Julia & her husband, Andrew, took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesdays in July 2009. Her birth didn't go exactly as planned, but she was still able to utilize the HypnoBirthing techniques to help her. Here is her birth story:
The interesting emergence of Eamon Andrew…
My guess date was October 9. Eamon’s emergence came on October 23, 2009.
Here’s his story! My husband and I had been trying for a baby for 8 months before we got pregnant. It took the flu with consistent high temperatures from a fever for our baby to decide to nestle in for the long haul. The passing of a good friend also ensured that he had a fierce guardian spirit to watch over him as he grew. I’m pretty positive about the date that he became the star of my universe, and was pretty sure about the approximation of the guess date. I suppose my baby boy enjoyed continuously tapping into the universal womb, because no amount of acupuncture, massage, Reiki, or supplements were going to ease him out. I kept saying to our doula, Linda Goldsmith, and friends of ours that our little guy had sticky fingers and toes!!
I am thankful to Dr. Biter and Dr. Cap (Capetanakis) for respecting my wishes for a natural birth. They let me wait it out as long as possible. Nonetheless, Thursday, October 22nd rolled around and Dr. Cap and I discussed induction. My husband and I headed for Scripps Encinitas Hospital that evening at around 6 to admit ourselves. At about 8 the nurse applied Cervidil, and left me to “sleep” until the next morning. To say that the process was extremely painful and borderline barbaric would put it mildly. (For some reason I didn’t think to listen to my HypnoBirthing cds during this time!!) The next morning, about 12 hours later, Dr. Cap checked my cervix, and I had dilated 2 cm, but our baby hadn’t descended at all. So much for natural birth!!? We began Pitocin. This is when I started listening to the HypnoBirthing cds. Despite my hesitancy with the whole medical process, it actually made for an enjoyable day with my husband and Linda. I was standing, swaying, talking – and I felt absolutely NO pain. We kept having the nurse increase the Pitocin slowly, and I still didn’t feel any contractions!! At 6 pm that night there still wasn’t any progress, and Dr. Cap had to discuss the inevitable with us: we were going to have a c-section that evening.
Having a c-section was not what I desired or expected for the birth of Eamon. However, I accepted the reality and continued to listen to the HypnoBirthing cds on my ipod throughout the surgery. I wouldn’t describe my mood as calm and relaxed, as I was terrified. I knew nothing about what happens during the c-section itself and never had surgery before. The different sensations were foreign and jarring to me. However, I would have to say that without the HypnoBirthing cds I would have been an absolute basket case and out of my mind the whole time. It’s not the most enjoyable thing to have the surgery and to wrestle with the recovery, but I couldn’t think of a more wonderful outcome. Our little butterbean was 9 pounds, 1 ounce and came out a’screaming!!
I am thankful to Carol for offering such an enjoyable class that my husband and I looked forward to each week. I am thankful to HypnoBirthing for helping me have the most enjoyable pregnancy that anyone could ever wish for. I am thankful to my son for teaching me that not everything in life can be planned, and that time frames are all an illusion. I am thankful to Dr. Cap for being so compassionate and for bringing our baby boy into this world. I am thankful to Linda Goldsmith for being a wonderful doula. I am thankful for the experience of being a mother.
To future HypnoBirthers out there: even if you’re not having your ideal birth, remember to listen to your HypnoBirthing cds and to trust your baby and your body. Your baby is there to teach you the most powerful lessons you will ever learn. Your body is the vessel that allows your baby to reach you. Much love and strength to all of you…
Thank you, Carol! :) Thank you again for being part of our support system throughout our pregnancy and birth!
Thank you Julia for sharing your birth story! I hope that for the moms who have taken HypnoBirthing classes and ended up with a birth that they hadn't planned for will find your story healing & inspiring.
If you are located in San Diego and are interested in learning more about Dr. Biter, Dr. Capetanakis or the doula, Linda Goldsmith, you can find their contact information on my website's resources page located at www.AWellLivedLife.Net.
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A HypnoBirthing story
Kirsten took my Thursday HypnoBirthing classes in August 2009. Her doula, Rosie Peterson, accompanied her to most classes because her husband was stationed in Iraq & wasn't due to return until the later part of her pregnancy. Kirsten describes her birth below & then Rosie shares her experience of Kirsten's birth below that.
