Vanessa's Birth of Lola

Vanessa's Birth of Lola

This is a Hypnobabies birth story! 

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

Most people do not know how long we waited for your arrival, but it was much longer than the standard nine months. After an ectopic pregnancy in 2005, I was left with only one uterine tube, which could have led to fertility issues. But we were expecting Autumn within a few months, so it did not seem to be impacting us. In 2009, I found out I was pregnant just a few months after we had decided we wanted another child. I was delighted, but a few days later found out that I was again having an ectopic pregnancy that had to be ended with Methotrexate. I was devastated and my sadness was compounded by the news that future pregnancies would likely end the same way. The doctor told me that my remaining tube was probably blocked and if we wanted another child our only option was in vitro fertilization. We do not have private insurance and since IVF was financially impossible, I gave up hope of a third child and decided to go back to school.

Dear Lola, imagine my surprise (and fear) that Friday nearly three years later, when looking at my calendar, I realized that I was “late.” Imagine my delight (and terror) when the second pink line appeared after I peed on “the stick”. I kept you, my delicious secret, for about a week, before telling your dad. And we waited another month, until we could see you growing safely in my uterus via ultrasound, until we told Mimi and Pap (then the rest of the world on Facebook.)

So you are very special to us: A wish granted unexpectedly and a joy unlooked for.

After an uneventful, complication-free, healthy pregnancy I headed into the weekend before I reached 37 weeks with the expectation of at least another week or two of pregnancy. In retrospect, I did a lot of nesting that weekend. I bought several last-minute baby items, paid all our bills, filed papers, made a to-do list and a number of appointments.

On Monday, April 30 I woke at 4 a.m. with a dreadful feeling about my appointment with the backup obstetricians that I had scheduled for May 1. The head doctor had called me several time the week before, wanting me to come in a sign yet another liability waiver for my homebirth plans. It was starting to wear on me and I was concerned about what awaited me at the clinic. I woke up Hal and cried to him because I felt that I was being sucked into the hospital agenda, that I would not go into my birthing time naturally or would go beyond 42 weeks. He calmed me down and I slept for several hours, missing my usual 6 a.m. 3-mile walk.

The girls and I enjoyed our first day off from homeschooling. We shopped at the Girl Scout Council store and bought some books for next year and patches. The security guard teased me about when my baby was coming and I wanted to have a Braxton Hicks in front of him to really scare him, but instead we smiles and went on our way. Our next stop was Trader Joe’s for our weekly groceries. I noticed that I was having fairly frequent practice waves and so I used my “Peace” Hypnobabies cue as I drove. Once at TJs, I was having to go to the bathroom with nearly every wave. So we finished shopping fast and I decided to skip my planned stop at Whole Food and ask my mom to pick up the gluten-free pizza crusts instead. I wanted to get home to eat, cook dinner and relax in case “this was it.”

After cooking, I had a sudden burst of energy, so I decided to channel it into my usual walk. The girls went with me for awhile, but mostly I was on my own, listening to my Hypnobabies Pregnancy Affirmations. A neighbor who recently had a baby, teased me about trying to get the baby out. At this point, I was still in denial that the baby could be coming sooner than later.

By the time I got home, Hal was there with the girls and we sat down to eat dinner together. I did not have much of an appetite for the stew and sitting on the hard kitchen chair was not comfortable. During dinner, I started using my lightswitch actively, even though I thought I was still have practice waves. I figured that if they turned real that I would be very relaxed from practicing and if they stopped, I would have gotten a lot of practice.

Finally, I felt like laying down, so I relaxed on the couch while Hal took care of the girls’ bedtime routine. They asked me to join them in Madeline’s room for bedtime stories, but I could not find a comfortable position to sit in, so I ended up wandering around her room impatiently until it was time to turn the lights off. 

I brought down the big laundry basket of baby clothes and homebirth supplies. Hal looked surprised, but I insisted that it did not mean a thing- I was 37 weeks and felt it was important to have them out now. He suggested that I lay on the couch and relax and time some pressure waves while he worked on his final paper for his degree. It was due on Friday and both of us thought he had time to finish it before the baby would be here. But when I timed four waves, I found that they were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds. Hal exclaimed, “This baby is coming, isn’t it?!?” I smiled and said I still was not sure. But he was.

When I headed into bed, I decided to call Ellen and give her a heads up. I also emailed my doula who was still in California for her Hypnobabies training. I slept very deeply, listening to the Deepening track, alternated with other ones, like Fear Clearning and Special Place. Using my lightswitch and peace cues all day made it easy to sleep through this early part of birth.

I alternated between the birth ball and sleeping in bed. Hal feverishly worked on his paper. Around 10 or 11 p.m. I decided we should call Ellen. I was afraid of having the baby too fast and my waves were becoming much more intense. I made Hal go to bed in case I needed him later in the night, I did not want him up all night working on his paper and without energy to support me. When Ellen arrived at 12:45 a.m. she offered to check me, but I declined. I had not lost much mucous plus and was worried that meant I was not dilating. She assured me that many women have babies without ever seeing their plug, which made me feel better. I decided to go back to sleep after a snack and a tour of our house. She offered me something to help me sleep, but I did not want to be groggy if the baby was born in the middle of the night. Ellen slept on our couch and I alternated between sleep, birth ball and eating chicken soup on the toilet. All the while, I was listening to my Hypnobabies CDs and using my finger drop to stay totally comfortable through each pressure wave.

