Danielle & Max's HypnoBirthing story for their 2nd baby

Danielle took my classes in the fall of 2012 in Encinitas, CA (North County San Diego) to prepare for her second birth. She came by herself for most of the class series because of her husband's work schedule and so he could stay home with their little one.

Hi Carol. My son was born six weeks ago on January 11. Here's my birth story.  My doula,  Rosie Peterson, said I was the most textbook-perfect case of hypnobirthing she'd ever seen. I think you deserve to share in the credit for that. :)

Danielle

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I took Carol's Hypnobirthing class because I wasn't totally pleased with the experience I'd had with my first son. It wasn't necessarily a bad experience, but I didn't like the epidural. I was also disappointed with some parts of my situation at the hospital. With my first son, I pushed for three hours and was told by the doctor that if he wasn't born within three hours of pushing, she would have to take him by c-section. My water had also broken before I went into labor, so I was under time constraints because of that too. I didn't like spending my entire labor at the hospital.

So in search of a different experience the second time, I asked my doula for recommendations for natural birth classes and she recommended Carol's class. I was a bit nervous to attend class because I thought I would be surrounded by hard-core natural birth types. But I was relieved that most other people at the class started out like me--more curious than convinced. And I appreciated that Carol's style was very even-handed and not abrupt or abrasive in any way. By the end of the first or second class, I was sure that natural was the way I wanted to go and that I could do it.

I had been having contractions for a couple of weeks before my due date, which had at times been fairly intense. But I suspected I was in true labor when I woke up at 3:30 the morning after my due date with uncomfortable contractions. I timed them for about an hour, and they were consistently seven minutes apart. I was able to go back to sleep for another hour and a half before I got up to shower and get ready. I told my husband that the baby was coming, and we got our two-year-old ready to head to the park with his grandma (who had luckily flown in the day before).

I called my doula at 9:30 and asked her to come over at 11:00. I was doing ok on my own, but it was definitely nice to have my doula's calming reassurance and to have two people available to fetch me things and be there for me to lean on (literally).

By 1:00 the contractions were about 90 seconds long and were coming back to back. At 1:30 I figured it was time to head to the hospital (Scripps Memorial in La Jolla). When we got checked into the hospital around 2:00, the nurse checked me and said I was fully dilated. So I'd accomplished the first part of my plan, but the second part of my plan--which was to show up at the hospital ready to push out a baby--was not so easy. The nurse said the baby's head was still at -3 station, so I still had a way to go. I guess that's pretty rare for a mom to be fully dilated with the baby not yet descended. 

My doula had me lunging and marching to try to get the baby to come down. I was also occasionally having the urge to push. Because I didn't want to spend all day there waiting for the baby to come down, I was pushing on and off pretty much since we got settled in at the hospital. Throughout the whole process, the nurses were all very deferential and mostly left us alone to do our own thing. I was very glad that we got nurses that were happy to oblige us in our birthing wishes. One of the nurses confided in me that she was bending some of the rules for us and was glad she was able to stay until our baby was born so that we didn't get another nurse who wouldn't have been as accommodating. And just as I've heard other people say, all the nurses on the floor wanted to come in and get a peek at the girl who was quietly laboring without any medication. They all seemed pretty impressed.

Probably about three and a half hours after we got settled in at the hospital, I could feel the baby getting closer. I called out that he was coming, and there was a flurry of activity as the nurses called the doctor in and got all the tools and supplies ready. And shortly after, my son Bradley was born. He ended up being quite a big boy, weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz. The nurses and my doula were all marveling at how big he was, but to me he just looked like a sweet tiny little baby.

All in all, I'm very happy with how things went. At the time, I was not mentally prepared to have to get through four more hours of contractions and pushing after arriving at the hospital, but I know I was only able to handle it because of the hypnobirthing training. I have to admit that the "ring of fire" was way more intense than I anticipated, and I do not look forward to experiencing that again in the future... In the moment, I told my husband that, even though I knew I was about to say something that was typical labor room talk, I never wanted to go through that again. As I expected, I've since reconciled with it and know it was completely worth it. My recovery was much smoother and faster than with my first baby. And my doula mentioned something I hadn't thought of. She said it's likely that if I'd been on an epidural that I would've ended up with a c-section because I wouldn't have been able to get up and move around to get the baby to descend. The doctor might have just said that since I wasn't progressing the baby would need to be taken by c-section. Who knows how things would have turned out, but thank goodness I was able to have the smooth natural birth that I wanted! Thanks so much for your class!

