A HypnoBirthing story--Julie & Frank

Julie & Frank took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesdays in February/March of 2011 at Babies by the Sea Boutique in preparation for baby #2. They had not taken HypnoBirthing for their 1st baby & wanted to be better prepared the second time so they could have a natural birth.

Julie wrote about her birth story on her blog.
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Congratulations to Julie & Frank! Thank you so much for sharing your birth story! Continue to enjoy your babymoon!

She had a doula to help them during their birth named Jenna Anderson. Her contact information can be found on my website's resources page.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Shelby & Will's birth

Shelby & Will took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesdays in January 2011 at Babies by the Sea Boutique.

Here is their birth story:

Hello there! I just wanted to let you know that my baby is here!!! Her name is Tenly Lu. She was born March 24 and was 7 lbs 19 inches. She is the most wonderful, perfect, beautiful baby ever!!!! I knew how great motherhood would be, but really it is even better than I could have imagined! As I'm sure you know!

I ended up having to have a planned C Section with her. She was Frank Breech, and after a week and of going to see Dr. Jack Mawer (chiropractor) twice a day to get her to turn, I just decided to go that way. My Dr. offered to do an external version, but she told me that if she turned they would induce me right away, and if she didn't turn it would be an emergency C Section. I thought long and hard and decided it would be easiest and best on both of us to just do the C Section. That way, I could be calm, well as calm as I could be.

It turned out to be the best decision I could have made! Her cord was wrapped around her neck, and if she had be able to turn, or if my Dr. had done the version, she could have been very affected!

She came out perfect and extremely alert! She was awake with her eyes wide open for most of the day! She is just so unreal!! I still don't believe she is real or mine!!!
She is now above her birth weight!! And she is eating really well. She is getting about 2.5 - 3 oz per feeding. I was in New Beginnings Boutique yesterday, and they offered me to weigh her before and after feeding to see. She is latching on really well too!!!!

So hopefully next baby I will be able to do it all natural! At least I was able to make my own choice, come to terms with a C Section and stay as calm as possible!
I would love for you to meet her!!

Thank you for everything! I look forward to your class again in the future!!
Shelby
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Congratulations to you & Will! I'm so glad that even though you had to have a C-section, you felt that the classes helped you. My ultimate goal for my classes is to have all of my clients feel in control of their birth experiences no matter where their birth journey takes them. Continue enjoying your babymoon! I'm glad that you're both doing so well!
Thank you so much for sharing your story!
All my best--Carol
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For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in your area, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner near you. If you're in the San Diego area, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to find a class time that work for you.
For more information about breech babies & ways to turn them, please visit www.spinningbabies.com.
For more information about Dr. Jack Mawer, chiropractor, please visit www.AreYouAdjusted.com.

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Bridget & Greg

Bridget & Greg took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesdays at Babies by the Sea Boutique in September 2010. Here is their birth story:

Audrey's birth story

Audrey was born on January 10th. She was 3 days late. Val Peterson was supposed to Doula but because she was at another birth (another couple from the same class!) I ended up with her back-up Doula, Annely Allen - she was really amazing.

During my birth, I had back labor. My labor went on for over 40 hours! I started having regular surges Saturday night at midnight and by 3am they seemed to close enough together to head to Scripps La Jolla hospital. In retrospect, I think I mis-timed them though. When we got to the hospital they told me I was not dilated at all! Lesson one from HypnoBirthing - don't go too early to the hospital. Luckily because I knew I didn't want to be induced, they suggested we go home. I managed to get about three hours sleep and by daybreak, the surges spaced out a bit but still were regular. We sat around and watched the playoff football games. Lesson two - walk around when you're in labor to keep things going. By Sunday night, the surges got closer together and I thought that this must be it! I was in a lot of pain and could not talk through the surges. Got to the hospital and still no dilation. By this time, we knew Annely was going to be our Doula, so she met us at the hospital. Lesson three - if you get a Doula, don't be afraid to call her early in labor. I didn't want to waste Val's time, but you're paying for their services and I wonder if help might've shortened my labor. When Annely arrived, she got me up and moving and provided the only relief I had during surges by pressing my hips together. I lost my mucous plug and thought for sure I was more dilated, but alas was only 1 cm when I went back to the hospital! Since I still didn't want to use any drugs, we went back to our house and Greg took a nap while Annely labored with me through the night. By morning, I was exhausted and writhing in pain. We got to the hospital at 7:30am and I was finally 4 cm. Hallelujah! I've never been so happy in my life! By that point, I was so fatigued from no sleep that I knew I wouldn't be able to rest up before pushing unless I had relief from the constant discomfort. (side note: I've read that back labor is more intense than normal labor and I was constantly listening to the Rainbow Relaxation and birth affirmations CD and breathing but nothing seemed to make things less intense.)

Anyhow, from there, we all slept a bit which was a relief, but of course my dilation slowed and by 3pm I was only at 7 cm, which was not as far as they wanted me to be at that point, and of course they started to threaten a C-section unless we did other things to move things along. My water hadn't broken yet so they stripped my membranes and still no more dilation so my Dr (Dr. Duhamel) called and said I either take Pitocin or they'd need to do a C-section. I finally said ok, but I did request the lowest dose possible as I had also done with the epidural as I recalled from class that you have that option. Reached 10 cm at 6:40pm and after less than an hour of pushing Audrey McKenna was born at 21 inches and 8 lbs 7 oz at 7:30pm Monday night, 12 hours after we got to the hospital by one of the midwives of Dr. Duhamel's group. I believe having a light dose of epidural (I felt surges as pressure so I knew when to push) along with my Pilates background helped. Thank goodness it went fast as the cord was wrapped twice around her neck!

I am a bit disappointed that I didn't go totally natural but I think with the length and intensity of my labor that if I hadn't taken the class I could've easily given in to inducing labor and possibly needing a C-section. I'm grateful that I had the tools and understanding to go natural for as long as possible and have as minimal drug intervention as possible. I would highly recommend hiring a Doula! I'm happy that I've been successfully breastfeeding after requesting and receiving alot of help at the hospital and Audrey is over the already robust size she was born at.

Thanks again Carol for a wonderful education on birthing! We felt quite educated through the whole experience which really helped us make decisions that gave us the best birth possible.

Bridget, Greg and Audrey :).
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Congratulations! I'm glad that you were able to have a more comfortable experience by getting the epidural. I'm sorry that you didn't the natural HypnoBirth you were hoping for. You did everything the best you could & you had your support team to help you as well. The main goal of my classes is for people to have empowered births in which they make choices based on educated, informed decisions. You did exactly that--you knew that you needed the epidural & just got a light one & that helped your birth go much easier & comfortably than it would have without having taken the classes. You're exactly right that without the classes, you probably would have ended up with a much different experience full of interventions. But you & Greg stayed in control the whole way making the best choices for you & for Audrey and that's what I call a HypnoBirth! A few people get the births like the videos. A lot of people get a natural birth that's noisier & not as calm as the videos. Some people get births like you did--not what you hoped for & needing an epidural. And a small few end up with a c-section. My hope for you is that you're able to grieve the fact that you didn't have the birth you hoped for AND that you can be proud of what you accomplished with Audrey's birth! I'm certainly proud of you & Greg & am glad that Annely could be there to support & help you since Val was with her other client.

For more information about Carol's HypnoBirthing classes, please visit www.AWellLivedLife.Net. If you are outside of the San Diego area, please go to www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner near you.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Keris & Jeff

Keris & Jeff took my Tuesday night HypnoBirthing classes at Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff in November 2010. Here's the short version of their birth story:

I am holding my sweet little boy in my lap right now- Grayson Edward. :)

He was born last week, January 13th, 2010. He tried to arrive on his due date, the 12th, but my labor stalled out...I am working on writing up my birth story and hope to have it done over the next few days.

My birthing experience was totally different in a lot of ways from anything I had envisioned, but equally beautiful and satisfying in its own right. Jeff was beyond amazing as a partner, so much so that I didn't even end up wanting the doula there with us. And the UCSD Birth Center...wow! The midwives and the nurses were all superb. I wish more people knew about that option. We were extra happy because at the last minute another midwife had to be called in as there was another woman delivering at the exact same time as me. The midwife called in happened to be the one that we had been seeing for all of our appointments and it felt so wonderful to see her familiar face.

I want you to know that your voice was distinctly in my head at a crucial moment. I remember clearly that when I was at the point where my contractions were double peaking and I was leaning into Jeff's counter pressure as hard as I could, I thought to myself that all I wanted to do was jump out of my body. I was cursing HypnoBirthing and natural birth in my head and I just wanted relief! Right then, I heard your voice telling me that when I got to the point of wanting to throw in the towel, it meant that I was almost there. I just kept focusing on that and it was not long after that they had me in the birthing tub and I was getting a break in between contractions again. I knew exactly what was happening at that point and knew that I was fully dilated and could feel the baby making its way into the birth canal. In fact, when the midwife came in to observe me and said she wanted to check my dilation, I responded with "What? Why?" (in kind of a why the hell are you bothering me voice), only because I was so aware of where I was at. She checked me and said, "Oh, you're fully dilated and I feel his head right there." "Um, yeah, I could have told you that. Now can I go back to what I was doing please?!" ;-)

Anyway, just wanted you to know that you were present at my birth in a very important way!

We have told so many people about your class and how empowering it was. Thank you again for everything.

Keris & Jeff
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Congratulations Keris & Jeff! I can't wait to hear/read the full account of your son's birth experience! I'm so glad that the HypnoBirthing classes helped you have a wonderful birth experience & that my voice came to you just when you needed it.

Enjoy your babymoon!

All my best--Carol
www.AWellLivedLife.net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Jill Ann & Ben

Hi-

Jill Ann & Ben took my HypnoBirthing classes at Babies by the Sea Boutique on Tuesdays in August 2010. There were 5 couples in that class series. All five couples had amazing births & they all become close friends. Jill Ann was the last of the five to give birth. She came to class wanting a different experience for her 2nd birth than she had with her 1st birth.

Ben and Jill Ann’s Birth Story

A little back story on my journey to a HypnoBirth:

When I found out we were pregnant with our son, I researched everything! I knew I was going to breastfeed and cloth diaper, and there was no BPA or parbens in my house but we spent very little time researching birthing options. I knew the notion of natural birth, especially since my mom had all three of us naturally, but I never even considered it. Everyone around me encouraged me to get the epidural so I just thought that was the way to go!