At 6:45 a.m. I asked Ellen to check me, as my pressure waves were still not lasting over a minute consistently and we knew we needed them to grow in intensity to bring the baby. At first, she thought I was not dilated at all, but quickly realized that what she thought was the other side of my closed cervix was really my extremely bulgy bag of water hanging out of a very stretchy 5 cm dilated cervix.

The girls got up as usual at 8:30 a.m. and were very excited to know that the baby was probably coming today. Hal made us all breakfast and I ended up sleeping until 9 a.m. Love that Hypnobabies!

Ellen thought that we should take a walk, so Hal and I went around a nearby street with a nice big uphill. We walked and talked. It was such a lovely day. Whenever I had a wave, I would lean on Hal and he would tell me to “relax” and “let go”. I started feeling double-peaking waves and I think I may have entered transformation at this point. But it did not matter. I trusted totally in Hal’s support and with each wave, I would imagine myself floating on a wave, in my special place. The water was my anesthesia and as the wave peaked in my uterus, I would envision the wave peaking and carrying me to shore. This visualization along with Hal’s voice giving me cues was so powerful that the sensations literally faded away and became exquisitely intense rather than uncomfortable.

We came home and I napped again, listening to Hypnobabies CDs. The waves were feeling much more intense and it was harder to find comfortable positions to rest in. I was really just listening, deeply relaxed and getting up to use the toilet in between nearly every one. I was still worried that I was not losing much mucous plug and concerned that the baby was still in the left occiput transverse and was getting stuck on my pelvis. I was feeling each pressure wave, first in my abdomen, then again radiating through my pelvis into my birth canal. It was more intense than I remember feeling during either of my previous births.

At 11 a.m. we decided to go for another walk, even though my waves were extremely intense. They were nearly constant, only 30-60 seconds rest and lasting well over a minute and a half. It took us at least an hour and a half, maybe longer to walk around the same street that it usually took us 10 minutes to go around. People stopped us occasionally to ask if our baby was coming. I would take a few small steps (all I could manage at this time) and I would have another wave while leaning on my husband and having him give me verbal cues for anesthesia.

We got home and I decided that after that walk, I deserved to finally get into the birth pool. It felt heavenly. I leaned into the side, listening to Easy First Stage and holding on to the handles. The girls brought me a posy of wildflowers and I looked at it. They poured warm water on my low back, which helped me focus. I talked to you, our baby, telling you that I was ready for you to be born.

After an hour, I got out to use the toilet and asked Ellen to check me again. I was 8-9 cm, but the baby was still high because of my incredibly resiliant, bulgy bag of water. She declined to rupture it, due to the risk of cord prolapse, but encouraged me to do it myself. But I just was not able to get the power I needed with each wave to push yet. And I was starting to feel a little grumpy and impatient.

Ellen asked me to get out of the tub and do squats or walk our stairs. The squats did not feel like they did much. But the stairs... oh my... walking the stairs was perhaps the single most intense experience so far. I did it once and began to cry for Hal, my rock who kept me in hypnosis and helped me focus on maintaining my anesthesia. He did two more rounds with me as I cried and swore like a sailor. Ellen took the girls into their bedrooms to explain what I was doing and that I was okay. They are so sensitive to my feelings and I did not want them to feel scared. After the third time, I refused to go further and decided to sit on the toilet.

I began to have a pressure wave and in that moment, I decided that I was going to push the heck out of it, whether I felt like it or not... I did not care. I let out the loudest sound Hal has ever heard me make. A roar, while I pushed as hard as I could and broke my bag of water. There was so much fluid that it splashed out of the toilet and all over the bathroom.

Upon the bag breaking, I immediately felt you move through my cervix into my birth canal. Ellen came running with Chux pads, intending me to birth in the bathroom. Hal knew I would be sad if I did not make it to the pool. He looked me in the eyes as asked, “Are you ready? We are going to walk to the pool. It isn’t far.” I did not think I would make it, but I did. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. Later, Hal told me that he had planned to carry me down the hall to the pool, if I had refused to walk.

Once in the pool, I freaked out because the urge to push was so intense, but Ellen simply reminded me to reach down and feel your head to center myself. I did that and instantly, instinctively, I remembered to push between waves and said “Peace” to myself as I eased your head out. I called out for help as I felt your shoulders emerge, one at a time and then your body as I knelt in the pool. I sat back, brought you up to my belly. You were blue at first, as waterborn babies are, but your heart rate was strong and you were quietly alert, looking at me, your dad and your sisters, who were present for the whole thing.

I reached down to check and found you were a girl! Madeline was crying in joy and I started crying, mostly because I was happy to finally be finished.

