A HypnoBirthing announcement--Jenni & Bobby

Jenni & Bobby took my HypnoBirthing classes in August of 2010 at Indigo Dragon Health & Wellness Center on Thursday nights. Here is their birth story:

About four weeks prior to my due date, my husband and I had made the decision to have a home birth since Dr. Biter’s hospital rights were still up in the air. After taking Carol’s HypnoBirthing class, this decision came so naturally. We had been equipped with such copious amounts of knowledge and felt that avoiding the extra stresses brought on by hospital staff was the best decision for us and what we were most comfortable with. Dr. Biter provided us with the phone numbers of a team of midwives that he had been working closely with. I met with LaShel and explained our situation and made sure that we were both comfortable with one another. After hearing that she and her partner had room for us in their schedule, we knew we had a lot of getting to know one another and catching up to do. We scheduled the home visit for two weeks prior to my due date. This was the first time for me to meet LaShel’s partner, Jamin, and for my husband to meet both of them. Everything went so smoothly and although it was a lot of information to take in, in such a short amount of time, I had been waiting for that appointment in order to feel 100% ready for my baby to come at any time……and these thoughts were a perfect example of just how much your mind can control.

The very next night, Saturday, November 6th, I had put in my Evening Primrose Oil and gone to bed. Somewhere around 11 or 11:30pm, I rolled over and felt a little gush. Not wanting to get anything on the sheets, I laid still on my side and sat there noticing that my shorts felt completely soaked and it didn’t seem to feel the same as when the EPO leaks. I continued to feel little gushes here and there and my surges started almost immediately. They were nothing more than mild menstrual cramps that would alternate between my belly and my lower back, but they confirmed to me that our precious baby girl was on her way! After about 15 minutes, I decided to get up and change my shorts and check things out. I had definitely soaked through and it was definitely not the EPO. I put a pad on and got some new shorts and went back to bed. It being Daylight Savings, I didn’t pay attention to the time at this point, but I eventually had to get up and change my shorts and pad again. I had decided not to wake my husband, since there was nothing he could really do at this point anyways, and I was able to go back to sleep and get some rest.

At 4:30am, my husband’s alarm went off. He was supposed to meet up with some people and carpool to a golf tournament at 5:30am. When he woke up, I told him that my water had broke, to which he responded, “Wait, what??” I repeated myself, and he then asked if I was sure. Ummmm, yes I’m sure!!! I told him that I had soaked through two pairs of shorts and they were in the bathroom sink if he wanted to confirm it! Knowing that most first time moms take longer to deliver, I then told him to go ahead and play in the tournament, but that he should drive himself just in case I needed him to come home. He instantly said he wasn’t going anywhere and sent a text out letting people know he wasn’t going to make it.

We waited till about 6am to call the midwives. At that time, I called Jamin and let her know what was going on and she told me go back to bed, get some rest, and then eat a big breakfast and she would check back in a bit. Before I went back to bed, I knew I needed to get the baby’s clothes washed and some other things in order that I had planned on doing later that week. Once I got back into bed, Bobby turned on my HypnoBirthing CD and went off to the grocery store to stock the fridge and to buy a stool since our bed sits pretty high. While he was out, Jamin called to check in on me and let me know that LaShel would be checking on me next and that I should try to get out of bed and keep moving. By the time Bobby got home, which I think was around 8:30am, my surges had gotten more intense and all I wanted to do was lie in bed on my side and breathe and moan through them. At this point the surges were all in my lower back. Having suffered a herniated disc, the tightening that I was feeling instantly reminded me of the spasms that I experienced when I first got hurt and I now had to try and block out the thought of my baby’s birth doing more damage to my back.

Bobby made me some peanut butter toast and so adorably brought it up to me on a breakfast tray with a little glass of milk, a little glass of orange juice and a piece of my favorite white chocolate. Sadly, I wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of it! I forced down a couple bites of the toast and spent the next couple of hours in bed focusing and doing what I needed to do to get through each surge while Bobby was running around the house getting things ready. At some point, he returned to the room and I told him to grab a trash can for me. I had started to feel sick and instantly threw up the second he handed it to me. I knew that this was a sign of being in transition, but I kept thinking that it was too early and I had better be prepared for more of that to happen later on.

Knowing that he needed to get the bed ready and that getting me up and moving would only benefit my progress, Bobby urged me to get out of bed and get in the shower. He got the shower going for me and the warm water felt even more amazing than I could have imagined! I ended up in a squatting position in the shower and started to feel like I needed to go to the bathroom…another sign of nearing the end, but for some reason, I still could not believe that it was possible yet. The longer I stayed in the shower, the stronger the sensation got, so I decided to move to the toilet. Sitting there was not easy. Every contraction killed my back in this position. I had been and kept visualizing the crowning rose and its blossoming petals and reminding myself of the amazing gift that was on its way.

