Showing posts with label doula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doula. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Vivian & Charlie's HypnoBirthing story

Vivian & Charlie took Carol Yeh-Garner's HypnoBirthing classes in preparation for their first birthing experience. They took classes at Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, CA (North County San Diego). Here is their birth story:



Our sweet baby girl arrived on April 11th, her due date, which totally shocked me.  The week prior to her due date, I had started taking evening primrose oil supplements, taking long walks, got a massage, pedicure, etc.  I was really focused on staying away from going "over due" by the hospital standards because I wanted to avoid the induction conversation if at all possible.  The day before I was due, I decided I needed to relax and stop thinking so much about when our baby would come; that day I told myself that she probably wouldn't come for another week and that would be OK, whenever she was ready to come would be the right time. I went to the beach with some girlfriends and decided to enjoy myself until she was ready. My friend told me later that day with that attitude the baby would come that night, and she was right.   

The night my labor began I had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom a couple of times, but had gone in the dark like always.  At 3:30 am, I woke up again to go to the bathroom, but this time decided that I should turn on the lights.  When I did, I noticed a small bit of blood, I couldn't believe that it looked like things were getting started just when I convinced myself to be patient. I went in and woke up my husband and then went to the bathroom again. This time, my mucus plug came out and almost immediately after that I started to have stronger surges. I took a shower and let the bath fill up around me while I listened to the rainbow relaxation playlist. After that, I put on some cozy clothes and sat on my birthing ball while leaning over our bed.  I was constantly leaking fluids and my surges started to get stronger and were staying close together.  I saw Charlie's phone keeping track of the surges, but blocked it out of my mind as I didn't want to think about how long they were or how close together, I just wanted to focus on breathing through them. After an hour and a half of this, Charlie suggested that I get back into the bathtub. He drew a bath for me and he started reading one of the scripts to me. After barely 2 minutes of being in the tub, my water broke at 7:30 am.  I swear I heard a little pop and then felt a rush of fluid. I told Charlie that I thought it had broken and he confirmed that it looked like it had.  I stayed in the tub for a while longer, but as the surges started to get stronger, I wanted to get back to my yoga ball.  I asked Charlie to call our Doula, Valerie Peterson, over to our house.  In the 15 minutes it took for her to arrive I told Charlie that I thought we should go to the hospital, but I wanted to wait for her to arrive and tell me what her thoughts were.  As our Doula arrived, I was out of the shower and on my hands and knees in the bathroom.  Like Carol's births, I also started shaking towards the end of a few surges at this point and I began getting hot and cold flashes.  I told our doula that I wanted to head to the hospital and she agreed. 

We drove down to Scripps La Jolla, which took about 20 minutes.  I kept my eyes closed so that I wouldn't be paying attention to the exits as we crossed them and listened to the RR playlist again. In the car, it was tough to find a comfortable position to focus on relaxing through my surges, but I breathed deep and slow during them until we made it. Once we arrived at the hospital it was 9:15 am.  The nurses wanted to check me in a small room to see how far along I was before admitting me into L&D, but they saw me have a surge and moved me into a L&D room for monitoring right away.  I wasn't loud, but my body shook during the surge.  

When we got to our L&D room, Charlie asked the nurse if she was familiar with hypnobirthing and told her we wanted to have a natural birth.  She said that she was familiar and he gave her our birth plan to go over. They allowed me to say no to the IV, but insisted on putting a heplock in my hand in case I bled too much after birth which I "cancel, cancelled." The nurse hooked me up for monitoring and was concerned about my blood pressure being high, but thankfully it didn't become an issue. At 9:30 am, the nurse checked my cervix to see where I was at and I was 7 cm dilated.  This was such great news to hear, because on the drive down I was nervous that I wouldn't be far enough along and since the surges were so strong I was worried I wouldn't be able to hang on.  The nurses couldn't believe that I was a first time mom coming in at 7 cm.  All of this really encouraged me and I knew that I could continue on with our birth plan staying relaxed. Once they were done monitoring me, I got back in the shower, but didn't end up staying in for long because I couldn't find a comfortable position.  I got out of the shower and back on my birthing ball. This ended up being the most comfortable position for me through out labor. 

After a while, I started shaking again during some of the surges so the nurses checked me again to see where I was at and this time I was at 10 cm. This was at 11:30 am.  The nurse told me not to start pushing yet, but my body started sort of convulsing at the end of the surges and pushing for me. Our doula told me that I should start pushing since my body obviously wanted to.  So I began bearing down while side lying.  For me this technique was difficult, but it felt good to finally be doing something against the surges.  I pushed for an hour and 45 minutes, phew.  After about an hour of "pushing", my doula started giving me tips on how to hold the bearing down while using my J breathing and it worked. The nurse from Scripps was staying in the background and only giving her advice every now and again, but once I started taking my doula's advice she noted that it looked like our baby had dark hair like my husband.  Again, I felt encouraged and kept going with my focus on bearing down.  After another 15 min or so they called in the doctor.  He wasn't my regular OB, but was really awesome.  He asked me if the position I was in was where I wanted to stay for the birth which I thought was so wonderful instead of them telling me I needed to be in a certain position.  In the early part of pushing, I was side lying, but by the time I was ready to breathe the baby all the way out I was lying on my back at an incline. They removed the lower part of the bed so my legs could rest low and let gravity help. As I continued to bear down, the nurse told me that she could see the head crowning and told me to reach down to feel the baby's head, which I did.  As soon as I felt her right there, I started to get teary eyed because I knew how close we were to meeting our girl.  I really focused on bringing her out, after a couple strong surges with bearing down her head came out and with the next push the rest of her body came out and they immediately put her on me.  

Our daughter was born at 1:15 pm, 15 minutes shy of 10 hours from the beginning of my labor. It was the most beautiful relief that I have ever felt to have her put on my chest and to hear her cry. It gives me the butterflies now just thinking about what a beautiful experience it all was.  My placenta came out on its own after a few more minutes and I only tore a little requiring two stitches. (We did perineal massage every night for at least 3 weeks until I went into labor and it really helped!)

I have to say that our hynobirthing class along with having our doula absolutely helped me obtain the birth that we did.  After the dust had settled, I told Charlie that I wasn't as relaxed as the women in the videos that we watched, but my husband and our doula assured me that I did better than I was remembering. At some points during my labor, I would tell myself to relax and open up, sometimes I would talk in between surges, but mostly I laid back with my eyes closed. Our doula took some video in the final stages of our birth and I was surprised when we watched it to see that I really was able to do it quietly with only a few sounds of effort here and there. The next morning in the hospital, my regular OB came to our room and told us that our delivering nurse had told her that our birth was one of the most beautiful she had ever witnessed. I was nervous about how things would go with being at the hospital, but our nurses and doctor were so respectful of our birth plan and let us be. It was an amazing experience. 

Like our doula said "Every birth is special no matter how the day goes!" and the important thing is to be happy with your birth, because the outcome is a beautiful little baby that will steal your heart. The love you feel is absolutely life changing. We are all so blessed and I am thankful for your teaching Carol--thank you so very much!