We got out of the tub and snuggled together on the bed. It was so amazing to go from having a baby to resting in my own bed at home. It felt so right and wonderful. You recovered from birth quickly, pinking up with the help of a little oxygen and massage and you started nursing immediately. Your sisters will never forget watching their baby sister enter the world. I feel so lucky that we all were able to have this experience together as a family. Your dad’s support created a level of trust between us that will never go away.

Initially, I felt like I had really let go of my hypnosis towards the end. That I should have worked harder to stay comfortable... then I realized that there was no way that I could have spent over three hours (or more, who knows!) at 8-9 cm with a bulgy bag of fluid in transformation if I had not been using my hypnosis. The intensity that I experienced was only matched by the power of my mind to stay in control and working towards the goal of giving birth. I also initially felt caught off guard by the length of time I was birthing because it was so much longer than Autumn’s birth. However, when doing the “Visualize Your Birth” script, I always imagined my birth starting at night, going through the morning and you being born in the late afternoon. This was exactly what happened! I just had not imagined the intensity of the experience. Having gone through it, with only my husband’s support, I feel stronger as a person, wife and mother.

Photo credit: Danielle of Tiny Toes Portraits

Enjoy more amazing birth stories and information here on the Hypnobabies blog:

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

Tags: birth, birth stories, birth stories on demand, natural birth stories, home birth stories, home birth, water birth, water birth stories, birth stories with pictures, hypnobabies, Positive birth stories, 

Amber's Birth of Mia Chloe

Amber's Birth of Mia Chloe

Mia Chloe Jasmine

The Birth of Maia Chloe Jasmine

The story of my labour starts a couple of weeks before Maia actually arrived. It was a Thursday night, I was 37+6 weeks pregnant, and I began to have regular contractions. They were still mild, but I knew they were real contractions. For a few days before that I had been losing bloody show and the mucus plug. I called my friend Charlie who was going to be my doula, and she came over about 10pm. We watched “The Business of Being Born” and I could tell the contractions were getting weaker. Cora had vomited earlier in the evening so I wondered if that had made my labour stall. I went to bed after midnight and woke up at 2:30am. Everything had totally stopped so I told Charlie she may as well go home.

Over the weekend I kept losing more bloody show. This hadn’t happened at all with the other two until labour was fairly imminent, so I really thought it would happen soon. The days kept passing by with no sign of anything happening though. On Monday (38+3) they attempted a stretch and sweep. I was in agony because of my SPD and couldn’t walk very far at all. They don’t usually do them so early without a reason. However my cervix was unfavourable, it was very posterior and completely closed and firm. The midwife called in the head midwife for some reason, and they kept telling me how unusual it was for a 3rd time Mum to not have a slightly open cervix at this stage. We agreed I would come back in a week and try again. So the next Monday I arrived for my check to be told basically the same thing, except that my cervix was quite soft this time. But the midwife said although it didn’t look as if anything was imminent, she was hopeful I wouldn’t make it to an appointment a week later, on what would be 40+3. I went into active labour with Cora at 40+2 (40+4 from scan dates), and with Calvin at 40+5. So I was hopeful that a sweep at 40+3 would work.

My due date fell on a Friday. That’s the day that Cora and Calvin have swimming lessons, so I arranged a taxi to take them there and decided to go a little early so we could swim together first. Then I could stay in the big pool while they had their lessons in the small pool. We did that and had fun splashing around and playing with a few bath toys they had brought along. When they went off for their lessons I just swam gently from one end of the pool to the other and relaxed. Sometimes I floated, sometimes I tried to stretch a bit without the pain that I normally felt on land. I had a few contractions while I was in the water by myself. They weren’t anything too serious but felt like a bit more than braxton hicks.

The next day I was having regular braxton hicks almost all day. I must have been in early labour because I frequently got annoyed when Calvin would try and press on my bump during a contraction. These contractions throughout the day felt similar to the ones at 37+6. More than braxton hicks but not active labour yet.

After the kids went to bed around 7pm the contractions slowly started to get more intense. Charlie called at 8pm to see how I was doing. I had a few contractions while on the phone, and although I could talk through them, it was easier not to! After I got off the phone I was just sitting on my chair and eventually realised I couldn’t sit there through the contractions. I pulled out the birthing ball and sat on that instead, it was where I had spent most of my labours with Cora and Calvin. I still wasn’t incredibly comfortable, but I wasn’t sure why. I asked Aaron to try lower back pressure during contractions, which again was wonderful during labour with the first two. It really didn’t help, which surprised me, so I asked Aaron to stop.

I decided to get in the shower. With Cora and Calvin’s labours I had taken a shower and the contractions intensified. The contractions were about ten minutes apart. I had the shower and the contractions remained constant. No more intense, but no less either. I decided to try to lay down. If it wasn’t real thing I hoped it would stop so I could sleep, because it was gone 9pm by this time. I laid down and 10 minutes passed, no contraction. Just when I decided they had stopped one began, and I realised I could not lay down through it. As fast as my SPD would let me I rolled over and got up onto my hands and knees. Then I made my way downstairs and told Aaron I couldn’t lay down through a contraction so I thought it might be it, although I was still in denial. I asked him to call Mum and give her a heads up, so he did. Then I called Charlie, I couldn’t talk through contractions this time and she said she would be over in about half an hour.

