Sandra and Tim's HypnoBirthing Story

 

Sandra and Tim took Carol’s HypnoBirthing class on Tuesday evenings in February/March 2012 in Encinitas, North County San Diego.  This is their birth story, as told by Tim. Enjoy!

Sunday, April 22nd - Sandra woke up with excruciating pain on the left side of her mid-back.  It was a constant pain so we knew it was not surges.  We tried Rainbow Relaxing, massage, ice and heat.  Our doula recommended an epson salt bath which worked like a charm.  When Sandra got out of the bath she was pain free for the next five hours.... but then it came back at the same level as the morning.  We tried another bath, but it was much less effective.  She tried to sleep, but had little success.

Monday, April 23rd - This was the first day of Sandra's maternity leave.  She had not slept much due to the pain, but felt much better when I left for work.  She went swimming and felt good all day.  Just before we went to bed the pain came back.

Tuesday, April 24th - Again, Sandra had a hard time sleeping because the pain was the most acute at night.  At 1pm she called me at work because the pain was back and so strong she was worried about driving herself to the chiropractor.  I came home and took her to see Bridget.  She adjusted Sandra's pelvis which was really tweaked to the left.  This did not immediately help relieve the pain, but we left very hopeful.  Sandra had also been constipated for the last 48 hours so we stopped by Jimbo's to get some Homeopathic stool softeners. 

Wednesday, April 25th - At midnight the pain was still significant so we consulted with the midwife and she recommended trying Castor Oil because nothing else was working and we were close to the due date.  I went to CVS and searched for Castor Oil.  Not surprisingly the employees at 3am are not the A team.  Castor oil is in the baby section, not the constipation section!  We tried the Castor oil (Sandra reports that is tastes pretty awful!) and 8 hours later there was still no bowel movement.  So the midwife recommended drinking 2 ozs of Extra Virgin Olive oil and 48 ozs of water in 1 hour.  This was supposed to help with the constipation, it did not help and about 30 minutes after finishing the water Sandra threw it back up.  It was about 1pm and we were getting worried because Sandra had not been able to eat anything significant in over 12 hours and now it appeared water was not sitting well either.  Eventually the midwives decided it was best if we came into the hospital to get checked out.  We went in at 3pm and they put Sandra on an IV to help rehydrate her, started running tests to try to identify what was causing the pain and did a vaginal exam.  The vaginal exam revealed Sandra was 2cm dilated and was having regular surges which Sandra could not feel due to the back pain.  They did blood work to check for a kidney infection and did an ultrasound to look for kidney stones.  While waiting for the test results they gave Sandra an enema which finally fixed the constipation.  We hoped that this would help with the pain, but after a brief respite the pain came back just as strong.  We wondered if the baby was going to come, but the surges slowed down.  They decided to keep Sandra at the hospital overnight because the pain was still so acute. 

Thursday, April 26th - Sandra was released from the hospital at 7am.  They did a vaginal exam before she left and she was 3.5cm dilated.  We got home and she was able to sleep until noon.  This was the longest block of sleep she had gotten since Sunday.  She spent the rest of the day propped up in bed watching movies.  I had a feeling it was a matter of days if not hours until the baby came so I spent the day doing laundry and running errands.  I got home at 10pm and Sandra took a bath to prepare for bed.  She was feeling some surges but kept falling asleep between them so she did not know how far apart they were spaced.  After her bath I timed the surges and they were consistently 7 minutes apart so I called our doula.  She said she had been dressed and ready to go since 6pm because she had a feeling Torin was coming that night. 

