|
I woke up about 8:15 a.m. on Saturday, June 3, 2006 feeling surges. I had been having practice surges for many weeks so I was familiar with the sensation, but this was different. In addition to the typical tightening in my belly I also could feel a mild cramping sensation in my cervix. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn’t. I can always go back to sleep (especially on a Saturday!), so this was the second clue that this could be the real thing. I decided to get up sometime after nine and get in the shower. I took my time,
and by the time I got out I decided to time the surges because they seemed to be coming consistently. As I was getting ready, I told my husband Matt he should probably get up because the surges didn’t seem to be practicing anymore.
Once my husband and I were both dressed, we had a late breakfast and decided it was probably time to call the midwife and let her know what was happening. By the time we spoke to her it was after 11:00. She
asked how far we had to drive to the birthing center (30 minutes), how far apart the surges were (2-5 minutes), and how long they were lasting (we hadn’t been timing how long they were, so I guessed about 30 seconds). She said that I still sounded pretty calm, which was typical with HypnoBirthing moms, so she recommended that we head to the hospital when the surges were consistently about three minutes apart and a minute long, OR until it required all of my concentration to manage them. As soon as we hung up we started timing and the surges were already a minute long. It made me feel good that they seemed to be half as long as they were in reality. At that point I felt comfortable at home, but I had
my Husband, Matt, start getting the last minute things ready. As he was doing this, the surges were becoming more intense (especially as he kept getting up and plopping down on the couch next to me!). Not much later I decided it might be prudent to leave because I didn’t want to be managing the surges down bumpy roads if I was going to be in pain. At that point I suppose some people would describe the sensations I was feeling as pain, but I was managing so easily that I’m hesitant to call it pain, or even discomfort. I was aware of the sensations and fully experiencing them, but I was also fully experiencing the relaxation in between so that it wasn’t bothersome.
In the car we continued to listen to the CD that we were listening to at home, one that came with the book. I didn’t expect to want to listen to that because it was the one we used the least during our practice sessions, but the
voice was comforting to me. It took us longer than expected to reach the hospital because we encountered an ambulance, a detour due to a closed expressway, construction on surface streets, and a train! It was comical, but we both remained calm. I had my eyes closed most of the time to help me focus on relaxing.
When we arrived at the hospital, we took our time making our way up to the birth center stopping to focus on staying relaxed through each surge. It was about 2:30 when we got to the birth center. The nurse asked for our birth preferences and permission to check my cervix. I consented and she had me guess how far dilated I was. I guessed 3 centimeters, but was already at 5-6 cm! I said that if I was already halfway there, I could totally do this. She predicted that the baby would arrive soon. I had them start filling the tub, which seemed to take forever, but once I got in it was wonderful. It wasn’t like an immediate sense of relief, but the warm water and jets made it so easy to relax. My body was tingly from head to toe, and as the surges became more intense so did my relaxation. This stayed true throughout the birth. I remember the time in the tub as pure ecstasy! My husband caressed my arms and spoke to me in a calm voice, and I was pedaling my right leg in a circular motion on the surface of the tub floor. We were listening to a CD of instrumental music and water, and that was helpful as well. My husband tried to walk me through some scripts, but trying to visualize was too much for me so we stuck to his “coaching” while I focused on keeping my breath even and maintaining that tingliness that I was loving. The nurse reiterated that the birth wasn’t going to take long which made me laugh—she was so confident. It wasn’t long before she suggested that I think about getting out of the tub (the birth center isn’t equipped for water births). She was concerned that if I began to feel a strong urge to push that it would be uncomfortable for me to climb out. I told her that I wanted to take it one surge at a time and I continued to labor in the tub for several more surges. She was very supportive and in the meantime the midwife arrived, a little late after encountering the construction that had held us up. I finally decided I was done with the tub and made my way to the bed. The midwife asked to check me again and I was at 9.5 cm. She offered to break my water to try to get me to 10 cm, but I declined. A surge or two later she said that if I wanted to push a little with the surge she could apply some pressure to my cervix at the same time, and that may push the remaining bit of cervix out of the way. I agreed and not only was it a success, but my water released. It felt like that too—a wonderful release, but messy!
