Mom Achieves a Spontaneous, Natural Birth…Despite “Red Flags” and a “Failed Induction!

Thanks to RaeAnna from the Hypnobabies Yahoo Group for sharing her inspirational birth story with us. 

I hope it’s an encouragement to anyone who has a disbelieving midwife or OB.  YOUR BIRTHING TIME CAN AND WILL HAPPEN!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nicholas “Christian”
Hypnobabies Birth
July 14th, 2009 2:50am

To start this story, here is a brief explanation of some “red flags” in my health during the last trimester of my pregnancy.  I put “red flags” in parentheses because those were the words from a midwife concerning my risks of a natural birth.  I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and although I always controlled it well and had wonderful NSTs (measuring the baby’s heartrate) and BPPs (ultrasounds to make sure everything was ok) they still had to be on the cautious side of the risks in my pregnancy.

The midwives in the Vanderbilt practice are required to work under a board of doctors who usually recommend gestational diabetes patients to be induced at 38 weeks.  My midwife was able to approve a hold on any induction until 40 weeks since everything was well controlled and looked great.  I hoped all through my last  trimester that my baby would come early and we would never have to consider an induction. However, my due date of July 6th came and I felt it was the safest to oblige their recommendations and go in for an induction 2 days later.

(July 8th at 7:30pm.)

Induction Attempt #1

We arrived at the hospital that night and I was given an IV of Pitocin.  I had to spend several days preparing myself and   my fears of an induction because it really was going against everything I wanted for a natural childbirth.  After months of  preparing for a natural childbirth with Hypnobabies, I felt that I was letting myself down by going through with the  induction – but I also knew I needed to be responsible to my baby and listen to the advice of the midwives.

My Bishop’s score was between an 8 and 9 so I felt like I had a lot going for me and we would be able to work everything  out for a great birth – even if it meant I had to have Pitocin.  I was a good 5cm dilated and 70% effaced when we started the drugs.  For 10 hours I was hooked up to the medicine and the nurses were increasing the dosage every 30 minutes.

At 5:00am I was maxed out at 20mL and nothing was working. I was not in active labor although I was having a few  pressure waves (contractions.)  The advice from the midwife was to basically start from scratch and give me the Pitocin at smaller dosages again to see if something would happen.

Fast forward to 7:30am.  There was a shift change in midwives and my new midwife came in to talk about what we needed to do since NOTHING was working!!!  I never felt any strong pressure waves (contractions) the WHOLE NIGHT!  The midwife began talking about how sometimes this is common.  She recommended that we stay and continue to try other methods – breaking my water, continuing the Pitocin – but that realistically that would probably lead to a C-section since I was no more dilated or effaced.  She also talked about how she had a patient try an induction 3 times before the Pitocin worked.

When she mentioned that patient I perked up and said “so you let her go home all those times?????”  I knew right then I would NOT stay at the hospital and that we would all go home and wait for my little man to come on his own time!!!!

Heading Home To Wait

We were discharged from the hospital as a “failed induction” against
the board of doctor’s recommendations to stay.  I just knew I was not
putting my baby at any high risk by waiting a few days to see what
would happen.  To please the doctor’s and midwives, I scheduled follow
up appointments to keep monitoring the baby’s well being.  This was
Thursday morning, July 9th – my next appointment would be Monday, July
13th to check on the baby.  I did kick counts every day to make sure
the baby was still active.  (Of course he was!!!)

Now it’s Monday afternoon – I’m 41 weeks pregnant.  I went to my
ultrasound to check on the baby.  The ultrasound did pick up some
calcification of the placenta and low amniotic fluid.  These are
pretty big concerns in the health of the baby.  The technician also
said my baby was weighing in at 9lbs 14oz although measurements can be
off a pound or so.  The midwife that discharged me from the hospital
last week called several hours later very concerned about the reports
on the ultrasound so I decided that it would be best to go back in
that night for another induction.

We left our house at 8:00pm Monday, July 13th – this time we would
come back home with a baby……..but in my mind I felt that it probably
would be by a C-section.  My heart was broken.  The only consolation I
had was that my pressure waves were getting stronger over the weekend.
I was taking a homeopathic to help bring the pressure waves on
stronger and I also took a dose of castor oil earlier in the day to
try to help things along on their own.  I thought maybe there was a
chance I could still have a natural childbirth – I just felt like I
was running out of time! 🙂

Refusing a Cesarean – Trying Induction 1 More Time

The midwife on call that night was pretty doubtful that I would go
into labor on my own – or even that I could have my baby naturally.
She highly recommended we go ahead and schedule the C-section but I
refused.  She agreed to let us wait a little while before starting
Pitocin and allowed me to try nipple stimulation while hooked up to an
NST since I was having pressure waves at 6-7 minutes apart.

Awesome Hypno-Doula Heather

Fortunately, there was another couple in their birthing time down the hall that needed the midwives more than I did so we didn’t see the midwife for 4 hours!!!  The nurse with us was wonderful at keeping track of my pressure waves and allowing me just to focus on my own.  I had my mom, husband and doula in the room with me and everything was very quiet and peaceful.  I was able to remain mostly “off” (a hypnosis term) during those 4 hours.  Since things were progressing, no one ever came in to start Pitocin!  I was finally in my birthing time on my own!!!!

The last part of those 4 hours were the most intense.  The pressure waves were coming one right after the other.  I didn’t realize, but I was actually in the transformation stage (transition) at that  time!
The nurse helped me into the shower to let the hot water help relax
and calm me.  The only position that allowed me to remain “off” was on
the toilet, in the shower or walking around.  At one point, my doula
came into the bathroom when she heard me grunt.  I thought I was
pooping from the castor oil, but she could tell it was more than just
a bowel movement!  She called the midwife in to check me.

Having to lay on the bed was very difficult – laying down was NOT comfortable!
When she checked me, my husband said she had a very puzzled look on
her face!  She didn’t say anything until my doula called out “what is
she??????”

The midwife looked around and said, “well, she’s complete!  She’s
dilated to 10, all the way effaced and thin, the baby is at a +3
position and I can feel the bag of waters!”