As my pregnancy came to an end, I was feeling miserable and huge (feelings I never had with my HypnoBirth) and as soon as I went up to my due date, I scheduled an induction for 41 weeks.

The morning of the day I was going to go in to get the cervix ripener my water broke.

It was 7:30 am and the only thing I could remember from the birth class DVD was to check the water to make sure it's clear and take a shower. It was in the shower that the fear took over. My contractions started immediately and were painful. I felt like I was going to die!

We went to the hospital right after my short shower and I was admitted right away. No joke- I had the epidural 15 minutes later and felt nothing!! It was sweet relief. I took a nap and patiently waited for them to tell me it was time to push. About 4 hours later it was time. I pushed and pushed and pushed some more!! After two hours of pushing, it was suggested that I had pushed for "the time" and now I should consider assistance or.... I was terrified of a C-section so I agreed to the vacuum and the episiotomy that came with it. My son was born 2 pushes later with the vacuum assist.

Again nothing went 'wrong' with my birth; it was a quick and easy delivery with no pain, but afterward I realized that I wanted something different for baby 2.

Before we even got pregnant, I was entertaining the idea of a natural birth in the back of my mind. When I would mention it to people they would look at me like I was crazy (kind of like when I share that I cloth diaper)! But one good friend shared her natural birth story and then I got encouragement from my midwife and then another friend shared her story. All of these women were passionate and positive about natural birth – my first exposure to something other than “get an epidural.”

I already knew I wanted Deborah Strauhal, my massage therapist, who is also a doula, at my birth and she suggested HypnoBirthing. I Googled and found lots of information including Carol's website (www.AWellLivedLife.Net)and blog. I also ordered the book off Amazon and read it before committing to class. It was Carol's blog that sold me. I already felt like part of the family before class even started.

This time around things were very different. I worked out to prepare my body, I felt great even at the very end at 41+ weeks pregnant... When my labor did start I was not afraid... In fact, I was opposite! I was excited! I was completely in control and ready for just about anything...

My recovery time was minimal and very, very easy! I was up and walking around that day and released from the hospital 32 hours after being admitted (pretty much the minimum allowed)

So here is my HypnoBirth story:



I was overdue and reluctantly scheduled for an induction on Friday (42+ weeks) and the baby was being monitored every 3 days and everything was looking great so I was not worried about the health of the baby and waiting until Friday.

I had been having practice surges for about 3 days and on Sunday (41 weeks 5 days) I experienced a sensation that was different than all of the other practice surges.

It was 2:00 in the afternoon and it was a rolling wave that took over my entire abdominal area and even brought tears to my eyes… not painful at all but it was like my body was reacting. I had another one 10 minutes later and then no more.

I was distracted after that because my 2 year old had woken from his nap. I was still experiencing surges but they didn’t seem consistent (or that I should be timing them).

Eventually, I took some time for myself and took a shower and listened to Rainbow Relaxation and Birthing Affirmations CD. I even tried to take a nap but I was too excited that I might actually be going into labor.

So, I decided to hydrate up with coconut water and Gatorade. I was trying to watch TV to keep my mind off of things but it was hard so I finally gave in and started using my ipod to time my surges.

Shortly after I felt a small gush and it was my mucous plug being released.

At this point I called my doula to give her a heads up and secured overnight care for my son “just in case” and then went about our nightly routine of eating dinner and getting my son ready for bed. I ate some apples, cheese, eggs, and toast, all washed down with lots of water!

At about 9:15 pm, I decided to go “relax” to see if I could get the surges to become more regular. At this point they were 5-6 minutes apart and lasting 30 seconds.

After 45 minutes of listening to the Rainbow Relaxation and Birthing Affirmations CD, I was feeling the surges coming on more frequent and stronger. At this point, we called our doula to come to the house. She arrived about 20 minutes later.

Once our doula arrived, things really took off. I moved onto the birth ball and laid my body over the bed. While still listening to the Rainbow Relaxation CD, my doula would massage my muscles in between surges. The massage was really helping my body truly and ultimately relax in between each surge and it was a little slice of heaven.

After about 45 minutes I felt the need to go to the hospital. I didn’t feel like I needed to push or anything, I just wanted to get there and be admitted so that I could get to my birthing room and get back into “the zone.” After calling the hospital, I took another shower and then we left. At this point my surges were 2-3 minutes apart and lasting 45-60 seconds.

When we arrived at the hospital I was 5 cm and “stretchy.” I had to be in the triage room to confirm that I was in real labor… again… I was relaxed and talking in between surges so there seemed to be a little reluctance that I was in active labor. During this time in triage I expressed that I did not want an IV, however, I ended up getting a hep lock, which was the compromise. I tried many times for no IV, but in all honesty, I didn't even care as the surges were close together and it was taking a lot of concentration just to breath and it really seemed to help the RN relax a little bit.

About 12:30 we went to our room, got a hep lock and more monitoring. I actually liked the monitoring because my 'team' could know when I was having surges. Before this, I had been holding up my finger to let them know and it was getting annoying to me… I just wanted to be still.

It felt like I was in my birthing room for minutes before I was feeling pressure (time distortion it was actually 45 minutes). I was checked and only 7cm. During this time I was laboring laying on the bed and the birth ball still listening to RR and still having light touch massage during a surge and more intense massage between surges.

Shortly after being checked at 7 cm, I was feeling claustrophobic and that I needed to escape!!!! I was breathing through my surges but I could feel that I was not relaxing and I started freaking out a bit. I was begging for someone to get me through it and MY TEAM did a good job of refocusing me and grounding me a bit (though I don't think I was actually listening to them).



Around 2:30 my body took over completely and I could feel the need to push. It was a rolling sensation in my body that I knew had to be it! As I was complaining that I had to push, the RN checked me again and of course I was 10!! At this point my membranes had still not ruptured and the baby was still -1 station but the RN gave me to go ahead to start pushing.

The RN then brought up breaking my membranes and asked if I would be interested and I was!!!! Since the midwife was delivering another baby at that exact time, my doctor was called to rupture my membranes (he was on-call). Meanwhile, I was birth breathing with every surge and ‘pop’ my membranes ruptured! Things progressed REALLY quickly after that! I literally felt the baby drop into the birth canal. At the time that my membranes ruptured it was clear that there was meconium in the fluid and her heart rate started dropping quickly!!!!

At this point I remained calm since I had faith that she was going to be okay but I also knew that I wanted to get her out as quickly as possible. I changed my position a bit (I had been lying on my side) and did the traditional 'pushing' to get her out ASAP. I pushed my body a little more that I wanted and she came out in one big woosh. I tore a bit (again didn't care) and she had to be tended by the nurses immediately, but Daddy was with her and I was still surging intensely. I delivered the placenta about 5 minutes later. Though she came out blue (the cord was wrapped around her) she pinked up immediately and she did not have any meconium in her lungs!

It was no time before I had her in my arms and she started nursing immediately!Though it got really intense at the end, I know that HypnoBirthing allowed me to remain calm and deliver my baby without any intervention.

I am so thankful that I had the support of my husband, mom, and doula and I had an awesome RN who stayed as close to our birth plan as she could.

Thank you Carol and my classmates: Brooke, Holly, Candace, and Kelly! Your support truly allowed us to have the birth that we wanted!

Audrey was born on Monday, November 29th at 2:52AM 20.5in and 9 lbs!

Thanks so much--Jill Ann


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Congratulations Jill Ann & Ben! Thanks so much for sharing your birth story! Continue to enjoy your babymoon!

For more information about Jill Ann's doula & massage therapist, please contact Deborah Strauhal via her website: www.kheya.net.

For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please contact Carol Yeh-Garner through her website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. For classes outside of the San Diego area, please go to www.hypnobirthing.com to find a practitioner near you.
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www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Kimberly & Matt

Kimberly & Matt took my HypnoBirthing classes at Babies by the Sea Boutique on Tuesday nights in March/April 2010. They originally planned to have a hospital birth but decided after a few classes that they would prefer to have a homebirth.

Here is their birth story:

Hi Carol... I wanted to share our birth story with you. My husband Matthew and I took your classes at Babies by the Sea Boutique in March/April. We were due to have our baby in mid-July but she surprised us and came about 2 mos. early!!!

While taking your classes we realized we really wanted to have a waterbirth at home and hired Gerri Ryan at your recommendation. We were soooo excited about our new birth plan and we had a wonderful pregnancy with no complications until late at night on May 16th when my water released unexpectantly. In a state of shock, I called Gerri and she told me to get to the hospital immediately. We rushed over to Scripps Encinitas where they informed me I was having contractions and all at once we lost just about all control of our situation. They gave me magnesium to stop the labor and antibiotics to prevent infection. They also gave me shots of steroids to help the baby's lungs develop since we knew she was going to be early. The magnesium kicked my butt... I couldn't even roll over in bed without assistance!!!!

It was at this time though that I realized how truly valuable the HypnoBirthing techniques are.... I was having surges the next day while laying in the hospital bed and Matt would talk me through them with visualizations. It was so amazing to see how much faster the surge would pass with his help rather than just trying to breath through them. His touch and voice truly relaxed me.I stayed at the hospital on strict bedrest for the next 10 days... on day 10 I started having surges again. This time baby was coming!

I listened to my HypnoBirthing cd through the whole birth. It was not the calm waterbirth we planned to have at our house but it was the best it could be with the situation we had to work with. Gerri could not be our midwife any longer in the hospital but she was our doula and was a great help. I used the birthing ball as best as I could with all the machines hooked up to me and Matt again used visualization and touch techniques to help me. It was an incredible experience.

The doctor and nurses continuously tried to convince us to use pitocin to induce even when I was 9 cm dialated but we held them off and were able to have a natural birth with no epidural. I was not in the ideal position and did end up doing "purple pushing" at the end but I know the HypnoBirthing techniques helped me greatly to deal with the situation and not just give in to everything they wanted to do. I was able to relax for most of the labor and never once considered not doing this naturally. I am so happy for that.

Our daughter... Samantha Rianne... was born May 26, 2010. She was over 7 wks early and had to stay in NICU for 3 wks. However she is amazingly healthy and such a calm and peaceful baby. I know HypnoBirthing really helped her to be so happy and calm. I look forward to the next pregnancy!!!

Thank you Carol :)
Kimberly M
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Congratulations Kimberly & Matt! Continue to enjoy your babymoon! I'm so glad that even though your birth didn't go exactly as planned, the HypnoBirthing techniques helped you remain calm & relaxed so you could have the best birth experience possible.