Here is Kirsten's birth story:
My daughter was born on Sept 29, 2009. The story, in Rosie's words, is short and very sweet. Intense surges up until my daughter's birth (her name is Severin) took only about 5 hours; I didn't practice anything I learned in HypnoBirthing class. It all happened so fast! The only things I remembered to do were to keep my moans low and gutteral, to keep moving (I paced the house for a while) and to position my body in a squat to help baby move down. I instinctively went inside my body; I had my eyes closed the whole time, from the time we left the house to go to the hospital up until she was born. I never had a fearful moment except when I worried I might throw up (I never felt sick! I'd just heard a lot of stories of women barfing during childbirth) so I kept the car window rolled down just in case. I started feeling real proud of myself when the nurses started showing up in my room to tell me how impressed they were with how well I did, how they had never seen anything like it, etc. It was really helpful to have Rosie as my advocate in the hospital. I couldn't have done it without her.
And I couldn't have done it without you, Carol! You're an amazing and dynamic person and I learned so much from your class. Thanks again- Kirsten V.
Rosie Peterson, Kirsten's doula, wrote out Kirsten's birth story. Here it is:
September 29, 2009 at 6:22am Severin Rose entered the world. She had her eyes wide open and was quiet as she observed her parents, their familiar voices, the new lighting, and the new penetrating unmuffled sounds. She didn’t need any direction or help finding the breast, her new source of nourishment and comfort. Severin Rose was beautiful! All 8 pounds, 8 ounces of her!
Severin’s mom, Kirsten and I met in the early summer to chat about ‘everything birthy’. Kirsten comes from a family of good birthers. Would she be one? Could she do it? So many questions, unknowns, anxious moments. Well, pregnancy itself was a breath of fresh air at least! Being pregnant was something she now knew she could do and she did it as gracefully and swimmingly as any I’ve been blessed to witness.
Mom went to HypnoBirthing classes with Carol Yeh-Garner. I went along to a few classes until Jacob got home from Iraq and could attend. I witnessed a birth of a family on many levels. During Kirsten’s pregnancy Jacob was away for many months serving our country. When Jacob returned he and Kirsten took few days away from house remodeling, family and doctors; they retreated to Laguna Beach. As he and Kirsten reunited before Severin was due to arrive a new family was born.
They returned just in time for a visit with Jacob’s mom. Then Jacob had one day of work before……Paternity leave!
Monday, September 28, I went to bed at 11PM wondering, "Would Kirsten call tonight?" The phone rang at 1AM. Kirsten said she had started having different type surges (contractions) after lunch. She and Jacob had dinner and she tried going to bed but could not sleep – this was her first clue that she was in real labor! She didn’t want to disturb Jacob, who was sleeping soundly. Could I come over? I was there just after 2AM. Kirsten was "going deep" with each surge when I got there - using her HypnoBirthing relaxation automatically. She made it look easy, it was HARD work, labor always is. But she was quiet, peaceful, breathing, opening. It wasn’t long before surges were longer and then longer until there was not much break. She was a little fearful when I got there thinking that they were going to get much harder. But I reassured her that they just keep doing this. "They just stay like this. And you keep doing one at a time. They get closer, longer, and I know that you will do those (feared future surges) just as well as you are doing now." And she did. Soon Kirsten said she felt the urge to push at the peak of the last surge. We moved to the bathroom, where she was going to sit on the toilet and then maybe take a hot shower. But on the toilet things changed. It was time to head to the hospital. We left at 3:30AM.
The only vaginal exam Kirsten received was upon admittance because Kirsten was fully dilated! Her bulging bag of water promptly popped, splashing across the bed. There was a little meconium in the waters but there were no extra procedures or ill effects from the mec. Baby’s heart rate was perfect and stayed that way. As the hospital staff rushed around doing things like drawing blood, placing IV, getting file started, the doc and the neonatal nurses came in thinking baby was going to come immediately. But S-L-O-W D-O-W-N! Kirsten wished for a calm, quiet, peaceful, dim room to birth in. This was not it. She stayed in Labor Land, her birthing space, until all the folks calmed down and left us alone. Kirsten’s angel nurse, Tina, turned down the lights. I turned the music on low. Kirsten gently nudged her baby down, down, down, moving into different positions as her body directed her, she was as quiet as a prayer and as gracious a birthing mama as any baby could hope for! Soon her nurse took off the External Fetal Monitor and monitored baby intermittently. They had read Kirsten’s Birth Plan and were following it explicitly.