They helped me to the bathroom and suggested I try sitting on the toilet for a few surges. The first surge after my water released was quite a different sensation and I wasn’t expecting it to be so intense. It was not painful, but the experience was in my entire body now, not just my uterus. It took me another surge to figure out how to handle it and to prepare my mind for the home stretch. The urge to push was overwhelming and breathing the baby down simply wasn’t an option for me. At this point I wasn’t really thinking, just focusing, but I think deep down I remembered what my HypnoBirthing instructor (Pauline) said about there not being a right or wrong way to birth as long as we listened to our bodies. Before I was in labor I was a little concerned about doing the techniques “right.” Even though I tried to release all my worries and fears, I’m a worrier and perfectionist, and I had been concerned that those traits would interfere with my “success.” I can honestly say that my HypnoBirthing practice paid off, because in those first moments in the bathroom I was overwhelmed, but I was able to refocus very quickly and adapt to what my body was now trying to accomplish. My body said push, so I did.
After a few surges we moved back to the bed. Another nurse came in to help. She was on my right, my husband was on my left, and the first nurse and midwife were in the front row, so to speak! I remember them telling me what a good pusher I was, and giving me very supportive pointers to make each surge really help the baby move down. At first I was discouraged because I could feel the baby move down with the surge then back up when it ended, but with the next surge the baby stayed in the same spot so I knew we were almost there. It was about this time that Matt decided he needed to eat some snack crackers we brought with us. It occurred to me that we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. I had been drinking water like crazy, but wasn’t hungry at all, but I was sure he was starving. He was apologetic and felt silly, but I thought it was cute and the midwife said it was a good idea because some dads pass out from exhaustion. They offered a mirror so I could see the baby being born, but I didn’t like opening my eyes because it broke my focus. I could feel what was happening and that was enough for me. At one point the nurse had me reach down to feel the baby’s head. It was full of hair and halfway out! With the next surge I pushed and thought the baby had come out and opened my eyes but quickly realized it was just the head and I had to push more, so I closed my eyes again and pushed and opened them again just in time so see my baby being placed on my belly.
It was a boy! He was born at 5:32 p.m., just eight hours after I woke up feeling a little “hmmm” and 30-45 minutes after my water broke. I was so amazed with him. He was crying, but he soon stopped and we all just gazed at each other. It was hard to believe he was finally in my arms. He was healthy, alert, and nursed easily within an hour of birth. He weighed 8 lbs., 9 oz. and was 19 inches long. My precious baby came to be known as Oscar Finnegan.
I experienced pain and discomfort in the days following birth due to hemorrhoids and sore muscles (it is labor after all!), but after about a week I felt like myself again. I did require some stitches due to minor tearing of the perineum, but this never bothered me much (I did not feel the tearing at the birth either). I was declared healthy at the six-week check-up.
The pregnancy and birth of my first child was a pleasure and I will definitely use HypnoBirthing again. We hope to have another child in a few years and I am confident that the birth will be even more wonderful and easy than the first!
Jackie and Matt
back to top
Baby Syndey and Baby Kassidy
We arrived at Troy Beaumont at 6:00 AM to be induced at 38 weeks. I was also dilated to 6 cm and 100% effaced. (I didn't even know that I was that far dilated...) The nurse performed an ultrasound to determine the positions of the babies. Baby A was head down and Baby B was transverse. Dr. McBride gave me the option at that time of a C-Section or vaginal delivery. He felt that I should try for a vaginal delivery and so did I. At 7:00 AM, Dr. McBride broke my water. At 8:00 AM an epidural was placed in the event that I would need an emergency C-section. The epidural was placed but was not turned on. They kept asking me if I wanted it turned on, and I didn't need it so I continued to decline (they were amazed). At 1:00 PM, I was fully dilated and ready to push. After pushing for 1 hour, Dr. McBride came into the room to check my progress and decided to take me right away to the OR for the delivery. I arrived in the OR at 2:15 PM, and was not able to push again until everything was setup (which seemed like forever). After 2 pushes, Sydney Jacqueline was delivered at 2:25 PM. Sydney weighed 6 lbs. 9 oz. 4 minutes later, at 2:29 PM, Kassidy Rose was delivered. Kassidy weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. I decided to just keep pushing as hard as I could, and fortunately it worked out. Luckily, Baby B
(Kassidy), turned from her transverse position after Sydney was delivered. The hospital staff was amazed at my attitude and pain tolerance. I can honestly say however, that I did not feel much pain during labor at all. We did use our HypnoBirthing techniques, but could probably have practiced even more. I was very relaxed and had my music playing all throughout the labor. I am thankful that everything went quickly and that we were able to have an awesome labor and delivery. The girls are doing great and we are learning to adjust to 2 babies and NO sleep. We average 3 hours of sleep per night.....I'm hoping that this changes soon. Thanks again for your help and support.