Take care & thanks for sharing your birth story!
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For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. For more information about HypnoBirthing classes outside of San Diego, please visit www.hypnobirthing.com

For more information about Gerri Ryan, LM, CPM, Kimberly & Matt's midwife, please visit www.centerfornaturalbirth.com

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Brooke & Matt

Brooke & Matt took my HypnoBirthing classes at Babies by the Sea Boutique on Tuesday nights in May/June 2010. Here is their birth story...


The birth story of Grace M

We had been given several different due dates during my pregnancy because I switched doctors; the earliest of which was Friday July 16th. So when I started having mild surges Saturday afternoon on July 10th I made the assumption it was just false labor and that I had been doing too much and needed to relax. Matt and I had a very mellow Saturday and at 3pm I took a two-hour nap, which I think was a Godsend considering what the next 24 hours held in store for me!

The surges continued all Saturday evening and around 9pm I got into bed to watch a movie and try to relax. At this point, the surges felt like typical menstrual cramps; somewhat uncomfortable but not painful. I downloaded an app on my iPhone and started to time the surges (yes, there is an app for that!!) because I knew from class the difference between false labor and real labor was whether the surges were coming in a consistent time frame for at least an hour. The surges were kind of all over the place – it would go from 10 minutes apart to six minutes back to 10 minutes, etc. This further confirmed my thinking it was just false labor. Matt came up to bed around 11pm and was surprised to find me awake and timing surges. I told him I thought it was still just false labor and we went to bed. I was able to sleep, or at least rest, between the surges until around 3am at which point I was just awake and trying to rest and remain calm since I was starting to think we had a long day ahead of us. I was listening to the rainbow relaxation CD on my iPod this entire time, which helped me stay focused on keeping my body limp and relaxed.

Around 6am on Sunday morning I could no longer stay in bed and moved to sitting on the toilet, which was comfortable and helped keep my pelvis open. This is when we called my sister-in-law Kelly (who is a midwife), and she confirmed that since the surges had been coming since Saturday afternoon, I was definitely in labor. She booked a ticket on the next flight out of San Francisco and was landing in San Diego at 10:20am. She was originally scheduled to fly down later in the week to act as our doula at the birth.

Matt drew a bath for me and I labored in the tub for about an hour while he got the bags and everything ready to go to the hospital. Around 8am we called the doctor’s office and as we expected my doctor was still on vacation so his backup called us back. She said if the pain was too much we could head to the hospital so I could receive an epidural, but if not to wait until the surges were about 4 minutes apart for an hour. The surges were fairly intense at this point, but I kept breathing through them and it really wasn’t too bad. It was actually quite an exciting time because we knew our baby was coming and everything we had been preparing for was happening!

As far as we could tell, when we called the doctor the surges were ranging from 4-7 minutes apart. We had a really hard time timing the surges because they start off mild and then get more intense and then get mild again before stopping. This being said, it was hard for me to tell exactly when they were starting and stopping which made timing them very difficult.

Around 9am, I had showered and Matt had the car loaded and everything ready to go to the hospital. We didn’t want to go to the hospital too early so I laid down on the couch and kept listening to rainbow relaxation on my iPod and trying to relax. Around 9:45am, during one of the surges my water broke while I was on the couch. At this point, the surges were ranging from 2-4 minutes apart, and now that my water had also broken we decided we should head to the hospital.

It happened that we were ready to go to the hospital at the same time my sister-in-law was landing at the airport. Rather than her having to take a cab all the way to Encinitas we decided to pick her up at the airport and then head straight to the hospital. Like I said before, our thinking had been we didn’t want to get to the hospital too early so at the time it just made sense that we’d pick her up. And since I had been laboring on the couch, the front seat of the car didn’t seem too different. ;) We live in the Kearny Mesa area so I ended up laboring in the car for about 40 minutes.

We picked up my sister-in-law at the San Diego airport at 10:20am and headed up 5 North to Scripps Encinitas hospital. During the drive, I had the front seat fully reclined and was lying on my side which felt better than on my back. My feet were up on the dash and I had the window half way down because the fresh air felt so good. I’m sure people driving by thought it was a strange scene! I was listening to rainbow relaxation on my iPod this whole time and was continuing to breath through the surges. My instincts told me I was in pretty intense labor at this point but still the surges were manageable as they don’t last that long. And the breaks between them, albeit short, were still wonderful! When we pulled up to the hospital, Matt actually asked if I had been having surges during the car ride because I had been lying there with my eyes closed and not making any noise! I kind of chuckled and said, “Yes”!

We checked into the hospital and it took some time to fill out the paperwork, etc. I declined the wheel chair they offered me because it felt much better to stand during the surges. As we got to our labor and delivery room around 11:30am I was starting to feel intense pressure like I was nearly ready to start pushing! The nurse checked me upon arrival and I was 8cm! Considering this was my first birth I didn’t really know what to expect so we were all really excited with this news! The nurse gave me a hospital gown but I had brought a robe from home that I preferred to wear which she was fine with. Once I had changed I sat on the birth ball and leaned against the hospital bed while the nurses did all the initial tests/monitoring to me. The fetal heart and contraction monitors were attached around my stomach while I sat on the birth ball. The plan had been to do the initial monitoring for 20 minutes and then have everything removed so I could move around (this never happened since things moved along so quickly). At 37 weeks I had tested positive for Group B Strep. I had been doing some natural at-home remedies, but still had to get a dose of antibiotics when we arrived at the hospital. They gave me the antibiotics while they were doing all the other initial monitoring things.

We requested the nurse check me again a little before noon because I was feeling such intense pressure and felt ready to start pushing. At this point, I was now standing next to the hospital bed doing the modified downward dog position with my hands on the bed because I could no longer stay seated on the birth ball. Once the nurse checked me again and confirmed I was to 10cm I moved onto the bed to start pushing. It was noon when I started pushing.

Right away the doctor confirmed she could see the baby’s head, and I was trying to push the head to pass under my pubic bone. After about 20 minutes of pushing and between surges the doctor checked me and then asked us when our last ultrasound had been. Both Matt and I were so confused and told her it was at 19 weeks when we had the anatomy ultrasound. After this she told that was not the baby’s head we were seeing and it was her bottom! We were all in disbelief as my doctor had confirmed at my 37-week appointment the baby was head down, and then again at my 38-week appointment the nurse practitioner had felt my stomach (because my doctor was on vacation) and also said the baby was head down. The doctor immediately suggested a c-section and we asked for a few minutes to discuss it privately. As my sister-in-law is a midwife and has delivered breech babies, we did consider trying to still do a vaginal birth, but in the end we decided to be conservative and agreed to the c-section.

Grace was in the Frank breech position, which is where her legs were straight up so her feet were at the top of my stomach and were kicking in the same area she would have been had she been head down. And then since her head and bottom are both firm, it did feel like it was her bottom at the top of my stomach. Regardless, it was disappointing her breech position hadn’t been discovered earlier so we could try some things in order for her to move positions, but in the end if she hadn’t moved we probably would have scheduled a c-section. I’m glad this didn’t happen because as crazy as it sounds, I am glad I got to experience labor as it was such an amazing experience; emotionally as well as physically. So after all of this Gracie was born at 1:05pm via c-section! She came out alert, healthy, and crying loudly!

I don’t know how I remembered, but after the c-section they were getting ready to stitch me back up and I recalled a section in Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth book that discussed the importance of having the uterus sutured in two layers rather than the one layer method which is currently popular in the situation of a c-section. I asked the doctor if she was going to sew me up in one or two layers, and after telling me they routinely do one layer, she asked if I would prefer her to do two layers. I told her I would. Per Ina May’s book, this will help the uterus stay stronger and increase the likelihood of having a successful VBAC in the future.

The doctor and nurses were all so wonderful, and we were very happy with Scripps Encinitas hospital all around. They were completely supportive of everything we wanted and were very familiar with HypnoBirthing. Everything with the baby was in-room so Grace was never out of my sight. They even brought her to me while I was still on the operating table after the c-section. I really appreciated this.

I definitely think your HypnoBirthing class helped make Grace’s labor as great as it was! Due to all the training and practice I was able to remain very calm and relaxed throughout the entire time I was laboring which I believe helped ease the pain and helped speed labor along. The doctor told me after Grace was born I would be an ideal candidate for a VBAC; something I will definitely consider when Grace gets a little sibling. And even though the c-section was an unexpected turn of events during Grace’s birth, I think taking the HypnoBirthing class helped us meet this calmly and I still have such positive memories from our birth. Thank you so much for all your support and advice throughout the pregnancy! We appreciate all that you taught us and are so glad we took your class!
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Thank you so much for sharing your story! I think it's so important for people to realize that HypnoBirthing helps in whatever situation comes up during your birth experience & that it's not "just" for natural births. It can be extremely helpful during c-sections as well.

Congratulations on the birth of baby Grace! Continue to enjoy your babymoon!

All my best---Carol Yeh-Garner
www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

For more information about HypnoBirthing, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or go to the main HypnoBirthing website at www.hypnobirthing.com.

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Danielle & Evan

Danielle & Evan took my classes early in their pregnancy in March/April of 2010 at Babies by the Sea Boutique. Their care provider was Dr. Biter, but since he didn't have OB privileges, they decided to have a homebirth.

Here is their birth announcement:

Carol,

Evan & I are proud to announce the birth of our daughter, Violet. She entered peacefully into the world via beautifully successful home water birth on July 14th at 2:20pm {after only 10 hours of labor!} It's hard to believe our little angel is already four weeks old- where does the time go?

Thank you for giving us the confidence to have our dream birth experience. We are eternally grateful.

Warmly,
Danielle & Evan S
Tuesday class @ Babies by the Sea, March 2010

Here are some pictures from their birth:

Danielle having surges in the birth pool with Evan supporting her:


Danielle receiving her baby:


Danielle relaxed after the birth:


Evan cutting the umbilical cord:


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Congratulations to you! Enjoy your babymoon & thank you for sharing your birth announcement & pictures of your birth experience! I look forward to being able to share your birth story soon!

All my best--Carol

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To learn more about HypnoBirthing in San Diego, please visit Carol Yeh-Garner's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or go to www.hypnobirthing.com.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Kristie & Michael

Kristie & Michael took my classes on Tuesday nights at Babies by the Sea Boutique in May/June of 2010.

