later they checked me again but my cervix was
swollen a bit on one side.  The midwife recommended that my bag of
waters be broken and that I move around for awhile to see if we
could bring Wesley’s head down more evenly on the cervix and help me
finish dilating and effacing.  Kathy took the lead here and had me
pacing the halls, doing the belly lift, bouncing on the birth ball,
etc.  They checked me again about an hour later and unfortunately my
cervix wasn’t thinning out but was swelling more.  We decided to try
Pitocin to regulate my pressure waves and to see if the baby would
come down more.  I was on Pitocin for a couple of hours and when
they checked me again the news wasn’t good.  Instead of thinning
out, my cervix was continuing to swell and was getting worse.  They
weren’t sure why but at this point I had been at 9 cm for 8 hours.
Their recommended a c-section.  This is where my beautiful birth
plan got thrown out.  Although we really didn’t want a c-section we
decided to go ahead for our safety.

Wesley Aiden was born at 4:02 pm on Saturday, April 5th, 2008.  He
weighed 7 lb. 1.45 oz. and was 21.5 inches long (although in the
birthing room, which is what my wonderful midwife called the OR, he
was mistakenly measured at 23 inches.  What a long baby that would
have been!)  :)

In reflection, I am still so happy with my Hypnobabies experience
and really feel that it gave me all the tools to have a p*** free
birth.  I was able to make it all the way to 9 cm with no need and
no wish for any pain medication, before having to allow for a change
of plans.  I’m still so proud of my accomplishment, although
saddened that the birth didn’t quite turn out the way I had
envisioned.  However, in the end, the only p*** I ever felt was when
the nurse was putting in the hep-loc (which she was having
difficulty doing) and when the anesthesiologist was putting in the
epidural, neither of those having anything to do with the natural
birth process!  And best of all I have my wonderful, healthy son.
Thankfully he was only exposed to the epidural for at most 20
minutes, as the epi was placed minutes before the c-section.  Beyond
that, I had a wonderful and complication-free recovery that I truly
believe was facilitated by my ability to stay clam, focused, relaxed
and at peace, allowing my body not only to progress through the
birth but to also continue it’s natural healing power after the c-
section.  All this because of Hypnobabies!  My mother-in-law still
talks about how great I looked after the birth.  She says that I
didn’t look like I’d been giving birth at all.  :)

I hope that my story will be an encouragement to all of you
wonderful moms who choose to educate yourselves and insist on being
an integral part of your births!

Katherine

808-344-9932
charmiangel40@hotmail.com
http://www.hypnotherapyforthesoul.com/
Haiku, Maui HI

Certified Hypnobabies Instructor.

The birth of my twins in 1980 was traumatic, medicated and surgical. I knew that there must be another way to achieve a gentle ,safer, softer birth for Mother and Baby. I have been a practicing Hypnotherapist for 20 years and I know well the power of using Hypnosis for creating natural anaesthesia and deep peace. I am DONA certified Doula and it has been my joy to support mothers and their partners in both home and hospital settings to achieve a safe, pain free gentle birth with Hypnobabies.

Ongoing Hypnobabies classes. Please call for details:808 573 1248 or 808 756 5923.

I found this Hypnobabies Birth story that won an essay contest.  I thought it was pretty inspirational.  Mom overcame her fears of birth, moved forward with a Natural Birth, circumstances led to an induction, mom followed her intuition knowing that was the best choice.

Click on over and read!

Hi Everyone,
 
Hypnobabies recently sponsored a very nice 2010 Breastfeeding Calendar for LLL of Central IL, and it is now on sale here:
 
http://laleche2010calendar.blogspot.com/
 
It is a fund-raiser for them and they will be marketing it to other LLL groups, moms groups and BF groups. Please help if you can by buying one and/or listing this on your website as well as forwarding this information to lists and groups you belong to. Hypnobabies has a full back page ad and our logo is on each month’s calendar page, so we want a lot of people to see it!
 