Aaron and I started to prepare the room for birth, tidying up and moving the table and chairs around. During contractions I leaned forward against something (anything!) and asked Aaron to try hip pressure. The first time it wasn’t really in the right place or hard enough, so before the next contraction I showed Aaron how to apply hip pressure on me. It worked wonderfully on the next contraction. I would lean against the table and sway my hips while Aaron swayed with me and applied the pressure. Hip pressure is not something I ever needed with the other two, but I was glad I knew about it because it felt good.

Just before 10pm I called Mum and said she should head home from my brother’s house, and pack up the car then ring to see how things were – just in case they stalled! I also had Aaron call the midwives to let them know I might be in labour, but that I didn’t want anyone to come out just yet. I think that perplexed them! The midwife at the unit called back shortly and I talked to her and she asked me if I was really sure I didn’t want anyone to come out yet. I said I knew I still had a while to go so I would call back later on. Before too long Charlie arrived. She made herself busy doing dishes and things, and as the next hour or so passed she began to help me through the contractions along with Aaron. Aaron was shattered so I told him to go to bed and that I would wake him up later.

Charlie and I were going to watch some videos online when she got done with the dishes, and in the meantime I kept tracking my contractions on a website made for that. It was a bit distracting trying to remember to hit the button when a contraction started. I was really unsure when to call the midwives, I didn’t want to call them and still have 12 hours to go. I hoped that logging my contractions would help me make the decision. By midnight the contractions were only about 6 minutes apart and much more intense. I decided we should call the midwives, so I asked Charlie to call them. She did, and then we started to sort out the birthing pool. Charlie vacuumed and we laid down the floor sheet. Mum arrived and began to help set up the pool too. We kept having to look at the instructions to check which bit to inflate next!

I went upstairs to wake Aaron up, suspecting he might already be awake because of the noise of the pool pump. He was sitting up in bed, and I walked around to his side of the bed when another contraction hit me. I leaned over the bed and asked Aaron to help but he was so sleepy that by the time he had got up and started to try and help the contraction was over. He got dressed and came downstairs with me. Contractions were still about 4-6 minutes apart and 45 seconds long. Shortly afterwards the first midwife arrived, around 12:30am. It was S from the local maternity unit. She asked me about the contractions a bit and said “We usually do an internal just to assess things, is that OK with you?”. I said I’d rather not have an internal. I was thinking that if I was only 2cm or something I would be discouraged, even if labour was progressing fine. S seemed a little bit unhappy with that but didn’t say anything. We soon noticed that my contractions were about 3 minutes apart now, still 45 seconds long. The pool was inflated and lined, and Aaron sorted out the hose and started filling it. At one point I went to the toilet and decided to check my own cervix, just to feel if it was any different from earlier that day. I was very glad to feel that I was definitely somewhat dilated (although I have no idea how much) and I could feel the bag of waters bulging. That made me happy because I was still thinking “what if it’s false labour?”! That’s something that was similar to both of the other labours, I was in a sort of denial until something proved that I was in active labour.

The other midwife T arrived about 1am. She is actually the Consultant Midwife for our trust, and I had met her at our Home Birth Group a few months back. I was glad she was on call because I trusted her judgement, knowing how supportive she was of normal birth and home birth. I was very happy to see that she wasn’t wearing uniform. Another local midwife had called earlier in the day to introduce herself in case she was on call, and one of the things she asked was if it was OK if she didn’t wear uniform. I was thrilled at the thought! Home birth is about being relaxed and comfortable and uniforms don’t really have a place in that in my opinion.

Contractions continued at about 3 minutes apart and 45 seconds long. They were becoming more intense and the pressure I felt during them was increasing. I remember at one point Aaron putting pressure on my hips, Charlie was holding a warm pack against my lower abdomen because that helped too. Aaron and my Mum were talking and laughing and it was so distracting I just blurted out “Shut up please!”. I felt like that was really rude of me but I didn’t care, I just wanted them to not talk during contractions. Eventually the pool was full enough and the right temperature, and I went upstairs to change. I put on my bikini and dressing gown, had a few good contractions while upstairs. I told Aaron I may need him to come into the pool with me if I couldn’t manage as well without the hip pressure, so he put on his trunks and a t-shirt. When we came downstairs they had a quick listen to Maia’s heartrate before I went into the pool. All was fine and I climbed in just before 2am. It felt wonderful! I felt supported by the water and enjoyed having my own space in the pool that no-one could encroach upon really. When contractions came I leaned against the side of the pool while I was on my knees. Between contractions I would sit back against the edge of the pool.

After a few contractions I felt a funny sensation and a gush of water, followed by another gush a few seconds later. I said “My waters just broke!”. Based on my previous labours I expected to feel like pushing on the next contraction, but I didn’t. It was much more intense though. I think at this point I said that someone should go and get the kids, because I expected to give birth soon. Mum went to get them and returned with a sleepy Cora, but Calvin had refused to wake up. Cora was very excited that Maia was on the way and had a huge smile on her face.