Wishing the moms who haven't delivered yet a safe and healthy birth. 

Our sweet Adeline Rose was born on April 11th at 1:15 pm - 7 lbs 11 oz 19 in.
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Congratulations Vivian & Charlie! I'm so happy that the classes and your doula helped you have such a positive birthing experience! Yes, most people say that they end up not quite looking like the women in the videos we watch in class, but those are really just to get your mind wrapped around the idea that birth CAN look and be calm, peaceful and comfortable rather than the images we've been so programmed with. And like you said, it often seems like we are louder than we really are.

Thank you for sharing your birth experience! I hope you are enjoying your babymoon!

If you're interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes with Carol, please visit her website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net for more information about how to sign up. If you are outside of the San Diego area, please visit www.hypnobirthing.com to find a Practitioner near you.

If you are interested in hiring Vivian & Charlie's doula, Valerie Peterson, you can contact her through her website at www.birthdaywithval.com.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Nikki & Dino's HypnoBirthing Story

 
Nikki and Dino took Carol’s HypnoBirthing Classes on Tuesday evenings at Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff, North County San Diego in February 2012.  Here is the birth story of their son, Enzo!

I'm finally getting a chance to announce the birth of our son Enzo Demitri! Enzo was born after an evening of feasting on skirt steak and tres leches for our anniversary from Qeuro and apparently Enzo liked it too! I woke up at 4 in the AM and finally felt what I thought were surges, but I still wasn't sure! Our doula, Annely, told me to go about my day as planned. I had a last minute nesting need and went to Target, Buy Buy Baby and Trader Joes. By the time I got to Trader Joes in the afternoon and the woman asked me at the check out when I was due I was starting to feel the contractions a bit more so I simply told her "I'm in labor, so any time now"..... Her face was priceless.

I came home to lie down and rest but things progressed quickly at that point and I knew I had to get in the tub. I was about 4 minutes apart consistently for a couple hours. Dino read some relaxation scripts to me and I sat in the tub breathing and listening to the Rainbow Relaxation CD for some time.

Our doula Annely arrived and labored with us for about 4 hours. The first two were great and then I started to have extremely intense back labor. Enzo was facing backward and his head was pushing against my lower back – apparently Annely could see him doing it!

We headed to the hospital and had a great staff... Although I could barely speak at this point so this info is more from Dino and our doula! At around 7-8 cm I was exhausted from the back labor and opted (demanded) the epidural at that point. The strain in my back made it extremely difficult for me to relax at that point and I knew this was the right choice at the time.

We all slept for a couple hours to wake up and deliver Enzo within the next two hours. He was born beautiful and healthy and we brought him into the world peacefully and happily.

Although our birth plan was altered and took a new path along the way, we felt educated, aware of our decisions and able to communicate effectively with our support team in a way that we felt comfortable with. 
The experience was intense, surreal, magical, and by far the best day of our lives.

Thank you to Carol and all of you for your support during this amazing process. We enjoyed every moment!



Cheers,
Nikki & Dino

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Nikki, thank you so much for sharing your story and congratulations on Enzo’s arrival!  I am so thankful to hear that you felt prepared, empowered, and educated about your choices and that you made the decisions you felt necessary for you and your family- that is my aim in teaching these classes! HypnoBirthing imparts techniques to help you remain in control of your reaction to your labor, and you did just that! Congratulations again!

If you are interested in Nikki’s doula, Annely:
http://thebumpcoach.com/

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit our website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to learn more and to see the schedule for upcoming classes and private session information. Carol & Kelly teach classes in North County San Diego. If their schedule doesn't fit your schedule, please contact them and they will refer you to other local practitioners. If you are outside San Diego, CA, please visit www.hypnobirthing.com & go to Find a Practitioner to find a class near you.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net

www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Monday, May 21, 2012

Jennifer's Second HypnoBirth

Jennifer came to see Carol for a private refresher class session in January at Carol's office in Encinitas, North County San Diego, after taken Carol’s HypnoBirthing classes for baby #1. She was dealing with some fear and concerns about a repeat of the difficulties she had with baby #1 and breastfeeding issues she had with her first as well. Here is her birth story that she has graciously share with us:


I was due January 12. The guess date came and went as I expected it would. The next week came and went as I expected it would. I then made an appointment for acupuncture for labor induction on January the 19th. I woke up Thursday morning, the 19th, at 4 a.m. with mild surges every 15 minutes or so, but they stopped after 3 hours. I went to the acupuncture appointment. I had a few surges on and off during the day, but nothing regular or strong. My mom happened to be down already, so Adam and I spent the day together while Henry, our son, played with his grandma. We went out to lunch, and 3 random waitresses came up to me and said, "when WERE you due?"

I tried to sleep a little during the day, but it was difficult because I really wasn't feeling well... I had surges here and there, back cramps, and mild nausea all day. I communicated with Donna my doula throughout the day. That night, I planned to take a Tylenol PM and go to bed to get some rest, then take some blue cohosh in the morning, which was sure to kickstart things. At about 10:30 p.m., I realized I was having regular surges every 15 minutes. I got in the bathtub at around 11, and strong contractions started immediately, lasting up to 2 minutes, and 1 minute apart. We called my doula after 30 minutes, and she came over. When she checked me (she is a RN), I was already at a 6 in dilation. I was so surprised because I really wasn't that uncomfortable. I was able to handle the surges really well. We decided, though, that since I had a half hour drive and this was my 2nd baby, it was time to go to the hospital! I also didn't want to be in the car if I started to get really uncomfortable.

I thought this birth would go really quickly since I had gone from 0 to a 6 in 1 hour, but alas, as soon as I got to the hospital, I stalled again in transition (just like with Henry) with surges double peaking and lasting 2 minutes long. I stayed in transition for 6 hours (argh!!!), and almost gave up. I was walking and doing lunges in the hall, doing lunges on a chair, getting in all different positions trying to get the baby in the right position. I gave it one last try and got in the shower, hoping it would help me relax. After a half hour, I came out and was completely dilated! Yay!!!! I was definitely ready to push. All I had to do was wait for my awesome OB (Dr. Cobb) to get there (longest 10 minutes of my life!). As soon as he got there I started pushing, and 5 pushes later, baby was out. The delivery was so much easier than with Henry! I couldn't believe it when Dr. Cobb put Ruby on my chest because it seemed so quick! I had only a tiny little tear which I really haven't felt (thank you Dr. Cobb!). SHE was here:
Friday, Jan 20 (8 days “late”)

6:46 a.m.

8 lb 3 oz, 20.5 in
This whole birth experience was so much easier than my first. The labor was faster and much more tolerable, the delivery was so much smoother, and recovery has been a lot faster. (And my milk came in on day 2, hallelujah!) I owe that all to my awesome team--Donna my doula, Dr. Cobb, and you, Carol. Thank you so much for the preparation and helping me to get rid of the fear I had!