Thanks,
 
Kerry
 
Kerry Tuschhoff, HCHI, CHt, CI
Founder/Director of Hypnobabies
714-952-BABY (2229)

Hello All!
Here is my birth story, it was AMAZING. Below the birth story is my “perfect birth” that I visualized for hypnosis(I wrote it a few months ago). I thought I’d include it so you can see how my perfect birth really happened almost just as I had visualized it!!!!!

Ivy was born on October 6th 2009 at 6:01am weighing 7lbs 14 oz, 20 1/2 inches long!! The delivery was everything I could have ever hoped for:

It was the evening of my due date and I didn’t have too many pressure waves(pw’s) that day, however I’ve been having them off and on for a few days now very consistently every evening. I went for a big walk that morning, and another big walk in the afternoon with Craig. Earlier that morning I got a text from Donna telling me that an hour after eating Eggplant Parmesan, she went into labor with her daughter. So, even though it’s just an old wives tale, I decided I wanted Eggplant Parm!! We ordered from Vinny T’s and I had an early dinner around 5pm.

After dinner I decided to take my 22 month old Benji for a short walk. We got outside and chatted with our neighbor David for a few minutes. I told him how bummed I was that it was my due date and I hadn’t had her yet. I then saw little Sarah and her brother Zachary and talked to them for a few minutes. On my walk I didn’t have too many Pw’s like I had been having during previous walks this week. Right before we went home we saw Sarah again and she told me the story of how her brother came out just shortly after she talked to her mom’s belly and told him to come out. I told her you better tell this baby to come out too and maybe it will work!! So at 6pm exactly, she told baby girl to come out very soon! I headed home, hoping that baby would come out so that I wouldn’t disappoint Sarah! haha.

I got home, fed Benji a little snack before putting him down to bed. After I put him down, I watched House and then went upstairs on the computer. Up on the computer I started getting pw’s!! Lots of them! However I had had false labor the last three nights in a row so I didn’t really think too much of it. I decided I better just try to get some sleep and see if they go away. I layed down in bed trying to go to sleep and they just seemed to get more intense. I started to feel a little nauseas and I thought it was the eggplant parm bc I had eggplant parm before and it made me sick in the past.

I decided to try to take a shower to see if that would slow the pw’s down. After being in a shower for a while, they still didn’t slow down at all and I started to think it could possibly be “it”. I went downstairs to watch some tv with Craig and when I got down there, they finally started to slow down a little bit. So, I decided to go back upstiars and try to go to bed again. I went to lay down and they started picking up a lot! I called Craig up to tell him I thought that it “might” really be it this time.

I then threw up! I layed back down in bed and felt a tiny trickle of something and I thought, “My water broke!!!” But then when I went to look, I didn’t really see much fluid, but I still was pretty sure it broke. That was when we decided to call TBC. I called and spoke to Ann and told her i was having consistent pw’s and a trickle of fluid. She said to try to sleep through them and call around 8am or when they got too intense to talk through and were 5 minutes apart.

I layed in bed trying to rest and listening to my Early Labor hypnosis track, going into hypnosis only during pw’s, but talking to Craig about the plans for the rest of the night with him. He was also going to try and sleep for a few hours. As we were talking, I explained to Craig that I could talk but needed to go into hypnosis during the waves.

Craig started to noticed that I was going into hypnosis very very often. I asked him if he could time them because I couldn’t do it as i had been before because it was getting too intense. I showed him how to use the Contraction Master on my iPhone. They were every 2:30 to 3:00 minutes. That’s when we decided it was time to call TBC back and probably head in. That was at 3:45am.

Craig took a little while to get ready, call Anabel and his mom. At this point I was really ready to go in and thought we better hurry up. I said hello to Anabel very briefly in between waves, and then headed to get in the car. As I was walking out, I paused at the front door and leaned against the door to the basement to go into hypnosis for a wave. I then got in the car, put a towel on the seat “just in case” my water were to really break, turned on the heat and layed back in the seat waiting for Craig to come out and I listened to my hypnosis. Craig put everything in the trunk of the car and we left.