By about 12pm, I asked Bobby to call LaShel and update her. Things had gotten very intense and I was starting to feel like I needed some sort of progress report. Time distortion was definitely on my side and the hours had passed so fast, but the intensity of it all had grown just as fast and I could only help but think I had SO much more to go. Bobby talked to LaShel and she told him she was going to shower up and then come over. I was still sitting on the toilet when Bobby came back in to tell me what she had said. After he let me know that she would be over soon, he wanted to make sure that I was still staying strong mentally and said to me, “No matter what she tells you when she gets here, you’re not going to get upset, right?” Knowing exactly what he was getting at, I agreed while thinking to myself, “Hell no!! If I’m not nearing the end, I’m going to break down!”

I don’t know how long I sat on the toilet, but once I got up, I could feel my body relax again and I started pacing up and down the hallway and through the bathroom, leaning on the banister, the counter, or our dresser during each surge. Bobby had brought up my birthing ball and encouraged me to give it a try. I sat on it for a bit while he provided counter pressure that helped IMMENSELY and he just kept telling me to breathe and go to my happy place! HAHA! At the time, it helped SO much, but I can’t help but laugh every time I think about it now.

I think it was about 1:30pm when LaShel got to the house and when she walked into the room, I was standing between the bed and the dresser in the middle of a surge. I remember having some sort of a conversation with her, but I don’t have the foggiest clue what she had asked aside from her telling me that she wanted to check me and I needed to get back on the bed. I think I must have waited through 4 or 5 surges before I had the guts to make the move on to the bed because it seemed like every time I changed positions, the surges were double the strength. During one of those surges I remember LaShel telling me to relax every muscle and then she specifically told me to relax my buns. Once I was able to relax them, it was like instant relief. Imagine that! Even though I had been concentrating and doing my best to keep my body relaxed, I wasn’t 100% successful. This made me realize that I needed go deeper into myself and allow my body and my baby to do what they were meant to do. When I finally got up on the bed, she checked me and I remember thinking that there was no way I was more than 3 or 4 cm……boy was I wrong! LaShel grabbed my hand and looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Jen, you’re a rockstar! You’re already 8 cm! The baby’s head is RIGHT there!” She then told me she needed to go call Jamin, Dr. Biter and update Bobby. I don’t think I have ever been given better news. I was so relieved, but just wanted to return to my side lying position. I did so as LaShel left the room and I laid there amazed that this was it. My little baby girl was about to make her appearance!

LaShel and Bobby both returned to the room and Bobby had to fill in as her assistant for a bit until Jamin arrived. Once she did arrive, she let us know that she had given Dr. Biter a call, but had not been able to reach him. We didn’t have time to wait, so they got me into position to push. It was all so surreal and although I couldn’t really put birth breathing into effect, I pushed for 44 minutes and beautiful Jordan was born at 2:29pm, only an hour after LaShel had arrived! She came out with a nuchal hand (go figure, after all of the ultrasound pics with her hands covering her face!), one big cry and then looked me in the eyes, looked around the room and was completely calm. She was placed on my belly and I was told to leave her there because the umbilical cord was really thick, but short. I know I heard the words, but I kept forgetting and trying to lift her closer to me. Once the umbilical cord was cut, I brought her closer to me and stared at her in amazement! I had just experienced the birth of my daughter, my first child, and it was a better experience than I could have ever dreamed of. My husband was truly amazing throughout my entire pregnancy, labor and birth. He may not think he did much, but the little efforts that he did make could have moved mountains in my mind. Just knowing that I had him there supporting and encouraging me was pure motivation to see this through.

I also cannot express how appreciative we are for the amazing team we had behind us. Not an appointment went by that we did not laugh with Dr. Biter or break out in some sort of sing-song in the ultrasound room! Because of him we were introduced to this “alien” birthing technique of HypnoBirthing. Then to commit to it and meet Carol made us both realize that we were headed down the right path and I could not imagine having gone through this blind and uninformed, like so many other women do. I am so passionate about everything that Carol taught us and have since tried, and will continue, to enlighten others. We were then put in the hands of LaShel and Jamin when we decided to do a homebirth. It was an instant connection with them and we were so blessed to share this day with them both. Dr. Biter, Carol, LaShel and Jamin were all so loving, comforting and easy to work with. Bobby and I are forever grateful for them all and hope to build our relationships with them throughout my future pregnancies and children’s births.
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Congratulations Jenni & Bobby! Thanks so much for sharing your story! Continue to enjoy your babymoon!