Jacob was glowing with love for his woman. He whispered in her ear and privately they labored on together. After side lying for pushes on one side and then the other, Kirsten swatted for pushes and could soon feel her baby’s head. She reached down between legs in between contractions and felt a furry, swishy little head. When the neonatal nurses (baby nurses) and the doc came in to join her for the final push, they were all smiles and you could tell they enjoyed witnessing a rarity in their hospital, their technology driven, modern medicalized institution. They were witnessing a normal, natural, sweet, slow, birth! Some said they had never seen such a birth. For others it was rare. For Kirsten it was LOUD, because as quiet as the room was, her body was working like never before, it took her intensive concentration to listen to her body and follow its lead, to let go of her baby. Birth power is strong, but also doable – just ask Kirsten.
Kirsten was ready to go home with her baby within the hour. When she found out she would be staying for 48 hours she was shocked and disappointed. I reminded her that she was in charge – the lady boss! Her baby was hers, legally, spiritually, and in every other way. So whenever she wanted she could leave. She stayed for 24 hours and is home now– enjoying her new status as Mommy, her new precious baby girl Severin, and her new status of Courageous Woman Warrior and Birther Extraordinaire!
It was my honor to be a friend and a witness in the days leading up to and the day of Severin’s birth. Congratulations to Kirsten, Jacob, Severin, the grandma’s, grandpa’s, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends!
God bless you always, Rosie Peterson, the doula 760-740-2455
Thank you, Kirsten, for allowing me to share your birth story & thank you to Rosie, for sharing your version.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Here is Kirsten's birth story:
My daughter was born on Sept 29, 2009. The story, in Rosie's words, is short and very sweet. Intense surges up until my daughter's birth (her name is Severin) took only about 5 hours; I didn't practice anything I learned in HypnoBirthing class. It all happened so fast! The only things I remembered to do were to keep my moans low and gutteral, to keep moving (I paced the house for a while) and to position my body in a squat to help baby move down. I instinctively went inside my body; I had my eyes closed the whole time, from the time we left the house to go to the hospital up until she was born. I never had a fearful moment except when I worried I might throw up (I never felt sick! I'd just heard a lot of stories of women barfing during childbirth) so I kept the car window rolled down just in case. I started feeling real proud of myself when the nurses started showing up in my room to tell me how impressed they were with how well I did, how they had never seen anything like it, etc. It was really helpful to have Rosie as my advocate in the hospital. I couldn't have done it without her.
And I couldn't have done it without you, Carol! You're an amazing and dynamic person and I learned so much from your class. Thanks again- Kirsten V.
Rosie Peterson, Kirsten's doula, wrote out Kirsten's birth story. Here it is:
September 29, 2009 at 6:22am Severin Rose entered the world. She had her eyes wide open and was quiet as she observed her parents, their familiar voices, the new lighting, and the new penetrating unmuffled sounds. She didn’t need any direction or help finding the breast, her new source of nourishment and comfort. Severin Rose was beautiful! All 8 pounds, 8 ounces of her!
Severin’s mom, Kirsten and I met in the early summer to chat about ‘everything birthy’. Kirsten comes from a family of good birthers. Would she be one? Could she do it? So many questions, unknowns, anxious moments. Well, pregnancy itself was a breath of fresh air at least! Being pregnant was something she now knew she could do and she did it as gracefully and swimmingly as any I’ve been blessed to witness.
Mom went to HypnoBirthing classes with Carol Yeh-Garner. I went along to a few classes until Jacob got home from Iraq and could attend. I witnessed a birth of a family on many levels. During Kirsten’s pregnancy Jacob was away for many months serving our country. When Jacob returned he and Kirsten took few days away from house remodeling, family and doctors; they retreated to Laguna Beach. As he and Kirsten reunited before Severin was due to arrive a new family was born.