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Thank you so much, Danielle, for sharing your story! A lot of moms who have not the greatest, but not the worst 1st birth experiences end up taking HypnoBirthing classes so they can have the birth experience they knew they could have. I'm so glad that you were able to have such a positive experience and that the classes helped you with that.

If you are in the San Diego area and would like to take HypnoBirthing classes for your 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th baby, please come join us! Carol's class info can be found at her website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net or she can be reached at 858-837-1259. If you are outside the San Diego area, you can find a HypnoBirthing class near you by going to www.hypnobirthing.com to the Find a Practitioner section.

If you are interested in hiring Danielle & Max's doula, Rosie Peterson, you can contact her at www.rosiedoula.blogspot.com.

Pam & Steve's HypnoBirthing Story

Pam & Steve took Carol's HypnoBirthing classes in Encinitas on Tuesday nights in May 2012. Here is their birth story:

I just wanted to share my birth story with you. It didn't turn out exactly how I envisioned, but I was completely amazed by the strength I had to get through what I did.

I started having surges at 10am on the 25th. As they got closer and closer I called my doula, Leigh Fenly. She came over at about 2pm. Once the surges were about 4-5 minutes apart we went to the hospital (around 5pm).

We arrived and got checked in and they put the baby on the monitor. The baby looked great. The next several hours felt like 20 minutes. The surges were certainly intense but I was getting through them. We went for walks and I sat in the shower. The shower was amazing!!! I think I would have benefited greatly from a bathtub but it was great. I finally let the nurse check me around 10pm. I was the same dilation as when my previous day doctor appt. and my water hadn't broken. I decided to give it 2 hours and check again. At 12 pm, it was the same so I let the doctor break my water to get things going. After that things happened verrrry quickly. I sat in the shower and was screaming out during the surges. It was extremely intense but Leigh helped me relax and I was so proud of myself for my strength. I never even thought about wanting an epidural. Then I started throwing up violently in the shower. Even though it was a little scary and very uncomfortable, I remember you saying that when that happens it means it's almost coming to an end. And it was. It was time to monitor the baby again. Baby's heartrate was perfect. And then I got the urge to push. It was about 2am at this point. I was so happy that I was drug free because I tried all sorts of positions. I was doing squats, up on all fours, back (sitting up) and side. It felt so good to push. For the first two hours... I started to get tired but I was still going very strong. After 2.5 hours the baby had not moved at all :( His head was seriously not moving past my pelvic bone (nobody told me this - they kept saying I was making progress to keep me going). The doctor came in and checked me and said she understood that I wanted to have a natural birth and she did not generally let people push more than 3 hours but that she'd work with me if I started making progress. But that she was extremely uncomfortable using the vacuum which it seemed like may need to happen. The top of the head was going into a cone shape like it was supposed to but the rest of it just wasn't making it's way through. I asked her if I could have 30 more minutes and she said that was fine. After about 20 minutes, I was beyond uncomfortable. I asked Leigh for her opinion and she said let's push as hard as we can. But after a little while I asked her what she really thought. She told me that she has seen this before and that I shouldn't feel bad about needing a c-section. She said I have done everything that I could. And she was watching the whole time and didn't see more than the very tip of that baby's head.

As soon as I made the decision to get the c-section everything happened extremely quickly. They got me in the operating room, gave me the spinal, and had the baby out in about 4 minutes. I was so excited to see my son!! I was sad that he couldn't come right on to my chest but I couldn't think about it at that point. I knew I had done my best. He was born at 6:25 am. I had been actively pushing since about 3am. Everyone in the operating room was shocked that I was not on drugs! And I never ever felt pressured to do anything that I wasn't comfortable with.

So in the end it was not the birth that I had planned but I'm trying to look on the bright side. I was able to stay in the hospital for almost 5 days. I took full advantage of the staff. I had the Lactation Consultant in the room everyday giving me breastfeeding tips and watching the latch (we are doing GREAT with breastfeeding!!). I sent Steve with the nurses any time they did anything from swaddling to bathing so he could learn the techniques. We were waited on hand and foot and I was well taken care of. Scripps La Jolla is wonderful.