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Jennifer, thank you so much for sharing your birth story and congratulations on your daughter, Ruby! I am thankful to hear that everything went smoothly and that your HypnoBirthing techniques came in handy! We hope you are enjoying your time with your daughter!

If you are interested in Jennifer’s care provider, Dr. Damon Cobb, D.O. you can call his office at Poway Women’s Care: (858) 618-3314

The information for Jennifer’s Doula, Donna Hayes, you can contact her: douladonna@mac.com

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit our website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to learn more and to see the schedule for upcoming classes and private session information. Carol & Kelly teach classes in North County San Diego. If their schedule doesn't fit your schedule, please contact them and they will refer you to other local practitioners. If you are outside San Diego, CA, please visit www.hypnobirthing.com & go to Find a Practitioner to find a class near you.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net

www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A HypnoBirthing story--Sara & Dan

Sara & Dan took my HypnoBirthing classes in March 2011 on Tuesday nights at Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff by the Sea, North County San Diego. Here is their birth story at the UCSD Birth Center in Hillcrest:

Sara and Dan’s Birth Story

2 days before my due date I was up most of the night with an upset stomach. Thinking I had eaten something the day before that was causing it, I called my midwife at about 6 am to let her know how I was feeling. She told me to drink plenty of fluids and to call back that evening if I wasn’t feeling better. Almost as soon as I got off the phone I started to realize that the cramping was starting to have a pattern and so I started to time them realizing that this might be “it”. At that point the surges were about 8 minutes apart and very mild. I was excited but wanted to try to rest and let Dan sleep (I had gone into our other bedroom that night so I wouldn’t keep him up with my tossing and turning) to prepare for the day ahead. A couple hours later they were getting more intense and so I woke Dan up and we called the midwife again and our doula Julie. We decided to stay at home as long as possible, but by 10am the surges were 4 minutes apart and I felt like we should head in to the birth center since it seemed like things were progressing quickly.

When we arrived I was surprised to find that I was only 1 cm dilated and my surges had slowed to 6 minutes apart. Luckily our midwife had room in the birth center (they usually send you home unless you are 4 cm) so she let us get settled in. Soon after we arrived I started throwing up and shaking, which I knew were signs of transition, yet I still was only a couple of centimeters dilated. We played the rainbow relaxation CD on repeat in our room and we read several scripts and did a lot of breathing to help relax. I spent a lot of time in the shower and then several hours in the tub but things continued to move very slowly. We did several side lunges to help reposition her head because the midwife felt like she might be face up. By 10 pm I was still only about 4cm and was very tired from not sleeping much the night before and having very painful back labor. I was starting to ask about an epidural but my midwife suggested trying a mild drug first that would allow me to sleep between surges so that I could get some rest and not have to transfer to labor and delivery. We decided to go that route first and so the next 4 or 5 hours I would fall deeply asleep between surges, then wake up and breathe through them as my husband, doula, mom and sister took turns coaching me.

Early the next morning I was still at 4 cm and the sleep medication had worn off, my back labor was becoming more intense and I was very discouraged to not be progressing at all. We made the decision to head up to labor and delivery for an epidural. I insisted on walking up hoping that gravity and walking would help and I swear that walk seemed to take a week! I would stop every few minutes and hold onto Dan or Julie and breathe through my surges. The new midwife (we were now on our 3rd shift!) wanted to break my water when I got the epidural but I insisted on waiting as I didn’t want to start the 24 hour clock for a C-section. Several more hours went by then the doctor came in to see me and said that they were starting to think that a C-section might be necessary so I agreed to have them break my water as a last effort to avoid a cesarean. I then progressed to 2 min apart and 7 cm over the next several hours but she was still not dropping past -1 station. Though her heart rate was strong, it had now been 33 hours and the midwife and doctors were concerned that there was something happening that they couldn’t see that was causing her to be stuck. We agreed it was time to get her out and they wheeled me in for a cesarean. Julie read a script that helped me feel a little better; I was initially very upset that my desire for a beautiful natural birth had slipped away. But then a few minutes later my husband and I heard our daughter Autumn cry for the first time in the operating room and I knew that none of what I had gone through mattered anymore, we finally had our little girl in our arms and she was healthy and beautiful! It turned out that she was face up and her head was stuck in the right side of my pelvis, so it was the right decision to have the cesarean. The doctor did not think she would have ever been able to come out naturally.

The value of our hypnobirthing training was priceless, it not only kept me from feeling anxious during my pregnancy but it helped me to cope with a difficult labor and later to come to terms with not having the natural delivery I had wanted. It greatly helped my husband to support me and to stay calm and focused during our experience as well. Thanks again for the great class! It helped us in more ways than I ever expected :)

Thank you Carol!

Sara & Dan
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Congratulations Sara & Dan! I hope you're enjoying being parents! I'm glad that even though you didn't have a natural birth, you were able to utilize the HypnoBirthing techniques to the best of your ability. My goal of the class is to teach you information to trust your body & the birthing process as well as empower couples to know what to do so the choices you make for your birth are ones that you KNOW are necessary. It sounds like you did everything possible to get the birth you had planned for & that you were able to decide to get the epidural & later, the c-section, knowing that was what you needed to do in order to have the best outcome you possibly could. Thank you for sharing your story!

If you're interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit Carol's website to learn about classes being offered in the North County area of San Diego. There are also other HypnoBirthing instructors in San Diego that teach in other areas of town, so please visit the www.hypnobirthing.com website to Find a Practitioner near you.

If you're interested in hiring Sara & Dan's doula, Julie Mitchell, please contact her at www.blissfulbellys.com.

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

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A HypnoBirthing story--Kirstin & Joe

Kirstin & Joe took my HypnoBirthing classes in February 2011 on Thursday nights at Dr. Biter & Dr. Cobb's OB/GYN office, Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, CA. Here is their birth story.

Kirstin, Joe & Declan’s Hypnobirth Story

My husband, Joe and I did the Balloon Trip Fear Release HypnoBirthing script the evening of April 27th, as we were 2 days away from my estimated date and we were anxious for our little guy to arrive. My water broke that night at 1:30am- my surges were mild and about 10 minutes apart at this time. I called Dr. Biter and our doula at 5am, and we decided that I’d just eat some breakfast and try to rest until the surges got more intense (they were 7 minutes apart). Our doula suggested that I take a walk around 9 am, since the surges had decreased as I was resting. You can’t avoid walking hills at my house, so by the end of my 30 minute jaunt, labor was in full progress.

I got back to the house and needed Joe for each surge at this point. We had really wanted to labor at home as long as we could, so we headed to the bathroom and spent the next 3 hours between the bathtub and sitting on the toilet. We kept the Rainbow Relaxation and Affirmations CD on repeat in the background, which really helped set the tone. Joe also read some prompts that Carol included on our “cheat sheet.” I often started to draw my shoulders up with each surge and tense up my back- Joe kept repeating to count to 20 with each surge, keep my body relaxed and breathe with just my abdomen. The Opening Rose visualization during surges, and Instant Relaxation exercise in between surges were especially helpful during this time. We’d decided that our doula should come to our house and help us decide when to head to the hospital. She arrived within an hour, but by that time I’d already gone through transition (vomiting and sweats), and we made the decision shortly after her arrival. My surges were very intense and 3-4 minutes apart, and I knew we needed to get to the hospital.

