personalstories

From Krisine and Joshua: and Samual's Birth

At my week 37 appointment Ann informed me that I was 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She told me that this means that the baby could come between now and a couple weeks. She also informed me that every woman is different. I was so excited that the reality of actually having a child was staring me in the face. When I got home I informed my husband and we decided that I would leave work a week earlier than planned because we didn't want to risk having the baby so from home and the Birthing Inn (45 miles). When I informed my mom she was ready to take a plane the next day, but she decided to wait a week. Luckily she waited because the baby came two weeks later.

In the early morning (3:30 am) of Sept. 30, 2007 I went to the bathroom and noticed that my mucous plus had come out. I called Ann to informed her and she told me to try to go back to sleep and call her if anything else happened. I informed my husband what had happened and I went back to bed. From 3:30-5 am I couldn't go back to sleep because I was having consistent "cramp" feelings every 5-7 minutes. Every time the feeling would go away I would look at the clock and keep track of the time until the next feeling started.

In addition I had major urges to go the bathroom every couple minutes and every time I laid back down I was shivering cold. The feelings were so strong that when I would finally fall asleep I would wake up from the "cramp" feeling. At around 5 am I knew that these feelings weren't going away and that the baby was coming. I called Ann and told her what was going on. In her cheerful voice she said that it sounded like the birth was happening. She said she was on her way and I told her to meet at my house before going to The Birthing Inn. I knew it would be at least 45 minutes until she arrived so I got all of our things together and my husband loaded the car. I woke my mom and mother in-law and everyone was getting ready.

I sat on the couch and tried to keep track of the time between contractions, but they were getting more intense each time and I was having to find different positions to go into in order to get through them smoothly. My body was going through many different feelings (chills, cold shakes, sweats, etc.) that I needed to get some fresh air. I decided to sit in the car and breath the fresh air. My body was going through so many feelings that it made me throw up. We called Ann to inform her that we better meet at The Birthing Inn because the contractions were less than a couple minutes apart. By that time she was at our front door and my husband informed her that I was waiting in the car and that I had gotten sick. She said that was a good sign. We all immediately drove to The Birthing Inn and got there in couple minutes. When we arrived we went to room #3 and I immediately started to undress. My body was ready to have the baby.

I had urges to go to the bathroom, but nothing would come out. Ann asked me to let her know when the contraction was over so she could check my progress, but the contraction never stopped. So I got into the nice warm tub and she checked me in there. She could feel the baby's head one knuckle in. He was ready to come out. I listened to my body and pushed when it felt right and rested when I could. The water was so relaxing between contractions and the handles on the tub were great for pushing. At 7:45am Samuel Thornton Strange was born.

He came out and calmly rested on my chest while my husband and I carest him all over. My husband cut the umbilical chord and they wrapped Sam in a nice warm towel. I was also wrapped in a warm towel and Sam and I cuddled in the warm bed. This natural bonding experience has given me a wonderfully happy son who knows that his family loves him more than anything in the world.

In Summary: We had our baby Sunday, Sept. 30th at 7:45am. The labor was just as perfect as could be. Labor started around 3:30am and we had Samuel Thornton Strange 4 hrs. later at The Birthing Inn in Tacoma. He came on his due date! He weighed 6 lbs 11 oz and was 19-1/2" long. My mother, mother in-law, husband, midwife, and her assistant were all there to help, but really my body did all the work without anyone's help. Samuel is so healthy and I am recovering just beautifully. You can all view some pictures at this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/kstrange/SamuelThorntonStrange

Renee, Curtis and Estella

Estella Luz August 30, at 12:05 AM. We had a successful VBAC and we attribute much of our success to HypnoBirthing.

We were able to remain relaxed and positive throughout the entire birthing.

We did the whole labor walking in Wright Park, a block away from Tacoma General. Renee was able to relax so well through the surges that we actually didn't realize how thinned her cervix was and how far along in the labor we actually were. The initial check at the hospital, to everyone's surprise, showed that Renee's cervix was completely thinned.

Renee did not have any medication throughout and never showed any signs of pain or significant stress. We felt so confident and in control. This was a wonderful experience for us and we wish everyone the same joy.

I am happy to hear more moms going for VBAC's and using hypno-birthing. I will be happy to help them out if I can with advice, encouragement or whatever.

