A homebirth HypnoBirthing story

Here is a homebirth HypnoBirthing story from another practitioner:

Dear Rose,
I love you so much! You were born 6 weeks ago on a Friday. My water broke right into the toilet at around 1 am Friday morning when I got up to pee. I knew immediately what had happened and was filled with joy, excitement and a little bit of nervousness- although not much. We let the midwife, Ellen, know and then I got back into bed while Daddy cleaned the house and started the long slow process of filling the tub in the yoga studio. I was having very mild and well spaced surges that, in addition to my excitement, kept me from sleeping. It was a lovely time- I listened to the playlist we had made a few weeks prior- all my favorite feel-good hippie music.

At 4ish Daddy got back into bed and read and stroked me and timed my surges. It was so romantic- quiet and dark and wondrous with the thought of your imminent arrival. At 7 or so, we got up and I had a bowl of cereal since I knew it might be my last chance to eat. I spent the next two and a half hours sweeping the floors and doing the last bit of tidying up. Kevin laughed at me and called me a good peasant woman when I would pause and lean on the broom for support when a surge rolled through my body. It didn't hurt.

At around 9:30 Daddy and I got back into bed and I did some relaxation techniques. At noon, the surges became stronger and closer together and then at 12:30 they really became powerful. It was very intense and I became completely focused and knew you wouldn't be long in coming.

Ellen, our midwife, came at 2 in the afternoon and felt my cervix. I was eight and a half centimeters dilated and she said I could get in the tub and start pushing if I liked. Twenty minutes, later I did just that. At first I knelt facing the edge of the tub, and after a little while Ellen had me turn around and tuck my chin and tailbone to help you slide under my pubic bone more easily. Kevin held me from behind in his loving supportive arms. I also needed my legs held so I wouldn't sink in between surges, so mom and dad, your Gramma and Grandpa, each held a foot! Grandpa was a little overwhelmed at first - he was getting more of an experience than he had bargained for! He soon let his fears subside however, and sank into the moment.

I started pushing in the tub while everyone smiled and encouraged me. When you were easing your way down the birth canal, you got the hiccoughs! Ellen said- "Really? You're going to get the hiccoughs NOW???" We all laughed. And then your head popped out! I reached down and pulled you out myself, out through the warm water and up, up into my arms! I drew you in close and gazed in awe down at your beautiful tiny little being and everyone had tears of happiness and wonder streaming down their cheeks. It was a moment forever crystallized in my mind.

Right after you were born, the electricity went out. We filled the bedroom with candles while you were getting weighed. It was so romantic. You nursed while everyone ate cheese with fig jam and sipped Spanish wine by twinkling candlelight.

Love, Mommy

Great story, and how nice of the power company to choose just the right time to have a blackout :)

Diane Sternbach, CT, HBCE
HypnoBirthing (r)
HypnoBirthng (r) Fertility Program
Interactive Imagery Guide (sm)
EFT

Thanks for sharing that beautiful birth story, Diane!

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

A quick, easy HypnoBirth

This is a birth story told from a doula & HypnoBirthing practitioner in Florida:

I attended the most wonderful birth yesterday... just shows what is possible even in unfavorable circumstances. This couple is very high strung. Both of them affirmed that they were not good at relaxing. On top of that they chose a hospital that is very unfriendly and a Dr. that is unsupportive and downright nasty. A recipe for disaster in my mind! I really was hesitant to attend this birth but somehow couldn't say no.

Here is how it played out...Mom called me at 7:00 pm to say that labor seemed to be starting. She had surges that were 10 minutes apart but they were light and she would call me when things got rolling. At 10:00 pm, husband called to say surges were 5 minutes apart and could I please come because she doesn't want him near her. Hmm.

I rushed over and found Mom beautifully relaxed and in a great labor pattern. Surges/contractions 4-5 min. apart and strong. She was showing a few of the hallmark of labor signs so I decided we should head to the hospital.

In the car the surges became closer now 2 min. apart. Mom doing great!! We arrived at the hospital to ER where Mom smiled and said can we get up to Labor and Birthing? The nurses asked "Are you a scheduled induction/section?" (She looked way to calm to be in labor). I explained that things were moving quickly and we needed to get up stairs. They ignored us. Didn't believe she was in labor. Too calm! Finally annoyed at my persistance, they had us walk (a really long walk) to the floor.

