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 testimonial--Patty & Dan

Patty & Dan took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesdays in March 2010 at Babies by the Sea Boutique. While they were in my class, they hired Jo Kilburn, a local doula & HypnoBirthing instructor, to support them during their labor. They were birthing at Scripps La Jolla, which has one of the higher c-section rates in San Diego.

Patty kept in contact with me throughout the remainder of her pregnancy. Her baby was breech, but he turned after using chiropractic & acupuncture.

Here is the birth announcement she sent me:

I went into labor after my acupuncture appt on Tuesday and Tyler was born yesterday at 12:51pm. He weighed 7lbs 7 oz and 20" long. We labored at home for several hours and checked into hospital at midnight at 5cm. Jo Kilburn, my doula, and Dan were an amazing labor team for me. I wanted to let you know he made it into the world and to thank you for all of the help and advice the past few months. HypnoBirthing is the way to go for sure! It was hard but worth it to see the result. Plus I was mini-celebrity on the floor because they don't see many unmedicated births here at Scripps La Jolla!

Patty plans to write up her birth story in more detail to share at a later time.
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Congratulations, Patty & Dan! Enjoy your babymoon!

If you're interested in learning more about how HypnoBirthing classes can help you have an unmedicated, comfortable birth where you feel in control without fear & tension, please visit my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner near you. I am currently taking enrollments for my July class series in Cardiff at Babies by the Sea Boutique & Encinitas at Indigo Dragon Health & Wellness Center.

If you're interested in learning more about Jo Kilburn's doula services or HypnoBirthing classes, please visit her website at www.preciousbirth.com.

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

A breech vaginal HypnoBirth in Canada

This is a news article about a recent vaginal breech birth in Canada, where vaginal breech deliveries are becoming more common. The doula that attended this birth shared that the couple also took HypnoBirthing classes from her. After reading the article, you can listen to Dr. Posner's experience of being the OB that helped to receive this breech baby.

Vaginal Breech in Ottawa

Every birth is a miracle, of course. But the arrival of Lily
Luck-Henderson, just after midnight last Tuesday morning at the General campus of the Ottawa Hospital, was something else as well.

Lily was breech, as are about four per cent of babies, meaning she
emerged from her mother's womb bottom first, rather than head first.
But, unlike most breech babies born in Canada in recent years, Lily was delivered vaginally, rather than by caesarean section.

Her successful delivery is seen as a harbinger of coming change in the
way babies are delivered in Canada -- or at least a step along the way.

At five days old, she has already played a starring role in something
significant, according to Ottawa midwife and researcher Betty-Anne
Daviss, a leading advocate for the return of breech birth deliveries in Canada, who, along with two obstetricians and a doula attended the
birth. It "was a pretty momentous occasion in Ottawa," she said, and an important step toward normalizing childbirth in Canada, something the organization representing Canadian obstetricians stands behind.

"The safest way to deliver a baby has always been the natural way,"
Andre Lalonde, head of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, said last year when it began an effort to bring back breech
birth. "Vaginal births are the preferred method of having a baby because a C-section in itself has complications. "

Not so long ago, evidence said something different.

The practice of delivering breech babies by C-sections was already
becoming the norm when a Canadian-based study published in The Lancet
concluded in 2000 that vaginal deliveries put breech babies at risk. The study cited 16 cases of fetal death, 13 of those involving women who delivered vaginally. The risk was considered so significant that the study was shut down early.

It had an immediate and far-reaching impact in Canada and around the
world. As a result, having a breech baby, in most cases, automatically
meant surgery.

Since then, a reassessment of the earlier trials has come to a different conclusion -- that vaginal deliveries in breech births do not increase complications. As a result, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada has revised its position, saying physicians should not automatically perform C-sections for breech births, but, under the right circumstances, should allow women choice.

The new guidelines were announced last June, but change has been slow.

The problem is that many doctors have never delivered a breech baby and others have limited experience. It had become a lost art.

Ottawa obstetrician Glenn Posner began practising after the
controversial breech birth study and, as a result, had no practical
experience delivering breech babies. He is anxious to change that. On
Monday night he helped deliver Lily Luck-Henderson. He says watching a
video about how it is done in Germany, with women in an upright position or on their hands and knees rather than lying down, helped.

It is time women were given the choice about attempting to deliver
breech babies without surgery, he added. "Aren't we supposed to let
people make their own choices? It's not the 1950s when you tell people
what to do and they say, 'OK, doctor.' "

Daviss, a midwife and researcher has traveled around the world
collecting and dispersing knowledge about breech birth deliveries. She
was recently in Israel where she taught techniques to help mothers
deliver breech babies without surgery. She conducts weekly sessions for mothers and care providers in Ottawa. And she is instrumental in the formation of a "breech birth squad" in Ottawa of physicians comfortable with and experienced in vaginal breech deliveries.

Last year, Daviss was involved in a conference sponsored by the
Ottawa-based Coalition for Breech Birth, aimed at bringing breech birth delivery back to Canada. The coalition was started by an Ottawa mother, Robin Guy, who had a breech baby by C-section.

The issue can be emotional for some. Guy has said her surgery was
unnecessary, except for the lack of skilled care providers to help her. She has lobbied to improve breech skills in Canada.