Craig drove nice and smoothly like I had asked him to before, I didn’t even have to remind him. I think it was at about the Wynnewood shopping center traffic light that my water BURST! It was huge. I continued to stay in hypnosis the rest of the drive, I looked up at the road once at the intersection of Wynnewood Rd and County Line and again when passing Haverford College. When we arrived in the parking lot, I just started to have a wave(although it was a soft one), so we waited a minute for me to get through it before getting out of the car. I held the towel between my legs as we walked up the the door and pressed the doorbell.

Ann met us at the door and showed us to the room. She asked me for a urine sample. When I went to pee, I also got amniotic fluid in the cup as it was pretty hard to reach down to hold the cup! After about 10 minutes or so, she came in to check my stats and do an internal. I was nervous she was going to tell me I was barely dilated and to go home or something, because the waves really weren’t as “bad” as I thought they might need to be to truly be in labor. I could still talk totally fine and smile and laugh between waves. But she checked and I was at 6 and -2 station(although I didn’t hear that part)already!!

After she checked me, at 4:38pm Craig called Donna to tell her we were ready and to drive over. She was already in the parking lot waiting for us to call her, yay!!!!! I’m SO glad she did that. When Ann felt the baby, she was a bit posterior so she had me lay on the side of the bed with Craig supporting me by putting my one leg on him and hanging my belly off the side. I listened to my Hypnobabies Early Labor track for about an hour like that(although it went by SOOO fast).

In my mind, I still had a long time to go, however it was getting pretty intense. I just kept reminding myself that it was a choice I had to make to stay in hypnosis and that it would work if I allowed it to and that this was finally the moment I had been practicing for for all those many many hours every night. I imagined my safe place laying on the towel in the sand with the sun shining on my back, warming my skin, feeling perfectly comfortable and relaxed, especially my skin and watching my son Benjamin and husband Craig playing in the sand and water.

There were a few times i had to get up to use the bathroom. During that time I would have Craig follow me in and put his hand gently on my forehead and say “relax”. Craig was also really great because he really wanted to help with the hypnosis. At one point he asked me if he could turn off the hypnosis track so that he could talk me through it himself and he was AMAZING at it(even though he only practiced with me about two times), it was so great to hear his calming, loving voice. He had a tendency to try and move a bit and massage me(a very natural instinct I’m sure) but I kept reminding him to be perfectly still, it was very important to me that everyone be perfectly still. Between pressure waves I told them to rub me, but to stop as soon as one started.

Donna put pressure on my lower back with my warm rice bag I made(I ended up liking the brown one best because it was so smooth). I was able to talk and whatnot between waves and felt great, but soon realized that I needed to start to continually focus and not get distracted from my hypnosis. At this point I stayed in off position most of the time.  I finally got to a point where I needed to move. I felt this intense need to get up and get some relief.

After a wave I said, “Ok, something needs to change right now, I need to get in the bath right now.” They told me it would take a few minutes to fill it up, so I went through I think two more waves and then got up(in center position) and got in the bath, laying on my right side facing the wall and went back into off position. It was at this point that things started getting extremely intense. I felt my belly with my hand during a wave and it was rock solid. I still felt like baby wasn’t very low though and thought I had a while to go.

This is when I felt as though I was losing control a bit. I started saying, “open, open, open” in a very deep, gutterly moan. I remember thinking that my voice actually sounded a bit like my son, like I reverted to a toddler for a few minutes. I then felt like I couldn’t handle another second of it. I began to think of how could I possibly get myself over to the hospital and how long it would take to find someone to put an epidural in me!! It was a fleeting thought that got me through that moment. I screamed in a deep, low moan, that kind of cracked my voice, “I can’t take it ANYMOOOOORE……….”. Someone( I think Sabrina) said some very calming things about how I COULD do it and I found her words to be very helpful and centering.