For me, this VBAC is redemption. I feel like I have reclaimed my body.

Just three weeks before Estella's birth, I cried about having a c-section with my son. Now I am at peace with it. We feel that the c-section made this birth even more triumphant. We like to believe it will help other moms have more choices about their births and more providers willing to accommodate them.

Thank you for teaching us hypno-birthing. We are telling everyone how great it is and recommending it to our pregnant friends.

A few things that helped me though this experience...

* Having co-providers. I saw a midwife for all my first and second trimester appointments. Later in my third trimester, I started switching back and forth for appointments with the midwife and OB-Gyn. The OB-Gyn was the primary provider at the birth since she was the one who can perform VBAC's. However, my midwife was present and assumed the role of the doula. My midwife and OB have a very professional relationship and did an excellent job of communicating and respecting each other.

* HypnoBirthing of course!!

* Seeing a chiropractor and acupuncturist for the uncomfortable bodily changes that can come with pregnancy.(for example varicose veins and sciatica nerve)

* Every night when going to sleep, I played the hypno-birthing cd. Sometimes I fell asleep before it was over but that was ok. My husband goes to bed at the same time I do so we listened to it together. I think him listening to it as much as I did helped him be a great birthing companion.

From T.O.

I was skeptical about HypnoBirthing at first, but I'm convinced that it helped me tremendously during my pregnancy and during my son's birth. I may have started the classes too soon (I went into preterm labor at 20 weeks, shortly after my first HypnoBirthing class), and ended up having to be on bed rest for 12 weeks and to take a break from practicing for a while. once i resumed listening to the relaxation and affirmation scripts, though, they helped me relax and deal with my anxiety about being on bed rest and having a healthy baby

I also had quite a bit of fear about childbirth as I was preparing for it, but I was totally calm and not fearful at all during the entire labor and birth. I credit my hours of listening to the birth affirmations and Morgan's relaxation script, because segments of those scripts went through my head during my labor.

Given that I'd been having contractions pretty regularly for months, I had difficulty telling that i was actually in labor. i also started labor with my cervix nearly completely thinned and over 3 cm dilated. the contractions weren't what I expected--they weren't very painful, and they also just felt like menstrual cramps. after laboring at home for a few hours (which passed like minutes), we went to the hospital. my first cervical check showed that i was nearly 9 cm dilated. things moved very fast--we checked in at midnight and Sullivan was born at 2. the midwife almost didn't make it in time for the birth, and we only got to spend about 40 minutes in the birthing tub. It was a very intense experience, but I felt totally safe and well-supported by my Doula and spouse.

They helped me relax and breathe, and offered a lot of encouragement. I focused on breathing into my abdomen, relaxing my pelvis, and trusting my body to know what to do (a huge change for someone who's always in her head). I also could tell when I needed to ask them to remind me to relax my abdomen. Sullivan was born quickly and much more comfortably than I expected; i did feel pain, but it was completely manageable, and I didn't ever think of asking for pain medication. I'm very pleased with my labor and birth experience; I think it was my favorite part of the entire pregnancy.

I still listen to Mongan's relaxation script to help me unwind. it has sentimental value for me, as it helps me remember my labor and my son's birth.

I'd love to see the HypnoBirthing institute put out some postpartum support scripts; I would have found these very helpful in preparation for what to expect and as general support after delivery.

Sullivan's birthday was April 3, 2006

From Courtney:

My water broke at the Tacoma Mall while I was walking around so we went to the birthing center to get checked and I was only at 2cm so we went home for about 2 hours then went back to the birthing center, arriving at 7:30pm on January 29th 2006. Nancy, my midwife, checked me again and I was at a 3. I sat on my birthing ball while listening to a peaceful cd and breathing through my contractions.

I laid in bed for a while and began to feel transition phase, causing me to throw up. At that point, I wanted to relax in the tub so I did for a long time. About 1/2 way through tub time, I felt like I might be able to push if I wanted, but didn't say anything. Eventually, something told me that I should get out of the tub and give birth to my daughter. When Nancy checked me, she told me I could push at anytime, and my mom and my doula couldn't believe it.

