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Jake's Birth
An historical point in this story is that with my first child 21
months ago I relied on HypnoBirthing to ease my labor. I found out
about Hypnobabies too late in the process and decided that I just
needed to have faith that the technique that I had trained on would
serve me well.
It did – I had only a 6-hour labor from the moment my water broke
(naturally) until I met my daughter. It was a great experience and I
maintain that other than the burning of the "ring of fire" there was
no pain. Our Doula said that my state of relaxation resulted in a
powerful and fast labor – which resulted our late arrival at the
hospital and short pushing and 3rd degree tear. My recovery from the
tear has been emotional and something I would not want to relive if
it could be avoided.
In my first labor with HypnoBirthing I was dependent upon my husband
for triggers and anchors that would help me stay relaxed. While that
sounded romantic during practice, the moment that he had to go load
the car I experienced two very unrelaxed contractions that just about
sent me into a tail spin. I regained my footing and resolved to stay
with the program rather than panic. That was challenging but
resulted in a great labor.
On reflection, I feel that the program simply did not prepare me to
fully OWN my mental state. So… when we found out that we had another
little surprise on the way, I decided that I would do Hypnobabies
(assuming that it would be at least as good as HypnoBirthing).
Right away I could tell that the home study was much more
comprehensive and I worried every night because I was falling asleep
while listening. In the last few weeks before my EDD I made an
effort to listen to the CD's during waking times to make sure I
hadn't missed anything. I never asked my husband to listen to any of
the recordings, nor to read the text, or memorize anchors.
The day of my labor started with a visit to the hospital (7/14/07 at
9am) to make sure everything was okay with baby… I didn't feel
movement in the morning and was concerned. Tests confirmed the baby
was perfect but perhaps too large. The doctor asserted the baby
could be 11lbs based on the ultrasound and the midwife alternatively
assured me the baby was 9lbs and would be no problem.
The pressure to have a caesarian came from many directions including
my husband who saw how awful the recovery from the tear was the first
time with my 8.5 lb baby. I talked at length with the midwife and
decided to go with my gut that the baby was not 11 lbs. Then the
midwife said something that blew my mind: "I promise, I will not let
you tear." My Mom had arrived and my husband and she sat silently
while I decided to commit to the natural birth for which I had
planned and prepared.
2:15pm - The midwife checked me and I was 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced,
and the baby was at station -1 – she said I was "ready to go." They
applied gel to my cervix to hasten the process and I was in labor
within 15 mins
2:30pm - I picked up my iPod, put on my headphones and listened
intently to "Easy First Stage" twice. At some point, the midwife
returned and broke my bag of waters (which I had been vehemently
opposed to, but was at this point just ready to meet my baby)
assuring me that I was in labor and the risks were exceedingly low. .
During this time (from 2:30-6:15 pm) I am just resting in the bed,
riding each wave, with little concept of time passing, and listening
to the "Easy First Stage" recording. The nurses came by asking to
listen to my recordings and ask questions about Hypnobabies.
6:15pm - I knew that this particular midwife was leaving at 7pm and
was disheartened when they told me I was 9cm, 100% effaced, and that
the baby was still at station -1. I became discouraged and made the
remark that I didn't think I could go on and became aware that a very
profound grogginess had overcome me. Then I recognized the signs
that I was in transition and I would see my baby very soon.
6:30pm - Testing the waters, I DIDN'T breathe through the next
pressure wave and there it was… a desire to push. I laughed and told
the midwife that I was ready and planned to delivery within my 7pm
deadline. :o) Without hesitation she said, "Prepare the room for
delivery," to the nurses who did so.
It was so wonderful being able to appreciate the process more this
time, listen to my body and trust that I knew what the heck was going
on. I began to listen to "Pushing Baby Out"… and then just needed to
have the iPod removed from the area (it suddenly annoyed me as my
full attention was on what my body was doing). The midwife told me
NOT to help my uterus push and to just let it work. She was
AWESOME!!! She told me to breathe away a couple waves to ensure the
baby came out slowly.
At this point I was holding both of my husband's hands tightly in
mine. I had that delightful (hah!) ring of fire experience as the
baby's head emerged… I kept saying, "It's still burning" like they
could somehow turn that off. That was the first and last moment of
discomfort.
6:48pm my baby boy was placed on my belly and I got him to latch on.
Jake was 9 lbs, 4.7 ounces, 21 inches long and 9/9 apgar. I did have
a tiny tear which was no longer sore after the first week (we'll see
how that goes when my husband and I resume normal relations - though
please don't expect an update on that. :o)
The placenta delivered within 10 minutes.
The midwife went home just a little later than expected.
My Mom said it was incredible to watch the whole thing. She seemed
to think I was just resting and waiting for the "real labor to begin"
while I lay quietly in the bed listening to the recording -- and then
suddenly (and with what appeared to be little effort) there was a
baby in our arms. She said, "When I had you girls, well I don't
remember much, but it definitely wasn't like that."
My husband was a pro and was more confident that I wasn't in pain, or
afraid, etc. than the first time because the combination of our
experience and Hypnobabies allowed me to go much deeper. He loved it!
If I left anything out that is of interest to anyone about to do
this... please don't hesitate to contact me.
Best wishes to all my fellow hypnobaby-ers.
Jennifer
on behalf of myself, Scott, Remy, and Jake (the newest addition)