We had the Rainbow Relaxation on during the 25-min. ride to Pomerado, which really helped me go into a deeper state of relaxation. My surges were VERY intense, and I wasn’t sure if we would make it, but I knew I had to relax into the labor at this point. By the time Joe pulled up to the hospital entrance, I had started feeling the urge to push. They got me up to my room in L& D, examined me and found out I was fully dilated. Dr. Cobb was on his way, and I really wanted to push, but we had to try to wait for him to get there. In the meantime, the Electric Fetal Monitor showed our baby’s heart rate was low, so I needed to have an oxygen mask. The nurse, however, kept repeating how urgent it was for the doctor to arrive because of the baby’s heartrate, which of course was alarming. Joe kept reminding me of my breathing and counting, which helped me to stay calm. Dr. Cobb then arrived and we were ready to push.

Dr. Cobb had to ask me to push not only with my surges, but also in between them, because he wanted to get the baby out as fast as possible due to the heart rate. Since I’d been diligent about perineal massage, I wasn’t scared at this point. After 35 minutes of our arrival to the hospital, which includes 11 minutes of pushing, our baby boy Declan arrived. I had a small tear which required two stitches, just because the doctor was working to help get Declan’s head out. He was, however, calm and alert upon his arrival.

After 13 hours, 6 of those being intense active labor, we experienced the labor and birth that we had envisioned and hoped for. No pain medications, no interventions, and laboring at home as long as possible (although we probably should have left a little earlier and give the doctor more time to get there!). While I do have a great maternal history of fast, unmedicated births, I feel we would not have achieved this end result without the use of Hypnobirthing. We’d made the commitment to the practice and it really paid off. With Joe’s support and use of hypnobirthing tools, I was able to go with labor rather than resist it, and will forever remember this incredible experience. Thank you to Carol, her great instruction, and the confidence she instilled in us!
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Congratulations Kirstin & Joe on the birth of Declan! Thank you so much for sharing your birth story & I hope you're enjoying parenthood!

For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, CA, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. For information about other practitioners in your area, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com & go to the Find a Practitioner page.

For more information about Dr. Cobb & Dr. Biter's services, please call 760-642-0800.

For more information about Kirstin & Joe's doula, Jenna Anderson, please visit www.birthofadoula.blogspot.com.

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

Friday, March 18, 2011

Bach Flower Essences & Homeopathic Vaccines

San Diego Birth Network, a local non-profit dedicated to promoting the normalcy of birth, recently invited homeopath, Willow Tipton, DIHom, to come speak about Bach Flower Essences & Homeopathic Vaccines. It was such an interesting, informative talk that I asked Willow if she would allow me to share her handouts & my notes so that people who weren’t at the seminar would also be able to learn about them. She generously said yes, so here is the information presented at her seminar. The parts in italics are from my notes.

What Are Bach Flower Essences?
Bach Flower Essences are homeopathically prepared remedies from the blooms of plants, bushes and trees, discovered by English physician and homeopath, Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930’s. There are 38 flower essences (plus one combination essence, Rescue Remedy) that correspond to a specific mental and emotional state. Dr. Bach noticed in his medical practice in the 1920s, that many of his patients’ complaints and conditions seemed linked to their state of mind. He concluded that as a doctor, he was treating primarily the effects of a disease and not its cause. The cause, he concluded, lay in the person’s negative emotional or psychological states. Dr. Bach decided to dedicate his life to the discovery of a system of healing, that would transcend physical symptoms and address the mental and emotional roots of disease. He thought if one’s emotional symptoms are balanced, the body’s own vitality would be strengthened and be able to throw off illness. This led him to categorize his patients’ negative state or inner imbalances and search for the corresponding flower that would restore their balance and transform negative emotions into positive ones. Dr. Bach stated “There is no true healing unless there is a change in outlook, peace of mind, and inner happiness.”

Bach Flower Essences treat the root cause, which is usually mental or emotional. For example, when you’re stressed or angry, you tend to have low energy, feel run down &/or sleepy. So the root cause is the stress or anger, which is treated with the appropriate flower essence.

How do they work?
The Bach Flower Essences contain no scent and are not to be confused with aromatherapy or essential oils. Dr. Bach was inspired by dewdrops on flower petals. He speculated that through the heat of the sun, the healing essence of a flower is brought out to the dew. The flowers release their healing energy into the water. All Flower Essences contain the life-force energy released from flowers in the peak of their bloom. By extracting essences and through self-experimentations, Dr. Bach isolated flowers which address a broad range of psychological symptoms. With each Essence there are accompanying emotions, feelings, attitudes and behaviors…most of them sounding negative. However, it is important to know and read the positive potentials of the Essence.
They are homeopathic remedies made from flowers in full bloom emersed into fresh spring water.

How do I take them?
There are many ways to take the essences, orally, topically, in a spray or mixture bottle and much more. Taking the undiluted essence straight from the stock bottle has a strong, immediate effect, but often not as long lasting. By adding 2 drops of an Essence to filtered water and sipping throughout the day is a more gradual dosage that provides an impulse of the Essence with each sip.

Bach Flower Essences are beneficial to men, women, children, pets and even plants! Like homeopathic remedies, Bach Flower Essences can be combined with other forms of therapy and treatments and still be quite effective and safe. Below is a list of just SOME of the issues the flower essences can help:

*Tension
*Hyperactivity
*Anger
*Fears/Phobias
*Anxiety
*Shame
*Guilt
*Hormonal Issues
*Obsessions
*Concentration & Focus
*Compulsions
*Learning Difficulties
*Addictions
*Emergencies & First Aid
*Depression
*Self-Esteem Issues
*Insomnia
*Transitions & Changes
*Fatigue
*Attention Deficit Disorder
*Mid-life Crisis

They are safe to use alongside medications & have no side effects or contraindications. They are safe for pregnancy & for babies. It can be applied to the skin & absorbed that way, which is an easy way to give it to babies.
For anyone sensitive to alcohol or not wanting any of the minute amounts of alcohol (brandy is used as a preservative & antibacterial compound) present in flower essences, the essence can be placed in boiling water for 5 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Flower essences can also be placed in food or drinks & you can also cook with them.

They do not expire & stay in their original state even in the heat of summer sitting in your car as long as the bottle is closed tightly & the tip is kept clean.
They are safe to use for people with allergies.


Essences for Pregnancy, Labor & Delivery and the Family:

Beech – Feeling irritable, intolerant and critical. Good for impatience, bitchiness, short-fused feelings.

Chicory – For child or parent who feels rejected or has hurt feelings when attention has been placed on the new arrival.

Crab apple – The “cleanser”, for feelings of uncleanliness, or disgust (self-disgust or feeling yourself or others are unclean). Feeling of shame or low esteem. Great for doulas! Good for feeling tainted or nauseous.

