Erica and Jordan's HypnoBirthing Story

Erica and Jordan took Carol’s HypnoBirthing classes on Thursday evenings at Seaside Women’s Health in Encinitas, North County San Diego.  Here is their son, Moses’, birth story:

The HypnoBirth that I anticipated did not go as planned, however, it was an amazing experience and I would not go back on any decisions I made, nor change anything about my 31 hour journey.

My water released at 8:30am on Wednesday, April 25th. Since I tested positive for Strep B, I knew that I would have to receive antibiotics within 18 hours. I called Jordan and he must have sensed the pending birth, because he was already in the driveway. At that point I decided not to attempt my Bikram yoga class, instead, we hung out at the house waiting for the surges. At 11:30am with no progress and such a beautiful day, we felt like a hike might get things rolling. We discovered Double Peak Park in San Marcos. I took my time up the 1000 foot elevation gain and made it to the top with no issues. I could start feeling more of a wave flowing through my body. I snacked on an apple at the top and took pictures. It was gorgeous and I highly recommend it! On our way home we stopped for tacos and thought maybe the spice would get it going. I began to feel stronger surges. When we got home we showered and relaxed in bed timing the surges. I was at about 7 minutes apart at 5pm. So, I put on my waves cd and Jordan began with affirmations and the ocean script. I found myself in deep relaxation. I then moved on to the rainbow relaxation CD. My surges became a little more intense and were anywhere between 4-6 minutes apart. At 9pm, we took our beagle for a walk and I found myself stopping and finding my zone.

At 11pm, we made a decision to go to Scripps La Jolla hopsital because I was about 4 minutes apart and getting close to needing the antibiotics. I had my earphones in playing rainbow relaxation and when we arrived at the hospital I found myself needing to stop and sit on my yoga ball. We checked in and they brought us to the examination room. The mid-wife on duty checked to make sure that my water did release, which it did, although I was only 2 cm. dilated. They brought me to my room and started the iv of antibiotics. I could taste it in my mouth and became extremely nauseous. Jordan set up the room, giving me a peaceful atmosphere, with candles, a pillow, and my quilt. I wore my bead blessed necklace and hoped it would soothe me even more. I utilized the shower and yoga ball. We listened to affirmations and rainbow relaxation throughout. I was very much in my zone. Jordan used light touch massage and counter hip pressure. My first nurse also rotated with Jordan in massaging me. Jordan was always there and I found his words comforting. Another check later in the early morning and I had not yet progressed. In my mind I felt a bit of disappointment, but knew that this would pass and I needed to just breathe and focus on bringing my baby to me. At 8am I had to receive my next dose of antibiotics. I found that my favorite place to be was on my yoga ball with my torso being supported by the bed. Throughout this entire time Jordan only took a few bathroom breaks and a quick nap. He offered me food, but I could only stomach sips of water. About that time the doctor came in. I was at 5 cm. and 24 hours since my water had released. She said at that time I needed something to relax me further because the baby was so low and my cervix needed to progress. She knew that a natural hypnobirth is what I wanted. At that time there was a shift change and I received two new nurses. Everyone was on board with trying to help me go natural, but knew the ultimate goal was a healthy baby. I asked for more time from Dr. Barile to get relaxed on my own. I tried different positions and then walked the halls and stepped out into the courtyard to get some fresh air. 25 hours into my labor and knowing that I definitely did not want a c-section we discussed options with the doctor. She said I could get an epidural or a light dose of Nubain. We took 30 minutes and chose the Nubain. I became a bit more relaxed, but then the surges seemed to intensify. I was on my yoga ball with Jordan behind me doing everything he could. I felt that this baby was going to come to us at any moment. When Dr. Barile came into check my progression and I was still at only 8 cm. dilated and the cervix was bruising and thickening, causing to reverse my efforts. At that moment Dr. Barile offered Pitocin, however, I chose against it, thinking that it would just make contractions stronger, but still not help in dilation, leading to my cervix to close and a c-section. At 27 hours I made the extremely tough decision to have a light epidural to hopefully be able to get to 10 cm. dilated. The epidural caused my body to fully relax and reverse the strong urge to push and the shakes. At 29 hours I was 10 cm. dilated, but my contractions slowed to 7 minutes apart. I was all over the place with my body. So at this point I had them introduce Pitocin, which quickly brought my contractions to 2-3 apart and in the "breathing down phase". At this time, I felt most comfortable on my back with my knees out to the side. The doctor came in and we discussed my breathing and I found it best to "purple push". At this moment I discovered more inner strength than I knew I had. I was exhausted, but it was exhilarating! Even with weeks of perennial massage I began to tear in 3 places. The doctor offered an episiotomy. She knew my birth plan from the start and kept apologizing for my circumstance. She was very soothing and understanding and I appreciated her letting me go over 24 hours without pressure to do alternative methods. I decided to get the episiotomy and happy I did, because I am healing fast with 2 stitches. 