For anyone interested in having Dr. Biter & his new partner, Dr. Cobb for their OB/GYN care, please contact them at 760-642-0800.

For more information about hiring LaShel & Jamin for your OB/GYN care or for a homebirth, please visit their website at www.sandiegomidwife.com.

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

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

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Bridget & Greg

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

Audrey's birth story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

With HypnoBirthing, NOTHING works!

Marie (Mickey) Mongan, the founder of HypnoBirthing recently presented the following speech at the HypnoBirthing Conclave/Convention. It's worth sharing...

With HypnoBirthing NOTHING works!

We see it often - HypnoBirthing mothers accept that they have the ability to relax through the first phase of labor. But when it comes to talking about the baby’s descent and birthing, the question is, “What do I do then?” My answer is always the same - “NOTHING!! That’s what I want you to get out of this course. The understanding of doing “Nothing!!”

With HypnoBirthing NOTHING works. It’s Nature’s perfect design from the very onset.

Let’s look at a newborn baby girl - as she emerges, who teaches her to breathe? She does absolutely nothing to make it happen - but it happens.

If properly placed and encouraged, she crawls and bobbles her way to the breast for her first meal outside the womb. There is nothing that anyone gives her in the way of instruction - A natural GPS??

Within minutes of being born, she releases her anal sphincters, and out comes her first stool, or she pees. How does she do that without a chart of how to perform timely bodily functions?

Over time, as she grows and develops, with nothing to tell her how or when or how many times, she learns that she can sneeze to clear her nasal passages; she can signal that she is hungry or wants attention if it’s not readily there; she startles and becomes alert if she is frightened; and, if she feels secure, she can relax and fall asleep in loving arms. What did she do to learn to fall asleep? Nothing! Who taught her to awaken? How did she know she was hungry?

Fast forward to when she is a teenager. Her body changes with nothing but internal hormonal secretions to act as catalysts - she becomes a woman. The power of nothing is, and has been, alive in her human experience in so many ways, and she has mastered many functions with nothing but instinct to guide her.

Nothing has to teach her that she is experiencing her first love. She instinctively knows it and feels it. And when the time is right, there is nothing she has to study to learn how to express that love physically.

But enter the miracle of pregnancy, and all of a sudden, her previous trust, power, and confidence crumbles. She is now taught that her body is incapable of leading her through what should be a perfectly magical time. She must now be carefully taught how to nurture her pregnant body and her baby and ultimately how to give birth.

She is further taught that her trust and dependence is best placed outside of her own abilities and externally placed into the hands of others - strangers, trained and practiced experts, who know better than she. She needs them now to efficiently and conveniently manage her birth. They will teach and guide her along each step of the way. Instinct be damned!

She is now categorized onto charts - primagravida, and she’s put onto schedules, and regimens. She learns that she is inadequate and almost irrelevant to her own birthing experience.

For the woman who senses this as a disconnect, there are two options. She can go along with the prevailing model, or she can trust birthing, register for a HypnoBirthing class and learn to do nothing!!

We know that many of our moms hear a common question when they say they are preparing to birth their baby with HypnoBirthing. The question often is “Are you out of your mind.” In truth the response to that is “Yes.” To rely on her basic birthing instincts, a mother literally needs to be “out of her mind”. That’s where she turns her birthing over to her body and gets her mind and the regimens and techniques out of the way.

That’s exactly where we want our moms to be. When we teach them otherwise - how to do, and when to do, and how often to do - we confuse the inner consciousness, which controls instinct. Instinct no longer can function - we have stifled the natural function with the clutter of confused, panicked mind talk.

We strip it of the internal knowing, and then we turn to drugs as an external means of forcing the body to do what it used to know how to do. We know that drugs inhibit the bonding experience at birth, and mind talk also inhibits bodily function. Instead of achieving the objective, we confuse the body and it abdicates.

My question to all is: How dare we? How dare we presume to think that we can manipulate and redesign and introduce confusion into the experience with our own special outlines, instructions and techniques? How dare we mess with what is already perfectly created?

When we distribute charts and lists and lessons, filled with exercises and positions and advice,in effect,we are telling our parents that they need to do more and they need to do it this or that way at particular times. We need to bring about an awareness that what we teach in HypnoBirthing is not the cornerstone of HypnoBirthing, but rather suggestions to pass time.

Parents panic. They are afraid they will forget what we carefully instilled. They question are they doing it “right’? The only important thing is that they learn to do nothing - to just “allow” - to be the mammals that they are and return to their basic instincts.

Birthing has a rhythm and a flow, and every bit of “fixing” that we impose helps to disturb and shut down that very rhythm and flow. What they need to develop is a mastery to be “Out of their minds.” We need to stop humanizing birth. We have to put aside our own egos and our need to be a relevant factor in their birthing.