We were welcomed by the Nurses who again didn't think much was happening. I again give the rundown of the progress and they look at me like I am totally out of my mind..we wait. Mom starts to squat and is strongly breathing baby down. I emphasize again that this baby is coming. We are all calm and decide that squatting in the hall is better than being confined to bed as this hospital requires.

Her membranes release. I tell the nurse. She says I don't see anything...you are ok! I tell her Mom is wearing a pad..this baby is coming! We wait. Another nurse gets the message and offers to take us to a room. This is a great nurse who is also a doula and gets it! We get into the room at 11:20pm. She checks Mom and she is complete/fully dilated.

Mom gets on her hands and knees, breathing down. Nurse #2 says you must get on your back for monitoring. Mom says "No", I hold the monitor. Baby sounds great. Mom continues to breathe down. Nurses leave room to get table, supplies and call the Dr. Mom begins to spontaneously bear down. Nurses come back. Baby is crowning. Mom is laughing! Smiling! Says "This is great! This is beautiful! I love this!", as baby is emerging! She eases baby gently out. It is 11:36pm.

We all are smiling and hubby plays "Sweet Caroline" and we all start singing along as we meet sweet baby Caroline. So joyful. So perfect. It was exactly what she wanted! No interventions! No Dr! No pain! INCREDIBLE! It happened so quickly and beautifully, but we did get some video. I am visualizing that this couple lets the Institute have this one. It would make a wonderful training video. Please send some energy towards that happening!

Still smiling,
Vivian Keeler
www.amazingbirths.com

Thanks, Vivian, for allowing me to share this beautiful story that just goes to show that birth is a normal, natural, healthy event when left alone!

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

Every pregnant woman needs to read this

Every pregnant woman or woman planning on becoming pregnant needs to read this questionnaire to help dispel the myths about maternity care. Please forward it to any of your pregnant friends...
http://www.consumerreports.org/health/medical-conditions-treatments/pregnancy-ch/ildbirth/maternity-care/maternity-care-quiz/maternity-care-quiz.htm

Most of this information is taught in HypnoBirthing classes. One of the things I love about teaching HypnoBirthing is that I am helping to educate parents so that they go into their birth having true informed consent & so they can make educated decisions instead of fear-based ones.

http://www.awelllivedlife.net/
http://www.awelllivedlife.blogspot.com/

Additional life benefits of HypnoBirthing

Here is a testimonial of some side benefits of HypnoBirthing from a former class member:

So I have been meaning to write to you for weeks! I just wanted to pass along my thoughts about the skills I learned in HypnoBirthing post birth. More than a year after Caroline's birth I still use "HypnoBirthing" daily...although admittedly I have forgotten much of the official lingo. It is so normal for me I barely notice it but I have noticed a true impact.

I have had borderline blood pressure for as long as I can remember in my adult life. In the last year it has been excellent (well within normal limits) and I attribute completely to regular use of relaxation techniques. The other time I use techniques regularly is when I am trying to sleep, especially if I am in a strange place or their are noises disrupting me. For example, recently a neighbor was having a party and instead of allowing the noise to disrupt me I just told myself that every time I heard a noise from the party to relax deeper and deeper. Worked like a charm. I do the same thing for elevator noises and air conditioning in hotel rooms and for my husband's occasional snoring.

Anyway, I just wanted to share these examples with you because I think that hypnobirthing has an impact far beyond labor and delivery-it is truly a valuable life skill!
-Christine

Thanks, Christine, for sharing that! HypnoBirthing is a childbirth education class, but it was developed to be used more as a philosophy than just a class by Marie Mongan 20 years ago.

I know that several former HypnoBirthing clients (moms, dads & partners) have reported that listening to the Rainbow Relaxation CD after the baby arrives helps them get more restful sleep & helps the mom relax while breastfeeding, which also helps with milk letdown.

www.AWellLivedLife.Net
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An unplanned HypnoBirth of a midwife

From another HypnoBirthing instructor in Singapore:
I met Sarah at NUH when I was invited to speak at the O&G Nurses conference. Sarah is a midwife in the labour ward and was in charge of organising the speakers.
She loved the concept of HypnoBirthing and registered in December for the March sessions. She and her hubby have been pleasantly surprised with the class and have taken to it like ducks to water.
She left a message today to call her and she would not be making the class (class 4 of 5). When I called back, she said she gave birth last night at 36+ weeks.
About 7:30 last night she noticed she was leaking a bit of fluid and was not quite sure if it was amniotic fluid or not. At 8:30 her surges started at 5 minutes apart and quickly went to 2-3 minutes apart. She called for her husband to come home and her mother to come for her 3 year old. At 9:15 she was calmly directing her helper to grab towels to bring to the couch in the living room andher mom arrived just in time to wrap the baby! She had a one hour labour!!
She was over the moon with the birth and full of praises for HypnoBirthing. She said she remained calm throughout her unplanned homebirth and directed everyone as to what needed to be done. She received her baby into her own loving hands =). Her baby girl was 2.6kg.