I had quite a few more contractions and realised I was in transition because I felt so immensely tired between contractions, just as I had with Calvin. I kept expecting to feel the overwhelming urge to push, like I had before, but it didn’t come and I was slightly confused. I started to feel a little bit like pushing during contractions, and I said I felt “a bit pushy”. With each of the next couple of contractions it got a bit stronger and eventually I just decided to try pushing. I didn’t keep pushing with the first contraction because it didn’t feel like it was doing anything, but the next one was different. I pushed and that made the urge to push stronger, and I felt her moving down. She began to crown and I reached my hand down to touch her head, and it felt odd. It felt soft and there was a dimple. I kept pushing and felt something pop free. I said “Is she breech?”, then I reached my hand further down and ran my hand over her hips. It must have been seconds but it felt like ages. I couldn’t understand. I had been told by so many people that she was head down, and how far engaged she was. I just couldn’t believe she could be breech at all! After I felt her hips I said “She is breech, those are legs!”. In those seconds I felt ignored and like no-one believed me. However I think in reality people were just springing into action. The midwives were looking, Charlie was turning on the light and Mum was grabbing the camera.

T said I was doing great and just to wait for the next contraction and push her head out. It felt like a long time but it came and I pushed. It was odd because it was crowning all over again. I was feeling her head as she crowned and I felt myself stretch beautifully. As she was fully born I turned over and brought her up to the surface with T’s help. The cord was wrapped quite tightly around her neck, twice, and T quickly unwound it. Maia was very blue but wide eyed and looking at me.

I was talking to her and rubbing her to try to get her to breathe, but she wouldn’t. So T called out to S and they quickly clamped her cord and laid her down to give her some oxygen. She started breathing shortly after they cut the cord, and she pinked up very quickly with the oxygen. I wasn’t worried about her at all but I think Aaron was. I knew she was fine.

After she pinked up the midwives said I could get out and sit on the couch so I could hold her again. I stood up to get out and could feel something pulling on the cord. I grabbed the cord and pulled it up and it was the cord clamp! I stood there for a second and felt the placenta moving down so I paused. I had handed the cord clamp to S to hold while I got out and I told her the placenta was coming, as I said that a big clot fell out then the placenta did. I was very glad, less mess and much easier than delivering the placenta on the couch! I walked over to the couch and sat down and Maia was handed to me. I held her skin to skin and had my robe over us. We had lots of skin to skin time. Charlie went to get Calvin and he was thrilled to see his new baby sister, but the first thing he said was “I wanted you to wake me up when she was born!”. I told him we had tried but he wouldn’t wake up, he was very disappointed but still glad to see her.

S went back to the maternity unit to get the scales. When I was ready she weighed Maia and pronounced that she was 2660g. She lifted her off then pressed the button to change it to pounds and ounces, and it read 5lbs 6oz. I was surprised that she was so tiny, she looked about the same as Cora to me and I had guessed maybe 5lbs 13/14 (I can’t remember which I guessed). We later found out that the scales must have malfunctioned because she as definitely 2660g which is actually equivalent to 5lbs 14oz! She was 21” long, compared to Cora’s 20” and Calvin’s 20.5”. The midwives explained that they were going to stick around a little bit longer than normal because she had been breech and had the cord around her neck, just to make sure she was fine. The kids went back to bed very happy. I think Mum and Charlie left at around 4am. T then checked me and I had no tears, not even a graze! After cleaning up and collecting all the stuff, they left at around 4:30am. Aaron and I took Maia upstairs and all got into bed and had a much deserved sleep before Cora and Calvin woke up again the next morning. It was bliss.

The whole labour was really enjoyable for me, I was so excited to finally meet Maia! I can honestly say that my entire labour and birth was pain free as well. The contractions were intense but enjoyable and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I count my blessings every day that she was an undiagnosed breech, because if they had discovered that prior to birth I would have been pressured to have a caesarean – even vaginal breech hospital birth is rare where we live. Instead I had an amazing home water birth, I couldn’t ask for more.

Amber is a Doula! Please check out her website here: http://gentlerbeginnings.invigorated.org/

Tags: birth, birth stories, birth stories on demand, home birth, natural birth, birth stories with pictures, meconium, water birth, positive birth stories, midwife, midwife stories

Robin's Birth of a Son

 Robin's Birth of a Son

This is a Hypnobabies birth story:

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

My HBA2C birth story

2/2000: (DS1) Interventions leading to fetal distress and emergency c-section

4/2008: (DS2) Repeat c/s

Third baby "due" 3/3/12. We'd decided early on on a vba2c. Though the midwife at Kaiser said I was an ideal candidate, she also advised I would have to get doctor consent down the road and then again at the hospital. Since I understood the risks this wouldn't be a problem. 

I went to an ICAN meeting in October and was totally shocked to hear how many of the women had opted to have their vbac at home. So I started researching the safety of home birth, which I had never considered an option for me. Happily, it turns out there is quite a good community of home birth midwives in San Diego. 

Amazingly my hubby got on board quickly and we were interviewing midwives shortly after! We both felt most comfortable with the ladies at the Center for Natural Birth. 