Friday, April 27th - Becky (our doula) arrived just before midnight and helped us labor at home until 2am.  Amazingly the pain in Sandra's side disappeared earlier in the day when the surges became consistent.  At 2am the surges were 2 minutes apart so we headed to UCSD Hillcrest.  Unfortunately it was a busy night at the hospital so there were no rooms available in the Birth Center.  This meant we had to be downstairs in labor and delivery, but we still received care from the midwife, not the OB.  We had really been looking forward to being in the Birth Center because the large beds make it much easier to bond as a family after the delivery.  Sandra did a great job of not letting the disappointment throw off her game.  At this point she had to stop walking and concentrate during each surge, but still remained totally relaxed.  Labor progressed quickly.  After 3 hours she was 9.5cm dilated.  It then took 3 more hours to get to 10cm.  She loved not being on an IV because she was able to move around and labor in many different positions.  Her favorite position was squatting, but it is also very physically demanding so after a couple hours she started experimenting with with positions that allowed her to rest more completely between surges.  She ended up squatting on the bed for the surge and then laying on her side and completely relaxing between the surges.  At 7am a room opened up in the Birth Center and they offered it to us, but Sandra had no interest in moving at that point.

The birth - At around 8am Sandra began to have a very strong urge to push.  The midwife (Linda) tried to check her to make sure she was fully dilated, but the baby's head was so low it made it difficult to check.  Linda decided that she must be fully dilated and it was ok to start pushing him out.  This began a cycle of pushing him down, seeing the top of his head and then watching it disappear after the surge ended.  The cycle went on for over an hour.  Finally the head made it far enough that it stayed after the surge ended.  At this point it was clear Sandra was exhausted, but she did a great job of drinking coconut water, nibbling a protein bar and completely relaxing between surges.  The nurse kept using a handheld Doppler unit to listen to the baby's heart between surges.  I could tell she and the midwife were a little worried, but every time his heart rate was strong at ~140 beats per minute.  It took 3.5 hours of pushing, but the baby's head finally made it all the way out.  He sat there for about 30 seconds and then turned to the right to align his shoulders.  Sandra laid there waiting for a surge so she could push him all the way out, but after 5 minutes no surge came.  Through the course of the hours of pushing her surges had started to get farther and farther apart.  The midwife asked if she had the strength to push without a surge.  If not they were going to have to put her on an IV to give her pitocin.  Sandra pushed and the baby slid out!  Linda lifted him up and placed him on Sandra's chest.  He was active an alert, but not crying.  As soon as he touched her chest he reached up and grabbed her finger.  The birth was not a silent process of soft J-breathing, but the HypnoBirth techniques allowed Sandra to stay relaxed and save her energy for when she needed it.

Torin was born at 11:50am on April 27th.  He was 10lbs 5oz and 22in long!  The hospital staff was amazed that no tearing or episiotomy was needed.  The perineal massage paid off!

Thank you, Carol, for doing such a great job with the class...  we found the HypnoBirthing techniques to be very helpful in having a natural, un-medicated birth. -Tim

I am not sure how I was able to do it, I had no idea I had the strength in me, but Carol did give us lots of tools to make it all happen.  Our midwife was also amazing for not giving up on us.  She coached me through the pushing process and was very patient.  I feel like I would have ended up with a C-section if we had been at any other hospital. -Sandra

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Thank you so much for sharing your story, Sandra and Tim. I loved reading your birth story from Tim’s perspective! I am thankful that the HypnoBirthing techniques were useful for you and that you had the birth that you were desiring, even in the midst of unforeseen situations! Thanks so much for sharing your beautiful story with us. Enjoy your babymoon!

For more information on UCSD Medical Center as well as the accompanying Birth Center:

 http://health.ucsd.edu/women/child/facilities/Pages/default.aspx

For more information about Sandra & Tim's doula, Becky Gonzalez, please visit her website at www.alohaspirits.com.

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in the San Diego area, please feel free to contact us for class schedules and more information at: A Well Lived Life. If our schedules do not work with yours we 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!

Chelle and Chris' HypnoBirthing Story

Chelle and Chris took Kelly's Monday evening HypnoBirthing classes at the end of 2011.  Chelle was hoping to gain techniques and information that would help her have a more positive experience than she had with her first son's birth. This is their story!