At 3:55pm on Thursday, April 26th. We had a boy!!!!! Moses Aindreas. Weighing 8 pounds 2 ounces and 20 inches long. He suffered very noticeable bruising on his forehead from hitting my cervix. 9 days later we are a healthy family. Moses did get a Vitamin K shot because of the bruising. He also had Jaundice, which seems to have subsided with a lot of breastfeeding efforts.  

Moses is an alert, calm and happy baby boy. I owe my internal birthing strength to HypnoBirthing! Even during the strongest surge, Moses' heart rate was perfect. The nurses kept telling me, "You have a very happy baby! "

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Congratulations Erica and Jordan! You both did such a wonderful job working through your labor.  A major goal I have in my classes is to give you the tools to help keep you in control of yourself during your labor no matter what happens during your labor, which you both obviously did so beautifully. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I hope you are continuing to enjoy your babymoon! 

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in the San Diego area, please feel free to contact Carol for class schedules and more information at: A Well Lived Life. If my schedule deso not work with yours, I would love to refer you to other local instructors as well. If you aren’t in the San Diego area but are still interested in utilizing all that HypnoBirthing has to offer, check out The HypnoBirthing Institute and find a Local Practitioner for you!

A HypnoBirthing Story: Tracy and Tom

Tracy and Tom took Carol's HypnoBirthing classes in May 2011 at Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, North County San Diego.

"Well I finally got around to writing our HypnoBirthing story. I just kind of let it roll. I can't thank you enough for guiding us through this experience. Getting stung by a stingray while surfing hurt more than labor and you can quote me on that. I gave birth exactly on my guess date -I was 40 weeks (my doc was willing to let me go another week). I had no drugs and Ellie was 6 lbs 13oz and 19 inches. From the time I had my first surges to her birth was less than 8 hours. I was only at the hospital for 3 hours before she was born. She is a joy to be around. Here is our story:"




At around 5:00 a.m on September 12th I woke up with what felt like mild cramping. I wasn’t really sure what I was feeling, so I got up and tried to finish a project “just in case” this was the real thing. In the background I played my Rainbow Relaxation. At around 6:30 a.m. I started timing my “cramps” which seemed to be coming about 6 minutes apart. Slightly in denial, I said to myself –“I’ll wake Tom if it is consistent three more times in a row”. I said this to myself about 4 or 5 times. Our Hypnobirthing plan was to labor at home as long as possible and only go to the hospital when my surges were about 3 ½ to 4 minutes apart…I figured this would be a long haul so I told Tom to finish any work he may have and then he could read me some Hypnosis scripts we received in class and help me with my relaxation work. I still had the Rainbow Relaxation CD on and I was doing hip rolls on our physio ball while calling friends and family. I stopped timing the surges around 7:30 a.m., but at around 8:30 a.m. the intensity jumped up a notch and I was suddenly at 4 minutes apart. I tried not to stress out and I mentioned to Tom that he might want to eat something because we would be leaving for the hospital within the hour.

Tom did not eat anything.

I had the Rainbow Relaxation CD playing in the car during the ride to the hospital and I felt very calm and relaxed. I breathed through each surge while envisioning an opening flower and although at times there was a lot of pressure, I was never in any pain. My water broke one block from the hospital so I was admitted immediately. By the time we got off the 78 (25 minutes later) my surges were 3 minutes apart. It was 10:30 a.m. The admitting nurse said I was only at 2 cm and I remember thinking –“ I should have waited at home longer”. We were shown to our private room where I changed into my own gown, turned down the lights and listed to my iPod –you guessed it–still listening to the Rainbow Relaxation. Our labor and delivery nurse was amazing -she read our plan and asked us our preferences for every little thing she did. She said she had been a part of a few hypnobirths and was familiar with the concept. Tom and I both felt like she respected our wish to be in charge of our own birth. My sister and my friend were also present and said the staff seemed very open to our plan.