I was definitely bummed that I went through the whole process flawlessly only to stop at the end. But I've come to terms with it. I was scared at first because when he came out his head was super cone shaped (which I expected) but on the back of his head was a huge dark purple black bruise from banging against my pubic bone. But he's perfect! He only spit up once his first day and nothing after that. Good for a c-section baby! His name is Steven Raymond H., III. As a nickname for the 3rd generation we call him Trey. He was 8 lbs11oz and 21 inches. And he has a huge head!  

So there it is. I will absolutely do hypnobirthing again for the next baby! My child had a perfect heart rate the whole entire 16+ hours that I was in labor. Drugs didn't enter my body until about 4 minutes before he came out (so I am hoping he didn't get as much as if I had been on an epidural the entire time?) He is such a calm baby!! Only cries when he's hungry and is just so relaxed. We're so lucky.

Thanks again for being an amazing instructor. We'll see you again for a refresher course in a couple years :)---Pam

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Thanks, Pam, for sharing your story with me! I'm glad that even though things went very differently than planned, that you felt that the classes were still helpful for you. My ultimate goal for teaching HypnoBirthing is to inform & educate my couples so that whatever choices they need to make are ones that they know are right for them in the moment. I hope you're recovering well & enjoying your little baby!

If you're interested in learning more about Pam's doula, Leigh Fenly, please visit www.tranquilityinbirth.com.

If you're interested in taking Carol's HypnoBirthing classes, please visit www.AWellLivedLife.Net for more information. If Carol's schedule doesn't work with yours, she would be happy to refer you to one of the many practitioners in San Diego. If you're outside of San Diego, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com for a list of practitioners in your area.

Jessica & Jason's HypnoBirthing Story

Jessica and her husband took Carol’s classes on Thursday evenings at Seaside Women’s Health in Encinitas, North County San Diego.  Here is their daughter’s birth story:

I started having sporadic surges on the afternoon of December 12.  A few hours later, I had my bloody show, and I knew Angelica was coming soon.  I starting crying out of excitement as my surges started to come more frequently.  By 3 AM the next morning, my surges were coming between four and seven minutes apart.  I called my doula and she told me not to focus on timing the surges at this point, but to try and sleep in between them as much as possible.  I tried to do so, but they were so intense and were way more uncomfortable than I had anticipated.  I thought I must be close!  There was no way I could sleep.  I decided to go to the hospital and call the doula back when we got there.  When we got to UCSD, I was only 3 CM dilated.  The midwife told me I could stay at the hospital and walk around for a couple hours or I could go home.  We decided to go home and our doula came right over.  By around 11 AM my surges seemed to be coming on top of each other and I couldn’t help but push.  Our doula said it was time to go!  When we got back to the hospital, I was 7 CM.  I couldn’t help but push at this point with each surge, and my water broke during one of the surges.  A few hours later I was totally complete and Angelica was ready to be born. The birthing tub had just finished being filled up, so Jason and I got in, and I did most of the pushing in the tub.  I had to get out as she was crowning (UCSD doesn’t allow water births yet), and delivered her at 4:56 PM December 13 on the comfy queen size bed in our room!  I was totally in shock as they put her on my chest.  She was so beautiful... and huge!  My placenta was delivered within minutes.  Angelica started breastfeeding pretty much right away and laid on my chest for maybe an hour.  When the nurses weighed and measured her, we learned that she was 9 pounds, 4 ounces and 21.5 inches long!  And I didn‘t tear!!!! 

The whole process was unbelievable.  It was way more intense than I had anticipated, but it was totally doable.  I would definitely do it again.  I wasn’t silent the whole time like the videos we watched in class, but I was definitely calm and relaxed.  I think being so exhausted from not being able to sleep helped to keep me very relaxed and “in the zone.” We had the birthing affirmations and the rainbow relaxation CD playing the whole time.  The doula and Jason were awesome at reminding me to relax during each surge, keeping me hydrated, rubbing my back, and being supportive.  I tried to eat a little in between surges, but wasn’t really able to.  By the time I was hungry, the surges were pretty much on top of each other.  Right after I delivered, however, we ordered pizza for everyone, and I ate a ton!  The whole staff at the UCSD Birth Center was great.  I think I will submit our birthing video after we edit it.  The only part of the process I didn’t feel prepared for was how much you bleed afterwards.  I was kind of freaked out and called my midwife to make sure everything was ok.  But it was!

Angelica has been such a great baby.  She has been really calm and barely cries.  I can’t wait to have my next HypnoBirth!  Thank you Carol!!