Elm – For feelings of overwhelm and stress. Too many responsibilities and a strong sense of duty. Overburdened and overextended. Good for feelings of taking on too much, fatigue.

Holly – For any sibling jealousy or spite towards the new baby. Promotes love and harmony. Heart-opener, increases love & empathy.

Impatiens – Restlessness and frustration, wanting things done quickly. Impatient and irritable. Good for physical restlessness & restless mind too.

Mimulus – For specific fears and worries. Nervous, timid or shy. When you know what you’re worried or fearful of. Can have physical symptoms like heart palpitations or sweating.

Olive – For fatigue and exhaustion (physically or emotionally), during pregnancy and for any lost sleep pre and post-partum. Good for feeling emotionally drained.

Pine – For guilt and self-judgment. Feeling you should or could do more somehow. Good for feeling spread thin, feeling bad, apologizing for everything.

Star of Bethlehem – For any trauma, emotional or physical. For effects of grief, fright, upset. Helps body on an emotional & physical level to release trauma.

Walnut – Assists in adjustments and all the numerous changes. To let go of past links and adjust to new phases. Great for Mom and family, especial once the baby has arrived and families adjust to the new addition. Good for transition & change & when you’re needing help because you feel like you’re straddling a crack that’s getting wider by the minute.

White Chestnut – For restless mind, mental chatter and worries. Preoccupied with persistent unwanted thoughts. Often preventing sleep. Good for people who constantly have To-Do lists.

Rescue Remedy – A combination of Cherry Plum, Clematis, Impatiens, Rock Rose and Star of Bethlehem. For any high stress situation, emergency, trauma or crisis. THE Go-To blend to care for any issue with stress. GREAT for childbirth! A must-have for doulas & midwives!

You can make your own custom blend of up to 7 essences diluted into spring water. Take the essence 2-3 times a day for 3-4 weeks & then re-evaluate if you are still having the same issues. For acute situations, take a singular dose of flower essence.
Willow Tipton, DIHom is available for consultation for custom flower essences as is Carol Yeh-Garner.


There is also a formula called Bach Rescue Sleep for sleep issues. It has all of the essences of Rescue Remedy plus White Chestnut. It is excellent for babies.

One of the guests asked about an essence useful for physical pain & Willow recommended using Cherry Plum, which is good for fear of losing control, but is also good for neurological issues & arthritic issues.


Helpful books:
Bach Flower Remedies for Women by Judy Ramsell Howard
Growing Up with Bach Flower Remedies by Judy Ramsell Howard
Bach Flower Remedies for Men by Stefan Ball

What is Homeopathy?
Homeopathy is a therapeutic system of medicine that is based on the principle of the Law of Similars or “Like Cures Like”. The law of similars states that the same substance that produces disease symptoms in a healthy person, when given in concentrated doses, can also cure a sick person with similar symptoms, when given in a very diluted form. For example, if you’re experiencing running eyes and burning nose like you’ve been peeling an onion, a homeopathic remedy, called Allium Cepa, made from the red onion, will effectively dry up similar allergy and cold symptoms. It is a holistic and natural healing method, treating the whole person and not just the symptoms of the disease. By whole person, we mean, not just the physical symptoms, but also the mental-emotional and spiritual, as well.

How does it work?
Homeopathy aims to aid and stimulate the body’s own immune processes, known as the vital life force. Homeopathic medicines use tiny doses derived from the plant, mineral and animal kingdoms to stimulate a person’s inherent natural defenses. These medicines are prescribed to the individual, rather than the particular illness. For example, a room full of patients, all having symptoms of influenza will present their illness differently and therefore each may require a different, specific homeopathic remedy. The labels on the bottles of homeopathic remedies are not particularly helpful in choosing a remedy that fits the exact symptom picture, which makes the necessity of some kind of education important. Unlike many western medicines, with side effects, in homeopathy less is more, and the remedies are so highly dilute that the treatment yields no side effects. The remedies are given in much smaller and less toxic doses than traditional medications, and are used for both prevention and treatment. I like to recommend a 30C potency for most of the homeopathic remedies. This potency is a medium potency, good for acute and chronic conditions. They are generally faster acting in acute conditions than the low potencies and are used where there is a higher vitality.

The Classical & The Combination Methods
This medicine was perfected over 200 years ago by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, a chemist, medical doctor and medical transcriber. However, the basis of homeopathy has been around since ancient times. Hahnemann theorized that most cases would benefit from using only one remedy at a time. Homeopathic pharmaceutical companies and some homeopaths employ the combination method. In this method, several different polychrest remedies (remedies that most often treat a particular symptom in most people), in several different potencies, are combined for a certain condition in the hope that one of them will be the correct remedy.

Dr. Hahnemann found that patients he had to travel to treat had better outcomes than patients he treated in his office. He found that the more the remedy was shaken (due to traveling over cobblestone streets), the more effective they were.
1 drop of the original material to 10 drops of water done 100 times & then hand succused (shaken)= C potency. The higher the potency/number, the more dilute & the safer. CK means it was machine succused. C means it was hand succused.
The remedies are so diluted, they won’t be stressful to the immune system. The duration & severity of an illness or disease will be decreased by at least 50% with the use of homeopathic remedies.
Wait 15 minutes after taking a sublingual homeopathic remedy before drinking water or using anything with mint, camphor or eucalyptus because it’ll minimize absorption. Homeopathic pellets are good up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Homeopathic liquids are good in any heat (except boiling) or cold temperatures.


HOMEOPROPHYLAXIS
Homeoprophylaxis is the principle of prescribing homeopathics on the basis of
prophylactics or prevention of disease. Hahnemann noted that homeopathic medicines
can act as prophylactic medicines when the remedy, in its proving, matches symptoms
similar to a particular disease. Hahnemann called it Genus Epidemicus – where you
find a remedy that is similar to the symptoms found in a majority of patients suffering in an epidemic disease and if given to the patient before the onset of the disease, it prevents the epidemic disease or when given during the disease, cures the patient.
Usually nosodes (remedies prepared from the pathogen) are used. However, many
times even more effective results can be seen with a commonly known polychrest
homeopathic remedy. For example for Pertussis (Whooping cough) Drosera has
successfully cured cases and Pertussinum, the homeopathic nosode was not needed.

One of the largest trials of homeoprophylaxis was against an outbreak of
meningococcal disease in Brazil. 65,826 children were given the homeopathic nosode
Meningococcinum and 23,539 were not protected. The effectiveness of
homeoprophylaxis after 6 months was 95%, and after 12 month follow-up 91%. (Source
taken from Mroninski C, Adriano E, Mattos G. Meningococcinum: Its protective effect
against meningococcal disease. Homoeopathic Links Winter, 2001. Vol 14(4); pp. 230-
4).

Isaac Golden, ND, PhD, DHom, in Australia has been extending homeoprophylaxis to
long-term use (homeopathic vaccines), with an average effectiveness of around 90%,
and a very high level of safety, which is comparable to measures of vaccine
effectiveness, which range from 70%-90%, depending on the individual vaccine and the
type of trial used. References for studies may be found in Vaccination and
Homeoprophylaxis – A Review of Risks and Alternatives, 6th edition.