I pushed for 15 minutes and felt my daughters head emerge. I reached down to catch my daughter and cried, and cried as I held my "angel", my daughter Aiyana Rhiannon Henningsen. She was so beautiful, with a head full of hair and so perfect. I would not do anything different. My labor and birth went so well.

Lakeside Birth Center

From Andrea:

What would you do differently? I would go to the hospital earlier...the car ride was awful and waiting to be admitted was long (I was 6 cm when they checked me). I would choose a birth center instead of the hospital.

I was 3 cm for 1 week and had my membranes swept for the second time on Friday afternoon. Friday I was 41 weeks. That night my husband and I decided to have sex to get things going because I did not want to be induced using drugs. The minute we were finished I began having contractions every 3 minutes. From 2 am til 3 am I laid in the bathtub to help my comfort level and to see if they were the real deal. They continued at 3 minutes so I called my midwife. She said to wait til they were stronger. I laid down with my husband (who was sleeping this whole time) to rest for a while. I couldn't sleep because they were so close together. They were painful but I was doing pretty good through them. I woke my dad and husband up around 5 am to leave. I wanted to be able to set everything up and get relaxed in the room and have enough time to do it all so we left. The car ride was horrible because it was so bumpy and it hurt at every contraction.

It took about a half an hour to check in at the hospital and I had to beg them to let me go pee. They did a 20 minute monitoring on my which I hated. All I wanted to do was get into the birthing tub. They checked me and I was 6 cm and could get into the tub. We had soft music playing and the lights dimmed. I focused on my breathing and going inward. I never understood the going inward thing very well until then. I was so focused on the inside that it took great effort to talk or answer questions. My body was so relaxed in the water that it was numb and my body felt like it was asleep. The only sensation I had was the contractions. They were painful but a distant pain after breathing through so many of them. Every time I tried to drink liquid I would feel pukey so my husband had ice in a washcloth and I would suck on it to get a little water. He rubbed my face with the iced washcloth and it felt like heaven. My dad and him were quiet and calm the whole time. I was aware of their presence but was not aware of what they were doing.

My midwife asked if I wanted her to rupture my membranes and told me the contractions would be stronger and it would go faster. I didn't want any stronger contractions so I wanted to wait. At 9 cm I said she could rupture them. About that time I started to want drugs or anything that would take me away. I felt panicky and said that I didn't want to do this anymore. I had a lot of confidence in myself up until then, but the pain took over. I started saying aloud to myself "relax" over and over. It was my mantra and helped me get through the pain.

I began to push after my midwife checked and I was fully dilated. I really didn't want to push and I think this made it more painful and longer. Pushing seemed foreign to me. I couldn't tell if I was doing it right or if it was helping...all I felt was pain. I tried to do the HypnoBirthing breathing from the beginning and it was too painful, so I did what was comfortable to me and it worked. I was not aware of time at all and it didn't seem as long as it was. It seemed like I went from getting in the tub to pushing in like 10 minutes although it was like 3 hours. It was an hour from the rupture of membranes to birth.

My body was too numb to be effective laying in the tub so I squatted for the last part. The worst part was having to wait for another contraction while part of my son's face was out. My husband didn't get to help bring him out because my hands were holding on to him as tight as I could at the worst part. That was the only time I tensed up or grabbed anything. The best part was the immediate relief and joy I felt when he was finally out and came floating up in my hands. My husband and I held him close to my chest in the water while his wrinkled face quietly cried. We got out of the water because it was getting cold and the cord had stopped pulsating and was cut.

It was the most painful and amazing experience in my life. I didn't cry at all although I am usually a crier. I was exhausted, starving, thirsty and happy all wrapped up together. My throat was sore from grunting. I delivered the placenta with one push and got a couple of stitches from tearing. My son was 8 lbs 15 oz 20.5 inches and had a good size head. I couldn't have done it so calmly without HypnoBirthing.

A little of our story from Rachel: I began having contractions about 4:30 pm on Thursday Aug 4 (my due date). We called our midwife who arrived about 5 pm or so. My contractions were 3 minutes apart, but I was only dilated to 2cm 100% effaced with a bulging bag of waters. I continued to have contractions 2 to 3 minutes apart until 6:30 pm when my husband and I got into the birth tub. At about 7 pm our midwife and her assistant decided to go into town to grab a bite to eat.