Then I said, “Oh sh**, I’m gonna sh*t…” That’s when I felt this explosive poop come out of me. I had zero control and it honestly felt like a rocket coming out. That’s when I realized that the baby was coming out. The nurse Sabrina or maybe it was the midwife Ann said, “Ok, you need to get out of the tub RIGHT NOW” The way it was said was very calm, yet firm and strong and it helped me to feel strong. When she said I had to get out, I didn’t think I could possibly do it, but I remembered watching one of those birthing shows and the exact same thing happening, so I knew it was time for the baby to come out and i had to find the strength to get out of the tub. Craig and Donna and everyone stood there to help me up. As I was getting up I felt down with my hand and felt the baby’s head and this intense burning, ripping feeling. I kept my hand there putting pressure because I felt like she was going to fall out while I was getting over to the bed and because it lessened the burning feeling. I made it to the edge of the bed, got on hands and knee’s and realized that she would come out.

No one said anything(that I remember anyway) and I realized it was the very moment i was waiting for, the time to push her out. Her head popped out during the first push and I pushed one more time and the rest of her came out. I did not look down until I realized she was out and i looked down and saw her between my legs. I waited just a moment before realizing that I could reach down and grab her and hold her, and that’s what I did. She was still attached to me and I held her in my lap. They put blankets all over her and dried her off a bit while I held her there.

She was born at 6:01am, just six hours after I thought I “may” be in labor, just an hour and a half after arriving at The Birth Center. I layed down with her on my chest and just a few minutes later, the placenta came out. I remember Ann saying, “ok, the placenta’s gonna come out now, but don’t worry, this one doesn’t have bones.” It just plopped right out. A little later she showed it to us and showed us the different parts which I thought was very cool, Craig was grossed out, haha. She then examined me and saw that I had a very small tear. She said I could get a stitch, or it could just heal by itself. I really didn’t want a stitch because I was scared it would hurt. Donna said, “oh get it” and Ann said, “well it’s her choice” and I was hesitant to get it, but then Ann said it was a little bigger than she originally thought and that I should get it. So I did. She did one small stitch at the bottom and one on the top left labia. They used some spray, but I could still feel the needle and it was a bit uncomfortable. I just tried to focus on the baby. The pressure waves continued after birth and were very intense, but at this point I didn’t feel like using my hypnosis because I just wanted to focus on my baby!!!!

The entire thing was so amazing and everything I could have EVER hoped for. It was truly my perfect birth, I think it was actually better than I visualized my perfect birth to be.

Ok and here is the birthing plan I had written out for The Birth Center and it was also what I had visualized every day:

Wake up around 8:30am as usual! Go downstairs to put on coffee, eat my cereal in front of the tv, then bring coffee up and bring Benji into bed with us. Sit and drink our coffee in bed. Get up to pee cause I’m getting a braxton hicks and those things always make me have to pee. Get another braxton hicks about 20 minutes later. I soon noticed that I’m getting them more often than usual and they’re coming pretty regularly. I suddenly realize that I may be entering my birthing time, and in fact I am!

The pressure waves are coming regularly, about every 8 minutes and lasting about 45 seconds each. As soon as I realize that I am entering my birthing time I hope online and tell facebook. I have Craig call Donna to tell her that it’s the day. I call the birth center. I  They tell me to wait to come in until pressure waves are 5 minutes apart and last 1 minute each. I then grab one of my nut bars filled with protein, eat that as well as a nice bowl in quinoa and a large cup of raspberry leaf tea. I put my headphones on and practice having a loose, limp body to allow my body to do all the work. I feel pressure waves gaining strength which feels like a power higher than myself guiding my body to take care of me and my baby and guide her out of the womb. I listen to my different hypnosis tapes and during each pressure wave I choose to use the meditations and hypnosis that I’ve learned over the past few months. I make that decision every time a pressure wave comes and remind myself to stay calm as this power takes over, it is a strong and gentle power that is going to bring me to my baby so soon. Donna arrives and I ask her to bring Benji downstairs so I can be alone with Craig. I lay on the bed, get up, sit down, walk around the hall shaking my hips, and sitting on the birthing ball and doing whatever feels good.  An hour and a half passes and the pressure waves stronger and closer together. By noon two hours have passed since I first thought I might be in labor and my pressure waves are lasting about a minute long and coming every 5 minutes. We decide that it’s time to head over to the birthing center so that I can get settled and enjoy a nice bath over there. We call Craig’s parents to come pick up Benji. Donna stays with Benji until his parents get there while Craig and I head over. Donna arrives 20 minutes behind us.