At my 37 week appointment, I had my first internal exam revealing that my cervix was very posterior. Fingertip dilated and still thick but soft. I took from this that the Braxton Hicks, which had become more and more frequent, weren't doing much. 
That week though I started having a persistent backache and these practice waves became stronger and more frequent. Thursday night, 37+5 they went thru the night until 5AM. It was a sleepless night as I sorted thru what all I had to do if this was really it. As of the next night I started taking Benadryl to sleep thru these practice runs. 

Monday night 38+2 the practice waves seemed like a little more than BH. I woke up on Tuesday 2/21 still having BH but less intense again. At my appt that morning I asked to be checked. My cervix was now anterior but still only a fingertip. I was 30% effaced. My take home message was that something had to really pick up if I was going to get anywhere and I could just ignore all these practice waves. So I did. All day. 

We went to dinner at a friend's house that evening. As we departed at 7:30 I was a little uncomfortable and knew I wanted to get DS2 put to bed ASAP so I could relax. Thankfully he was totally cooperative and I left his room at 8. 

My sister texted to ask if I was still baking and I answered "oh yes" at 8:02.

In my bedroom I leaned over the bed and swayed thru my next pressure waves. These were different but not at all painful and I still felt they were an extension of my intensifying BH. DH came up at 8:30 and asked how I was doing. We hung out and chatted for a while before migrating back downstairs at 9pm. It was at that time that I thought maybe I should time a few of the pressure waves. They were 3 min apart, lasting just over a minute and they'd been going on for an hour already. I told DH I thought I was in early labor and may have the baby tomorrow. I asked him to call my mom and let her know she should come sleep here in case things picked up over night. I also asked him to fire up the jacuzzi. He called mom at 9:30 and she said she'd be here in two hours. 

I texted my midwife, Heather. She said to get in the hot tub for an hour and if they went away and I could sleep, great. If they intensify or my water breaks, call her back. 

I texted my sister at 9:29 to say "hmm maybe not". It seemed clear that baby was finished baking. 

DH went upstairs to blow up the birth tub and make up our bed and I went out to the jacuzzi and started listening to the hypnobabies track "easy first stage". I don't know that I ever mastered hypnoanestesia but I was calm and confident and under control. I thought I'd want the jets on my back but sitting wasn't comfortable so I was leaning over the concrete on a towel with my head on my folded arms. I focused on staying relaxed through each pressure wave. 

After thirty minutes I texted DH to say I needed more towels. And Heather. He came out with towels and said she'd be here in an hour. During the next thirty minutes I was having a harder time keeping my focus. I was making trips to the restroom, hence the more towels. I also felt that my pressure waves were easier to handle if I bore down just a tiny bit. I thought "open open open" and could actually feel my cervix opening. A lot it seemed. But that didn't seem possible. Then I started shivering. It was maybe 50 degrees outside and half my torso was out of the tub so that seemed reasonable. The track ended and I went inside. 

In the bathroom, I peeled off my bikini and marveled at the frayed strings and the worn fabric. I knew I needed a new one for this summer. But the places this one had been: Hawaii for our honeymoon, Israel: the med sea, caked in mud at the dead sea. And now at our baby's birth. I dropped it into the shower and put my comfy yoga pants and sweat jacket back on. 

Upstairs I was so grateful to find that DH had already made up the bed and I put the same hypnobabies track into the cd player and lay on my left side, hoping to regain my focus. DH asked if he should fill the birth tub now but I wanted to wait until Heather said if I'd made any progress. 

I don't know how long this went on. Maybe 20-30 minutes. It still felt good to bear down slightly with each wave. Until my water broke. That broke my concentration as I recalled hearing how this would make my contractions so much more intense. I was worried I'd only be at 4cm with hours of intense contractions ahead. So I told DH I needed the tub. 

11:30. My mom arrived and told me Heather was in the driveway. I told each of them as they came in that my water had broken. Heather started setting up her tools and I made my way to the bathroom. I didn't like laboring there and came back to the bed quickly. 

The pressure waves were much more intense now. Heather said she needed to check me as soon as I had a break between waves. I wasn't getting breaks often or for long at this point. 
"I'm afraid you'll tell me I'm at a 2!"
"Your water probably wouldn't have broken yet if you were," she replied. 
I was having another intense wave. 
She said, "Don't fight it. It's your baby." And at that, I could feel myself pushing. It felt better if I did. 
"But did you check?" I asked. 
"I didn't have to. Your baby is right there."
I pushed through two waves on the bed and Heather said if I wanted to deliver in the tub I needed to get in. Now. 
"I can't"
"Ok. But your baby is coming now. "

As soon as that contraction eased up I got up to go to the tub. Apparently everyone had accepted that I "couldn't" as this was met with a mad dash to support me so I wouldn't fall. I didn't feel unsteady...

I put my foot in and worried it was too warm. I was reassured it was perfect. My mom tested it with her elbow and said my feet are probably just cold. I got down on my knees and bent forward into the same position I'd assumed outside with my arms on the side of the tub. In the water I finally got a break between my waves and felt I was able to get a little bit of a grip. I was vocalizing with the next one and I heard Heather telling me "Low. Go low. Raspberries". Raspberries didn't work for me. But going lower actually made it more comfortable and since comfortable seemed to go hand in hand with effective for me so far I was reassured. When that one ended I could feel something hanging out of me. Heather said, "It's part of your membranes. If it was a head you'd know it." 

