After a long and tedious pregnancy, where I was on some form of bed rest for half of it, we have a beautiful baby boy born on Monday, March 31!
I’d been having Braxton Hicks for most of the pregnancy. I
started my home study course sometime around week 25, and had been in
maintenance for about 2 weeks. I practiced finger drops every day, and recently
started really focusing on center after reading what some of you ladies
experienced. My husband did the relax script a few times, and I was very clear
with him that I needed him to help me with that during our birthing time.
Lately I’d been feeling like my body was really working. This
past Saturday (I’d posted about this), I started having stronger BH and dealt
with them all weekend. Despite being 37 weeks, I felt like our child (didn’t
know the sex at the time, but nicknamed Baby Simba by our DS) would be coming
sooner, rather than later. I did the things that needed to be done at home. My
DH and I finally bought the car seat on Saturday night. We finalized our birth
plan on Sunday night. Really for no good reason, as we still had three weeks.
Something just prompted me to get going on it. I woke Monday morning at 5 AM
with my water leaking and some good bleeding with clots. I’d had irritating
cramps throughout the night, but nothing worth turning off for. Just irritating.
I saw the water/blood, but did not believe I was really in labor. I honestly
thought the doc would want to induce me when we went in for our 9:00
appointment. I was disappointed, but prepared.
I tried to settle down for a while, then finally got in the
shower at 6:30. When I was getting dressed, shortly after 7, I realized that
these cramps were coming regularly. They weren’t painful at all, just
irritating. And NOTHING like the BH, or what I remembered labor feeling like
from our DS four years ago. So, it’s shortly after 7:00, and I realize if these
are birthing waves, I’ve had four in just over a half hour. I wake my DH again
and tell him to get our son up. I realized I needed to start timing them, this
could be it!
By 7:30, I’d timed them at 5 minutes apart. The car isn’t
packed, the boys aren’t ready (DH and DS), and we still need to get him to my
sister’s and get to the hospital 45 minutes away. My intuition was telling me we
needed to HURRY.
I listened to easy first stage in the car on the laptop. I made
sure my DH knew that he may end up catching the baby in the car…I could feel
things progressing that quickly. My DH called the doctors’ office to let them
know that we would be missing our 9:00 appt and we would be heading to the
hospital. They ‘encouraged’ him to go to the local hospital (doc works out of
two towns and was in the closer one on Monday). DH gets great extra points for
informing them we would be going to the hospital of our choice, whether the doc
could make it or not.
We arrived at the hospital and true to form for Hypnobabies
moms, the triage nurse did not believe I was in labor. 4 minutes apart and 37
weeks? She was seriously doubting us. I would politely excuse myself from the
conversation when a PW began, and come back when it was over. During one of
them, my DH explained that we were doing a hypnobirth. The nurse asked if we had
information the nurses could read to be prepared to help us best. I was so
impressed! He gave her the home study materials and our birth plan.
The nurse finally hooked me up, and when I had my next wave, she
whispered (shocked) to my DH “that was a strong one!” DH just smiled sweetly.
She then checked and I was 5 cm. We were quickly shown to a room! It was about
10:00 now.
From there things moved very quickly. I thought I’d want to be
in the shower and on the birth ball a lot, but bed was just most comfortable to
me. I was listening to early first stage on repeat through the laptop with ear
buds. Pretty soon, I could feel double peaked waves (nurse told me at one point
they were lasting 110 seconds, and occurring 3 minutes apart). I was happy and
laughing in between, signing papers, etc. I knew the nurse felt things were
moving very quickly because they kept moving in the baby equipment and gowning
up. Every time I felt a wave coming, I would tell my husband or sister and they
would come whisper to me (relax, deeper, etc). I was completely pain free and in
awe of my body and Hypnobabies.
I finally felt my body starting the involuntary pushing (very
early) and asked to be checked. I was at 9, but knew that would not be for long.
Around here I took out the ear bud and listened to the CD out loud in the room.
*** BOP Here***
At this point, I stupidly thought about my DS’s birth. I hated pushing. It was
awful. So, as I realized my body was starting to push, I lost control. I gripped
the side rails and fought pushing for 40 minutes. My husband knew what was
happening, and tried so valiantly to help me release and go deeper. The nurses
knew by what was happening that I was ready to push, but honored our birth plan
and didn’t prompt me. One nurse kneeled down so she was right in my line of
sight. When I would look at her, she would say “listen to the woman on the CD.
She’s exactly right. You can do this.“ Otherwise, the nurses left me alone to
labor my way. This was truly the only pain I experienced with our child’s birth.
Once I realized I was fighting it, and the fear was what was causing my pain, I
released the pain and fear and focused on the present birth.
** BOP ends here ***
I pulled my leg up on my side and started pushing in between PWs. It worked
wonderful. I could feel our child moving down and my body getting ready. The
doctor (who caused me so much stress about the delivery) walked in and then
left! I was so grateful. Guess he could see he wasn’t needed yet.
At one point, right before our son came past the pubic bone, I received a blessed reprieve of 2 minutes without any waves. I’d read about this, but never thought I’d experience it! My body just took a break. I was able to utter a prayer of thanks, push a bit gently, and rest. I gathered my strength, then called to our baby “Baby Simba, it’s time to be born. You can come out now!” and began pushing in earnest. The doc came in here.
After a few controlled pushes that felt WONDERFUL, our beautiful
son was born. He was put right on my belly, we helped him nurse, my DH clamped,
and the doc took care of the placenta that quickly was delivered. We were able
to bond for over an hour, then wash him at our leisure. I felt AWESOME after he
was born. Sore, yes, but awesome. With our first, I felt like I’d been run over
by a truck. This time I just felt beautiful and fulfilled.
The nurses all asked about the CD I had playing and were so
impressed. I was so grateful we chose Hypnobabies to have this baby. And I was
thoroughly happy that the nurses honored our every wish on our birth plan. It
was the single best hospital birthing I could have ever imagined. And other than
fighting my body, the birth was remarkably pain free. The reminders to choose to
use your tools are exactly right!
So, we happily came home the next day with Evin Mackenzie who
weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz, was 20.75” long, and had a 14” head when born at 12:24 p.m.
on Monday, March 31. His apgars were 8 and 8, but nothing wrong overall. We are
both happy, though my breasts will be happier when he nurses more! LOL
Thank you, Hypnobabies and hypnomoms for all your wisdom and
support. This is truly an amazing program that every woman should at least
explore.
Andrea