My little one Warrick was born on March 2. He weighed 8lb 3oz, and was 18.9 inches long–just perfect size! Even though our birth plan was changed a bit at the end, I am happy to say that I gave birth to him naturally and owe it all to Hypnobabies and my supporters, hubby Scott and doula/instructor Katherine.
Our original plan was to have everything be as natural as possible, staying at home for the early birthing time, no drugs at the hospital, etc. As I approached my due date I started to have issues with high blood pressure that would only go down when I laid on my side, so I was put on bed rest. Then a few days before the due date, my midwives and I decided that the best option would be to induce, since the blood pressure problems were not resolving themselves, and I was already dilated to a 3 with mild pressure waves. (Anticipating this, I had been listening to the Come Out script, doing fear clearing sessions, talking to my baby about coming out, and taking EPO capsules). So we checked into the hospital (wonderful Baylor All Saints in Fort Worth) on a Monday evening to start some cervidil.
I was able to get some sleep that night, and in the morning realized that I was leaking fluid! Throughout the day my pressure waves got stronger and more intense. We played the cds out loud in the room all day, while I alternated between the birth ball and a hot shower. My wonderful doula and husband also rubbed my back for hours on end with lavender oil–it works great and makes the room smell awesome!
That evening, my midwife broke my water the rest of the way (it had not fully released on its own, just leaked a little) and things picked up even more! Unfortunately I stalled a little bit at 8 centimeters, and so I had a dose of Pitocen in the evening, and soon after was ready to push! It is amazing how your body just knows what to do and does it. I found that making low moaning noises during this time really helped me to focus and breathe out during the waves. My helpers continued to give me the peace and relax cues, and put wet washcloths on my face and neck. Even the nurses got into the Hypnobabies vibe, repeating the cues and parts of the scripts to me (they later told me I seemed very calm and composed, and that they couldn’t get the scripts out of their heads!)
We hit another snag when, as my little guy crowned, he got stuck. After about half an hour in that position, we opted for a small episiotomy to get him out–very rare for a midwife to perform, but he needed to come out and I simply wasn’t stretching any more.
And the rest was wonderful! Warrick came out alert and healthy, with just a little bruising on his head from being stuck for so long. He was placed immediately on my chest, and nursed within half an hour like a champ. The midwife and hospital staff were wonderful, allowing us plenty of time with him and following our birth plan and baby plan perfectly–he was able to stay in our room all the time. Looking back on the birth now, I remember it as very intense at times, but I was so happy with the experience overall that I wouldn’t change a thing! My little Hypnobaby is now a month old, and we are all happy and healthy.