About 15 minutes after they left my waters released, and almost immediately after I began to feel the urge to push. I fought the urge for a few contractions until I couldn't help but bear down. My husband had the midwife paged to return immediately. Our midwife walked in the door at 7:42 pm checked me and found me to be complete with the baby's head 1/2 inch from crowning. I got back into the birthing tub and after 3 pushes, welcomed our beautiful baby boy into this world! His birth time was 7:51 pm! 9 minutes from our midwife walking in the door to Kaden's birth! Lucky that she was only just down the road having dinner, or we just might have delivered him ourselves!

After the birth I was really in shock, It didn't seem real. I never experienced the pain that I did during my first labor/birth. I was very calm and quiet up until the last 20 minutes before birth (in retrospect it makes sense, as it was obviously transition). My experience was very loving and comfortable, I am truly amazed that it went so wonderfully. And I know that I owe a lot of thanks to the HypnoBirthing program. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!

March 5

Edith Dolores

Hi Pat! It went great! Three hours of labor! Dr. Dakin surprised us and recited a "virtual waterbirth" hypnosis script during delivery, and I responded to it magically. I'll write more when I can. Thanks for everything. Rosann.

February 19

Kameron

Hello this is Holly I just wanted to let you know that Kameron was born on February 19th and to say thank you, I used the relaxation cds as well as some music ones that I had from massage and it worked great I was at the hospital for a total of 14 hours and I made it all the way with no medical intervention, the medical staff was great and very supportive of my decision they encouraged me all the way and kept assuring me that I could do it and they did not ask me if I wanted anything for the pain and did not even talk about pain they let me know my options and left it up to me for the rest, and the good thing is that when it came time to push there was no yelling or counting they just let me do my own thing and left it to me to push when I needed to and when they did tell me to push it was in low calm voices and i was only pushing for a total of 8 minuets from start to finish, and these things were my biggest worry that things would not happed this way I am very happy that I took your class and would like to take a refresher when I am going to have my next baby.

It turned out to be a blessing in the long run that I took your class because I found out when I was in labor that I could not have an epidural if I wanted one because I have MS and the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me about it because he saw that I had it and wanted to let me know that he would not feel comfortable giving me one because it could paralyze me, but I just told him "no thank you anyways I do not want one I am doing just fine". I knew all along that I could do it and just did not think of it as pain and there was a point when the contractions were 2 minuets long and 30 seconds apart that I knew that it could not get any worse and would not be too much longer and I made it and you know what child birth is not so bad it is nothing like people make it sound like. I did not think that it hurt as bad as it sounds. Thanks again, I look forward to taking your class again if you have one available next time. Holly

Sierra Jade

Seth's Birth

Just wanted to share the news that our son Seth was born March 1st. I ended up with a medically indicated induction due to PIH (it all happened really fast). The induction took 2 days and the only thing that kept me sane and calm was my HypnoBirthing practice. I stayed in trance pretty much the whole 2 days. I had an epidural that did not work---I could still feel all my contractions---but I was so deep that I did not really feel them as pain.

I felt uncomfortable or a lot of pressure, but it was not until the end when the pain was overwhelming. It was a blessing though, as I would not have been able to push without the intense sensations. Our birth took such a different turn than I had wanted. But I just listened to my tapes in labor and relaxed and enjoyed the process (albeit long). In the end, I breathed him down, but he was in a bad position (face first and sunny side up)---plus the cord was wrapped around his neck and chest, so I pushed and pushed for 2 hours and he just crowned and crowned. Finally, the OB was called in, and I could tell they were about to do a c-section--so I pushed with all my might and he came flying out.

All of my worst fears I had to face with this birth---having all the medical devices attached to me, pitocin, epidural (which did not even work), threat of c-section, etc. . .But because of HypnoBirthing I could focus totally on my baby and the process and stay calm and centered and relaxed. I am sure that without it, I would not have been able to conserve enough energy over the 2-day induction to be able to push in the end.

Even though the birth was different than I had planned, and most people would look at this as a horrendous, difficult birth---I still feel happy and content with it. I guess because I stayed calm and gave my son the best, most relaxed birth that could possibly be under the circumstances.

Thanks for working with me and giving me the gift of HypnoBirthing.

Adriana, Seth, and Craig: 3-1-2003