They returned just in time for a visit with Jacob’s mom. Then Jacob had one day of work before……Paternity leave!
Monday, September 28, I went to bed at 11PM wondering, "Would Kirsten call tonight?" The phone rang at 1AM. Kirsten said she had started having different type surges (contractions) after lunch. She and Jacob had dinner and she tried going to bed but could not sleep – this was her first clue that she was in real labor! She didn’t want to disturb Jacob, who was sleeping soundly. Could I come over? I was there just after 2AM. Kirsten was "going deep" with each surge when I got there - using her HypnoBirthing relaxation automatically. She made it look easy, it was HARD work, labor always is. But she was quiet, peaceful, breathing, opening. It wasn’t long before surges were longer and then longer until there was not much break. She was a little fearful when I got there thinking that they were going to get much harder. But I reassured her that they just keep doing this. "They just stay like this. And you keep doing one at a time. They get closer, longer, and I know that you will do those (feared future surges) just as well as you are doing now." And she did. Soon Kirsten said she felt the urge to push at the peak of the last surge. We moved to the bathroom, where she was going to sit on the toilet and then maybe take a hot shower. But on the toilet things changed. It was time to head to the hospital. We left at 3:30AM.
The only vaginal exam Kirsten received was upon admittance because Kirsten was fully dilated! Her bulging bag of water promptly popped, splashing across the bed. There was a little meconium in the waters but there were no extra procedures or ill effects from the mec. Baby’s heart rate was perfect and stayed that way. As the hospital staff rushed around doing things like drawing blood, placing IV, getting file started, the doc and the neonatal nurses came in thinking baby was going to come immediately. But S-L-O-W D-O-W-N! Kirsten wished for a calm, quiet, peaceful, dim room to birth in. This was not it. She stayed in Labor Land, her birthing space, until all the folks calmed down and left us alone. Kirsten’s angel nurse, Tina, turned down the lights. I turned the music on low. Kirsten gently nudged her baby down, down, down, moving into different positions as her body directed her, she was as quiet as a prayer and as gracious a birthing mama as any baby could hope for! Soon her nurse took off the External Fetal Monitor and monitored baby intermittently. They had read Kirsten’s Birth Plan and were following it explicitly.
Jacob was glowing with love for his woman. He whispered in her ear and privately they labored on together. After side lying for pushes on one side and then the other, Kirsten swatted for pushes and could soon feel her baby’s head. She reached down between legs in between contractions and felt a furry, swishy little head. When the neonatal nurses (baby nurses) and the doc came in to join her for the final push, they were all smiles and you could tell they enjoyed witnessing a rarity in their hospital, their technology driven, modern medicalized institution. They were witnessing a normal, natural, sweet, slow, birth! Some said they had never seen such a birth. For others it was rare. For Kirsten it was LOUD, because as quiet as the room was, her body was working like never before, it took her intensive concentration to listen to her body and follow its lead, to let go of her baby. Birth power is strong, but also doable – just ask Kirsten.
Kirsten was ready to go home with her baby within the hour. When she found out she would be staying for 48 hours she was shocked and disappointed. I reminded her that she was in charge – the lady boss! Her baby was hers, legally, spiritually, and in every other way. So whenever she wanted she could leave. She stayed for 24 hours and is home now– enjoying her new status as Mommy, her new precious baby girl Severin, and her new status of Courageous Woman Warrior and Birther Extraordinaire!
It was my honor to be a friend and a witness in the days leading up to and the day of Severin’s birth. Congratulations to Kirsten, Jacob, Severin, the grandma’s, grandpa’s, aunts, uncles, neighbors and friends!
God bless you always, Rosie Peterson, the doula 760-740-2455
Thank you, Kirsten, for allowing me to share your birth story & thank you to Rosie, for sharing your version.
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Saturday, January 2, 2010
An inspiring HypnoBirth at home
This is a HypnoBirthing birth story from the Heather Hilton, a HypnoBirthing practitioner & homebirth midwife in Austin, TX.
Hi Friends,
I stood witness at the most amazing birth this morning (12/11/09). Mom took HypnoBirthing from me (and Liz) and I was her midwife. She was totally committed to a natural, peaceful, home birth. Her due date came and went...and went....and went. According to her last period she was 43 weeks on Tuesday (although when it was all said and done, baby looked more like 41 weeks).