Daviss calls the return of vaginal breech birth "only a microcosm of
what else might change in obstetrics."

Since the 1960s, probably before, women have talked about taking back
control of birth. Still, with each decade, it has become more a medical procedure and less a natural event.

In the 1960s, about five per cent of Canadian women delivered by
C-section. Today, more than 27 per cent of babies are delivered
surgically and there is a national debate about whether women should
have the option of C-sections on demand.

Some will argue that if women want them and if they reduce risk, then
they should have them. But Daviss and others counter that C-sections are far from risk-free, something women are often not aware of.
Complications, even death, can result. What is more, reliance on
C-sections results in a loss of medical expertise, as has happened with breech deliveries. And "you never know when you are going to be in a place where you don't have a C-section available," Daviss says.

Lily's birth turned out to be problem free. "It went very easily," said Lily's mother Jennifer Luck. "If this helps make things easier for women along the way, I think that's fantastic."

Elizabeth Payne is a member of the Citizen's editorial board.
E-mail: epayne@thecitizen. canwest.com
C Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

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The Best of All in a Day April 13, 2010 "Breech Births"

The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reversed its position on breech deliveries last year. They now say that it's safe to deliver breech births naturally in most cases. But a lot of obstetricians aren't trained in delivering breeches, because for years doctors have been directed to do C-sections instead. Well, this is all slowly changing at Ottawa Hospitals. Dr. Glenn Posner is an ob-gyn who's been trying out natural breech delivery. Robin Guy is from the Coalition for Breech Birth.

Listen to Dr. Posner talk about receiving a breech


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Way to go Dr. Posner & Canada! Now we just have to get the U.S. OBs on board!

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

An example of how HypnoBirthing heals birth trauma

This is the journey of one of my former HypnoBirthing clients, Kim, who was terrified of giving birth & needing another c-section:

My first birth was 20 years ago... I was very young (20 to be exact) and very uneducated in regards to the "birthing" process, I had no idea that there were even options available to me as far as different types of births or classes etc... I was very naive and very frightened to say the least! I believe that because i was so unaware and afraid that I ended up being in labor for 3 days (not knowing how to help myself progress) I went to the hospital 3 times and was sent home all 3 times because I wasn't progressing so i was told to go home until I was further along but because I didn't know what to do or how to do it I ended up with an emergency C-section and was told it was because of "Failure to progress".

When I was finally admitted to the hospital the only thing I remember is being hooked up to so many machines and monitors - and put in a room with multiple mothers in labor as well (all of them playing cards and watching TV because they had an epidural) but I was screaming in agony because I wanted to try to birth naturally but didn't have support or knowledge as to how to do this. I didn't have anyone coaching me or anyone explaining to me what was happening and why and then before I knew it I was being rushed me to the surgery room for an emergency surgery. I was terrified for my baby and for myself!

Over the past 20 years I wanted to have another child but I knew deep inside that I was pretty traumatized from the first delivery and I believe that because it was never the "right" time or because I never felt ready that it kept me from trying again. I recently became re-married and my husband and I decided to try to conceive and because I finally felt "whole" and "supported" I decided this was the "right" time in my life.

As my pregnancy progressed I started feeling very scared about going into labor again and extremely terrified of the possibility of having another emergency c-section! I was so frightened that there would be several days during the week that i would just break down crying to my husband or to my doctor (Dr. Biter) about my fears. I had a very hard time reading books about birth or even watching video's that showed women birthing! My whole body would become very tense and I would have to shut my eyes. I was finally advised to look into doing "HypnoBirthing".

At first I was very hesitant about how the process of HypnoBirthing could actually work or even help me and at the beginning I still couldn't watch the video's that Carol would be showing - or even talking about my first experience in front of the class made me sick to my stomach but as we went through the classes and after reading the material and actually doing the homework I started becoming more and more at ease about the whole process. I started learning so much about how I can have the "birth" that I desire and that whatever the outcome it would truly be the peaceful birth that I am meant to have. And because of the work that I did through HypnoBirthing, I was able to heal from my past wounds of childbirth and embrace this birth even though it had to take a different path then we had hoped for!

After trying everything I possibly could for 2 weeks to turn my sweet little girl around, we finally had to go in and get her on Sunday, Oct 18th. Dr. Biter was fabulous and supported me 100% with trying any and all alternative measures and then I did end up going into labor on day 13 - contractions were 10 min apart for about 15 hours until we finally decided it was time to go in for surgery.

The one thing I do want to say is that because of HypnoBirthing I was able to come to peace with my journey through all of this and used all of the techniques we learned to help me along the way even though I didn't have the birth of my choice. I did learn that I can't control everything and this little girl taught me that I need to learn to let-go and surrender once in awhile! I also had an opportunity to do some healing from my first birth as well which was wonderful! So thank you for everything! I couldn't have done it without you!

Love, Kim
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Thanks, Kim, for sharing your story! I'm so glad that the HypnoBirthing classes helped you heal your birth trauma from your 1st birth & helped you get to a place of acceptance & peace for your 2nd birth. Congratulations on the birth of Laila & enjoy your babymoon!

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