 

Bear with me….I tend to over talk things, but so much of Rook’s birth was about the preparation that I feel like I can’t leave anything out!
When I got pregnant with our oldest son, Cy, back in 2009, I knew immediately that I wanted a natural unmedicated child birth. I still wanted to go the hospital/OB route, but I wanted to do everything in my power to skip that “cascade of interventions” and avoid drugs and possible complications from said interventions. Chris and I signed up for Bradley Method classes and I was very hopeful for a positive outcome. I had some issues with my doctor and at 34 weeks, after a really awful appointment full of no’s, I decided to switch to a new OBGYN. She seemed a lot better but still was pushing for induction if I hit my due date. I was so anxious at the arrival of said due date, and possible induction was the only thing on my mind. Long story short, I went into labor on my own the night before Cy’s due date, labored for about 17 hours and freaked out. The pain became too much and the anxiety of the situation over took me. I caved and got the epidural. I ended up going from 5 cm to 10 cm in a matter of an hour and pushed out Cy in a few contractions. I knew I did what I had to do, with what I was given, and with my current knowledge, but I did feel pretty disappointed in myself. My recovery was pretty slow and painful and involved more drugs, lots of sitz baths, and a lot more time than I expected.

Fast forward to May 2011, Cy was 9 months old and we found out we were having another baby. I was over the moon and before the pee could dry on that stick, I was researching like a mad woman, trying to figure out how I could get that birth I had dreamed of with Cy…the kind of birth you read about and think “wow, she got lucky.” But, in the back of mind, I knew that luck had nothing to do with it. I was still not very confident in my “abilities” but I knew I had to at least do everything I could to educate myself, to give myself and my baby the best possible options I could.

I got to talking with an old friend: It just so happened that my friend from high school, Kelly, who had had her first baby just a couple of months after I had Cy, was teaching HypnoBirthing classes now. She really made me think that it was possible for me to have the birth I desired.  I also switched OB’s and ended up with Dr. Cobb, who is pretty much amazing. I walked out of that first appointment with him feeling like I was on top of the world. He said something to the effect of, “I’m not sure how you picture your pregnancy and birth to go, but I am pretty hands off. We don’t do a lot of unnecessary tests and we won’t induce without medical reason before 42 weeks.” I was sold. I started reading birth stories and watching videos and obsessively talking about birth with my mom friends. This birth became a mission of mine. I am positive my husband thought I was looney but I didn’t care….and he obliged me by reading the stories and books and info I was constantly throwing at him.
We started our HypnoBirthing classes with Kelly when I was about 29 weeks. I say “we” loosely as Chris had started a second job and was working like a mad man – but I would come home and regurgitate everything and make him read the parts of our book that “really” mattered. We had gone through a birth before, so we kinda knew what to expect, but I have to say, this hypnobirthing stuff was a serious game changer. Through reading more and more, I realized that so much of Cy’s birth had to do with my anxiety and fear and less to do with searing pain and contractions that just wouldn’t stop. I started listening to my “Rainbow Relaxation” track every night and enjoyed hearing the birth affirmations over and over, to embed everything into my brain for “go time”. Slowly but surely, I started to believe what the tracks were telling me….”my body was made to give birth”…”I am confident and will accept whatever turns my labor takes”….I will have an easy birth because I am so relaxed.”

The end of my pregnancy was a little rocky and I started to have doubts about being able to go through with everything.