That’s all I needed to hear – I immediately said “I need to turn
around!!!”  I got on all 4s to be comfortable and the pushing urges
started!  It took only 40 minutes to push my baby out!  All the while
we had the Pushing Your Baby Out CD track playing.

Everyone was ASTOUNDED!!!

My mom said it became like a circus in the room.
Several different nurses and doctors were standing at the back of the
room watching everything happen.  They were very respectful and quiet
– I never heard a sound.  I think my mom was able to help keep the
atmosphere calm and relaxed to match the music and talking on the CD.

I loved being able to listen to the cues while I was pushing out my
baby.  I never felt any pain or discomfort.  It was actually a feeling
of relief to push out my baby!!!  I was the first to touch his head as
it came out!  The student midwife kept warm compresses on my perineum
and the midwife helped coach me if I was pushing too hard.  They never
had to tell me to push because my body knew instinctively when it
needed to happen.

To the astonishment of the whole room (and later to find out – pretty much the whole hospital) was that my baby boy was 10lbs, 10oz and 21 and ½ inches long!!!

I credit Hypnobabies to the incredible success of my birthing story!!!

The best part was being able to relax myself during the difficult
transformation stage and allow my body to go limp and loose.  When I
did, I could feel him drop down farther into my birthing canal.  It
was not a pleasant feeling, but it was empowering!  

I just can’t believe I was able to have the birth I’ve dreamed of when there was so
much stacked against me with the gestational diabetes complications
and previous failed induction!

This was the best experience of my whole life!!!  I truly believe that
the Lord answered the many prayers that we prayed over the past week.
I also think my little boy’s guardian angel must have been working
extra hours to make sure the doctor’s didn’t mess up his entrance into
this world!!! 🙂

The student midwife that was attending my birth came to me the next
day to check how everything was going.  She told me that the she and
the midwife thought the other couple they were attending to would
certainly have their baby a lot sooner than I would – which is why
they never came back into my room until my doula called on them!!!  I
think this experience was great for her as she enters her field of
midwifery practice.  Now she can recommend the program after seeing
such a successful Hypnobabies experience!

THANK YOU HYPNOBABIES for the education and empowerment to have an easy, comfortable, safe and fast childbirth!  I can’t wait to do it again!

We now have a beautiful, healthy little boy!

Nicholas “Christian”
10lbs, 10oz, 21 ½ inches long
Born: 2:50am at Vanderbilt Hospital
NO DRUGS OF ANY KIND!!!!!  PRAISE GOD!

—
RaeAnna

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Mom Makes Calm, Informed Decisions During Emergency Change of Plans

Well, things didn’t go quite as planned but thanks to Hypnobabies and a bit of concentration and focus, my new baby and I had a wonderful birth experience.
I came into hospital 12 days overdue on Tuesday evening and my birthing time began almost as soon as the first dose of prostaglandin gel went in (about 8pm) with birthing waves coming every 7 mins. I put on easy first stage and deepening and slept between waves  until 1am when i woke to the pop of my waters breaking and waves at 2 mins apart, lasting 40-50 seconds each.

 

The midwife came and checked me and I had gone from nothing to 4cm in 4 hours so I thought he was going to arrive soon! Waves stayed close together, increasing in intensity from then on.

At 6am I was up to 6cm, OB came in at 10am and I was 8cm.   Still completely in control although i was experiencing quite manageable discomfort, no worse than diarrhea type cramps i didn’t think, although much more intense. My 2 midwives (and 2 medical students) were amazed that I was laughing and joking in between waves and even asked for a copy of my birth video to show “how it can be done” and if I could speak to their antenatal classes! They were all very interested in Hypnobabies all of a sudden and said I was so focused and in the zone and 98% of women they’ve seen could not do what I was doing. All of this was making me even more confident.

I managed 22 hours active labour without medication very well, ahh-ing through contractions and leaning on my husband, but when I had stayed at 8cm for 7 hours we knew something was wrong and a quick ultrasound showed his 36cm head was flexed backwards and posterior and not going to come out of my pelvis the way it was. I’d been feeling intense downwards pressure with my waves which it turns out was his head pressing down on my ishcial spines but he would then go back up and couldn’t engage even with my 7 hours of powerful pressure waves. So it was decided after all this that a c-section was necessary to save both our lives.

I had previously been quite worried about a cesarian but when it all happened I was completely at peace that that was the way my birthing had to go for us and it was ok. I had a pressure wave while they were putting the spinal block in and the anesthesiologist could not believe I had been at 8cm for 7 hours and could just breathe the pressure out. I had also essentially been in transition for alot of that time too (shaking/shivering and vomiting) because my body was trying so hard to push baby down.

When he was born, he cried straight away, they bought him right over for skin to skin after they let my husband cut the cord and he latched onto the breast straight away. His name is Charlie and was born 8 pound 10 ounces at 6.40pm

Thanks to Hypnobabies, Charlie and I had a wonderful birth. I can almost guarantee that if we hadn’t done Hypnobabies, we both would have got distressed during the labour and I would not have been able to make such calm, informed decisions even in the event of an emergency.
Thanks Hypnobabies! Our birth video will be on YouTube in the next weeks and I’ll post the link here. I think I’ll be the only first-baby, induction, cesarian birth video on the web! 🙂

Thanks to Cindy from the Hypnobabies Yahoo Group for sharing her story with us!

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Induction with Hypnobabies leads to a great birth.

I have to say for a pitocin induction and not having the time to really practice this time (this is my second hypnobaby) I had a pretty decent birthing time.  There are a few point you may want to use a BOP, but for me it was just how my labor decided to progress.  I do have to credit all of my nurses for helping me have a natural childbirth that could of easily taken a different course without them.

I had been having problems during this pregnancy with swelling of the face, hands, and feet and towards the end started having higher blood pressure so we decided to schedule an induction for 41 weeks.  I was scheduled to go in Monday night for cervidel and start pitocin on Tuesday morning.  I get to the hospital Monday evening, after stopping for a bite to eat, and after several attempts finally got an IV started and got all of the paperwork done.  I was going to have a hep lock, but decided that it would be better to have an IV that way we knew that the line would stay open or we would know if it stopped working.