When I get to the birth center, they check my cervix and find that I am 6-7 cent. dilated. Craig sets up my blanket and pillow while I labor peacefully in hypnosis. He reminds me to drink my tea and juice. He also sets up my birth board that I made as a reminder to myself with many positive affirmations, as well as suggestions/reminders of things that I thought would be helpful to myself as well as my helpers Craig and Donna. At this point I am anxious to get back in the water to relieve some of the pressure on my back.

It’s now 1:30pm, I’ve spent some time in the bath and I decide to get out and walk around a bit more. I try different positions recommended to me by my midwife, Donna and Craig. My helpers are now helping me with each pressure wave by doing the “Peace” cue and “Relax” cues. Earlier on I was spending some time in the “off” position, but i now find I need to spend more time in “Center”. My husband Craig will also probably need some reminders from The Birth Center staff on how to assist me best as well as reminders that this is a natural, normal and healthy process, though at times intense. In fact, I will probably also need those reminders!

As I birth I will continuously use my hypnobabies cd’s, probably through my headphones. At about 3pm I will be ready to push! At that time I will put on my “Pushing Baby Out” track on the regular speakers so that everyone can hear it to best assist me. (as suggested by the hypnobabies program) I will not need an episiotomy and wish to tear naturally unless, given the midwifes experience, she feels it is absolutely necessary. Pushing takes only a few pressure waves and the baby is in my arms! After the cord stops pulsing, either Craig or I are directed by the midwife to cut the cord. Donna is busy taking pictures. When the time is right, the nurse or midwife help Craig and I on how to wash the baby and dress her. We’d like to skip the eye drops that are often given to newborns. Donna will assist me with the baby’s first latch for breastfeeding as has been the tradition in our family when Benji was born.

This time from a Hypnobabies Instructor in Atlanta!

Kendra Shortz   HCHI, CHt, NLP Practitioner

kendrashortz@yahoo.com

219-669-0769  cell

219-843-2901  home

Medaryville, IN

Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist / Hypnotist

Certified Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis Instructor

NLP Practitioner

I offer both group and private Hypnobabies classes in the Chicagoland, Northwest IN and Lafayette, IN areas.  Classes ongoing, please call or email me for more information.

Mikayla’s fast and un-medicated VBAC birth story

At 2:12 am on Tuesday the 13th of October, I felt a funny kick that woke me up. Soon after I started having some pressure waves. I wasn’t too worried about them, as I have been having practice waves for weeks, but these were very regular and consistent. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. I decided to go downstairs to time my pressure waves on my phone at 2:58 am. I turned my computer on so I could listen to my Hypnobabies tracks on my computer instead of having my headphones on. I timed my waves until 3:29 am. I had had 8 waves during that time averaging from 3-4 minutes apart lasting a minute to a minute and a half.

At this time I was getting nervous as I was trying to go into hypnosis for the waves, and it wasn’t working. I was really doubting myself since my first labor lasted so long and ended in a c-section.  Well I finally realized I was in actual labor, so I started making brownies for the nurses and midwives. Around 3:45-3:50 my 2 year old son woke up and he and my husband came downstairs. My son wanted to nurse. During the second pressure wave while he was nursing I had to stop him and told him to cuddle next to me.