I kept repeating my affirmations and talked to anyone who would listen and could reassure me, and finally, started having that prodromal labor. I swear I must have had 6 “false alarms” and was wondering if I would ever know for sure if I was really in labor or just getting ready for the big day. Baby’s guess date was January 25th, and my brother’s birthday is January 23rd. Throughout my pregnancy, I kept thinking about how amazing it would be to have my baby be able to share a birthday with someone so special to me. When I woke up at 3 am on January 23rd with some strong “surges” (what we call them in HypnoBirthing but for some reason I never got the hang of!) I said a little prayer and repeated “I am ready to meet my baby” in my head over and over, before finally waking up Chris at around 4 am to tell him that I had been timing the contractions for an hour and they were about 3 minutes apart. He said “ok” and rolled back over. I shook him up and said “no, I think this is it”. We both got up and showered and made sure we had a bag packed. I breathed through each contraction and found it increasingly easier and easier to snap in and out of my state of relaxation. It honestly amazed me, but I have to admit there was that little voice that kept saying “its gonna get worse”….which I tried to fend off with “My birth will be easy because I am so relaxed”. We got a hold of Kelly, who offered, so amazingly, to come be there for us, and my mom who was coming for Cy. They were both here around 6 am, I think…time seemed to be slipping away at this point.

I was feeling really energetic between each contraction and was able to snap into relaxation during each one, despite their increased intensity and shortening span of time between each one. We hung out, watched TV, and I just kept on breathing. I decided to get in the bath, we turned on Rainbow Relaxation and I let the shower hit me while I laid in a tub of water. Contractions got more intense, but the warm water made it easier to get through them calmly. Kelly started pouring warm water over my belly during contractions and that was a HUGE help. It felt like the pressure was just melting away. By now, it was about 11:00 am or so and I decided that when I got out, it would be time to head to the hospital and get comfy there. I knew that it would not be as easy to relax without the water, so I wanted to head to another source of water at the hospital and hunker down there until baby got here. So, I got out, got dressed, got everything together, was still very strong and focused in between contractions and the ride to the hospital (which I was secretly dreading) was not that bad. I just remember thinking “your body is opening up and baby is moving down”. It was raining lightly and I rolled down the windows and let my body get nice and cool and just put all of my focus into relaxation.

We arrived and checked in at the hospital at noon. We got into a room right away and at some point I think Chris talked to Dr. Cobb to let him know what was going on. I wanted to get into the jacuzzi immediately….and was really disappointed when Chris read a large sign out loud “Do not use jacuzzi tubs”. Oh f*@#. I was bummed….Chris said he was certain I would blow up right there, but I kept it together and said – eh its alright – but I am getting in that shower asap. They had to take some blood, and were insisting on a heparin lock, which I declined. But they insisted. Alright…go for it. They tried twice and omigod, I am certain it was worse than contractions at that point. I wanted to hit the nurse. They ended up calling an anesthesiologist to get it in for me….he seemed pretty stoked to be called in for that – ha – poor guy. Then they still needed to draw some blood. Four pokes later and I was still hooked up to the monitors. Dr. Cobb asked for a cervical check at admission, so I said alright but told everyone in the room to not utter one word about how far along I was. I totally feel like knowing the centimeters while in labor with Cy really had a huge effect on me and how I could handle things mentally. I did not want to know how “far along” I was and wanted to just trust my body and know that I would know when baby was coming and that my baby and my body were doing their job and everything would move along at its own pace.

They finally unhooked me and I hopped in the shower fast. It had a little seat and a removable shower head, so during every surge (it was around this time I started accepting that terminology haha) I just swirled the shower head over my belly and in my head I was repeating “melt away melt away melt away” and sure enough each surge would melt away and I would snap back into reality. I started to get a little bit tired, but remember thinking “yea, I can do this for a few more hours”. The thought of getting something to help the pain never even entered my head. I was in such a good place. I definitely started working harder and needing more focus at this point, but it was all very tolerable. I was so focused and in tune with everything.