Di Bustamante, CH, HBCE, CD (CBI)
Director~ParentLink
Singapore in affiliation with the HypnoBirthing Institute

Preserving the Intimacy of Birth

Preserving the Intimacy of Birth~One Doula's View
(This article came across my desk. It was written a few years ago by a HypnoBirthing Doula, who has become a Licensed Midwife. I think it gives a wonderful overview of what a doula's role can be in a woman's birth experience.)

Birth is the most quintessentially feminine an experience that has ever been. The power of the body meets the power of the mind in a spectacular explosion of the perfection of nature. These are the moments when a woman is only who she is. There is no pretending and there is no running. There is only being. The person that most women choose to share this experience with is her husband or partner. Although he cannot fully feel the internal workings of the harmony of his partner's body, a birthing father moves through his own kind of awakening and rebirth. Woman becomes mother and man becomes father and for just a moment the realization is made that this child is a product of their work together.
As a Labor Companion, or Doula, I have often been privy to this renaissance moment. It has caused me to silently cry for the beauty of it all and to look away to preserve the peace of this sacred time between a mother and father who have just come to be so. As witnesses to such a special occasion, we as Doulas must realize that a birth experience is the complete and total property of the birthing parents. Whether or not we agree with where or with whom our clients are birthing is not an issue. Our job, much like parents ourselves, is to educate, guide,and support the laboring family.
My only birth experiences were bearing my own children. The births I attend are someone else's experience that I am invited to assist in. In the initial interview with a prospective couple, it should be explained first and foremost that as a Doula, we should not be holding the mother's hand or stroking her hair. A Doula is not the person she wants to stare at for hours. Her husband should be that person, and if he chooses not to involve himself in the birth he will do his partner and his child a grave disservice, not to mention his own personal regret for having missed such an incredible opportunity.
It is widely understood that the word "Doula" is a Greek word for "slave." Personally, I reject the notion that a Doula is the slave of the laboring mother. Doulas are not held in bondage and forced to experience the beauty of birth. We choose this work because we are called to it. We simply cannot imagine ever not being a part of birth. Doulas, in my opinion, should act as trained background. Drinks magically appear between every uterine surge. The vomit basin makes it to mom just in time. Cool washcloths are in ample supply and always fresh and nobody has to ask. If she's uncomfortable, position changes are offered and facilitated. When interventions are suggested, the birthing parents can make an informed decision because they have a Doula on their side. My point is that while we, as Labor Companions, are handling the details of a positive birthing experience, a partner can simply be a partner.
Our society took Dads from the waiting room where they had no part of the birth and put them in the labor room with the entire weight of the birth experience on their shoulders. A Doula can remove that weight and simply allow a husband to experience the beauty and intimacy of his birth into fatherhood.
It is amazing to me how much information a laboring father can absorb. This year, I have taken to instructing dads during the birth on how to support his wife, rather than doing it myself. It's so easy to say "rub her right here" and to step away into the shadows to preserve the birth of the family. I can keep the cool washcloths in his hands so that Dad is the person placing them on his wife's forehead. When her husband saves the day by helping mom get into a squatting position after I've whispered in his ear that she might be more comfortable that way, my satisfaction is their gentle embrace. If you watch closely during labor and birth, you will see mother and father, husband and wife, man and woman, fall in love in a way entirely new to them. In this intensely emotional time, a woman sees her partner exhibit a kind of quiet tenderness that she has in all likelihood never before seen. In that same instant, she shows her partner a graceful strength and steely courage that he never knew she possessed.
When we step over the line and assume the role of the birth partner, that moment is missed. It is not merely the moment when a slippery baby emerges from his mother, but it lasts throughout the birthing process. I remember these moments vividly from my most recent birth, which was our third child but our first birth with a Doula. My husband lay next to me in bed for hours, rocking on his hands and knees with me during the surges and collapsing with me in between. My Doula was there but I never saw her. I always had a fresh drink and my back was always rubbed and my needs were met, but I never had the overwhelming presence of anyone but my husband and I am forever thankful for the preservation of our intimate moments.
In conclusion, I feel that as Doulas our jobs are not merely to assist the birthing mother. We must protect the sanctity and intimacy of the experience of the birthing family, while not taking on the event as our own. The new parents should come away from their experience with a sense of confidence and empowerment that they worked perfectly together to bring a peaceful baby into the world. They should never be left feeling that they couldn't have done it without their Doula. We all know they could have, and we're ever so lucky to be allowed to participate. We simply provide the direction and quiet support to breathe courage into the labor room.