At my last appointment, a week before, I hadn’t had any cervical changes and the head wasn’t engaged when they checked be before starting the cervidel we found out I was 3cm and 50% and she could feel the head.  So they call my doctor to find out what to do.  He told time to just let me rest for the night and we would start the pit in the morning.  So they ordered me up a supper tray, with a snack for later, and then I did a few laps around the floor to see if we could encourage things to progress.  Didn’t really change anything, but it was worth a try.

Then next morning we start the pit on the lowest dose and only bumped it up every 30 minutes.  The nurses weren’t really supposed to let me off the monitors while the pit was going, but they would let me walk as long as I would be monitored every once in a while.  So I would be monitored for about 10 or 15 minutes for every increase to make sure that we was tolerating the increase and then I would walk the halls.  While I was monitored I could stand by the bed or sit up, but I didn’t have to lay down.  At this point I didn’t feel any contractions as long as I was laying flat, sitting straight up, or walking, but I couldn’t sit in a semi-reclined position.  So a few hours later I get checked and there is a little progress, but not much and they can’t feel the head anymore.  So more walking and still slowing increasing the pit.

Everything was fine until we hit level 13 on the pit, which was increase number 7, at that point we started losing the heartbeat during contractions.  Everybody stayed calm and we just shifted gears a little bit.  We just figured that the cord was getting squished a little, and that she had the cord wrapped.  They had me lay down on my side with oxygen going to see if that would help, and we still were having trouble with the heartbeat.  So they turned off the pit completely and let my body recover for a while.

At that point my doctor came and tried to break my water and get the pit started back up again.  Well, we didn’t get my water broke after a few attempts but we started the pit again with increases every 15 minutes this time.  I didn’t get to be off of the monitors this time because of what happened last time, but I could stand or sit or whatever I wanted to do.  My doc came back a couple of hours later and finally got my water to break with a bit of effort.

At this point I don’t really remember much because I put in my mp3 player and fell asleep for the next hour.  I guess they still came in and turned up the pit because I sort of remember Kent talking to the nurses and I remember the contractions getting stronger, but still not much pain.  Kent says that I was relaxed enough that I started snoring and he got bored and watched two game shows on TV.  He would still pay enough attention to help me relax through the contractions if he could tell I was tensing up.

After I woke up I lost control a bit, but I was in transition.  When the nurse came in to check on me I begged her to turn down the pit and after checking my progress, she did but not by much.  After a while my body just took over and started pushing on it’s own, which sent everybody scrambling (I had warned them ahead of time that this would happen).  So everybody came running in and got everything setup and paged my doctor.

This whole time I am pushing and nobody is telling me to stop or wait (last baby they tried to get me to stop).  They do lay me flat on my back but I tell them that I am not pushing laying down so they help me setup while pushing after they get my legs in the stirrups.  Of course by this time I am completely focused and not hearing a word that they are telling me.  Next thing I know my doctor is there and I am at station 0 and everybody can see the baby coming.  So my husband and my mom grab my legs and pull them back while I am pushing.  Three good pushes later she was here and she had the cord wrapped once around her neck.

The nurses put her directly on my chest after all initial observation was done, but they waited on all non-crucial procedures.  They helped me take off my hospital gown and get her latched on for the first time within a few minutes of birth.  Then after a while I gave her back and they did the eye drops and stuff.

The whole induction and birth lasted about 10 hours and my water was broke about 2 hours before the birth.  Lizzy was my biggest baby at 7lbs 3oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.

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Happy Hypnobabies Birth, even with Pitocin

Thursday November 4, 2010
I woke up Thursday morning around 2:30am again with some light contractions and decided to move downstairs to lay on the couch and listen to my Hypnobabies tracks.  At 5:00am my water broke with a gush.  It turns out that it was more likely just a tear higher up in the amniotic sac because labor did not get started right away and I continued to leak fluid all the way through delivery.  At that point I called Peg, the midwife and she thought things might get going in the next couple of hours.  Tony had to do some urgent tasks at work, so he headed out around 5:30am.

I had sporadic and mild contractions for the rest of the day–they increased in intensity only when I was walking.  At 6:30pm we went into the hospital to meet Peg and start IV antibiotics because I had tested positive for Group B Strep.  At this time I was still only 1 cm dilated and so we decided to start Pitocin.  Peg felt that this was less likely to lead to a C-Section and feared if we waited until morning to decide, and labor did not pick up on its own, I would be too tired to push the baby out.

I was on Pitocin through the night with some improvement in the regularity of my contractions, but little increase in the intensity.  The external contraction monitor indicated strong contractions, but I was rating them only a 2-3 on the pain scale and so Peg and the Nurse were not sure what to do.  They were hesitant about increasing the Pit because the contractions looked so strong on the monitor.

Friday November 5, 2010
Friday morning around 6:30am we decided to put an internal contraction monitor into the uterus to get a better read on how strong my contractions were by directly measuring internal uterine pressure.  While inserting the lead, Peg discovered I had a “bag” above my cervix.  I was still only 1.5 cm dilated, but the cervix was more effaced and very soft–Yay!  The stage was at least set for dilation!  She broke the bag, hoping that would also help move things along.  At this time, they also cut the Pitocin in half hoping my body would kick in better.  This is when labor got going a little more regularly.

Around 12noon I would say I  went into more active labor, where I used my Hypnobabies tracks and tools.  During each contraction I would turn my light switch off, breath deeply and close my eyes.  Peg was finally happy to see me actually laboring!  Hypnobabies worked very well–no one could believe how well I was managing the contractions–they couldn’t even tell when I was having one except for by looking at the monitor.

Around 2:30 I started feeling pushy and so Peg checked me again.  She later said she was crossing her fingers that I was at 5cm.  I was 9.5 cm and ready to push!!  Finally!  We were going to have a baby!
My contractions slowed down to about 5 minutes apart, but they were reluctant to increase the Pitocin.  I pushed using the squat bar—my husband and a couple of nurses would help me get my arms over the bar for each contraction and then I would sit back down to rest between contractions–often falling asleep.  I also pushed some on the toilet, which was the most comfortable and productive for me.  Eventually both of these positions caused a drop in the baby’s heartbeat, and so I ended up delivering in a semi-reclined seated position.