The HypnoBirthing® method worked great!
Erin and Jason
back to top
Thursday Afternoon -- I went for my 37 week visit with midwife and I was 5
cm dilated with a bulging bag of water. She sent me home to get things in order
for my other child and to try and get labor started on my own. She wanted me to
call back at 6:00 pm with the intention of having me go to the
hospital.
7:00 pm -- I get admitted to the hospital. I am not in labor yet (no
consistent surges) but I am 6 cm dilated.
8:00 pm -- I am 7 cm, but still no active labor. We try using natural
methods to get my labor started. I do not want them to break my water.
10:00 pm -- Still no active labor and 7 cm. They give me the option of going
home or walking (they really DO NOT want me to go home). I start walking and
immediately start having surges every 3 minutes. Every time a surge came on, I
would stop and lean against a wall and my husband would do light touch
massage. All discomfort went immediately away!
12:00 am-- Still at 7 cm. I try using the Jacuzzi, but my surges stop.
1:00 am -- Still at 7 cm. I decide to let my midwife break my water, and I
had 2 surges before the urge to push came over. I pushed 4 times, and my baby
was born at 1:32 am. I pushed a total of 3 minutes.
(Note: My first labor, also using HypnoBirthing®, was 3 1/2 hrs and I pushed for 20 minutes)
Nicole and Tim
back to top
I was so thrilled that Pauline asked me to share my story. I love looking back at the pictures and remembering all of the great support I had. I think I could write ten pages about those brief few days but I'll try to keep it much shorter than that.
I started to experience surges on Monday June12th sometime in the afternoon. At the time I was 42 weeks pregnant. I continued having surges for the next two days. It wasn't until Wednesday June 15th some time in the afternoon that they
became more frequent and consistent. During those two days I spent most of my time keeping track of my surges, practicing my breathing, and taking walks with my sister. On Wednesday late afternoon my body informed me that things were indeed changing. I became much more focused on my breathing and before I knew it my house became filled with people. My
doula, midwife and two assistance, my sister, and of course my partner. I didn't realize how many people this was until they were all in my small 800 square foot house. Nonetheless they were all very essential and truly it was not long before I noticed nothing other than myself and my breathing.
However around four in the morning my body had sent me another message. It seemed to be saying that it was tired and really couldn't do much more. I expressed this to my support team and decided to go to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I was informed I would have to have a cesarean. The baby was in a position that she would not drop. I had asked all the questions that I could think of
at the time. Feeling confident that a cesarean was the best thing to do I was quickly taken to the operating room. Within moments I heard my baby girls first words.
When I had a moment to reflect on my experience I truly realized how thankful I was for Pauline's class. By learning and practicing these techniques I was able to keep my energy up for as long as I did. I was also very in tune with my body. Both of these things I believe are a key element in my own as well as in everyone's labor. So thank you once again Pauline for your experience and thank you for asking me to share mine.