It is also important to state that no method of disease prevention is ever 100% effective. However, homeoprophylaxis provides a definite level of protection against infectious diseases, which is not 100%, but which is comparable to that of vaccines.

There is a theory that recommends giving a patient their constitutional remedy (if
known) as first response. The idea is to boost the immune system and vitality in order to enable the patient to resist illnesses to which they are exposed.

NOSODES
Homeopathic remedies may be derived from plant, mineral, and some animal origins. In the case of nosodes we are concentrating on remedies derived from biological sources, which can be of immeasurable value in homeopathic therapy.

Nosodes are homeopathic remedies prepared from human diseased tissue, matter and
discharges (like cancer or pus). All the tinctures and potencies are prepared like other remedies. The end result is that these medicines do not contain active or live
organisms.

The nosodes were originally prepared and proven in the 1930’s by the
Glasgow Homeopathic Hospital, in Scotland, by Dr. John Paterson and his wife
Elizabeth and Dr. Edward Bach. To the date, there are nearly 200+ nosodes available.
Nosodes are primarily used in prophylaxis (preventative measures), which makes them
an important alternative to most common vaccinations.

One should not be overly apprehensive that these nosodes are prepared from diseased
tissues. In practice, the remedies in their potentized form contain killed viruses or bacteria that are entirely safe themselves and are not pathogenic. Excellent notes on nosodes are given in further detail (beyond Boericke’s Materia Medica) in Robin Murphy’s Lotus Materia Medica, Hahnemann’s Chronic Diseases, Berkeley Squire’s
Repertory of Homeoapthic Nosodes and Sarcodes, Allen’s Keynotes with Nosodes,
Allen’s Materia Medica of the Nosodes.

PROTOCOL FOR EPIDEMICS
Homeopathy has a more than two hundred year history of success with epidemic
diseases. Hahnemann himself used Belladonna to treat and prevent scarlet fever in the epidemic of 1801. He then went on to use homeoprophylaxis to prevent such diseases as cholera and typhoid.

Typically the common potencies used for nosodes, are 200C, 1M and 10M (higher potencies but safer because they are farther away from the original source; also have no side effects at the higher potencies). However, especially in short-term or acute situations, we cannot stress enough the importance of
matching the potency to the person’s vitality and level of health. For prophylaxis, you can take a dose of the appropriate nosode 3 times a week. If there has been exposure, or possibility of exposure, you can take one to two doses of the appropriate nosode daily for 7-10 days. If symptomatic, three to four doses daily until symptoms improve. If you do not have nosodes available there is usually polychrest remedies that will be effective if they correctly match your symptoms. Please note, in situations with serious infections, especially bacterial, an allopathic treatment is recommended and may be used concurrently with the homeopathic remedies, successfully. There is no active material left in a 30C or greater potency & homeopathic remedies are so diluted that they won’t be stressful on the immune system.

Nosodes are not readily found over the counter (with the exception of Histaminum and
Oscillococcinum). You can usually find them online and some of the resources below:

CelleTech www.celletech.com 800-888-4066

Helios www.helios.co.uk

Homeopathy www.homeopathyovernight.com 800-ARNICA30

Overnight Ainsworths www.ainsworths.com 888-689-1608

Or you can order them through Willow Tipton, DIHom.

PROTOCOL IN LIEU OF VACCINATIONS:
Use the appropriate single nosode remedy or nosode blend.

Examples of nosode blends:
Pedia Pro - DTaP
RMV Pro - MMR
Vesi Pro - Pox
PF Pro - Polio
TBR Pro - Tuberculosis
HP Lvrpro - All Hepatitis
Flumaxpro - All influenza strains

Take TravelPro & PF Pro (polio) for international travel. You can also use homeopathics on your pets. She encourages you to request that the vet run titers on your pets because they usually over-vaccinate pets. Your pet may have gotten enough of the vaccine to have caused the body to develop immunity, which is what the titer will measure.

Introduce one nosode or blend at a time, when healthy - 2 sprays 1 time a day for 2 weeks or 200C 1 dose daily.

Repeat yearly until 5 years old.

Do a “booster” at puberty time.

If exposed 2 sprays of appropriate spray 2 times a day or 2 doses a day of single nosode (200C) for 2 weeks.

If symptomatic, 2 sprays of appropriate spray 3 times a day for as long as needed or 3 doses a day of single nosode (200C).

PROTOCOL ALONG WITH VACCINATIONS:
Choose the appropriate or corresponding nosode or nosode blend for the vaccine given. Take 1 dose of 200C 2 times a day for 3 days, or 2 sprays of blend 2 times a day for 3 days.

COMPLICATIONS FROM VACCINATIONS AND PREVENTING COMPLICATIONS:
Thuja 30C and Silicea 30C 1 dose of each before vaccination (If able to prevent).
2 doses of each after vaccination for 3 days. Throws out inorganic material in the body.

Use Ledum Pal 30C if injection site is very painful.

Use Belladonna 30C or 200C if a fever comes after vaccination.

LINKS TO VACCINE DECISION AND HOMEOPATHIC VACCINES

http://arcanum.ca/2009/05/17/homoprophylaxis-in-cuba-a-monumental-success/

http://hpathy.com/homeopathy-papers/dr-hahnemann%E2%80%99s-two-approaches-to-prevention/

http://www.heilkunst.com/directory/michelle.html http://theatlasoflife.com/2010/06/08/natural-disease-decline-immunization-effectiveness-and-immunization-dangers/

http://thedoctorwithin.com/index_fr.php?page=articles/sanctity_blood.php


http://www.naturalrearing.com/J_In_Learning/Vaccinations.htm http://thinktwice.com/nosodes.htm

http://thinktwice.com/vaccine.htm http://www.sriaurobindosociety.org.in/activity/editorial.htm

http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/ask-the-doctor/2007/05/pros-and-cons-of-vaccinating-y

http://www.attachmentparentingdoctor.com/vaccinations.html

Willow also spoke about the recent ban by the FDA of teething tablets due to the fact they contain belladonna. She said that the amount of belladonna is minute in teething tablets. She recommended using Boiron’s Chamillia teething tablets which still contain belladonna but at the higher potency so there is no risk of any side effects or harm to your infant.

You can contact Willow Tipton at www.place360healthspa.com or call 858-793-1104. She is available for private consultations in her office located in Del Mar as well as over-the-phone & Skype sessions. She also teaches seminars in San Diego, CA about Homeopathy & Bach Flower Essences through www.LearnHomeopathyNow.com.

You can learn more about San Diego Birth Network & find a list of practitioners (childbirth educators, doulas, midwives, OBs, chiropractors, acupuncturists, homeopaths, cranial sacral therapists, clinical nutritionists, osteopaths, etc) that support the normalcy of birth at www.sandiegobirthnetwork.com. They have monthly meetings for practitioners & often have them open to the public like Willow’s seminar. If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, please visit the website for great articles.
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Thanks again to Willow for coming to San Diego Birth Network's March meeting & for sharing this very useful information!