 

I tried using the “Pushing Baby Out” track and had it playing out loud two times through (it’s only about 30 minutes) but then I got too frustrated because it says you don’t really have to push, just breath the baby out.  This was not my experience at all—I had to push long and hard!  I ended up pushing until 5:53 when little Lane Anthony was born.  (Editors Note:   It doesn’t say you don’t have to push.  Instead it says to follow your body.)

Overall, I was extremely pleased with Hypnobabies–I enjoyed the preparation ahead of birth and really believe that it helped me to experience the entire labor and delivery process in the most positive way possible.  My midwife said of the thousands of births she’s attended, in very few have the women been as calm and relaxed as I was.  Thanks to Hypnobabies!

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Jonah – Induction goes well!

Forewarning! Successful Hypnobabies program was used in the following birth story, but there is mention of *P* in one instance when my program was not in use. I think my story though will be helpful to those facing less than ideal situations surrounding their birth. We had no natural birth midwives in this area (I interviewed the one in this area who had fully medicated births), and no birthing centers.
Without further adieu:
I had a scheduled induction for April 9, at 8AM. I was 10 days overdue and my OB’s office was refusing to go longer, though I guess I could have fought them. I almost skipped my induction. I loathed the very idea.

At 37.5 weeks I had prodromal labor, with 4 hours of pressure waves that came on at 2-3 minute intervals and 1 minute a piece. For some reason they fizzled out. I had so many symptoms that said to me “this night is it.” I had unusual energy and nesting for a couple days. My body was flushing itself out an hour after the first pressure wave woke me up. I found out at my OB appt that I had made it to 3cm/50% effaced. We were so sure I’d go early then. There was at least 2 more times that my birthing day seemed imminent with patterned pressure waves, but the last time at 41 weeks I went to L&D and found I was at 4cm/80%, but again my pressure waves fizzled and I elected to go home.

I tried everything from big wheel riding and sliding/ swinging at the park, walking to intimate things, and castor oil to no avail. I also used the “Baby come Out” track, as well as getting a start on Birthing Day Affirmations, and Easy First Stage tracks.
Up until the night before my induction I was still unsure if I was going to show for it. Using my hypnosis to do some soul searching and baby communicating, I found my peace with going to the induction, and that being the right road to take at this point. One of the tracks, I think “Baby Come Out” has you ask the baby if there is anything or any reason they weren’t coming out or it wasn’t time. I had an intuitive feeling that for some reason my body was sticking at a certain point, and it was time to help. April 9 was chosen to be my baby’s birthing day, and I told him he and I would be just fine but we needed a little help.
I checked in at 745am but my room wasn’t done until 830AM. Lots of babies all poured in that night/morning… 15+ naturally occuring labors.

I got a chance to chat with the nurses in the entry way though and inquired about requesting a nurse who is partial to and experienced with natural births. One sweet lady “looked” into it for me. She apparently knew who the right person to ask, because despite the nuttiness of the labor floor I got what had to be the best nurse on the floor. My OB and nurse were very respectful of my Hypnobabies needs and my birth plan hopes.
I met the doc by 9am to discuss the plan and we were going to break my water and go from there, as soon as they were done getting me set up. Well, the OB went MIA until 1130AM in which I had the AROM. There was merconium staining, but not too bad. By 2pm I hadn’t made a lick of progress despite contractions, which were consistant but 10 minutes apart.
At 2:00pm we agreed to start a low dose of pit. It came on hard and fast then. I did really good using my hypnosis stuff, and I think a lot of nurses were impressed. They did best to keep quiet and not disturb me. It was mainly just Alan and I, who was my rock, petting me and whispering relaxation cues. I would even smile and sometimes have a giddy laugh between waves as I was so excited to feel my baby coming to me.
Sometime after though- maybe 1.5-2 hours, I hit transition. I thought my blood sugar was crashing (which it may have a bit since you don’t get to eat much), though they assured me it was just transition symptoms. Shakey, disoriented, weak, panic: It was like I sat out of a deep deep relaxation/hypnosis in a frenzy. I wanted just a “little something” in my IV to take the edge off.

(Editors note:  A few different simultaneous distractions and mom looses focus – soon nurse will come back and help her get re-focused.  If birth partner had stayed calm, it may have helped mom stay calm.)

At the same time I was htting transition, the BP cuff kept getting weird readings and beeping loudly. It broke my concentration, and Alan got pissed off that it was taking so long to come and fix, and that it kept happening, and thus I became very unrelaxed. My nurse was busy delivering next door and so I got some fill in, loud, obnoxious nurse. I freaked, Alan freaked because he can’t handle seeing me in distress and be powerless to fix it.
Lucky my nurse came back when she did. I was screaming for help and that I couldn’t do it, and please give me just a “little” something in my IV to help me relax.
Gloria, RN, said, first we need to check you and see if you are ready to push, and second of all, OB will NOT give you anything in your IV, and thirdly, you CAN do this. And oh, by the way, you are 9cm. Gloria was there for me at just the right time in just the right way.
Well, I put on my “pushing baby out” hypnosis CD, and went right back into my hypnosis, and found it felt better to push just a little during my pressure waves. I begged for a popsicle incase my sugar was low, which I got, and between pressure waves and starting to push, I got a bite of popsicle. Alan kept them coming, and for some reason it just seemed to be a little piece of heaven.

I’d just go limp and completely relaxed in between pushing sensations. Deeper and deeper…

I pushed him out fast and hard and yes, that second for shoulders and head, I screamed one short loud scream. This is the only instant I’d deem as pain, and I was not using my hypnobabies at this point. I was unprepared for him to come out so fast! I didn’t even have time to think or “relax”. But it was no big deal… it was quick.