Here is the email that they sent me to announce the birth of their baby:

Eggroll M (we actually don't have a name yet, so referring to him as his in name in utero) was born on July 8 at 3:45 pm. EVERYTHING went just as you said it would-so perfectly. We were completely prepared and excited, not scared at all! 6 lb 7 oz 19 inches. Honestly Carol, we know we couldn't have done this without you. We feel so empowered and special to have been able to have the birth experience we wanted. More details to follow, as we would love to share our incredible story with others.
smiles and hugs, Kristie and Michael M.

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Thanks so much for letting me know how your birth went! I'm glad that it went so well & look forward to hearing/reading your birth story. Thanks for letting me share your announcement. Enjoy your babymoon!

All my best--Carol

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For more information about HypnoBirthing classes with Carol Yeh-Garner, LCSW, HBCE, please visit her website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. If you live outside of San Diego County & want to find a HypnoBirthing practitioner near you, please visit the main HypnoBirthing website at www.hypnobirthing.com.
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www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Katie & Steve's HypnoBirthing C-Section

Katie & Steve took my HypnoBirthing classes at Babies by The Sea Boutique on Tues nights in May/June 2010.

We had our baby boy, Carson, 3.5 weeks early. We hired our doula Kayti Ricker one day
before going into labor. I had a mild case of polyhydramnios which means that I had
extra amniotic fluid. My Dr. did not mention that pre-term labor or labor
complications could be an issue.

I lost my mucous plug on June 27th. I thought my water broke on June 29th as I felt
a few small gushes. The Dr. told me that it was not my water breaking and that the
cramping I was experiencing was normal at this stage of the pregnancy. I was 36.5
weeks along. The Dr. sent me home. I knew something was happening but I did not know
what or when.

Soon the contractions were 15 minutes apart and then 10 and then 8. My husband and I
tried to get into bed around midnight. I was listening to Rainbow Relaxation CD but I
felt the contractions closing in on me in the bed. I had to get out of the bed and
move around. I went from the birth ball to the couch to outside etc. Moving through
my contractions and focusing on my breathing really helped. The contractions
progressed and we called our newly hired Doula. I saw a small amount of bleeding
which Kayti told us was normal. We waited at home until my contractions were 3
minutes apart and expected to have our son soon after arriving at the hospital
around 4:30 am.

Upon arrival at Grossmont hospital, they confirmed that I was 100% effaced but only 1cm dilated. I was disappointed but I needed to know a starting point for my progress.
Due to how thin my cervix was the staff said that my labor should go very quickly.
The staff finally gave up on monitoring me as my baby kept moving around and they
were losing track of his heart rate. Oh....and I refused to stay in that hospital
bed!!! It was impossible to manage my contractions while lying on my back. They
tried to tell me that the baby could be having decelerations but I knew better. They
finally agreed to do periodic Doppler monitoring. They left me so alone that I
actually had to request that they come check on the baby. I could feel Carson moving
his legs and feet trying to help along the labor. The surges were intense. I was in
and out of the shower 6 times. It was my sanctuary. I was breathing through all of
my contractions and did feel the need to make noise through each one. I experienced
time distortion and periods where I went within like you described in class. When I
would open my eyes, my husband and Doula were looking back at me. They confirmed that
several minutes had passed.

My Dr. came in to check me around 8 am and wanted to break my water. I was dilated
to 4 cm. I asked for "5 minutes to think about it" and the Dr. left and went back to
his office. He never gave me a chance to have 5 minutes. In the mean time test
results came back on my broken water (it broke on the floor of the birthing room
while I was throwing up). The tests showed that my baby's lung development was at 33
weeks. . I had to put this out of my head and focus on my labor. The Dr. no longer
wanted to break my water. When the Dr. came back to check me a few hours later I was
still at 4 cm. I continued using my breathing techniques, showering and different
positions. The Dr. came back again sometime later and the baby had moved up and was
now at a minus 2 station where he had previously been at a minus one. The baby had a
lot of water to float in and was unable to push on my cervix and help me dilate. I
remained at 4 cm. By 2 pm on the 30th I was still at 4 cm. Kayti had me try some
positions that were hard to get through due to all of the pressure but I pushed
myself to do them. Due to no sleep and a long labor that was slow to progress, I
elected to have the epidural. At this point, I had been in labor for 24 hours
completely unmedicated. It felt like my choice to have the epidural and I was glad
that I had labored naturally thus far. Once I had the epidural I was still planning
for a vaginal delivery.

My Dr. came in and told me that he was very concerned that the baby had moved up. If
my water broke (the previous break was a high leak) then it could pull the placenta
away from the wall or the cord could come out before the baby due to the large
volume of water. Polyhydramnios was the cause for these concerns. The Dr.
recommended a C-section. This was the very thing that I was trying to avoid.
HypnoBirthing and the feeling of being educated and informed helped me to stay calm.

Kayti, my Doula, called a midwife friend of hers to get a 2nd opinion. I was very
appreciative of this. It helped me to realize that the C-section was necessary. The
midwife validated the doctor's concerns. Finally, we asked everybody to leave and my
husband Steve and I weighed the risks and benefits of the C-section and made the
decision in our own time and our own way. We agreed that you do not get pregnant to
have a natural childbirth but rather to have a baby and we could not put our baby at
risk. We elected to have the C-section that the Dr. was strongly recommending. I
even asked him what he would do if it was his daughter to see if he would hesitate
but he did not. Without any hesitation he said “I would perform a C-section
immediately.”

When the decision was made about the C-section, I felt very calm and in control.
Kayti was allowed to join my husband and I in the operating room. She was there to
help carry out the rest of our birth plan. Carson came out crying with no lung
problems at all. The Dr. even had to use the vacuum because he had floated so high
up into the uterus. There was water everywhere according to my husband and the Dr.
All that extra fluid! I did not get to see my son much in the OR. My first glimpse
of him was while I was in recovery and I could see him across the room being held
by my husband who remembered to do Kangaroo Care (thank you for talking about this
in class). It was a precious site. Kayti waited with me in recovery while Steve was
with the baby.

Steve brought the baby to me in recovery. Kayti suggested that I try to breastfeed.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed but with all of the excitement and being in recovery
etc. it did not occur to me that this was an appropriate time. The nurse allowed it
and Carson started trying to nurse.

Looking back I would not have changed a thing. I am so glad that I prepared for a
natural HypnoBirth and had hired a Doula. I felt very educated and in control. It
was wonderful to experience and manage REAL LABOR! I am confident that had my labor
been able to progress and there were no risks that I absolutely could have had the
natural childbirth that I was hoping for.

Besides the baby being healthy, the important thing is that it felt like it was our
birth and our decisions despite the fact that it did not go as planned. Thank you
for everything. Our son is healthy and weighed 6 lbs 7 oz and was 18.5 inches long.
We are adjusting to new parenthood and the lack of sleep! Our son is healthy and
beautiful!!

Katie and Steve P.
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Thank you so much for sharing your story, Katie & Steve! I'm so sorry that your birth didn't go as planned & that you had a c-section. I'm glad that the HypnoBirthing classes helped you feel in control & informed every step of the way. My ultimate goal in teaching HypnoBirthing classes is to inform & educate my clients so that no matter where their birth journey takes them, they feel as in control as possible & make choices based on fact not fear.

For more information about HypnoBirthing in San Diego, please visit my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. If you are outside of San Diego, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com for more information & to find a practitioner in your area.

For more information about Kayti Ricker, Katie & Steve's doula, please visit her website at www.mysandiegodoula.com.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing baby #2 for Sarah & Troy

Sarah & Troy took my HypnoBirthing classes for baby #1 in May 2008. She had her baby at UCSD Birth Center & had a wonderful HypnoBirth. You can listen to her 1st birth experience at http://www.pregtastic.com/sarahs-birthing-story/.

Sarah contacted me a few months back to arrange for a private refresher class in preparation for baby #2. She & Troy came to my office in May for a 1 1/2 hour session. We talked about the fears & concerns they had about birth & becoming parents & reviewed key points about HypnoBirthing to help Sarah feel confident about what techniques to use & how to use them during her 2nd birth experience. Then I did a hypnosis session with them--a fear release & a birth rehearsal imagery. They left feeling really relaxed, excited & confidnet about their upcoming birth experience.

Here is their birth story:

Crash! Boom! BAM!

My labor started Saturday night at straight-up Midnight. It was pre-labor so it was random in both time and intensity, so I just stayed quietly in bed and thought about millions of things. I carbo-loaded and hydrated all Saturday like I was getting ready to run the 2010 Rock-n-Roll Marathon. I packed the remaining items in my hospital bag and walked the dog. I spent as much time as I could Saturday meditating, listening to my HypnoBirthing CD and relaxing.

By late afternoon I knew Saturday was not the day of my baby’s birthday. However, when I woke on Sunday I knew that birth was sooner than later, because I called Alma (my Mother’s Helper) in the morning for her to watch Miss Riley that day. The pre-labor continued with the surges/contractions gradually increasing in strength. Timing was still random, but even with eating a ton of carbs and drinking more Smart Water than all the marathoners combined, the surges/contractions strengthened.

We went to the grocery store late in the afternoon and it was all I could do to make it through the store or even to the front doors. I went to bed around 8:00pm to meditate and listen to my HypnoBirthing CD. Troy laid down with me and I was squeezing his hand when the contractions started and stopped. From there, I lost track of time. Alma was called to watch Miss Riley for the night and Kayti (Kayti Ricker my bad-ass doula) was called to come and assist us with the birth.

Kayti arrived around 11-11:30ish pm and she got me out of bed to finish the deed! I lunged, yes, the workout routine move, around the house until I could do no more. After the lunges, we just walked until I could not walk anymore. I kept eating and drinking until I could do no more. Then it was time to head to UCSD Birth Center and we left the house around 2:45ish am. At 3:10am I was checked in at 6cm, fully effaced, -1 station and at 4:00am Colby Cash was born.

My labor was beautiful! Troy was my king and was so perfect. Kayti was awesome and without her, there is no way I could have had such a great labor. It was a perfect HypnoBirthing experience. Full on relaxation, meditation and assisting my little Colby during labor.

Now this is where the story takes a twist in the wrong direction. Colby hit the tile floor because I shot him out like a rocket. No pushing whatsoever! In 55 minutes from the time the midwife checked me Colby was on the floor. There was no midwife or nurse in the room to catch him. Kayti tried her best to catch the slippery fella but was not in the right position. She did break his fall, thank goodness. I was standing at the side of the bed…remember I was doing my best to dance him out. To describe it better, I was doing a modified downward dog at the side of the bed since my hands were on the bed and my feet were on the floor.