I guess I had been in there about 40 minutes when the nurse came in and was asking if I felt “different” and told me to tell her if I felt anything “different”. I remember thinking – SHOULD I be feeling something different?! I asked Kelly and she said…..”Chelle, you were far along when we got here. You’re so close, you are doing so good”. I said “I’m far?…do you know how dilated I was?” She said yes. So I asked her to tell me…..apparently I was at 8 cm at check in! I was shocked. I kinda burst into tears and thought “omigod its working…I’m doing it! My body is doing it”. Then Chris told me that maybe I should think about getting out of the shower soon. They had to do some more monitoring, but apparently Chris says the look on my face could tell him I was getting really close.
So I hopped out, made a pit stop (with Chris’ help) to go pee. I sat down, had a surge, and felt a pop. Chris had to jump out of the way as my water broke a little bit. I stood right up and said something to the effect of “I need to push…baby is right here”. I am not sure if they thought I was getting hysterical or what, but this was the only part of the birth in which I can say I kinda freaked out. It was just Chris, Kelly, and I in the room (no nurses, no doctor yet) and I sprawled out onto that bed fast. I remember Kelly telling me I should get into the position I wanted to birth in, and I remember thinking – ha -  this baby is CHARGING out NOW. The nurse rushed in, I think she was a bit surprised since she just saw me hanging out in the shower a couple minutes before. Baby was crowning. Dr. Cobb came rushing in as I kept saying “HELP ME HELP ME HELP ME” It was my one irrational, fleeting moment during labor and I think it was because everything happened so quickly and I was so shocked that it was happening and that it was happening so fast- and that no one “qualified” to receive my baby had been in the room just seconds before! I barely had time to catch my breath….although everyone was trying to get me to. I remember Dr. Cobb saying “Chelle!! You need to breathe.” I took some breaths and according to Chris, “baby came out on a wave”. He literally, for lack of a better term, slipped right out. I don’t remember really pushing or breathing baby down…he just came right out.

Rook Drace Roman was born at 1:53 pm on January 23rd, his uncle Ryan’s birthday, less than two hours after we got to the hospital. Dr. Cobb said he took a gulp of fluid on the way out, so he was a little purple, but he got to come right onto my chest and hung out for a long time before he was checked out. We waited for the cord to stop pulsing before Chris cut it and the baby started nursing like a champ at his first try.

I think I am still in shock. I can’t believe I did it and it was so “easy”. It was seriously a dream birth. Everything went so wonderfully and happened better than I could have imagined.
Being able to not only make it through an unmedicated birth, but also having such an easy recovery, and being able to say I actually enjoyed my labor and delivery was not something I really thought was possible for me. Kelly told us in class that there is nothing"special" about the women we saw in the videos and that I had read or heard about, and they don’t just get lucky and have this easy birth by chance. They are regular women who accept birth as a normal, natural, wonderful process that as women, our bodies are made to go through. I can easily say that giving birth to Rook was hard work, but I wouldn’t describe it as painful, just uncomfortable at times. I never thought I could say that about something that, having already been through it with Cy, could only be described as excruciating and unmanageable.

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Thanks so much for sharing your story, Chelle- both of your stories actually, there is so much wisdom in both of your birthing experiences!  I am thankful I was able to walk along this journey with you, as we have known each other for so long! It was an absolute joy and honor to witness Rook’s birth and your amazing, relaxed state for your entire labor and birth (you were totally calm even in the end, promise!).  I am so happy that the HypnoBirthing techniques worked so well for you, and that you were able to experience the birth you truly desired.

If you are interested in Chelle and Chris' care provider, Dr. Damon Cobb:

 Poway Women's Care: (858) 618-1156

If you are interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in the San Diego area, please feel free to contact us for class schedules and more information at: A Well Lived Life. If our schedules do not work with yours we 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!

Another HypnoFertility success story!

Another HypnoFertility client is pregnant! Hooray! She had been trying naturally for the last two years and didn't want to do anything medical. She had very irregular cycles too. We worked together for six sessions releasing anxiety and tension, as well as uncovering unconscious blockages that were getting in the way of her body and mind truly embracing being pregnant. I'm thrilled for her and her partner!