I delivered at 4:44pm, so not even 2.5 hours after true labor started. He weighs 6#11oz, and was 20″ long. He has smokey blue eyes, and light brown hair.
The sensations I had (even with the extremely powerful pitocin induced pressure waves, which also don’t give you the benefit of your body’s natural rest and recover time between stages) I’d describe as intense and powerful feelings. I know pain, and this was NOT pain.

It was incredible and a truly an amazing birth experience. I can’t tell you how many random nurses and attendants saw my sign on the door and came to ask me questions about my birth later and if Hypnobabies worked. Of course I tell them yes and gladly share the happy details. (but I admittedly feel a little embarrassed at my momentary lapse during transition.) I hoped to have the perfect tale to tell in the end.

But all in all, I managed to have pretty much my ideal birth with what I was given to work with. I received so many compliments on how bright eyed, alert, healthy, and well tempered my little one is and was at birth. I felt great afterwards. I am having a lovely baby moon this go around, compared to my first. I avoided the broken coccyx that I had with my first “electively induced” colicky baby girl. I remember all the wonderful details of my birth and look at them fondly instead of what most people view as horror.
I thought this would be my last baby, but now I dream of having my ideal completely painless, and hopefully home birth in the future. (although I’d have to go out of state to find that option if I wanted an attendant)

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2nd Time Mom has a fast easy birth, thanks to Hypnobabies!

Teagun Rex was born Monday, June 14 at 9:15pm. He weighed 7lbs, 2oz and was 21.5 inches at birth. He looked like a skinny tiny old man :-D. He has huge hands and feet, a small head, and gets his ears from his daddy and his blue eyes from his mommy’s side.

I think I recall somebody asking the experiences of second (or subsequent) moms who didn’t use HB for their first babies, so, if you’re interested, here’s DD’s *very* different birth story. BOP needed.  http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=17849803&blogId=393080457

Our birthing day started around 8:00 in the morning on June 14 (one day and 1.5 hours earlier than I had been visualizing). I started feeling mild PW that seemed almost indistinguishable from the Braxton Hicks I had been having for months, except that that they seemed to be coming about every 10 minutes.

We already had a non stress test scheduled, because we were 41 weeks, so we headed to our appt at 11. The PW had gotten less consistent, but never stopped. The test and following ultrasound showed that Teagun’s heartrate was dropping with the waves, and his fluid levels were low. This concerned the doctor, and while she was very supportive of our desire to have a natural, intervention free labor, she felt this necessitated a Pitocin induction, and she sent us to the hospital. Before we left she did a cervical check (only my 2nd with this pregnancy; the first was kind of a surprise), said I was 3 cm dilated. I agreed to having my membranes stripped, and she said that got me easily to a 4.

We meandered over to the hospital, after getting some lunch and snacks. I was sure to drink a lot of fluids in an effort to help out his fluid level.

While I know that the health of our baby is paramount to my emotional well being, it still didn’t mean I was happy about the idea of a medical induction. We brought our breast pump on the off chance they’d let us try natural means first. On the ride to the hospital, I listened to one of my Birthing Day Affirmations, and that really made me feel better about the impending induction, even though it was not what I had wanted.

We got to the hospital around 2ish, got admitted and hooked up to the monitors. Julie, our first midwife, came in and went over our birth plan with us. She was very supportive of our preferences, and even said we could try natural methods of augmenting the PW, since Teagun’s heartrate was looking good! I was so excited. It was as much her general attitude as not having to jump right into Pitocin. Even though I had come to accept the idea of Pit, I was very happy to have a second shot at something resembling the birth I had visualized.

I got hooked up to the IV and my GSB antibiotics around 4:30. The IV was terribly uncomfortable and continued to bother me until they removed it the next morning. While they ran the antibiotics, I tried the breast pump to augment the PW, which, I think, were about 6-7 minutes apart at that point, and still relatively mild.

After the antibiotics were done, around 6ish, we decided to walk the floor a bit. My mom, DH’s mom (Sue) and (2 year old DD) Kismet had joined us at this time. We hadn’t been walking for more than 10 minutes when the PW really started to pick up, in frequency and intensity. They were coming about every 3-4 minutes, and required a little concentration at this point. We walked for a bit, stopping for the waves and when we found a play area for Kizzy.

We made it back to the room about 7, to find we had wandered too far, and security was looking for us! =-O We apologized profusely.

Around this time the waves started getting really intense, and I thought I should try listening to my scripts, because if I couldn’t get the PW under control, I was worried pain meds were in my future, as they were starting to feel like when I had Kizzy, and I was certain we had several hours of that ahead of us.

I tried listening to Easy First Stage, but was having a hard time concentrating because Kizzy kept telling me to wake up, so Sue took her for a walk. As long as things stayed quiet, the CD helped a lot. Especially between waves, I was able to relax and rest.

I planned on spending the next few hours laying down, listening to my scripts, so I told Tony it was time for Kizzy to go home. He called his mom to bring her up to say good-bye, and my mom called her friend to come pick her up.

Sue brought Kismet up, and her and my mom went down to get Kizzy’s carseat, around 8:55. Shortly after that, I had a wave where I felt a little like I wanted to push. I called Maureen, our second midwife, and she checked, said I was 8 cm, and I could give little, grunty pushes with the PW if that felt good.  She reminded me I could stay on my side if I wanted, or do whatever felt comfortable.

I don’t remember if it was the next wave, or the one after that, but it was certainly within 10 minutes of the first “pushy” feeling, but whichever it was, the wave took over, and Teagun was born, in about one long pressure wave. My mom and Sue didn’t get back until his head was half way out. Tony ended up holding my leg with one hand and Kizzy with the other.

Teagun was born in the caul, which is to say that my water never broke, and he was still in the bag of waters when his head came out. It’s apparently quite rare, and is supposed to be a good omen. 🙂 Maureen broke my water as his head made its way out (from my hazy recollection, there really wasn’t any crowning; there was no baby, then his head was half out).  His cord was wrapped around his neck twice, which the midwife quickly took care of.

He was placed on my chest immediately, and, as per our request, they waited to clamp the cord until it stopped pulsating.