At 4, my husband called my mom and said he was bringing Brayden over to her house so we could get to the hospital. He asked if I wanted to go and I said I couldn’t, I still had 10 minutes until I could take the brownies out of the oven. I said goodbye to my son and got back to concentrating during my waves. After the brownies were out of the oven, I moved upstairs so I could get in the tub to help myself relax. At this point I was having to moan through the waves to help remind myself not to tense up my muscles and just let my body work.

My husband returned home around 4:40 and found me in the tub. After a few pressure waves he said he wanted to go to the hospital (he said at this point they were about every two minutes and I was gripping the side of the tub pretty hard). I got out and had to rest on the bed during the waves while I was getting dressed.

My husband finally talked me into leaving for the hospital (I was worried about leaving too early for the hospital and stalling my labor). We must have left between 5 and 5:15 am, my husband was driving very fast and I was going to tell him to slow down, but decided I needed to concentrate on my hypnosis and trying to remain relaxed. We got to the hospital and I told my husband just to get my birth ball as I figured we had plenty of time to grab the other things we brought.

By the time we got to labor and delivery, I was having pressure waves that seemed right on top of each other, and I had a moment of doubt thinking if the said I was only 3 cm dilated I was going to ask for the epidural. We get back into triage around 5:50 am and and the nurse was taking her time getting everything set up and asking me questions (which I let my husband answer as I had turned up the volume on my ipod). She checked me and asked if I wanted an epidural at which time I said no, and she said good, you don’t have time, you are 8 cm dilated and have a bulging bag of water.

My midwife wasn’t there yet, so she got on her phone and called for a doctor to meet us in a labor and delivery room. Another nurse came in to help and she asked if I could walk to the room, and I said no. She nastily replied that I would have to get out of bed at some point anyway, and she thought I wanted to go all natural. That is when the first nurse chimed in and asked her if she would like to walk at 8 cm dilated.

I chose to ignore all of this as my waves had changed and I couldn’t relax through them anymore (I now realize that my body had started to push). They wheeled me into my room and I transfered myself off of the stretcher to my bed. At this point the baby started having some decels to about 90 and the nurses had me roll to my side and put oxygen on me. After a few more waves where my husband looked into my eyes and kept telling me to relax and focus, the doctor walked in (it was my midwives back up doctor).

He said he was going to try to let me birth like I wanted, but if I couldn’t get the baby out quickly they would have to do a c-section (I think this put the fear of God in me!). It was at this time I looked at my husband and said I can’t stop from pushing (it felt sort of like when your body starts to dry heave, so powerful and you couldn’t stop it if you tried), but I was so nervous because I thought there was no way it was time already. The nurses said if my body was already doing it to start pushing with the next wave.

Well the next wave my water exploded (my husband said it looked like movie special effects, it hit the back wall about 10 feet away). That helped relieve a lot of the pressure. The doctor said I was doing a really good job, but he wanted to use the vacuum to help get her out as he was still concerned about her decels. I agreed to this as I figured it was better than a c-section.

This was about the time my midwife showed up. I pushed three times and her head was out, the doctor then took off the vacuum, and a few seconds later, the rest of her slipped out. It was 6:33 am. She had to be seen by the NICU staff as I had meconium in my water, and I had to get some stitches where the vacuum caused a bit of friction (which hurt worse than pushing), so I didn’t get to hold her for about a half an hour.

Her apgars were 9 and 9, and she was so alert and beautiful. What I find the most amusing was I didn’t get to sign the consent forms until after she arrived (at which point I had to laugh about signing the C-section form).

Mikayla Reese was 6 pounds 9 ounces and 19.5 inches long. She is such a content baby. I think I am still on a birth high, and that I can’t believe I did it! I couldn’t imagine it being too much better than it turned out!

While it wasn’t entirely pain-free, it was completely manageable, and I think Hypnobabies kept me relaxed and able to go with what my body wanted to do on it’s own. My husband says the only thing he would like to do different for the next one would be get to the hospital a little sooner (I think 45 minutes was too close for comfort for him, but for me it was perfect!

Megan
Brayden 6/07 C-section
Mikayla 10/09 Unmedicated, Hypnobabies VBAC!!!