Labor started slowly on Wednesday morning. By Wed. evening she was in active labor. She labored all Wednesday night, all day Thursday, making tiny signs of progress along the way. Labor continued into Thursday night, and mom was totally relaxed and calm. She had to be upright during her surges, and spent most of them either standing or sitting on the edge of her bed. She would drop her head and just breathe and you could see her entire body melting down into the sensation of her surges (contractions).
A visualization that came when I was talking her through one of her surges was a golden light flowing flowing into the top of mom's head, through her body, down through her baby, out the top of his head and out through her birth path. We focused on her allowing her breath to follow the path of that golden flow of energy and it seemed to really work for her. In fact, I was shocked when I checked her and found her to be almost 9 cm because by the looks of it I thought we were not progressing at all. When I asked mom about it later she said that she was also shocked because she said she felt the most relaxed and like it had not gotten more intense at all leading to that point.
Her membranes released naturally in the early morning and shortly after that she climbed into the birth tub. Again, I thought things had stopped. She was draped over the tub and her back was to me and she was totally silent. Then after about an hour, she turned around and said "this is really intense now." After that, she was pretty much silent the whole time. She was so totally inside herself.
She allowed her body to push all by itself and kept me updated about how low her baby was. Dad sat in the tub behind her, applying pressure to her back and patiently waiting. At one point, she asked if the burning feeling was ok, and I explained that it was just the stretch of healthy tissue and to allow it to stretch and open. She did.
Baby was born into daddy's hands in the water. It was so incredible. As soon as the baby heard his parents voices, his eyes popped open!! He was totally calm and alert, just looking around and taking it all in. NINE pounds three ounces!! 22 inches. No tearing! First baby. So so so so amazing. I had to share!
Blessings, Heather Hilton
www.hypnobirthingtexas.com
Congratulations to this family! Thanks, Heather, for sharing this inspiring story!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
Hi Friends,
I stood witness at the most amazing birth this morning (12/11/09). Mom took HypnoBirthing from me (and Liz) and I was her midwife. She was totally committed to a natural, peaceful, home birth. Her due date came and went...and went....and went. According to her last period she was 43 weeks on Tuesday (although when it was all said and done, baby looked more like 41 weeks).
Labor started slowly on Wednesday morning. By Wed. evening she was in active labor. She labored all Wednesday night, all day Thursday, making tiny signs of progress along the way. Labor continued into Thursday night, and mom was totally relaxed and calm. She had to be upright during her surges, and spent most of them either standing or sitting on the edge of her bed. She would drop her head and just breathe and you could see her entire body melting down into the sensation of her surges (contractions).
A visualization that came when I was talking her through one of her surges was a golden light flowing flowing into the top of mom's head, through her body, down through her baby, out the top of his head and out through her birth path. We focused on her allowing her breath to follow the path of that golden flow of energy and it seemed to really work for her. In fact, I was shocked when I checked her and found her to be almost 9 cm because by the looks of it I thought we were not progressing at all. When I asked mom about it later she said that she was also shocked because she said she felt the most relaxed and like it had not gotten more intense at all leading to that point.
Her membranes released naturally in the early morning and shortly after that she climbed into the birth tub. Again, I thought things had stopped. She was draped over the tub and her back was to me and she was totally silent. Then after about an hour, she turned around and said "this is really intense now." After that, she was pretty much silent the whole time. She was so totally inside herself.
She allowed her body to push all by itself and kept me updated about how low her baby was. Dad sat in the tub behind her, applying pressure to her back and patiently waiting. At one point, she asked if the burning feeling was ok, and I explained that it was just the stretch of healthy tissue and to allow it to stretch and open. She did.
Baby was born into daddy's hands in the water. It was so incredible. As soon as the baby heard his parents voices, his eyes popped open!! He was totally calm and alert, just looking around and taking it all in. NINE pounds three ounces!! 22 inches. No tearing! First baby. So so so so amazing. I had to share!
Blessings, Heather Hilton
www.hypnobirthingtexas.com
Congratulations to this family! Thanks, Heather, for sharing this inspiring story!
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com
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