We made it home late Wednesday, and are enjoying learning to juggle 2 kiddos and getting to know Teagun: so far, I can tell you he has a squeaky little cry, crazy strong neck muscles, and an obsession with trying to eat his fists. ❤ ❤ ❤  My recovery has been ridiculously swift; I only had mild burning with peeing for about 1.5 days, and then I felt pretty much completely back to normal (as opposed to still being in pain 8 weeks after DD’s birth).

I could hardly be happier with my experience.

• On one hand, it wasn’t p**nless (the pressure waves were definitely causing some p**n near the end),
• but I didn’t think to really utilize my tools until it was almost too late.
• I think, thanks to the reprogramming of Hypnobabies, I didn’t realize how advanced I was pretty much until he was born.
• I thought we had hours left.
• If I had taken more time to get into hypnosis during my birthing time, I feel like I would have been more comfortable.

That being said, this was a walk in the park compared to my DD’s birth;

• it was *significantly* less p**nful, for one.
• My Hypnobabies training helped me stay relaxed and calm through my PW, even when (during transition, apparently; at the time I thought I was maybe halfway done) I started to doubt myself briefly.
• I felt so much more in control of the situation and my body.
• Ironically, the HB tools I was never particularly fond of (the 4-in, 8-out breathing and Special Place (I never felt comfortable trying to visual a baby I hadn’t met yet)) were the ones I ended up using the most.
• DH had no idea I was experiencing any discomfort throughout our entire birthing time.
• The staff was apparently impressed as well;
• the midwife told me I restored her faith in childbirth.
• I’m ready to do it again!  😀

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1st time mom induced and had great birth with Hypnobabies!

I am so pleased to be writing this post.  I haven’t posted anything since my introduction but the Hypnobabies Home Study Course and all of you have been my daily support system.  I am writing this story in complete gratitude and love for all of you.  I now know that your babies can and will be birthed in peace and love, as my Maya was.

My Maya Isadora chose last Sunday, May 30th, as her birthday.  My birthing time started exactly at the time I had imagined during my HB work.  I felt a gush of water while I was lounging in bed around 7 AM.  In the latter part of my pregnancy, I had taken to listening for birds.  I could swear that all of the birds around our house had somehow come to see Maya into the world and this gush occurred while I was doing that.

When I stood more water gushed out and I walked to the toilet to see what was going on.  More water was coming out and I wasn’t able to control it, so I knew that this was likely my birthing time.  The water was clear, as I had imagined, and I was so pleased to see that.  I told my husband and we both were remarkably calm.  I expected to be calm but my husband had initially concerned me.  While he read all of the materials and practiced scripts with me , he didn’t do any of the fear clearing sessions but in the end, he was a remarkable birthing partner and didn’t need them.  I was GBS positive and we suspected my water had broken so we didn’t choose to labor at home.  We did, however, take our time packing and I had breakfast.  I talked to my doula and she gave us great advice on how to handle checking in at the hospital so we could get the midwife we wanted to deliver our baby.

I listened to positive affirmations on our way to the hospital in the “off” position and I even knew when we had arrived and opened my eyes perfectly as we turned in.  We arrived at the birthing suites and a sweet nurse named Stephanie helped us out that first hour.  This was another good omen as my sister’s name is Stephanie and I have several other important women in my life with that name.  Stephanie was again another element I had visualized during my HB sessions.   I was told that it was indeed my birthing time so we called my doula.  Before she arrived, we were shown into our room.

I kept listening to affirmations and enjoying my husband’s company until my doula arrived.  The early hours of my birthing time were very special and sweet.  My doula knew that I wanted to move as much as possible and we combined her methodologies with whatever HB I wanted to incorporate.  We walked a lot and I sat in the rocking chair.  At some point, I wanted to listen to “Easy First Stage” so I did that.  My husband has a great video of me doing that–I was so proud when I saw it.  I truly looked like the fantastic UTube Hypnomoms I had been watching all these months.  My doula and husband thought I was asleep–I am pretty sure my husband still thinks I was asleep.

*BOP Warning* I was at 1.5 cm around this time so it was recommended that we try a low dose of Pitocin.  I asked the nurse to leave the room and talked it over with my doula and husband.  Something inside of me told me I could handle the Pit, that my body would combine with it to get my baby into my arms,  and that this was the right route for me.  So, I elected to start on a low dose.  *BOP Off*

I still moved a lot up until transformation: birthing ball, dancing with my husband, rocking chair, etc.  My pressure waves were becoming more regular and strong.  My doula talked me through most of my pressure waves but I also heard lots of affirmations like “good strong pressure waves help my baby come into the world” in my head.  After a while with the strong pressure waves, I was checked.  Everyone expected me to be around 4 cm because of the way I was acting–but no, I was 7 cm!  A classic HB moment!  We all agreed that Maya would be here soon.

I knew when I was entering transformation and I do remember being remarkably calm.  I had done a lot of fear clearing about this phase and it truly paid off.  I was happy to start pushing although I chose at that point to go with my midwife’s instructions.  In the end, my favorite midwife had come to help me birth my baby (as I had visualized), and I leaned on her knowledge.  In between pushes, the room was happy and calm and I ate ice chips.  I even laughed at some point at something funny the doula said to my husband.  In between pushes, I was able to completely surrender and rest and I completely credit HB for this.

At 8:06 PM, my body took over and I pushed so hard that Maya came into the world in one push (from head to toes).  It was very intense but the feeling of relief and joy I immediately felt was overwhelming.  I said to everyone “That was crazy!  That was crazy!” and everyone started laughing.  You have to know me to know that wasn’t a bad thing–I was wondering if everyone else noticed the natural wonder that had just occurred and I couldn’t even believe it myself.  Maya was placed on my stomach immediately and she remained skin to skin with mom and dad for her first couple hours of life.

Maya is truly a Hypnobaby.  From the beginning, she was sweet and calm far beyond what I imagined.  She even looks exactly like the baby I had imagined in my special place.  I truly believe that her entry into the world is part of why she is so sweet and calm.  We (baby, husband, and I) chose how she would enter the world–even in a hospital setting, with GBS issues, and Pitocin. Oh, and did I mention that my OB had mentioned induction during my previous visit (?) but I believed that in the end, Maya would choose her birthday.   HB helped me remain confident and calm and those little hospital concerns literally melted away.  My doula told my husband that this was one of the most amazing births she had ever witnessed.