The time has come when we need to stop labeling these births as “exceptional” and “fantastic” and “out of this world.” They need to be seen as the norm and not out of the ordinary. When we no longer feel that we have to talk about how shocked and surprised the caregivers are, we will have begun to make progress. These will be the births that all mothers will expect when they are “out of their minds” and doing Nothing.

——Mickey Mongan, Director and Founder of the HypnoBirthing Institute

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Jill Ann & Ben

Hi-

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

Ben and Jill Ann’s Birth Story

A little back story on my journey to a HypnoBirth:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So here is my HypnoBirth story:



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks so much--Jill Ann


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

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

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

A HypnoBirthing announcement--Allecia & Jordan's birth

Allecia & Jordan took my classes on Tuesday nights in July 2010 at Indigo Dragon Health & Wellness Center. Here is their birth story:

Allecia & Jordan's Birth Story



My daughter was born August 16th, 2010 at 8:35 pm. She weighed 7lbs. 1oz. and was 21 inches long. I would say this day by far is the best day of my life. I don't think this intimate experience would have been the same without taking HypnoBirthing classes and having her at Best Start Birth Center. My daughter is my first child so there was a lot of reluctance and fear experienced. I wasn't sure what to expect and HypnoBirthing really helped me. It helped me not feel this way by teaching me to trust myself and my baby. My labor started at night on the fifteenth while I was in bed sleeping. The surges weren't regular so I didn't really suspect anything. I also think it had to do with how I dealt with the sensations I was feeling.

I woke up at about 9:30 am the next morning feeling the surges more frequently and regular. At this point I put my HypnoBirthing Relaxation CD on and concentrated on my breathing. I began to also time my surges with the application I downloaded on my phone. For the next two hours I timed my surges and they were above five to six minutes apart. I called the midwife on call at the birth center to tell her I would probably be in to give birth later in the day. She told me to call her back in a couple of hours. After the phone call I kept track of my surges for another two hours and got into my bath tub to relax. While I was relaxing in the bath tub my surges became for frequent and increased with intensity. I called the midwife back and told her my surges were three to four minutes apart and that my husband and I would be heading down to the birth center soon since its forty minutes away. My
husband had to run to Best Buy to get a video camera to tape the birth. He was only gone about an hour but it seemed so much longer! I was in active labor and told him to hurry up and that we were leaving as soon as he got back.



Before we left, we literally had to throw all our stuff into a few bags because the only thing we had ready was the baby's bag. We ended up bringing stuff we didn't even need but brought if we ended up at the hospital. On the way down to the birth center the traffic was crazy and we almost got into a car accident, someone almost ran into the side of our car. We left the house around four in the afternoon. I thought we would have to pull over on the highway because the surges were so intense. We arrived at the birth center at around five. We checked in with the midwife and I was examined to check for dilation. At this point the surges were very intense and it was very hard to get onto the exam table because every time I went to get onto the table I started to have a surge! The midwife measured my dilation at 7 cm!



After that was done I went to the room so the midwife could get information from me and to get ready to get into the warm bath tub water. The room at the birth center was so awesome because I felt so at home. I was able to labor, deliver, and spend the beginning of post-partum in it. The bath water was so relaxing during labor. I don't think I would have been able to relax as much during active labor and transition if I wasn't doing a water birth. I guess wanting the best for my daughter's birth I had good experiences myself. I spent about three and a half hours in the bath tub going through the rest of active labor and transition. It was very intense and I was on my knees in like a modified squatting position. The last part of my labor didn't seem like three and a half hours because I was experiencing time distortion which you have happen when you're in a deeply relaxed state. I was really focusing on my breathing and letting my body do the work. The most intense part was getting the baby's head out. It seemed like the baby's head would never come out but it wasn't painful just a lot of pressure. Not too long after the baby's head came out Ruby Rose was born from a little assistance from the midwife. I was able to pick her up out from underneath the water. It all seemed like a dream holding her little body close to mine.



She was and still is the most precious person in my life. It was awesome to have her with my husband and doula there to share this once in a life time experience. The staff at the birth center was very supportive and respectful. If I could say anything about giving birth it would be to make sure you inform yourself and do what is best for your child.

Thanks so much Carol,Best Start Birth Center, Jordan and Amanda!

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Congratulations Allecia & Jordan! Thanks so much for sharing your birth story! Continue to enjoy your babymoon!

For more information about HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, CA, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. For HypnoBirthing classes outside of San Diego, please go to www.HypnoBirthing.com to find a practitioner near you.

You can find more information about Best Start Birth Center on my resources page of my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net.

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