Christine and Scott
back to top
I started having mild surges around 2 am. They woke me up about every 15 minutes but because it was still 2 weeks to go I thought it must be some kind of practice labor. The surges continued throughout the morning and early afternoon but didn’t bother me much. When I had one I paused and used the slow breathing and then went on with what I was doing at the time. I was so relaxed about it that I didn’t even realize that they came more often. It was my husband who started to get a little nervous about them and asked me to give the midwife a call, but I wanted to wait. Later in the afternoon the pain got more intense so I took a bath to relax the muscles. While in the bath I listened to the HypnoBirthing CD part one. After the bath I called the midwife and she said we should monitor the surges for an hour and then call her again. Surges were 5-7 minutes apart by then and more painful. Since we have an hour to drive to the hospital the midwife asked us to leave home a little earlier. On the way to the hospital surges continued but became less painful, so I was sure they’d send us back home. We arrived at the hospital at 4 pm and when they checked me the nurse told me that
I was 2 cm dilated and almost completely thinned out, so they didn’t send us home.
When we came to our LDR-room I immediately got into the tub and stayed there for a couple hours, listening to the HypnoBirthing tape and to the music we selected for our birthing. It was a totally relaxing atmosphere and I felt great. After a while I left the tub to get checked again and then decided to sit on the ball resting my head on the bed. My husband applied light touch massage and gave me
prompts. The music was playing, and everything was calm and relaxed. At around 11 pm pain got more intense and I asked my husband to put pressure in the middle of my lower back during surges for pain relief but somehow by then I couldn’t handle the pain very well and lost focus, maybe because I was so
tired. I hadn’t slept for almost 20 hours and when I finally realized that this is indeed the real deal I panicked a little. I felt not ready to give birth just yet.
I asked for pain medication and received a shot of pain medicine in my bottom.
After a while pain was manageable again with slow breathing and massage.
Later I got into the tub again until surges became closer and very intense which indicated that it was time to breathe the baby out. They don’t deliver babies in the tub so I had to lay on the bed, which was OK for me. The lights were dimmed and the music was playing, everything was quiet and peaceful until the baby got tired and his heart rate suddenly dropped. The midwife suggested releasing the membranes. We thought about it and did agree to her suggestion. There was meconium in the fluid. After that surges felt like immense pressure and I started to do the birth breathing. Unfortunately the baby’s heart rate didn’t improve and the midwife told us that we have to get this baby out. My husband and I thought about what to do now, and because we didn’t want to risk the baby’s health , we decided to go ahead with pushing the baby out. Frankly I didn’t really know what to
do. I had not prepared for pushing but the nurse and the midwife guided me through the surges. I wasn’t comfortable doing the pushing while lying on my back. I felt so weak in this position even though my husband and the nurse supported me. I asked to change position, but due to the circumstances they asked me to stay on my back. I pushed for an hour but the baby’s head slipped back after each push and they prepared the vacuum, which I really wanted to avoid.
With the next surges I pushed as good as I could. The midwife did an episiotomy and after a couple more pushes the baby was out. They put him on my chest only for a second and then he had to be evaluated by the pediatrician and later go to the nursery for observation. Still dazed about what just had happened we didn’t argue. My husband was in the nursery to be with our baby. I missed both very much. Five hours later they brought the baby to me, he was OK. I immediately started nursing him and we finally had time to bond.
So did HypnoBirthing work for me? Yes, absolutely. Before I learned about HypnoBirthing I was terrified about giving birth and even though I don’t like being paralyzed for hours let alone the possible side effects of an epidural, I thought: “I can’t do it without an epidural”. That opinion changed after the first class with
Pauline. From that day on I absolutely didn’t want an epidural. In the months of preparation I got very confident and relaxed about giving birth and when labor started I was so calm that I didn’t even think this is the
"real thing" for quite a while. Sure I had a shot of pain medication, an
episiotomy and in the end I pushed the baby out instead of breathing it out but before all this happened I had a beautiful labor. When you prepare
for HypnoBirthing you also prepare yourself to accept whatever turn your birthing takes. I didn’t like the way my birthing ended but before things got a little hectic I had a wonderful time thanks to the HypnoBirthing techniques we applied. If I am going to have another baby I will do the HypnoBirthing again.
Sara and Peter
back to top
|