The next 2 hours were a blur. I was completely focused during my surges but the mood in my room was light in between surges and we were joking around and telling Ellie it was fine to come out whenever she was ready. At around 12:30 p.m. my surges were about 2 ½ minutes apart and Tom mentioned he was really hungry. I shot him a “seriously” look as he asked the nurse for the nearest pizza delivery place. At 1:00 p.m. I felt an intense pressure near my rectum and I remember Carol saying “If you feel like you have to’go’ –you’re close”. I told my sister I felt like I had to go to the bathroom and as a veteran of 2 hypnobirths she ran to get our nurse. It was time. I actively breathed Ellie down for about an hour and 15 minutes and she was born drug free at 2:04 p.m. I was told a pizza delivery boy arrived at our room around 1:30 p.m. and is scarred for life –Tom gave him a big tip.



Afterthoughts:
Hypnobirthing was such an integral part of Ellie’s healthy birth. During labor Ellie’s heart rate dropped and there was talk of a C section –I looked my doctor in the eye and said –if you let me sit up I think we’ll be o.k. She let me get in a more comfortable position and sure enough Ellie’s heart rate jumped right back up to normal. I knew my body, and my doctor was respectful of my decision. All in all I would say that even if your birth doesn’t go exactly how you want it to go –hypnobirthing gives you the tools to be in charge of your own birth. We also treated the staff with respect and got respect right back. Tom and I worked a lot on our scripts and I did a lot of visualization –without the work I don’t think our birth experience would have been the same. As part of our plan, we decided ahead of time that complications may arise, but we need to make informed decisions –and we did. Ellie is now 3 months old and she is a calm and very happy baby –I attribute her amazing demeanor to a calm and happy birth experience. Thank you Carol.

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Congratulations, Tracy and Tom! Thank you so much for sharing your HypnoBirthing story! I'm so glad that you were able to have such an amazing birthing experience. That is the goal of my teaching...to give women and their partners the information and confidence they need so that they can have the most comfortable, calm, empowering birth experience possible! Enjoy your babymoon!

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 of upcoming classes. Carol and Kelly teach classes in North County San Diego. If their schedule doesn't fit your schedule, please contact them and they can refer you to other local practitioners. If you are outside San Diego, CA, please vist www.hypnobirthing.com and go to Find a Practitioner to find a class near you.

www.AWellLivedLife.net
www.AWellLivedLife.blogspot.com

Lachelle & Pierre's HypnoBirthing story

Lachelle & Pierre took my HypnoBirthing classes on Tuesday nights in August 2011 at Babies by the Sea Boutique. Here is their birth story:

We are so grateful for the tools and all the things to look out for, how to respond to what the doctors will tell you and the general peace and confidence that hypnobirthing gave us. After almost 14 hours of natural labor, using all we had learned, I was only 3 cm opened and we knew I was in for a long labor. I had been asleep through almost all of it until this point when we had to give in to some help from pitocin and the epidural. Almost another 14 hours would go by with threats of c-sections every 30 mins as we discovered Lennon's cord was wrapped around some body part or she was sitting on it and therefore unable to receive oxygen while I was having contractions. My doctor was amazing and delivered me vaginally even after all other staff was shaking their heads that I was definitely a c-section patient and my little pumpkin would never survive back to back contractions of the pushing phase. 30minutes of heart dropping pushing and then silence after all contractions as we would all wait holding our breaths waiting to hear that little heart beat pick back up again- very scary but again my doctor is a super hero and she got us and the baby through, even with a double wrapped cord around Lennon's neck.

I am thankful for the confidence that I was given going into labor, and for all the situations and how to deal with them we spoke of in class.. . they all happened to me. They wanted to screw that thing (internal monitor)into Lennon's head, they wanted to give me a c-section while my doctor was away in surgery for a couple hours and wasn't there to defend me, they wanted to scare me using language that was unfair and shouldn't be threatened to any mother. We knew to ask for our 10 minutes to talk it over, we knew to act quickly to defend our baby when we saw the heart monitor tool that screws into the baby's head. Thank you so much Carol. Birth looks so different for everyone. I learned through this experience that you cannot plan when it comes to mother nature and to not be disappointed when things don't go as planned. I do not regret taking the drugs that I did to get through the birth and I have hypnobirthing to thank for that- as weird as that sounds- I am not guilty or disappointed in myself. We are all healthy and well.
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Thanks so much for sharing your story, Lachelle! I'm so glad that the classes helped you & Pierre feel empowered and educated so that you could know what options you had and not feel bullied into interventions that weren't necessary. Yes, sometimes birth doesn't end up as we all plan for and hope for. Sometimes our little ones have different journeys than we plan for and the best thing we can do it trust our instincts and be flexible. While I know you had hoped so much to have a completely unmedicated birth, the fact that YOU chose the medications/interventions to help you have a better outcome for your birth experience is my ultimate goal in teaching HypnoBirthing. I want ALL of my couples to have no regrets after their birth no matter what happened because I want them to feel in control, educated & empowered throughout their pregnancy & birth. Congratulations on the birth of Lennon Rose!