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

Friday, February 4, 2011

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

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Keris & Jeff's Birth Story


Here's the full story of Keris & Jeff's HypnoBirthing experience:

The Story of Grayson’s Birth

Carving time to sit down and write out Grayson’s birth story has not been easy while I spend most of my time tending to or gazing at my little boy, and the hours and days seem to melt into each other. But, I want to make sure that I write down as many details as possible from this amazing experience before they feel like a dream.

On Tuesday, January 11th, I felt a strong desire to go out to dinner with my husband, Jeff. I hadn’t wanted to do much of anything the last two weeks of my pregnancy, but suddenly I wanted a date night, knowing that it would be our last chance to go out before our baby was born. While we were at dinner, I noticed some mild contractions. They were very subtle, and because I was at 40 weeks and to the point where every little sensation made me anxiously wonder, “Could this be it?”, I simply mentioned them to Jeff and then tried to put it out of my mind. We enjoyed a lovely dinner and then went home to relax on the couch. As we sat and watched TV, the surges became more noticeable, yet still mild. They were, however, different from anything I had felt up to that point in the pregnancy, so I began to feel more and more excited that something significant was taking place. Jeff went to bed and I stayed on the couch, hoping that the TV would be a nice distraction. I dozed off for about an hour, only to be awoken by stronger surges. It was 1:00 am, and I tried to get into bed and sleep it off. It soon became apparent that it was nothing I could sleep through. I told Jeff what was going on and then got into the shower to relax. The surges felt pretty strong but were very irregular, happening anywhere from every 5-10 minutes. After the shower, I tried to go to bed, but the contractions and the excitement kept me wide awake.

By sunrise, the surges were getting stronger, but still irregular. Jeff and I called our parents and told them what was happening, assuming that the baby would be born some time that day- and on his due date to boot! We spent the morning moving through the contractions at a leisurely pace. We took a walk down the block to the lagoon and sat on our favorite bench. We spent time taking in the beauty around us, giving thanks for our many blessings, and saying prayers for a healthy birth. As the day went on, the surges got stronger, but were still not forming a pattern. So we waited...took more showers, listened to music, and waited. As the surges became stronger, Jeff and I found our rhythm as laborer and birth partner. Through each surge, he would apply counter pressure to my hips, which really brought me relief. He kept me focused and breathing, using key terms and cues that we learned in our Hypnobirthing course. Finally, we got to the point where the surges were finding some regularity and we began to time them. Over the next couple of hours they increased and at about 5:00 they were coming on every 4 minutes and lasting for at least a minute. We rode this out for another hour and then called the midwives at the UCSD Birth Center. They told us to come down and we were thrilled to be moving on to the next phase!

During our 30-minute drive to UCSD, I put on my headphones and listened to the relaxation CD that we had been given in our Hypnobirthing class. Up until that point, I had only wanted to hear Jeff’s voice, but since he was driving I knew that would be difficult. The meditation relaxed me and made working through the surges easy. But, I noticed on the drive that the surges seemed to be slowing down. We got to the hospital and went to check in at the birth center. We were told that at that moment the rooms were full but that someone was about to be discharged, and that I would briefly have to go down to the regular labor and delivery floor to be checked and admitted. This threw me for a loop, but I tried to breathe through the glitch and focus on the surges. Arriving on the labor and delivery floor, they had no idea why I was there and had to track down the midwife to see what was going on. Eventually, they put me in a tiny triage room where I changed into my nightgown and had my vitals taken. Through all of this, I was aware that my surges were again irregular and not nearly as strong. I did not like this feeling at all, and was really concerned that my labor had just regressed a few hours. The midwife came in to check me and I was at 4 cm and 80% effaced, but it was obvious to everyone that I was hardly contracting anymore. I felt so confused.

Meanwhile, the room upstairs opened up and they moved me into the more comfortable space that I had been expecting. Also, while this was happening, my dear friend, Julie, and my parents arrived at the hospital, and we went upstairs together. Upstairs, the midwife explained to us that she was not going to admit me until she saw that my labor was picking up, but that I could hang out and walk around to try and get it moving again. So, we did just that. I moved around the room, having stronger but again irregular surges. My brother and sister-in-law arrived and soon the room felt very full of loving, but staring eyes, and I started to feel extremely self-conscious that they had all come to witness the birth, and here I was barely even having contractions. We finally had to ask everyone to leave so that I could really focus on my labor. Julie stayed, however, acting as a doula to both Jeff and me. We spent the next few hours pacing the hospital and working through surges, but they never did resume their strength or pattern. I felt so sad and frustrated, and very, very tired.

At 11:00 pm, the midwife came in and told us that I was in, what she called, ‘early labor hell.’ Essentially, my labor had stalled out and I was only becoming more and more exhausted, having now been up for 24 hours. She offered us two choices. She said that I could go home and take a Benadryl to try and get some rest, or that I could stay in the birth center and receive an IV of sleep medication, of which she referred to as Therapeutic Sleep. I was torn. I cried. I felt so confused. I had really thought that I was having my baby that day. I knew that the surges were too strong to sleep through, but I had never had an IV of anything before, and I didn’t want it to interfere with my natural birth experience. Jeff, Julie, the midwife and I all talked it over and eventually decided that if I wanted to have the strength to have my natural birth experience, then the best choice would be to induce sleep through the IV and hope that I woke up in active labor. And so we slept...for about 6 hours, and although I did not wake up in active labor and was actually still quite groggy, I felt so much better and stronger after having had some sleep.

After a quick breakfast, the midwife came in and checked my progress. I was still at 4 cm and having only mild surges. So, as hard was it was, we packed up our things and headed home. The nurses and midwives were all so sweet, telling me that I would be back it no time at all. But, emotionally, it was rough. I got home and sat on the couch, still very heavy lidded from the sleep medication. I felt so sad and so discouraged. All I could do was sit there. I dozed between mild surges and found my mind wandering to places that I didn’t want it to go. Jeff encouraged me to get up and move around, but I couldn’t. I began to cry and told him that I didn’t even feel like myself. My head wasn’t in the game anymore. I felt like I would be having surges every 10 minutes for the rest of my life! By this point, it was 3:00, and my labor was still stalled. Jeff was concerned and he called Julie for support and advice. Together they decided that they needed to do whatever it took to get me moving. And, at the same time, I had decided that I needed to do whatever Jeff told me to do, no matter how difficult it seemed. So, when Jeff turned on the shower and told me I had to get in it, I did. I stood in the shower crying. Jeff told me that he was going to read me a Hypnobirthing script. He chose the balloon script, which is one about letting go of fear, anxiety, and anything else that you might be holding on to that could interfere with your birth. I sat down in the shower and he read. It was hard to focus and hard to feel positive, but, subconsciously, something shifted. After the script, my surges began to pick up. I got out of the shower and Jeff told me to eat. He fed me yogurt and coconut water and noticed that my face was coming to life again. The surges were becoming stronger and more frequent and all of a sudden I was back in the game!