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Thanks so much for sharing your story, Jessica! I am so thankful to hear that the HypnoBirthing techniques were so helpful and that you got the beautiful birth you were desiring. I hope you both are continuing to enjoy this beautiful time with Angelica!

Contact information for Jessica’s doula, Laura Smith Ramirez: 619.247.3765

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

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

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

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!

Lachelle & Pierre's HypnoBirthing story

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

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

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

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

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

Kristina & Petro's HypnoBirthing story

Kristina & Petro took my HypnoBirthing classes at Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, CA on Thursday nights in April-May 2011. Here is their birth story:

I wanted to let you know that baby Isabella came early! She was born on May 21 at 2:39am, 6 pounds 8 oz and 17in long!!! The whole labor was amazing and I really wanted to thank you so much for the hypnobirth classes. My water broke at 4:20am on Friday and since I was strep b positive we went to the hospital. The whole time I was calm and relaxed and was listening to the relaxation cd in one ear like you suggested. Dr. Capetanakis met us there and I was only 2cm. So Petro and I were walking around the hospital and outside to get things going. When Dr. Capetanakis came back to check on me a couple hours later I was only 3cm. So we knew this was going to be a slow process. We still kept walking and thinking positive vibes and I kept listening to the affirmations and relaxation cd. When Dr. Capetanakis came back around 6pm I was only 4cm so at this point he wanted me to do pitocin because I was strep b positive and things were not moving as quickly as we hoped. I was fine with it because I wanted to make sure that the baby was ok and if this was the best thing for her then bring on the pitocin. I started feeling more of the contractions and really worked through them. They were intense at times but nothing that I couldn't breathe through. By time 10:30 pm came around I was exhausted. I told Petro I can't do this anymore. Physically my body was super tired and shutting down since I have been up for 17 hours at this point. Around 10:30 pm I decided to get the epidural and instantly felt better. I didn't sleep but my body relaxed and got the energy it needed. By 12:40 am I called the nurse because I started to feel the contractions so she helped me turn to the left side and she told me to press the button for more epidural to come out so I did and then I also mentioned to her that I felt like I had to pee but I had a catheter in. She checked me and said that's why, it's time to push! I was like what?!!? I went from 4 cm-10 cm in two hours! I guess my body just needed a little help. Overall, my birthing experience was amazing and I really owe it all to hypnobirth. I stayed calm throughout the whole process and even now Isabella is such a calm baby. Everyone is amazed that she sleeps, doesn't fuss or cry and I swear it's from hypnobirth!!

Thank you Carol for such an amazing experience!!!! :)

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

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

Bridgette & Kenneth's HypnoBirthing story

Bridgette & Kenneth took my HypnoBirthing classes on Thursday nights at Seaside Women's Health in Encinitas, CA in March 2011.

Here is their birth story:

I just wanted you to know that I had my daughter on 5.10.11 at 3:12 am. Her name is Alaya Myra and she was 7 lbs 6 oz and 20 inches. I went to the hospital on 5.9.11 at 2 something in the morning and I was having contractions that were every 5 minutes apart but I was only dilated 2 cm. They were going send me home because my water didn't break but right when they were getting the release papers ready, my water broke, so I had to stay in the hospital. I had to get pitocin because when I was 6 cm dilated my contractions started to space out to 5 to 6 minutes and they wouldn't stay constant. They had to use pitocin to make the contractions close again (wow were those contractions a lot of pain!) but I still had a natural vaginal delivery. I had her at Pomerado Hospital in Poway, CA. Those HypnoBirthing techniques worked until the contractions from the pitocin came. Those contractions were the most painful thing, even more painful than pushing. The pushing was pretty easy, it didn't really bother me. Dr. Cobb was the one who delivered my baby. Thank you for everything you taught me and Kenneth at your HypnoBirthing class!
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Congratulations Bridgette & Kenneth! I'm so glad that the techniques helped you have a more comfortable birth experience even with Pitocin! I hope you're having a great time being parents! Thanks so much for sharing your birth story!

All my best--Carol

If you're interested in taking HypnoBirthing classes in San Diego, CA, please visit Carol's website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net. If you need to find another practitioner, please visit www.HypnoBirthing.com & click on "Find a Practitioner".

If you're interested in having Dr. Damon Cobb, D.O. as your OB/GYN, please call Seaside Women's Health at 760-642-0800.

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

A HypnoBirthing story--Kirstin & Joe

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

Kirstin, Joe & Declan’s Hypnobirth Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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