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to learn more and to see the schedule for upcoming classes. 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

Erica & James' 2nd HypnoBirthing story

Erica & James took my HypnoBirthing classes for their first baby and had a great experience. When she got pregnant for the 2nd time, they took the class again to refresh themselves on the material. They took my Thursday night classes in July 2011 at Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, CA (North County San Diego). Here is their birth story:

When I found out I was pregnant with our second child I knew that I wanted to do things differently this time around. Our first baby, Blake, was born in a hospital and although it was a fairly good experience, I wanted something better. Even though we had a natural birth in a hospital setting, the environment was a stressful one. I was hooked up to uncomfortable and constricting monitors and an IV, while the nurses anxiously ran around. They coached me to push harder instead of listening to my body, and gave me an injection of Pitocin after Blake's birth without first consulting with me. After much research and finding the perfect team of midwives, we decided to have a homebirth for our second baby.

The experience with our midwives, LaShel and Jamin at San Diego Midwife, was incredible; they truly cared about our entire family. Words cannot describe how thankful I am for them! We also enrolled in Carol’s Hypnobirthing classes like we did during my first pregnancy. Carol gave me the greatest gift –confidence. Hypnobirthing gave me confidence in the birthing process, and in my ability to have a safe, natural birth.



Anya’s birth story:

At 38 weeks I woke up at 11:40 PM with some steady contractions that were about five minutes apart. I told my husband, James, that we should start getting things ready just in case this was it. We thought we might do a water birth so we got the birthing pool ready in our bedroom and placed several towels around it. Once we were done getting the room ready for the birth, I began to mentally prepare myself by listening to the hypnobirthing affirmations and Native American flute music while relaxing on a birthing ball.

The contractions continued to be consistent and were now every three minutes apart. They were mild enough that I could talk and even laugh through them. We called LaShel to let her know that I might be in labor. Since the labor seemed to be in the early stages, we determined that we would call her again when things started progressing. Shortly after ending our conversation, my contractions went from three minutes apart to four and then five minutes. I started to doubt myself—was I really in labor? Just as quickly as I asked myself that question, my body affirmed that this was indeed it through an extremely intense contraction. James called LaShel back to let her know we would need her and Jamin soon. I had another contraction and then had an overwhelming urge to use the bathroom. While in the bathroom, I reached down and, to my surprise, felt our baby’s head; she was crowning. Although LaShel only lived six minutes away, I knew we were going to have this baby on our own and was at peace with the idea, as I knew from Carol and our midwives that if things go fast they often go without complication.

I managed to walk back to the bedroom next to the birthing pool when the next contraction came. I squatted and with that contraction, my water broke and our baby’s head was out. Having read the week before on how to deliver a baby, James stayed incredibly calm and was ready to catch her. Just seven minutes after my first intense contraction, Anya was born into the arms of my husband who caught her in a beautiful purple and pink beach towel. What a proud moment this was for James! Blake must have intuitively known what was happening because he woke up and was calling for us. So after our baby girl started to cry and we knew she was okay, James ran and got Blake. The next several minutes were such a blessing… just the three of us together welcoming Anya. It was perfect! About three minutes after her birth, LaShel came running up our stairs and said, “Hi guys!” while laughing. We all laughed; I don’t think any of us could believe what just happened. Jamin arrived shortly after and performed Anya’s newborn exam. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 19 inches long. She was born at 1:59 AM, which makes the entire labor only a little over two hours!



Anya’s birth was more amazing than I could have ever dreamed. As with Blake’s birth, her birth was so empowering and a day I will cherish forever. I am in awe of my body and its innate wisdom. I am incredibly grateful to have found such an incredible team of supportive women. Thank you Carol, LaShel, and Jamin for giving me the confidence and the opportunity to have a beautiful homebirth!
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Congratulations Erica & James! What an amazing story! Thank you so much for sharing! I hope life with two kids is going well!

If you are interested in HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, please visit Carol Yeh-Garner's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to see Carol and her teaching partner, Kelly's class schedule. There are also several other HypnoBirthing instructors in San Diego as well as throughout the world, so check www.hypnobirthing.com in the Find a Practitioner section to find one near you.

If you are interested in having a homebirth with San Diego Midwives--LaShel & Jamin--you can contact them via their website at www.sandiegomidwife.com.

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

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