From the floor, he went to have a CAT scan of his head due to the bump and precautions. All Monday, we were in the NICU for observation and everything turned out wonderful. Colby is healthy baby boy and can take a licking with the best of them. Even the best plans and preparations along with the best labor cannot predict birth.

I used deep relaxation, breathing, meditation and the power of positive thinking to help me have my amazing birth experience. Thank you, Carol, for teaching me HypnoBirthing.
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Wow! I've heard of babies sliding out quickly without minimal (or any) pushing, but never shooting out! Congratulations Sarah & Troy & big sister, Riley! Enjoy your babymoon & thanks so much for sharing your birth story!

For more information about Kayti Ricker, local San Diego doula, please contact her via her website at www.mysandiegodoula.com.

For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please contact Carol Yeh-Garner via her website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or call her at 858-837-1259. It is recommended that you take HypnoBirthing classes sometime between your 5th & 7th month of pregnancy. Carol has openings in her upcoming July & August class series held at Babies by the Sea Boutique & Indigo Dragon Health & Wellness Center. Please contact her for more information.

If you are outside San Diego & would like more information about HypnoBirthing, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner in your area.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing birth story

Alana & John took my Tuesday night classes in January 2010 at Babies by the Sea Boutique. Here is her birth experience:

My Birth Experience

On Sunday morning March 7th I lost my mucus plug so I knew I was on track since I was due March 22nd and all the books say that Labor will start within 24hrs to 2 weeks. I never thought that while I was at work Monday morning March 8th at about 11am that my water would break. I called my Husband, John, at his work and let him know that I had felt some water release but I wasn’t having any contractions yet so I was going to work another hour and then head home. I got home around 12:15pm and decided to try and take a walk to start getting some contractions going.

After an hour of walking nothing had changed. I went home to lie down and relax. I watched some TV while John gathered everything we needed and packed up the car. I had contacted my doctor’s office and let them know my water had broken and since I had tested positive for GBS they instructed me to go to the hospital as soon as I was ready. I decided to take my time since I wasn’t feeling anything yet. I took a warm bath and just thought about the process ahead of me and told myself to remain calm and focus although I was very anxious and excited all at the same time.

On the way to Scripps Encinitas I stopped by an acupuncture clinic to get an induction treatment to help progress my surges. The acupuncturist also showed John & myself some pressure points that would be useful to press on when I started feeling an intense surge. We arrived at Scripps at about 7:00pm, with our arms full of bags, exercise ball, a yoga mat and pillows. It was a strange feeling arriving there without feeling as if I needed to be there since I still wasn’t feeling any signs of labor.

I got lucky and it was a slow night so I had a nurse all to myself who was very supportive in honoring my birth plan and allowing me to voice exactly what I wanted to take place. She was in total agreement with me in allowing me to be free of being hooked up to anything. After my initial 20 mins of monitoring I was allowed to be unhooked. My initial measurement when I arrived was 1 cm. There were contractions that I was having but they were erratic and not consistent and I could not feel them. By 9:00pm my doctor came in and let me know that they were going to start Pitocin since it had been awhile since my water had broken and they were worried about risk of infection with the baby.

I stayed very firm with my ideas of having a natural birth without any drug interventions. The doctor insisted that something be done and after Pitocin was suggested she offered Cervadil to be placed on my cervix but she did explain that the disadvantage was that once the Cervadil was on it could not be taken off. I again stayed firm and asked if there was anything else or if we could please give my body more time since I was already on IV antibiotics. The Doctor then came up with an idea of what she called a Foley Ball and asked the nurse if they had the right equipment available for it. The nurse said they did.

The Doctor was then very thorough in explaining to me exactly what was going to happen. Basically it is a tube that at one end they fill with water to form a ball that is about 2 inches in diameter. The tube is first inserted in your vagina and then filled up with water. The ball then puts pressure on your cervix to cause it to contract. There are no real side effects for you or the baby and once you are dilated to anywhere from 4-6cm the ball becomes loose and is taken out. There is the discomfort of having the remaining part of the tubing hanging out of your vagina the nurse was able to tape it to the side of my leg so I was able to walk around easier.

As soon as the Foley Ball was inserted and filled with water and placed directly on my cervix I started feeling surges and they were becoming more frequent and consistent. The doctor did let me know that if I had not progressed in the time that she wanted that I still would have to get Pitocin, in my mind I just figured that we would talk about that if it came up but I was going to get through it without the Pitocin. By 12:00am midnight I had opened another cm and I was at 2cm so they let me keep going at around 3:00am John and I took a walk all around the hospital for about an hour. By then I had progressed to about 4cm. The doctor was happy with my results so she said there was no reason to administer Pitocin which I was very happy about.

Periodically I would take showers, which felt great. I would sit on the birthing ball in the shower and let the warm water fall on me having John or my Mom rub my back with gentle touch massage. I would walk around the room, sit on the ball bracing my arms on the bed and sometimes just laid in bed listening to my Rainbow Relaxation CD and at times felt so relaxed that I would fall asleep. Even while not listening to the CD I kept positive thoughts in my head and John was encouraging letting me know I was doing great. Also breathing helped a lot I took long slow relaxing breaths.

At around 10:00am I was at 6cm dilated and my surges were getting pretty close together and definitely intense. The Foley Ball was removed and it was nice to not have the tubing taped to my leg. This was the most difficult time for me with the intensity of the surges in my back, at one point I looked at John and told him I wasn’t sure how much longer I could do this for. He let me know with words of encouragement that everything was going great & that I was doing a great job. I got in the shower to help with the intensity of the surges. Again John and my Mom took turns rubbing my back and I also used some of the pressure points to help with the intensity. It felt so good in there and time had gone by that the nurse said it had been an 1hr and ½ and they needed to check me. I was in shock when she said that I was at 9 ½ cm and was looking good but still needed to go a little longer and she was going to let the Doctor know to come to the hospital. She also said not to push and she would be back. Of course as soon as she left & John had just gotten back from the cafeteria I felt as if I needed to push and I told John to call the nurse.

The nurse came back in because they had lost the fetal heart rate and I told her that I needed to push and the baby was coming. She let me know that I still had more time to go and that the Doctor was on her way. I said "no, I really need to push, can you check me again?". So she went ahead and did and within those few minutes I had already gone to 10cm and was ready so she said that I could go ahead and push. This was the easy part for me, it just felt like the urge you have when you need to go the bathroom. I could no longer feel the contractions...just the anticipation of seeing my baby for the first time and seeing if it was a boy or a girl. That was at about 11:50am and after pushing for about 20 minutes we had a beautiful baby boy.

Kai William was born at 12:07pm he was 7lbs. 9oz. and 21 inches long. Both the doctor and nurses were great at honoring what I had asked. John was able to announce the sex of the baby since it was a surprise, and cut the cord after waiting until it stopped pulsating. My placenta came out very easy with little effort on my part and the doctor said that I had torn just a little that there was really no need for stitches but put 2 small ones in.

Overall my experience was great. I really feel that taking the Hypnobirthing classes allowed me to find a state of relaxation to help cope with the discomfort of what I was feeling. When it came down to it the 2 things that helped the most were the warm water of the shower while sitting on the exercise ball and listening to the Rainbow Relaxation CD while laboring and also every night before I went to bed to help mentally prepare myself for the birthing process.

By taking your classes both my husband and I were able to feel very knowledgeable about what was to happen at our baby's birth. For me personally, much of what I was fearful about was the unknown since this was my first baby. The classes helped educate us in a calm and interactive way allowing us to ease into and inform us of what we were going to experience as opposed to being told what a scary and painful experience giving birth is. We went into it anxious and excited for it to happen and to meet our baby. The breathing and self hypnosis exercises allowed us to really prepare and envision what was going to occur, which I found very invaluable. Listening to the Rainbow Relaxation CD every night before bedtime really helped me stay focused and relaxed while in labor. I would definitely recommend taking Carol's HypnoBirthing classes and plan on taking them again next time we get pregnant.

I hope this information is useful to your new and prospective students!

Alana
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Thanks for sharing your birth story! I want to add that Alana called me after her water had released & nothing was really happening. I suggested to her that she rest, relax, have her husband read some hypnosis scripts to her while in the bathtub & that she see if she could get an induction acupuncture session in on her way to the hospital. I always suggest to my clients to call me if they have any last minute questions & am so glad when they do.

Congratulations Alana & John! Enjoy your babymoon!

All my best--Carol

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

A HypnoBirthing story

Laura Fairchild, the co-owner of Babies by the Sea Boutique, took my Tuesday night HypnoBirthing classes with her partner, Eric, in April 2009. Here is the story of their son's birth:

Linda Goldsmith, my doula, did a birth timeline for me that I would like to share. She documents Rion’s birth story so well. What I would like to add is how much HypnoBirthing helped me so I will explain a little before sharing Linda’s timeline. Once my surges started, I listened to the rainbow relaxation CD and I was very calm. I had listened to the CD before bed during the course and for the month after the course prior to the birth. When in labor, I never felt nervous or scared. I knew that everything that was happening was supposed to happen and was normal. I felt like I really went inside myself and was able to focus on my breathing techniques and visualization exercises. No one else really existed outside of me. My partner, having taken the class with me, was also very calm and knew what to expect and how to support me throughout the labor. Linda, my doula, was also well versed in HypnoBirthing.

We labored at my house for some time then went to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital we put the CD in and continued our practices. There wasn’t ever a time the thought of drugs or an intervention entered my mind. I was totally at ease. I did feel pain but my body surrendered to it and it did not make me tense or uncomfortable. It was so pure and real and after the delivery I was very awake and clear. I truly experienced and felt every moment of the birthing process and best of all my body did exactly what it was supposed to do. Without the HyponoBirthing I feel I would have been nervous, unfocused, anxious, scared, frustrated, and in uncomfortable pain. I am very proud of our birth story.

Here is Rion’s birth story told from my doula’s point of view:

Laura Fairchild
Baby: Rion - boy
Scripps Encinitas
Physician: Dr. Biter

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

3:30 a.m. Laura had a spontaneous rupture of membranes (SROM) in the middle of the night.