If you are trying to conceive naturally or with medical help and would like to learn more about HypnoFertility, please visit our website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or call Carol at 858-837-1259.

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

Jody and Dave's HypnoBirthing Story

 

Jody and Dave took Carol’s HypnoBirthing class on Thursday evenings at Babies by the Sea Boutique in Cardiff by the Sea in the North County area of San Diego.  Here is their birth story:

Carol,

A quick update from us is that our baby Watson was born on February 28. HypnoBirthing was wonderful! I listened to the birth affirmations for nearly my entire labor, which was about 20 hours. Watson was "sunnyside up" (not the most optimal position) so I had strong back labor which contributed to the lengthiness of the labor, but he's here now, growing every day and doing great!

We used Jenna Anderson as our doula and she was WONDERFUL. I'm really glad she was able to support us during our labor and delivery.  

Sending love, Jody and Dave

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Jody and Dave, thank you so much for your birth story, and congratulations to you and your growing family!  Watson is adorable! I am so thankful to hear that the HypnoBirthing techniques and the affirmations were so helpful during your labor!

If you are interested in Jody and Dave's doula, you can can find more information here:

Jenna Anderson
TheBirthOfADoula.Blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/doulajenna

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

Trisha and Hugh's HypnoBirthing Story

 

Trisha and Hugh came to see Carol for a private HypnoBirthing refresher class to prepare for baby #2. They had taken a HypnoBirthing class for baby #1 but Trisha had some issues with her first birth that she wanted to let go of and she wanted to review the techniques to be better prepared. When things got closer to their guess date, they decided to come for a full class series and came to Carol’s Thursday night classes at Seaside Women’s Health in Encinitas, North County San Diego, in April 2011.  They also changed care providers in the later part of their pregnancy. They had thought about a birth center but ultimately chose to go with Dr. Biter and Dr. Cobb at Pomerado Hospital. Here is their story:


Baby Hugh Patrick was born June 1st 2011 at 23.50,8 Ibs 14oz ( one week overdue.)  I was getting concerned  not to go far past my guess date as I had been told my baby was going to be 9Ibs by May 25th.  I decided to try acupuncture May 30th to induce labour.(They say it takes approx 2-3 days to work) On Wednesday 1st June at 9 am I still had no real indications of anything happening so I decided to go back to Indigo Dragon for a labour inducing massage.  After this I went to Moonlight beach to relax and I did the balloon trip script.  I also listened to the HyponoBirthing cd.  I had an appointment with Dr Biter at 1.30.  I asked if he could sweep my membranes.  On examination he informed me that I was 7cm dilated!!  He said "Wow, you truly are HyponoBirthing!"  My abdomen was moving in the shape of a surge, we could literally see it when Dr Biter pointed it out!  My adorable baby Paddy had always been a big mover inside so I really thought this was all it was.  I couldn't believe I didn't know I was so dilated. However on reflection the day previously I had some cramping/constipation episode in the bathroom.  I remember taking Rescue Remedy in an attempt to relax and lying on the floor!??

On the way to the hospital I tried to time the surges but there was no pattern and I still did not feel any discomfort at all.  When I got to Pomerado,(3pm) I think the staff were skeptical that I was in labour because I walked in casually and asked if I could eat as we had skipped food to get to there ASAP!  I got into the tub straight away, continued with my CDs and chatted with my husband.  I was examined by one of the nurses on arrival and was still 7cm.  Some regularity to my surges came, especially when I laid on the bed but nothing really consistent was happening.  I sat on the birth ball listening to the Relaxation CD again, walked the corridors, my husband did the light touch massage etc.. still nothing by 6pm.  At 8pm Dr Cobb examined me and I was 8cm.  My baby was not aligning correctly over the cervix which was preventing progress.  I believe mine was called an anterior lip, so when the head is not symmetrically applied, there is unequal pressure of the dilating forces.  The nursing staff were very helpful and accepting of my desire for natural birth and explained everything about this unexpected position. I trusted them as they seemed to know all about it and didn't recommend any special position that would help.   I wore a corset to try and align baby over my cervix but to no avail.  Dr Cobb came back in at 10.30 and suggested to have my waters broken as this is known to correct the problem.  I was a little nervous of this as I know this tends to make surges more uncomfortable but I was ready to have my baby and readily agreed!

