ProvidersProvider Jess SpeaksI'll never forget the first time I saw a woman practicing HypnoBirthing during her labor. I was a nurse working on a traditional labor and delivery unit and I was told that the new patient that I was about to be assigned was 8 centimeters (cm). As a nurse, I had been trained that that meant I was going to have to do a lot of work in a small amount of time: admit her, orient her to the room, put her on the monitors, start an IV to prep her for an epidural and call anesthesia. When the patient walked into the room, I was confused. First of all, most women at 8 cm didn't walk into the room; most were wheeled in by wheel chair. Secondly, this woman didn't even look like she was in labor, let alone 8 cm. She walked in and calmly sat on the bed. She had light blonde hair that was fixed perfectly and she hadn't even broken a sweat. I began asking her questions to admit her. When the contractions came, she would simply ask me to hold on one minute and she would close her eyes and take deep breaths in and out. When the contraction was over, she would open her eyes and answer the question that I had asked as if what had just happened didn't even phase her. She birthed shortly there after-without an epidural. Her birth was as calm as her breathing. It was beautiful. She made it look so easy. I was determined to learn more about this "HypnoBirthing."In midwifery school, they didn't teach us about HypnoBirthing. We leaned about Lamaze and The Bradley Method, as if those were the only options patients had other than a hospital run class that taught patients more about what to expect before and after their epidural rather than what their birth would be like. My pursuit to learn more about HypnoBirthing fell to the wayside with graduation and finding a job at the top of my to-do list. After completing school, I began working for a busy practice of midwives who not only attended births in a traditional labor and delivery setting, but also a birthing center. Patients came from all over to birth in the birthing center; each with their own plans for their perfect birth. Many of them wanted to labor in the Jacuzzi tubs; many wanted freedom from the monitors and IVs; some wanted HypnoBirthing. The HypnoBirthing birth that sticks out in my head was about a year into my career, practicing on my own. The mother and I had gotten close over our time together during her prenatal care and she had told me all about her previous HypnoBirthing birth. I hoped that I would be on-call when she went into labor. Her previous experience had been so positive and I wanted to see what she had told me about over and over. She called me around 2:00am and said, "This is it!" I knew her and trusted that she knew her body and I told her that I would meet her at the birthing center. When I arrived, she was standing in the room talking to the nurse and laughing. She was dressed like she always was with her hair in a pony tail pulled up in a baseball cap-just like she had been at each and every prenatal appointment. What I learned from midwifery school told me that if this patient was actually in labor, it was early labor at best. She didn't have any of the classic signs of active labor or transition, she was laughing for crying out loud! I proceeded with my assessment and did a vaginal exam. To my surprise, she was 8 cm! I could not believe it! Shortly after, she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She did not "push" the baby out, she "breathed her down" in a most calm and extraordinary way. I was amazed to say the least. From that birth on, I was truly hooked on HypnoBirthing. I began reading about it, talking to patients about it and I continue to be a big supporter today. I am such a big fan, that I decided to have my own HypnoBirthing experience. The following story is of my HypnoBirthing experience with my daughter. Click here to read about Baby Ella. Jess Agius, CNM |