And by the way, I now hear birds chirping at night when I feed Maya.  I have never heard them at night before.

Love and peace to you Hypnomoms–you need only to visualize, believe, and surrender.

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“Flippy” baby turns and is born vaginally easily with Hypnobabies

Helllo Hypno Moms

Alexandra Addison was born at 11pm on June 29th, she weighed 7#11oz and was 19 inches long.

Here are some brief details:

Baby was breech until 37 weeks (after doing lots of tricks from spinningbabies.com, she flipped)
At 39 weeks she flipped back to breech.

So, the doctors were very nervous about me walking around full term with a breech baby. With much persuasion they agreed to let me wait until 39 wks + 5 days before taking any action.

We scheduled an ECV to be followed by induction on 6/29. With help from a midwife, the dr was able to turn baby. I listened to “Turn Breech Baby” track the entire time and visualized baby in ideal position. It worked!

One hour later, pitocin was started. I had started having pressure waves that morning on my own but nothing very strong or consistent enough. One hour and a half after Pit started, my water broke on its own. After that, I had some very powerful pressure waves. Even though I was hooked up to IVs for antibiotics (group B strep) and pitocin, I was able to move around a bit and change positions. I rocked in a rocking chair, rested on a birthing ball, slow danced with my husband.

Only 5 hours later when I felt PWs increasing I lied on bed on my right side. I felt the urge to push but we needed to wait for the Dr.

My husband put in the pushing track, Dr arrived and Alexandra was out with 3 easy “Aahs”
I can’t say enough about how the Hypnobabies tracks helped.  The mind is a powerful thing. I listened to Hypnotic childbirth #1 and #2, birthing day affirmations and easy childbirth etc. I kept thinking “open, open” with every PW.

I am so happy I used Hypnobabies.

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Long birth and Induction goes well with Hypnobabies!

It is an absolute joy to share the birth story of my daughter Eliana who came into this world on Friday June 18th. This is a LONG birth story. I am SO happy that I did the supplemental Hypnobabies home study course after completing hypnobirthing. I strongly    believe that the preparation ahead of time helped us birth as naturally as possible.

My husband and I had been planning a home birth here in England. We are Americans and I have trained as a doula. When we arrived in the fall and found out that we were pregnant I knew that I wanted to have a beautiful birth as naturally as possible. I was an avid fan of Ina May Gaskin and had heard that hypnosis for childbirth was extremely helpful in accomplishing a natural birth pain free. So we signed up for HypnoBirthing at 20 weeks pregnant.

After completing the HypnoBirthing course and progressing in the pregnancy I found I wanted more to prepare and that the take home work for after the course was completed was not enough to settle my need for preparing for the birth. I heard about Hypnobabies and signed up. I really enjoyed the cds and visualizations and felt that they helped me bond with our baby more.

In any case, my EDD was June 7th. Although we prepared for the home birth there was something that was not sitting right for me with it. There is an excellent public home birth team where we live in England and we had hired a well experienced doula but as the date approached I felt myself having a difficult time visualizing the birth at home. So we decided that when it was the birthing time and I wanted to go to the birth center we’d go there instead of staying at home. On June 15th I started to become nervous about having the baby before an induction date a week later. So the day before I went into labour, I went on a huge walk, had a very relaxing acupuncture session, and we had some friends over for dinner. The next day I rested and that night on June 16th at 11:35 pm my waters broke while we were in bed reading. My husband and I were really excited! We called the homebirth midwives and our doula. I had no pressure waves at that point. At 1 am the midwife came over and said that as long as I gave birth within 32 hours after the waters breaking, I’d be able to have the baby at home. She suggested I go back to bed and call again when the pressure waves became more regular and intense.  By the time she left I started to feel minor pressure waves and went back to bed.

Of course my husband and I didn’t sleep much at all! We watched Curb Your Enthusiasm for a few hours and then tried to sleep a bit. I think maybe I slept 2 hours. By the morning I was feeling the pressure waves more often and they felt like they were picking up a bit in intensity. Our doula came over (she herself is actually a private midwife but offered to be our doula at no cost–such an angel!) and so did one of the city’s midwives. Since my waters broke I was not checked b/c of risk of infection. The midwife took my BP and it was a bit high. She had me rest for a while took it again and thankfully it was fine. She said it didn’t seem like the pressure waves were intense enough yet ( I wasn’t sure if this was b/c of hypnobabies or if it really was because they weren’t that intense)and that I should contact her team again in a few hours. I tried to rest for a while at that point and our doula said she’d be back later. My husband and i tried to nap and when I got out of bed the PWs went away entirely. It was now late afternoon on Wednesday and was over 18 hours since the waters broke. I called the midwifery team again and my husband and i went on a long walk in a beautiful meadow near our house. (The meadow is actually my special place!)

In any case, I called the team and they said that since my waters had been broken for so long and that the labour was not “advancing” enough I would not be able to birth at home anymore. They told me about the risk of strep b–the first midwife who’d come to our house had swabbed me but the results weren’t back yet and in general in England they don’t automatically test you while pregnant–and that I would need antibiotic. I called the birth center and they told me that I would not be able to go there either b/c of the waters having been broken for so long as well and that once I reached “active labour” ie, 4 cm dilated I’d be transferred to the hospital to start the antibiotic. I was very sad and felt like all the preparation I had done was going down the hill. But I knew that the most important thing to me was to have a healthy baby and so during the walk I felt like I mourned the loss of having a natural birth. I called the hospital and they told me that since the labour was not advancing so fast I’d need augmentation, ie, pitocin, as well and that I could come in the morning.