7:20 a.m. She called me to tell me the news. She said she was still leaking a lot of water, soaking six pads thus far. I told her that she should probably reposition baby so that baby was better lined up for exit and also acting as a cork for all that gushing fluid. I suggested she lay upside down on a decline. She did it once and it didn’t really change anything. She did it a 2nd time and it seemed to work. No more tons of water coming out.

8:45 a.m. I called and she said surges were starting. I suggested I come over around 9:30 a.m. She agreed.

9:30 a.m. I arrived. Laura was standing and leaning on her bed. She was breathing very well and talkative, so I knew she was in early labor on her way to active labor. Her surges were every 5 minutes and 20 seconds long.

9:35 a.m. Eric arrived and immediately jumped into to a supportive, helpful role.

9:45 a.m. Laura’s labor intensified. Her labor support team was now there, so this did not surprise me. I sent a text message to Dr. Biter letting him know what was going on as he was in a business meeting in downtown San Diego. I had Laura rock her hips in a figure eight to help get baby in a good position and as a coping technique. I showed Eric the double hip squeeze and he did that while I massaged her scalp and applied cold washcloths to her body that was heating up perfectly. Laura continued to labor very well and her journey was intensifying.

10:20 a.m. I sent Dr. Biter another text…. “3 minutes apart and 30 seconds long, doing great.”

10:35 a.m. Dr. Biter sent a text back… “Should I leave San Diego now?” I sent a text back… “Yes.”

10:40 a.m. Dr. Biter called me and offered to come to Laura’s home to do a pelvic check. I thought it was a great idea and a very kind offer. Laura continued to labor effectively and with great confidence, staying calm and relaxed and focusing on her hip movement and breathing.

11:00 a.m. Dr. Biter arrived. Laura was laboring beautifully and Dr. Biter was observing.

11:15 a.m. Dr. Biter did a pelvic exam and she was 7 – 8 cm dilated, a little more on one side than the other. We suggested that she do some lunges on the low table, which she did for about 20 minutes. Dr. Biter went to go change clothes and said he’d meet us at the hospital when we were ready to go.

11:35 a.m. Laura’s labor was getting stronger and stronger. I really felt like it was time to go. I suggested that to Laura and she agreed.

11:40 a.m. We left for the hospital. Laura’s two sister and mothers were following along.

11:50 a.m. We arrived at the hospital. Laura was still surging very well. The plan was to get a pelvic exam to get officially admitted, then go from there based on the information we were given. She did her standing and leaning against the hospital bed. Jenny was taking some beautiful labor shots.

12:15 p.m. Dr. Biter did the pelvic exam. He said she had “a little more work to do”. I suggested the shower and she agreed. She was in there for 30 minutes. Dr. Biter went and got her a popsicle. Eric and I supported her while she was in the shower. Eric still had her hips and I sprayed the water all over her body and gave her words of encouragement.

12:45 p.m. Dr. Biter suggested she get out of the shower which she did. She went to the bed and began pushing. She only had to push for one hour with a first baby. Her two sisters and her mom were a great cheer squad for her!

1:48 p.m. Calm Baby Rion was born! He was just perfect! He had a very peaceful first hour of life, just resting on mama’s breast, making eye contact with her, hearing her heartbeat, licking at her nipple, and falling asleep. An hour later he breastfed.

2:50 p.m. Everything was perfect and it was time for the family to be alone with their newest, most precious member. I took my leave.


DOULA’S NOTES
This was a wonderful birth! Laura did a great job of staying calm and relaxed. Eric did a great job of supporting her during the labor. Dr. Biter was so kind and gentle. Her family was over the moon with pride at what Laura was accomplishing before their very eyes.

I knew Laura would do well. She is a very focused individual and very loving and caring mother who I knew wanted the best journey for her baby’s birth. She gave that to him on his birth day. What a gift! It was an honor to be a part of it all.

By Linda Goldsmith
Birth Doula
760-633-3344

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Thank you, Laura, for sharing your birth story! Thanks to Linda Goldsmith for such a great overview of her birth!

Just a little interesting tidbit--Laura met Dr. Biter (who co-owns Babies the the Sea Boutique with her) during her pregnancy & it was at this time that Babies by the Sea Boutique was created!

http://www.awelllivedlife.net/

http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/

A HypnoBirthing story for a 3rd baby

Christina & Simon took my HypnoBirthing classes in November 2009 at Babies by the Sea Boutique. Christina's previous births were vaginal but traumatic & long. They both found the classes to be calming & helpful during Christina's pregnancy. They birthed at Scripps Encinitas Hospital with the help of Dr. Capetenakis/Dr. Cap, partner of Dr. Biter, and Christina's friend & doula, Donna Hooyen.

Birth story- Brodie Louis

Sorry it’s choppy and written badly! I copied notes from my phone that I had been keeping then tried to re-write it the best I could with three boys in the house.

Tuesday, December 8th – We had Rubio’s for dinner, while eating I started feeling constant back aches then started having contractions for three hours about 15 minutes apart. I decided to go to bed after they slowed down. I was able to sleep.

Wednesday, December 9th- woke up at 7 with contractions, started timing them around 7:30, I called my mom and doula to give them a heads up. Contractions were 8-9 minutes apart. Donna, my doula, said Simon, my husband, should come home to be with me and the boys. My Mom was already at my house and made food and helped with the boys all day. Simon worked from home and ran errands for things we needed. Contractions started getting painful in the front and back mid-morning. I took a walk around our neighborhood with my mom and kids around 11, contractions were more intense on the walk. Relaxed all day, called Dr. Cap at 2:30pm, he said to rest, drink fluids, eat, continue to do what Donna said to do. He said there was no need to be checked and if the contractions hold at this pattern, I might want to take an ambien to sleep and restart the system if that’s what my body needed. I didn't time the contractions all day as I didn’t want to dwell on it, some felt further apart towards the end of the day. I had more intense contractions at night but took the ambien before 9pm and was out like a light. I woke up at midnight and Simon had to help me to get to the restroom, I was so out of it. Apparently, he had brought Bennett (our extremely loud 2 year old) into our room around 9:15pm to give him a bath and say goodnight to me and I didn’t hear a peep.

Thursday, December 10th- woke up at 3am to contractions, noticed they were about 6 minutes apart so I started timing them around 5:30am- they were at 6-7 minutes and then started growing to 8-10 minutes apart but seemed to be more intense. I texted my mom and Donna at 6:45am- my mom called right after I texted her and said she was coming up to the house, Donna said we’re just waiting to kick into active labor (5 minutes apart) and out of early labor which is what had been going on, she explained the benefits of going slow (getting Brodie and me ready at a nice pace, increasing the endorphins). Then around 10:00am the contractions started getting weaker. Just as they started to die down, Dr Cap’s office called to check in on me. I told the nurse what had been going on and she put me on hold to relay the information to Dr. Cap. He then said he wanted me to come in to be checked and to check on Brodie after a day and a half of contractions. We arrived at the office at 11:15am. Dr Cap checked and I was a little disappointed to hear that I was still at 2cm! (This is what I was at the week before) He said he could try and stretch me if I wanted or we could leave things be and let nature take its course, we decided to leave things be. I ended up crying at the end of the appointment and I started to get discouraged. After we got home, I took a shower and slept for two hours. At that point, the contractions were almost completely gone. I called Donna when I woke up and voiced my concerns and discouragement. She explained the contractions did and were doing something, and it’s not just my cervix that needs to get ready, I began to feel better. Both Simon and my mom were working from the house and Hunter went with my dad for the day. Just as my mom put Bennett down for a nap, I got up and she made me some lunch. After an uneventful afternoon, Hunter came home and my parents left for their Christmas parties. I ended up cleaning up the house a little bit while Simon and Hunter played Wii. I called Donna again and she suggested Simon and I get away just the two of us, do something relaxing and quiet. My brother’s girlfriend came over after dinner and watched the boys while Simon and I went to Starbucks. We sat and drank decaf coffee and chatted for about an hour before heading home. After the kids went to bed, Simon lit candles, put on some soft music and gave me a massage. He then read some HypnoBirthing scripts to me, turned on my Rainbow Relaxation CD (as we did every night) and I fell asleep around 10:30pm. I woke up quite often that night and had a really hard time getting out of bed on my own.

Friday, December 11th- I was able to sleep in till 10:00am, woke up to no contractions. I went into the Dr’s office around 11:00am to leave a urine sample (which I forgot to do the previous day and to be checked for an UTI). I had an acupuncture appointment at 12:30pm and started having a few Braxton hicks contractions shortly after the appointment began. The contractions stopped and I cleaned up the house a bit, did laundry then went to dinner with my parents, Simon and the kids. We went to an Italian restaurant and I had an eggplant entrée, recommended by my acupuncturist. I then had one very strong contraction in the car on the way home and started feeling a little sick to my stomach. Around 8:30pm I had three contractions, and then they stopped. Shortly after that, I was feeling a lot of extreme pressure very low. I broke down shortly before going to bed so Simon did some light touch massage and we listened to the Rainbow Relaxation CD just before going to bed. I had a few contractions that night but was able to go back to sleep albeit a very anxious sleep.

Saturday, December 12th-Woke up around 8:45am and listened to the HypnoBirthing Birth Affirmations portion of my CD. I called my mom and Donna to update them on my morning and then my friend/neighbor and her daughter came over to play for a little bit. I felt very emotional and tired and did not want Simon to leave the house. I felt like I wasn’t able to take care of the kids on my own. I started having thoughts of my mom and Simon having to go back to work soon and was feeling a little bit of pressure from them (I’m sure it wasn’t intentional) since they had been away from their respective offices for days at this point. I was worried about taking care of the kids and how I would deal with them if I did start labor quickly with no one around. I ended up sitting on the couch with some tea, relaxing while Simon got some work done upstairs and the boys played in the playroom. I put Bennett down for a nap and then took a 20 minute nap myself. My mom came up and took Hunter shopping, Simon went into the office and I watched TV. When my mom returned, she made me some eggs and we talked for a little while before she went home. I thought Bennett was awake so I went to get him up from his nap but he wasn’t fully awake when I got him out of his crib. He was very clingy and ended up falling asleep on my chest on the couch for a little over 15 minutes. It was such a warming feeling. I decided to go over the HypnoBirthing class information while the boys were playing with Simon in the playroom and that’s when I realized that I needed to hear the Balloon script. I felt like I was holding onto feelings which were preventing my labor from starting. I started thinking about what possible fears and thoughts I could be holding onto and came up with quite a few. I was physically ready for Brodie but I wasn’t quite emotionally or mentally ready for some reason. I felt bad for Bennett for being so young still; I was but wasn’t ready to be up all night and hadn’t thought about nursing a new baby yet. I selfishly wanted more time but I knew he was ready, my body was ready and it was “time” for him to be here. I began to swell pretty badly (which started a few days ago at this point) so after talking to Donna, I sent Simon out to Walgreen’s to get some Epsom Salt. He came back with a candy bar and two cartons of salt. I ate my candy bar while sitting on the birth ball and finished going over the HypnoBirthing information. I then went upstairs and soaked in the salt bath and thought of these fears I was having- I decided to change these fears into thoughts about how Brodie was meant to be here and how I am ready physically, emotionally, material wise and how his presence has made Simon and my marriage and relationship stronger and how he has opened up our lives to new and exciting things, people and experiences.