I had a break again before the next pushing wave. This time it was the head (and I didn't know it). Heather said, "Stop. Do. Not. Push. Listen to me!" [She told me later the cord was draped over baby, like a necklace.] I stopped and then she said go ahead. I'm not even sure I was having a surge at that point. And she said, “Lift your left leg and I'll bring the cord around." I looked down. Baby was out. And he had a penis. Of course he did. In that moment he couldn't have been any other way. This was the little boy that had cruised around with me for the last almost 9 months. "It's our M----," I said to DH. 

Then I recalled I should lift my leg and she wound the cord around in front of me. I pulled him out of the water and to my chest. In the air he cried for a moment and then was so peaceful. I sat down and held him on my chest for the longest time as he looked around, calm and content. I couldn't believe we actually did it, quickly and comfortably. Our M---- was here and it was really true: he knew how and when to be born. 

Not that we could have done it without DH, who was a rock throughout. He took care of everything so that I could focus on letting M---- be born.

M---- D-- was born at 12:07AM on 2/22/12 weighing 6lbs 7.6oz and 19.5" long.  He completes our family in a way that was both immediately clear and impossible to explain. But I do think a part of it was having this opportunity to experience natural birth with him. He will forever be my partner in what was a life altering and healing experience. 

For more information about Hypnobabies check out their website:

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

 Tags: birth, birth story, birth stories on demand, hypnobabies, VBAC, vaginal birth after cesarean, HBA2C, water birth, home birth, positive birth stories, won't scare pregnant women

Owen's Birth Described and Illustrated By Photographer Sharon Johnson

Owen's Birth Described and Illustrated By Photographer Sharon Johnson

Owen Saturday the 10th 1:43 p.m. 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. One of the craziest birth stories I have ever attended. See how little prepping photos there are compared to usual? It’s because there wasn’t really a prepping time! Alycia went from laboring peacefully in the bathtub to having a baby in only a few short minutes. Her Doctor didn’t even make it to the birth, the in hospital midwife ended up delivering Owen. Alycia was so beautiful throughout the entire process. I was amazed watching her labor and so incredibly grateful to her and her husband for inviting me to document this intimate occasion. Owen’s Birth Story :: Timpanogos Utah January 30, 2012 Owen Saturday the 10th 1:43 p.m. 7 lbs. 4 oz. 20 1/2 inches long. One of the craziest birth stories I have ever attended. See how little prepping photos there are compared to usual? It’s because there wasn’t really a prepping time! Alycia went from laboring peacefully in the bathtub to having a baby in only a few short minutes. Her Doctor didn’t even make it to the birth, the in hospital midwife ended up delivering Owen. Alycia was so beautiful throughout the entire process. I was amazed watching her labor and so incredibly grateful to her and her husband for inviting me to document this intimate occasion. Congratulations Alycia and Gabe, Owen is so precious!

Owen’s Birth Story :: Timpanogos Utah January 30, 2012 For more amazing pictures check out Sharon Johnson's website: http://www.sharonjohnsonphotography.com/

Tags:birth, birth stories,professional photography, professional birth photography, birth photography, birth pictures, labor pictures, midwife stories, birth stories on demand, Sharon Johnson, Sharon Johnson photography

“I loved it! I can’t wait to have another baby and experience it all again.” ~ What first-time mom says THAT?!

Used by permission from the Hypnobabies Blog:

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

“I loved it! I can’t wait to have another baby and experience it all again.” ~ What first-time mom says THAT?!

It’s been 11 weeks today since my daughter was born and I really didn’t have time to sit down and write you all about my experience. It was amazing!

I was a 6 days pass my “guess date”, going bananas and running out of ideas how to get the baby out. I had a wonderful midwife and we were planning a water birth in a birthing center about 25 minutes away from where we live. My hubby was wonderful supporting my decision of having unmedicated birth and has been practicing Hypnobabies with me. We did a lot of Birth Partner sessions together and even that he wasn’t very much into it, being the skeptical man he is, he really worked hard to help me with the “relax” cue, which later on, turned out to be an amazing help.

Sunday, April 3rd I decided to take another walk with my father, but after about 20 minutes I felt strangely tired and wanted to go back home. I took a short nap and, later, cooked dinner. My husband was at work, but as usual I called him around 10pm (he works overnight) and told him that I’ve been feeling kind of strange, having pressure waves (but I’ve been having them for the past two weeks coming and going), but not really regular enough to time them. He wanted to come home right away, but I asked him not to, thinking it was another false alarm. Well, he called me 15 minutes later saying he is on the way home. Of course as soon as he got home, my PW were gone. I went to bed disappointed but had no problems falling asleep. I woke up around 2am on Monday morning not knowing exactly what was it that woke me up. I decided to use the bathroom and while I was sitting on the toilet The PW hit me. And I knew right away that this one was completely different from all the other ones I had before. I called Jayson and asked him to start timing them. I really didn’t start to listen to Hypnobabies, CD’s; I was able to use the Finger Drop Technique on my own. My PW were about 5-6 minutes apart.