By Heather Hilton
HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator & Birth Doula since 2001
Student Midwife (now a Licensed Homebirth Midwife)
Mommy
Austin, Texas USA

Thanks for letting me share this, Heather!

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

Carcinogens found in baby toiletries

These not added ingredients to be found on the label, rather they're coming from the processing & are hidden dangers. Of note--Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo/Wash is what most hospitals are bathing babies with, so if you are concerned, you can opt not to bathe your baby (it's not dirty!), just have your baby rinsed off or bring your own baby products.

I highly recommend Miessence Certified Organic products because they are certified organic to food grade levels by the USDA & because they are cold-pressed & cold-extracted, which means they don't need chemicals to get the ingredient out of the source. One way to make Miessence products more affordable is to buy foaming soap dispensers (ebay is a good source) & then use the Sunflower Body Wash or shampoos for your family...you'll save a lot of money that way. Go to my website at www.AWellLivedLife.Net to learn more about Miessence products.

Probable Carcinogens Found in Baby Toiletries
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post
Staff Writer
Friday, March 13, 2009

More than half the baby shampoo, lotion and other infant care products analyzed by a health advocacy group were found to contain trace amounts of two chemicals that are believed to cause cancer, the organization said yesterday. Some of the biggest names on the market, including Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and Baby Magic lotion, tested positive for 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde, or both, the nonprofit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported.

The chemicals, which the Environmental Protection Agency has characterized as probable carcinogens, are not intentionally added to the products and are not listed among ingredients on labels. Instead, they appear to be byproducts of the manufacturing process. Formaldehyde is created when other chemicals in the product break down over time, while 1,4-dioxane is formed when foaming agents are combined with ethylene oxide or similar petrochemicals. The organization tested 48 baby bath products such as bubble bath and shampoo. Of those, 32 contained trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane and 23 contained small amounts of formaldehyde. Seventeen tested positive for both chemicals.

"Our intention is not to alarm parents, but to inform parents that products that claim to be gentle and pure are contaminated with carcinogens, which is completely unnecessary," said Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which is calling for the government to more strictly regulate personal care products such as shampoo, lotion and makeup. Companies that manufacture and sell the products tested by the group stressed that they comply with government standards. "The FDA and other government agencies around the world consider these trace levels safe, and all our products meet or exceed the regulatory requirements in every country where they are sold," Johnson & Johnson said in a statement. "We are disappointed that the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has inaccurately characterized the safety of our products, misrepresented the overwhelming consensus of scientists and government agencies that review the safety of ingredients, and unnecessarily alarmed parents."

The European Union has banned 1,4-dioxane as an ingredient in personal care products, but the Food and Drug Administration has not established a safe limit for the chemical in shampoo, lotion and other toiletries. It maintains that the trace amounts found in those products are not harmful. A 1982 study by the FDA showed that 1,4-dioxane can penetrate human skin when used in lotion. Health advocates argue, however, that federal regulators have not considered the cumulative effect of chemicals in personal care products.

"The levels we've found are relatively low, and the industry often says there's just a little bit of carcinogen in my product," Malkan said. "The problem is, we're finding a little bit of carcinogen in many products. Many of these products are used every day, so we've got repeated and frequent exposure to these low levels of chemicals. They're not the safest and purest products, and parents ought to know that."

In addition, government studies have not examined the effect of chemical exposure on the particular vulnerabilities of infants and children, whose bodies are still developing, the advocates said. Several Democratic lawmakers said the report is evidence that the nation's chemical regulation system needs to be changed.

"The fact that we are bathing our kids in products contaminated with carcinogens shows how woefully out of date our cosmetics laws are and how urgently they need to be updated," said Rep. Jan Schakowsky (Ill.). "The science has moved forward; now the FDA needs to catch up and be given the authority to protect the health of Americans." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) called the findings "horrifying" and said she intends to introduce legislation that would require stronger oversight of the cosmetics industry.

The report can be found at http://www.safecosmetics.org/toxictub.