Sunday, December 13th-Woke up at 1:30am with bad acid reflux and continued to wake up every hour after that. I was up for the day at 9:30am but stayed in bed till 10:30am. I ate some breakfast then we all jumped in the car. We drove to Downtown Encinitas and took the boys on a walk down 2nd Street. We all came home, I ate a spicy burrito and drank some coffee, and we all watched the Chargers game. During the game, I noticed that Brodie wasn’t moving a lot so I rested on my left side on the couch while playing on the computer. I then noticed a cold sensation across my entire abdomen. I decided to take a shower to relax and realized that my belly was extremely low. After my shower, I hung out with the boys for a little over 4 hours while Simon went into the store. I just about went crazy! I didn’t have a single contraction all day and then they started up while Simon was away. By 8:00pm, I was shaking. I couldn’t tell if it was from the contractions and the pressure or if it was from being with the kids. I started timing them as soon as Simon returned home and they were 10-13 minutes apart. I was sure labor was about to start so I called my mom and my aunt Jacquie (who was planning on watching the kids). I decided to wait an hour and then update them again. An hour went by and I told them to stay put and I would call them if they got any closer together. By 11:00pm, the contractions started slowing down again. Simon read the balloon script again before I went to bed and then worked in the dark bedroom on his computer while I attempted to go to sleep. I was having really bad heartburn, it was very hard to sleep.