Hubby called my midwife and gave her an update saying that we would call her again in another hour to let her know about our progress. I decided to take a shower while he was finishing packing our bags. The hot water felt pretty amazing on my back, but I felt like the PW were coming faster and lasted a little longer. Shower was, unfortunately, a distraction for my self-hypnosis, too. 15 min later I called Jayson back to the bathroom and asked him to time the PW again. They were 3-4 min apart.

He called my midwife, Christine, back and we were on the way to the birthing center. My best friend was following us in her car. She was supposed to film the birth for my mom who couldn’t be with us (my mom is fighting 2nd stage breast cancer and was going through chemotherapy at this time). In the car I had my IPod on and I listened to Hypnobabies Easy First Stage. Jayson told me later I was very quiet and I kept my eyes close. At one point I started humming. This was the first time during my birthing time that I went back to my special place to tell my daughter how much I loved her and how I cannot wait to meet her very soon. I also promised her I would do my best so she can have the most peaceful and loving experience entering this world.

It felt so natural to go into hypnosis and release anesthesia, maybe because I’ve been practicing for the past 4 months. When we got to the Birth Center it was after 3am and Christine was already there. She asked me if I wanted to be checked, and I said yes (that was the first time through the entire pregnancy she ever checked me). I was 6 centimeters dilated and I couldn’t believe it! She started filling up the tub for me while I was riding the PW on the birthing ball while listening to Deepening session. My husband was right behind me putting some pressure on my lower back. He also started to use the “relax” cue which was a phenomenal boost of anesthesia whenever he felt me getting distracted and anxious. My “non-believer” husband turned out to be my rock and the best tool Hypnobabies could ever give me.

When I look back at the birthing video I’m so amazed to see that the only noises coming out of my mouth was humming whenever I was climbing on the top of the PW. I was so calm with my eyes closed. Sometimes, for few minutes, my hubby joined me to listen to my IPod, to the Deepening session. I think this is the reason while he stayed so strong and so grounded during the birth of our first child.

During the breaks between PW I was able to drink some water, have something to eat, have a short conversation with my friend. It felt good to hear encouraging words from everybody. I got into the tub at 4am and decided not to use the IPod anymore and just relay on myself and the knowledge I’ve gained from Hypnobabies. Being in a warm water helped me even more to get deeper into hypnosis, since my special place, the one where I was always meeting Emma, my daughter, during sessions was surrounded by water.

Each PW felt like I was climbing a mountain. The hardest part was getting to the top of the wave, but as soon as I got there, I just rode the wave until I felt the relief. I was so focused on relaxing my uterine muscles and imagining opening my cervix and sending anesthesia down there that I did not even realize that it was time to push. The whole transition was pretty quick and not at all uncomfortable. I just felt a little nauseous and I wanted to push.

Christine said I was ready. I’ve pushed in the water for an hour and even that I was making a progress, it didn’t feel like it at all. I was getting tired. But on the other hand I was very much glad that I didn’t have anybody standing over me and counting down or telling me to push. I let my body to be in charge, and my midwife, my husband and my friend were there to give me their love and support I needed. After pushing for an hour, around 8am, Christine suggested I would change a position. I tried to get on my fours but I felt my back hurting really badly. So I’ve decided to stand up. My husband supported me holding me by my waist while I spread my legs and pushed. I felt my baby moved down and Christine called for another midwife to come in.

Again, looking back at the video, I see myself making a lot of grunting noises, but also being completely in control of my body and being able to follow Christine’s directions. She told me to slow down and she told me the head was out, I could feel her between my legs. Christine had enough time to say the she can see my baby’s face and that she is really cute when with a final push her shoulders came out and Emma Berniece was caught in mid air, born at 8:23 am.

My beautiful baby girl was 8 lbs 6 ounces and 19 inches long (which we found out 3 hours later). I sat down in the water holding her and crying. She was so beautiful. My perfect baby girl. Christine waited for the cord to stop pulsating and Jayson cut it. They helped me move into the bed and my daughter took to my breast right away. After the midwife checked me, she said I had no tear! After couple of hours I was able to shower and change. Then, they measured Emma and checked everything out. We were home, in our own bed 4 hours later.

This was the most unbelievable experience of my life. My first baby and the most amazing birth. When people asked if I felt any pain, I say no. With the knowledge and training from Hypnobabies, I was able to be in full control over my mind, while my body did all the work. I describe the PW as climbing a mountain. As soon as you get to the top, you know the hike down is much easier and then you will get to rest. And I kept reminding myself that every PW is bringing me closer to meeting my daughter.

I loved it! I can’t wait to have another baby and experience it all again. And I still cry every time I watch the video, when I see her coming out!

Thank you, Hypnobabies!

Enjoy more amazing birth stories and information here on the Hypnobabies blog:

http://www.Hypnobabiesblog.org

Tags: Birth, birth stories, hypnobabies, birth stories on demand, hypno babies, positive birth stories, birth center birth, midwife birth stories, natural birth, birth stories with pictures, pressure waves, guess date