I called the acupuncturist who I had just seen and she came to our house to help me relax for the night. During the night (It’s wednesday night now into early Thursday morning) the PWs started to come back and I told my husband that I wanted to go to the hospital at that point. We went and did our best to advocate for ourselves. I asked if they had the results of my strep B test yet and they told me they don’t come back for 48 hours! (Seems silly that they even test at all but that’s another topic!) Anyhow, at this point it had been over 30 hours of labour. Luckily, the baby was doing really well and my BP and vitals were also good. I was on the EFM for an hour and they told me I could either get admitted now and begin the antibiotic or come back after getting more strength to be able to “handle” the pitocin. Although they weren’t so happy, my husband and I decided after a long time to return at 12:30. BTW, while at the hopsital in the middle of the night my PWS went away entirely. (Throughout our time at the hospital we consulted with friends who are pediatricians and our doula who is also a midwife. Our doula told us as long as I didn’t have a fever and the baby’s heart beat was fine the risk of infection would stay very low. In fact other hospitals in England give the cut off time to 72 hours when your waters brake unless you have a fever etc!)

In any case, I finally was able to sleep when we got home for four hours and eat a meal although I did throw up right after and we returned at 1pm. We got a room at 2:30 and they started administering the antiobiotic. Throughout my birthing time , I was listening to fear release and the birth guides as well as birth affirmations and rainbow relaxtion. In any case, when they finally checked me at around 3:30ish, I was only a 1/2 cm dilated!! I CRIED! I was so disappointed and sad. The midwife was very nice and told me that I was almost fully effaced and that who knows what would happen once I got the pitocin. I felt exhausted and sad–I was afraid that once I got the pitocin it would lead to one intervention after another. They finished giving me the first round of antibiotic and my doula came.

When I got the pitocin things began to change. After only an hour of having the pitocin I was 2 cm dilated. I got on the birth ball and my doula massaged my lower back and my husband massaged my shoulders. I listened to my cds over and over again as well as Stevie Wonder and Beyonce! We shut the light off in the room and I imagined my special place. Throughout my pregnancy I had visualized elephants in my special place. I started to think about the elephants as well as special prayers I wanted to say during the birthing. As the PWS became more regular I vocalized more and enjoyed the breaks b/w pws.  Luckily the EFM I was on was a portable one: i could use the shower and move around in the room! Every 1/2 hour the midwife would come in and up the pitocin; about two or 3 hours into it she noticed our baby’s heart beat dropping. We consulted with the OB who said that before going into a C-section, they’d drop the Pitocin down a level and see how the baby does. Thank God! she was fine. They’d switch off b/w the antibiotic and the pitocin. Meanwhile this whole time I was not being checked. The first midwife who we’d been with left her shift and told me while leaving that she believed I could do this! I also tried to hold onto what one of our friends had said which was just b/c you need pitocin does not mean you will have one intervention after another.

Sure enough after only 7 hours of the pitocin–they had not kept checking me–I felt like I was in transformation! I wanted to begin birthing the baby but thought to myself that this must be premature. The intensity of the PWS was getting more uncomfortable. I told my doula that I was scared and that I wanted to push! SHe got the midwife and ob and they checked me and she said I could push!!! I couldn’t believe it. It was now 51 hours since my waters had broken and I was going to be able to push out my baby! I felt so HAPPY! I got on all fours on the bed and birthed her for 45 minutes. It was amazing! And out came this beautiful baby girl! My husband and I were elated!

I just feel so grateful for this experience and for the way everything turned out. For me the pitocin ended up being a godsend and that the combination of my preparation beforehand and having a supportive husband and doula all led for me to be able to have as natural a birth as possible. What is so so funny to me too is that in the end my active labour was only 8 hours! I had visualized an 8 hour active labour! (not a 44 hour early labour but still!) Eliana is a beautiful baby very calm and chill and alert. I did end up tearing but after over two weeks of having had her I feel like my body is recovering well. I am so grateful!

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Happy Hypnobabies Birth, even with a touch of pitocin.

My sweet baby, Samuel, is a month old today! On May 23, I was getting ready for church in the morning when my water broke. I started having some pressure waves a while after, but they weren’t very regular yet. We called my in-laws to come stay with my 2 older kids, and my husband and I headed to the hospital. When we got there, the pressure waves were coming more frequently, but didn’t feel very strong. I was admitted to L&D, and when the nurse checked, I was 6 cm dilated, which was a lot more than I was expecting to be!

Our nurse was really awesome. She carefully read my birthing preferences, and followed them as much as possible, and was very supportive of my choice to do a natural birth. My husband and I walked the hospital, and did nipple stimulation for several hours to try and get the waves stronger, but they would not pick up any more, and I was not dilating any more, so the OB suggested we start a very low dose of pitocin. I was wary of this and was worried that I wouldn’t be able to deal with the increased intensity that people talk about with pitocin pressure waves, but I was pleasantly surprised that things went really well. I was put on a low dose, and that got things going right away, and the dose was never turned up. In about an hour and a half, I was almost fully dilated ready to push.

BOP – The last two pressure waves before pushing were hard for me because I felt so much pressure, and such a strong urge to push, but there was just a little cervix left, so the nurse told me to try and hold on. It reminded me of the feeling of really, really having to go to the bathroom, but having to hold it.

It was such a relief when I was given the ok to start pushing. I started out pushing on my side, but after a couple waves, switched to a supported squat/semi-upright position. Things got pretty darn intense during crowning, and I lost focus and just pushed like crazy until he was out. I didn’t realize it until he was out and the OB commented on it, but I had pushed him out posterior. Doh – if I had known that I might have tried hands and knees, and done more beforehand to try and get him to turn. I was actually surprised because the pressure waves didn’t feel like they did with my first baby, who was also posterior. This was really the only thing I wish had gone differently, but at least pushing only took about 10 minutes.

I had a small tear, but otherwise felt really great afterward! It is such an amazing feeling to have that precious, new baby placed on your chest and being able cuddle them in your arms for the first time!

All in all, I was really happy with my birthing experience, and really glad that I did the Hypnobabies program. My husband thought it was pretty weird when I first told him this is what I wanted to do, but said he was willing to give it a try. He listened to the CDs with me and read the birth partner guide, and during my birthing time he really got into it and was a great support person!

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