The surges indeed became more intense and I tried my best to do the HypnoBirthing breathing with each one- which was helpful.  I was on my back on the bed for the rest of the birth.  When I felt the urge to push, Dr Cobb guided me when to push and for how long which I also found
helpful.  I was hoping to attempt to breath my baby down in true HyponoBirthing form but the urge to push was  too strong. My beautiful blue eyed boy was delivered and placed onto my bare chest.  I was so happy I could not stop shaking.  My husband wrapped himself around me and our son to warm us up and that sacred memory warms me still as I write this.

Thank you so much Carol for all your help, insight and extensive knowledge that helped myself and my husband have the great birth.  The classes we took with you back in April/May seem so long ago now but it was a treasured time that we got to spend together and made date night out of it! (Our 5 year old daughter is totally crazy about her little brother).

Thank you for all the referrals, especially Dr Cobb and Dr Biter. They added to the beautiful memories of that most precious time. Thank you for referring to Ashley and all the staff at Indigo Dragon. Everything I went to them for they solved!!  I had a breech position into the 34th week which corrected with acupuncture, I had a labour inducing massage the day I gave birth and I got increased milk supply from  there for post birth recovery treatment!

My biggest concern when I first went to you was tearing, which had happened on the birth of my daughter, you helped me overcome this and I used vision boards, positive affirmations etc to achieve this as you suggested.
Dr Cobb did a great job too during the birth of massaging the perineum with what seemed like buckets of oil.!!  My other goal was to try and breath my baby down, but under the circumstances of the misalignment, I don't think it was realistic at that point for me.  

My intact perineum, beautiful cute boy and drug free birth.. I couldn’t have asked for more!

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Trisha, thank you so much for sharing your story and congratulations on your son’s beautiful birth! What a wonderful experience- It was great to hear that many of the HypnoBirthing techniques were so useful! We hope you are enjoying your time with your sweet little boy!

If you are interested in Trisha’s care providers:

 Dr. Damon Cobb, D.O. is now located at Poway Women’s Care: (858) 618-3314

And Dr. Robert Biter, MD is located at Seaside Women’s Health: (760) 642-0800

Or in the services provided by Indigo Dragon: http://indigodragoncenter.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

A HypnoFertility Success Story

"I started seeing Carol after having issues with irregular periods and unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant. I had been trying to get pregnant for 2 years naturally on my own and had done IUI a few times unsuccessfully. Trying to get pregnant was taking over my whole life and I was feeling so disheartened and depressed. It was hard to be around my friends with kids. It was hard to be happy for my friends that were getting pregnant. Seeing Carol was a blessing. I was able to fall apart, cry, get angry and feel supported, not judged by her. Then I would leave feeling "put back together" and so relaxed and at peace from the hypnosis and Carol's support. The hypnosis helped change the way I was thinking and the negativity and depression went away more quickly than I ever thought possible. HypnoFertility and Carol's support helped me keep going when there were so many times I felt like giving up. I'm pregnant now and we are thrilled! I'm still seeing Carol to help me stay healthy in both mind & body during my pregnancy. I highly recommend HypnoFertility to anyone who is having issues with getting pregnant! I only wish I had found out about it sooner! It was worth every penny!"

~C.R., La Jolla, CA.

If you are trying to conceive and having difficulty, HypnoFertility can help you release the stress, tension, and anxiety that comes along with infertility so that your body and mind are working in harmony    HypnoFertility can help you get pregnant faster and more easily.    
Please visit www.AWellLivedLife.Net for more information or call Carol at 858-837-1259