The surges increased with such strength and frequency that it was only a couple of hours before they were 2-3 minutes apart and we were ready to head back to the birth center. Again, I listened to my relaxation CD in the car, but this time the surges stayed strong and consistent. Leaving for the hospital at 5:00 pm put us in the middle of rush hour traffic, but I didn’t notice. Jeff, on the other hand, was saying prayers to all of those who passed before us, calling on them to get us quickly through traffic...and they did! By the time we arrived, I couldn’t even make it through the lobby without stopping to breathe through three surges. When we got to the 4th floor, our room was ready for us and we were greeted by smiles from everyone who had seen us leave earlier that day. I quickly changed into my gown, put the relaxation CD on the speakers, and Jeff and I continued moving through surges together. By this point, Jeff and I were so in sync, and he was such an amazing support, that when I was offered the doula service that I had thought I wanted (the hospital has a volunteer doula program), I decided against it. I knew that Jeff and I could handle it. Jeff was my chair, literally, and through each surge, I would squat down on his lap as he pressed counter pressure into my hips. I was very focused and breathing hard, using a range of breathing techniques, sighs, sounds, grunts, and moans. It was not a quiet labor. As the relaxation track played on repeat in the background, I would tune in every so often and use whatever part I heard to keep focused. All the while, Jeff was behind me offerings encouraging words and Hypnobirthing cues to help me stay motivated. The midwife came in and checked on my every so often and every 30 minutes the nurse would check the baby’s heartbeat. Finally, I reached a point where my surges were on top of each other with no break at all. The midwife told Jeff that I was “double peaking,” and that she would get the birth tub ready for me. Wow! The double peaks took my breath away. This is when I wanted out. No more. No, thank you. I was done. Silently, I was cursing natural birth and all my Hypnobirthing training. If I could have jumped out of my own skin, I would have. I don’t know what came out of my mouth at that time, but I know that what was being said in my head would have to be censored! Just when I thought I couldn’t handle the double peaks anymore, the voice of my HypnoBirthing instructor, Carol, echoed in my head. I remembered her telling us that we might get to a point of wanting to throw in the towel. That there might be a moment when we would want out of the situation and want to get the drugs, and, that when this time came, we had to hold on, because it meant that the end was near. She explained that soon after, the surges would slow down and give you a break again. So, I rallied and worked though it, and after a little while I was getting a break between surges once again. By then, I was in the tub, which offered some relief and a welcomed change of position. As the surges slowed down a bit, I felt a shift and became very aware of feeling the baby move down the birth canal. I knew I was getting very close. My breathing changed and became more of a deep moan followed by a yoga lion’s breath to clear my throat. Again, this was definitely not a quiet labor! The nurse was keeping both Jeff and me hydrated with coconut water between each surge. Soon I began to feel like I needed to push. It was not as strong as the urge would later become, but an urge nonetheless. I began to use my birth breath at this point, very gently breathing the baby down. The midwife came in to observe me and could tell I was close. She put a mirror under me but could not see much, so she asked me turn over so that she could check my progress. I actually remember feeling quite annoyed at this point because I was already so aware of my own progress and I didn’t want my focus to be disturbed. I knew that I was fully dilated and the midwife confirmed not only that, but also that she could feel the baby’s head right there!



The UCSD Birth Center does not yet allow for water births, so they moved me from the tub onto the queen-sized bed that we could later sleep in as a family for the first time. Unbeknownst to me, at the same time that all of this was happening, there was a woman next door who was fully dilated and also ready to give birth, so the back up midwife had been called in to tend to my birth. As I was getting situated on the bed, she walked in, and I could not have been happier to see that it was our own midwife, Rebecca, the one that we had been seeing through all of our appointments. As soon as she got there, my need to push became incredibly strong. I no longer felt like I could breathe the baby down and had to succumb to my urge to push. Jeff sat next to me on the bed, but I didn’t want any more cues at that point and asked him to turn off the relaxation CD. I was completely inside my head and needed to focus. Rebecca led me through a few different positions, trying to find the best one to help move the baby along. He was having a hard time moving over my pelvic bone and I ended up having the most luck laying on my right side. It was about 10:30 when I really started to push, the room was quiet and dark and the midwife and nurse were using nothing but a flashlight to watch my progress. Rebecca gently encouraged my pushing, quietly saying things like, “You’ve got it sweetie, that’s it. You’re doing it.” She was fantastic. I pushed hard for about an hour. In the last few minutes, Rebecca asked me nudge the baby gently, and again I found myself practicing the birth breath. I wasn’t sure why she asked me to do that at the time, but later Jeff told me that she was trying to keep me from tearing by gently working the baby’s head out. After a few nudges, the baby’s head was out and looking right at Jeff! Rebecca instructed me to give one more gentle nudge and that the baby would do the rest. She told Jeff to put his hands on either side of the baby’s head and, with one more nudge, the baby was out and Jeff was holding

him in his arms! He announced to us all that we had a baby boy and quickly put him on my chest. Amazing! He was healthy, had beautiful color, and was crying to clear his lungs on his own. He lay on my chest and settled down as the midwife watched carefully for the cord to stop pulsing. When it did, Jeff cut the cord. The three of us laid there together for a while, taking it all in, as the midwife and nurse quietly gave me 2 quick stitches (after his head cleared, the baby nicked me with his elbow and gave me the slightest tear) and cleaned up around us. When all of this was done I sat up in bed and was finally able to get a good look at his little face. I couldn’t believe how gorgeous he was and that this tiny little person had been inside me all those months. It was instant love.

In the hours following his birth, our baby boy was greeted by his grandparents, took to breastfeeding beautifully, and took turns sleeping on Mommy and Daddy’s chest through the night. It was so special to be able to sleep together as a family in the birth center bed and to wake up to his sweet little face nuzzled up to mine.

In the morning, Jeff and I decided on the name Grayson. We had come in with two possible names, and Grayson seemed to fit him perfectly. We spent the entirety of the next day lounging in bed as the nurses came in to check on us only when we called for them. They were so respectful of our time to rest and bond. More family and friends came to visit that afternoon and again that night we slept together as a family. In fact, Grayson slept for five hours straight, curled up next to me on the bed, exhausted from his grand entrance into the world. It was hard to get any sleep, because all I wanted to do was stare at my beautiful baby boy.

Slowly it began sinking in that he is my son and I am his Mommy, forever and ever.

What a gift. What a blessing. What an honor.
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Wow Keris! I didn't expect you to finish writing up your birth story so quickly! I really appreciate it! I'm sure your birth story will inspire others.

For anyone considering a natural birth, UCSD's Birth Center is a great option. They have tubs to labor in, midwives that support natural birth & the availability of the regular hospital in case of a special circumstance.

For information about my HypnoBirthing classes, please visit my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or if you're outside of San Diego, CA, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner near you.

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

Monday, January 24, 2011

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

Monday, December 13, 2010

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