Monday, December 14th-I ended up waking up at 7:10am due to an appointment I had with Dr Cap. My mom came up and took me to my appointment which was at 8:30am. We found out that Dr Cap was out sick so I would be seeing Dr Biter. We waited around but Dr Biter was at a delivery so the office girls said they would call my cell phone when he was on his way back to the office. My mom and I went to Einstein’s and I got a Bagel sandwich with egg and cheese. She got Wahoo’s but I didn’t want to eat Mexican food for some reason. We then walked around Target but decided we didn’t need anything so we headed home. I spend some time with the kids before Simon took them to the office with him to get a few things done and get them lunch. My mom and I went to Trader Joe’s to get groceries and just as we were about to check out, the Dr’s office called. We grabbed the last few things we needed and checked out as fast as we could- bagging our own groceries because it was so busy! I stayed in the car while Simon and my mom unloaded the car and then my mom and I were off to see Dr Biter. He ended up checking me and I was at 5cm! While checking me, my water broke and flooded the exam room!! There was so much fluid that it wouldn’t stop. I was trying to clean up to leave the office and my mom and I ended up laughing so hard that I then started peeing. I couldn’t tell if it was fluid or pee, which made us laugh even harder! Dr Biter was pretty positive we would be having a baby by the end of the day/night and we talked about when to go to the hospital and when to call him. We cleaned up as much as we could- me and the room and then headed home. I called Simon right when we got in the car and told him what had happened. He immediately got that smile in his voice and the excitement began! We called my dad, Jacquie, Donna and then I texted the few people I was updating over the past few days (like my sister, brothers, close friends). Jacquie, Donna and my dad all seemed to arrive around the same time- which was about 4:30pm. My dad stayed for a few hours then took Hunter to stay the night with him. After getting home, I took a shower and waited for everyone to arrive and for things to start. My mom made eggs for everyone (yes, her eggs are delicious) and the contractions started getting regular. I spent most of my time upstairs in my dim bedroom on the birth ball. I was relaxed, confident and happy it was time! Simon was downstairs with Bennett early on and Donna and my mom stayed with me upstairs, keeping me relaxed with light touch massage and positive comments. Donna noticed my belly was really far out/forward and really low so she climbed up in the garage and grabbed a bolt of my fabric. Simon was thrilled that all the fabric I was storing was getting some use. She cut a large piece off and tied it around my belly to keep Brodie more “inward”. I was still leaking quite a bit so I tucked a towel in under the fabric and we were all joking around- saying I looked like a Sumo Wrestler. Laboring at home was the most normal feeling thing ever. I really enjoyed being around my family and the kids. I continued to labor in my room, coming downstairs a few times to snack and visit with everyone. I started to feel like I had to concentrate more around 8:00pm. I decided I was comfortable enough to stay home just a little while longer and say goodnight to Bennett. Simon brought Bennett upstairs around 8:45pm and gave him a bath in our bathroom. I was able to get up between contractions and put Bennett to bed (Simon stayed close to the door in case I needed him). Right after putting him to bed, Simon called our neighbor, Camille, and she came over to sleep on the couch while Bennett was sleeping. Simon took our car, I went with my mom, Donna drove her car and Jacquie followed up the rear. On the way to the hospital, I noticed my contractions had slowed down after getting in the car. I remembered learning in my HypnoBirthing class that this does happen so I didn’t worry too much about it. I wasn’t timing my contractions at home (Donna, Simon and my mom were) so I wasn’t positive about how far apart they were at this point anyway. I believe they were around 5 minutes apart before we left. We parked at the hospital and I decided to walk across the parking lot and into the hospital. About half way there, I realized how cold it was outside and how I should have let them drive me to the door. We were buzzed into Labor and Delivery and we walked to the check in desk. I got frustrated when they couldn’t find my pre-registration packet but shortly after those feeling of frustration hit me, I decided to let it all go. Eventually they found my information and Simon asked that we get a nurse that was experienced with natural birthing. They ended up giving us the charge nurse, Lydia. Little did I know just then how wonderful this little handed woman would be.
Lydia took us down the hallway into our room. I was hooked up to the monitors and sat on the bed then the birthing ball while being monitored and while Lydia asked me a bunch of questions. I remember thinking- I wrote all these answers in my pre-registration papers, why do I have to answer them again? Luckily, I was relaxed and comfortable enough that it didn’t bug me too much. The baby looked great, I did a really good job of not looking at the monitor and reading my contractions (or trying to time or see how far apart they were, I think I looked at the monitor once or twice the entire labor). It was really freeing… not being stuck in bed, not being so bored and confined so that that my wandering eyes peered over to the monitors to see how “big and strong” that last contraction was or how baby’s heart rate was doing, like I did in my last two births. In fact, I didn’t time or pay attention to a single contraction once Donna arrived at the house earlier that day. Lydia finished her round of questions and then it was time to check me, the required admission check. It wasn’t a big deal until it began. This wonderful, albeit little handed, nurse did not make the process of “checks” and easy one. Her outer fingers/knuckles would bang against my pubic bones and man, did that hurt! Yes, hurt. I then learned that I was 5 centimeters. The lights were dimmed and we were left alone for about a half an hour and during that time, Dr Cap called my cell phone and left me a message (which I didn’t hear for a few more hours). I hope I can keep that message forever cause it’s the most positive, uplifting message I have ever heard. He encouraged me to stay positive, take a walk, keep relaxing… and mentioned how excited he was to help catch our 3rd baby boy. Simon was also conversing with Susie (our wedding photographer and friend that was going to take pictures of the birth process) about when to come and where to go. Jacquie then told me that Melanie, her daughter and my best friend, was also on her way. Melanie is also a photographer but I had wanted her to be there as family and not as a photographer- she brought her camera anyway. I kept breathing through contractions, mostly sitting on the birthing ball as that was the most comfortable position for me at that time. Donna, my mom and Simon took turns doing light touch massage through each contraction all while telling me how great I was doing. The reassurance and positive words really helped me focus and relax. Simon turned on the instrumental music from the rainbow relaxation CD which helped me relax even more. I didn’t want anything but that playing softly in the background. My mom, Donna and Jacquie went to the cafeteria for some snacks and coffee and brought me back a bagel with cream cheese. After my first bite, Lydia walked back in to let me know that Dr Cap was on call to come in when we needed him and to ask even more questions. I was shocked that she mentioned Dr Cap as I thought he was out sick. I even made her repeat herself and mentioned that I didn’t want him to come in if he was sick! (Turns out he wasn’t contagious, just something he ate). I also didn’t know if it was ok to eat or not so I sat there with the bagel on the bed in front of me and looked at Donna with a little bit of a smile and concern. Lydia then asked me when the last time I ate was… look at the bagel and said “oh, now.” It wasn’t a big deal after all, so I dug back into the bagel which was no longer warm. I didn’t care, I was just hungry! I also kept up with drinking my electrolyte drinks and emptying my bladder. I didn’t seem to have any problems with that as I was hungry, thirsty and boy did it feel good to empty my bladder from time to time. Sitting on the toilet also brought on some pretty intense contractions and I welcomed them knowing we were getting closer and closer. I was still very comfortable, almost like I was in a blur… I remember lots of little things but the entire process seems like it was a dream. I wasn’t aware of all the medical mumbo jumbo, how far dilated I was, what my contractions were doing, etc… I was tuning into my body and listening to my gut and my heart. I remember my husband eating a Snickers bar and joking around with the camera in my face. I remember flipping him the bird with a smile (as a joke) after a contraction ended (we also have that on camera and in print), I remember napping between contractions for a little over an hour, I remember seeing a stack of unwritten Christmas cards on the table next to my bed and only now do I know that Jacquie was writing her Christmas cards throughout the night. I just don’t seem to remember when all those little details happened, like at what time. I just know they happened at some point during this “dream” of mine. It was nearing the next day when Dr Cap arrived. Lydia had checked me once more before his arrival and I only remember this because of her hands! Susie, Melanie, my mom and Jacquie were all trying to get as comfortable as possible and get a short nap in. At that point, I was becoming hot and cold and couldn’t figure out what my body temperature was doing although it didn’t help that the rooms thermostat was horrible! Donna had me walking the room, eating protein bars, drinking fluids, emptying my bladder constantly and squatting. Still, the birth ball was the most comfortable. Lydia, very discreetly, placed the fetal monitor in my mesh panties every once in a while to monitor the baby. I barely knew it was there and I barely knew she was there! Dr Cap checked me again due to my cervix being very posterior and I believe because of how I was or wasn’t progressing. He then told me it was still posterior and I need to help bring the baby down and move the cervix forward. He suggested I get on my hands and knees on the bed and then alternate laying on my sides- left and right. I got on my hands and knees for quite a while, on the bed with a stack of pillows to lean on. I remember really focusing on the music at this point and the position felt really good. After a while though, I needed a change. The bed was getting uncomfortable and my knees were beginning to get sore. After a quick restroom break, I tried lying on my left side. It was shortly after that point that my body started shaking. I became really hot and uncomfortable. The music was still on but I could no longer hear it. My breathing became deeper and louder and I needed even more reassurance and light touch massage. At one point, Jacquie, Melanie, my mom, Simon and Donna were all doing light touch massage on every part of my body. It just wasn’t enough though. I took my shirt and mesh panties off and kept my nursing bra on. Dr Cap asked to check me once more; I allowed him to but quickly told him to “get out”. It wasn’t till much later that I learned he wanted to help by turning the baby’s head. Even if he would have told me that, I probably wouldn’t have allowed it. Having him check me was uncomfortable enough and I knew he didn’t need to be in there any longer than he was just for a check. I can’t remember if it was prior to that check or shortly after but I started pushing. It wasn’t a forceful push; at least it didn’t feel like one. I just remember at one point Dr Cap saying “Chris, it looks like you are pushing. You need to stop pushing. Your cervix will swell…” Apparently, he determined that I was 8 centimeters when he checked me. I did not know how far dilated I was and in my head he was telling me not to push and warning me about the possibility of a swollen cervix because- in my mind- I was almost complete! I thought I was 9-9.5 centimeters. I’m glad I didn’t know where I was at or I would have become even more discouraged that I was about to be. I continued to listen to my body and for some reason; my body was shaking and telling me to push. I continued pushing and breathing down the baby with each contraction and Dr Cap continued to remind me not to push. I became very restless, Lydia was in full scrubs and I overheard her talking about a C-Section that she needed to go to but then she wasn’t in full scrubs anymore and she continued to stay close if not in the room with us. She brought out a bar and attached it to the end of the bed. I gave one attempt at the bar but didn’t give it long enough to get in a comfortable position. I couldn’t get in a comfortable position, period. I was then thrashing around trying to get comfortable on my right side then my left again. I was grabbing onto the side of the bed in pure fear. I was fearful of another contraction and wanted them to stop. Again, I’m so glad I didn’t know how far dilated I was at the last check or I think things would have been much, much worse. The contractions were one on top of another at that point. I had very little to no break in between them. I remember lying on my side but burying my head into the pillows beneath me, I even slobbered on them. My deep breathing sounds started to become higher in pitch but never became a scream or anything that resembled a scream. Dr Cap and Simon were sitting to my right and Donna was sitting to my left. They were all reminding me to keep a deep sound, I can honestly say I was trying with everything I had in me to get that deep sound and it just wasn’t happening. It was shortly after 5:00am when I turned to my husband and Donna and said “I can’t do this anymore”. I said that a few more times then I started asking for an epidural. Dr Cap appeared in the room and I told him I wanted the epidural- now. He told me the anesthesiologist was in a C-Section and I would have to wait another 30 minutes. He, at first, asked if I was sure I wanted to do that then he tried to explain to me what my body was doing. I kept begging for the epidural and apologizing to my husband and Donna (My husband couldn’t believe that I could calmly look at them and say I was sorry during all of this) . I even made Dr Cap promise me that I could get the epidural and it wasn’t too late (again thinking I was close to 10 centimeters). He assured me I could get the epidural but he tried to calmly talk me through what was happening.
I went on begging for the epidural for the next 20 minutes or more. All while trying to fight off the contractions. I had lost focus on the goal and the fact that each contraction was getting me closer to meeting my baby. I begged to get the anesthesiologist out of his surgery and into my room. Dr Cap explained to me that once the C-Section started, he couldn’t leave (which I already knew but I didn’t care). I continued clutching the side of the bed, tensing my body, pushing down- somehow I was still able to breathe down the baby. Half the time (while doing my version of pushing), I would actually feel his head drop down and “pop” forward and that popping feeling was instant pain relief- I was looking for that feeling again and again! I felt like I had total control of what was going on inside my body but my emotions and my outer appearance was unstable, to say the least. I yelled at everyone to stop taking pictures and to stop the video, I felt overwhelmed. I started to think proactively and asked that I be prepped for the epidural so that when the anesthesiologist was done, he could administer the epidural as quickly as possible. I requested the IV and Lydia then turned on the room lights and placed my IV. My mom stepped outside of the room. She had tears in her eyes and couldn’t handle seeing me in pain. Donna suggested I get up and empty my bladder so I wouldn’t have to get a catheter. The idea of getting up and/or going to the restroom sounded really good for some reason. I jumped out of the bed as fast as I could which shocked everyone. I didn’t want to have any more contractions while walking to the restroom but it also felt right, it felt like I needed to do this. I was also thinking that I hadn’t had a bowel movement in 24 hours so I needed to go. Dr Cap stepped outside the door and stood next to my mom. She dialed my dad on her cell phone while Dr Cap looked at her and said “the baby just might be too big”. My mom updated my dad on what was going on and how I wanted the epidural. Simon went into the restroom with me, Donna and Lydia stayed at the door. I was able to have a small bowel movement and empty my bladder but then I felt like I had to go more (another bowel movement). I pushed and pushed but it was stuck. I started to panic, no, freak out, as I looked at my husband and told him that I had a piece of poop stuck in my butt. Donna peeked her head in and I then told her that “I needed someone to pick the poop out of my butt”. Before long, Lydia was also in the bathroom. By then I was begging and pleading with everything I had in me for her to “put a glove on and pick the poop out of my butt”. I repeated myself quite a few times before she put a glove on and reached behind me. I thought she was actually going to pick the poop out of my butt when all of a sudden she said very calmly “that’s baby’s head… get back in the bed”. I didn’t wipe, I ran to the bed while Donna grabbed my IV bag and tried to remind me to slow down, that I had an IV in my arm and was running away without the bag! I remember blood dripping onto the floor and Lydia yelling at the door “BABY’S COMING!!!” Dr Cap and my mom ran back inside the room and Dr Cap quickly put his gloves on. I sat up straight in the bed with my knees bent in a sitting squat position. Dr Cap yelled for the mineral oil and threw it on as quickly as he could. He then directed me to lightly push once. I went from total panic mode (while having the back to back contractions) to being totally attentive, cooperative and calm. I remember thinking that the “ring of fire” feeling was not all that bad… He asked me to stop, Brodie’s head was out, and he was unwrapping the cord from his neck. He then told me to push a tiny bit more and with that, Brodie was born at 5:44am. The cord was also wrapped around his torso like a sash. He was placed directly on my chest immediately after his birth. I didn’t have time to take off my nursing bra like I had planned but I didn’t care. He was very blue and not breathing well so they called in two NICU nurses and took him across the room to the warmer. I was surprisingly calm when they took him but I did start to shake, my whole body was trembling. Donna stayed with me while everyone went with Brodie. His apgar score at first was 7 but then 9 right after. Before he came back to me, we were able to get my nursing bra off so he could be completely skin to skin with me. My doctor was massaging my abdomen and checking me while he was being looked at. No tears but he did think it would be wise for me to get a small amount of pitocin while I delivered the placenta. He asked me if that was ok and honestly, I was so overwhelmed and shocked by what just happened that I trusted him and said yes. I was shaking violently and the nurses brought me warm blankets and juice. During all this, I overheard everyone talking about how big he was.. Then they started making guesses. I heard “10 pounds”… “9 and a half”… I sat there with my jaw wide open in disbelief. They did weigh him since they were already doing his initial newborn “once over” while keeping an eye on him and his breathing. NINE pounds, nine ounces and 21” long. It wasn’t long before they had him back over to me; the NICU nurse brought him over, unwrapped him and placed him on my chest skin to skin. I instantly stopped shaking the second he was placed on me. We laid there for quite a while, no one rushed us, and no one bothered us. We did have a change of nurse but she came in and did her own thing, let us know she was there if we had questions, helped me use the restroom while daddy held Brodie. We started nursing pretty quickly after we sat and bonded together. I just wanted to hold him as close as I could and then when he started licking and opening his mouth, I knew it was time to nurse. His first attempt was perfect. He was a pro already! His initial sugar levels were good but dipped down (not in the danger zone) so the lactation consultant came in and helped me express colostrum. We cup fed Brodie the expressed colostrum and the fourth reading was back up to normal. After getting to our room, we spent the next 24 hours skin to skin and nursing constantly. I was bound and determined to not let jaundice plague us for the third time. Our pediatrician was amazing and very proactive. We had his levels checked at 12 hours and even though they were in the normal range, we got him on a Biliblanket. Nursing continued to go famously and he brought my milk in on day 2. We were able to go home 36 hours after his birth! What an amazing feeling, I couldn’t wait to get home and see the kids. After a few more lab visits, Brodie’s levels peaked on day 3 and well within normal limits. The next day, his levels were back down! I couldn’t believe it, we finally got to bring one of our babies home and stay home! No NICU for Brodie! At 4 days old, Brodie had already passed his birth weight, he weighed in at 9 pounds, 10 ounces.

Thinking back, I remember lots of mothers telling me the last 30 minutes or so of labor was the hardest… one of my friends had told me that she begged and pleaded for a C-Section! As much as I wanted that epidural, I probably wouldn’t have been able to sit still to get it. There’s a reason why the anesthesiologist was not available and why Brodie came so quickly at the end. I wouldn’t change a thing about my birth and I’m so grateful for the knowledge, support and advice we received from HypnoBirthing, my amazing doula and my awesome doctors. My husband told me that he truly believes I was able to birth a 9 pound baby thanks to HypnoBirthing and the amazing care I received. Did I mention I was told I wouldn’t be able to birth a baby over 7 pounds by my first OBGYN? And that I was the first in three generations to not have all C-Sections?
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Thanks, Christina, for sharing your birth story! Continue enjoying your babymoon!

If you would like more information about Dr. Capetanakis, D.O. or Dr. Biter, please call their office at: (760) 642-0800 .
If you would like more information about Donna Hooyen, please email her at donna at 7thheavenbabies dot com.

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