Our Birth Story
It all started on November 6th 2012 at about 4:30 pm. We were 41 weeks along & going to have a biophysical profile done. While we were at the ultrasound the technician said my fluid was low & that I needed to go have a non-stress test done to monitor myself & the baby. We went up to the hospital (which I thought was just because the clinic was closed) & the nurse hooked me up the monitor & said the midwife would be in shortly to see me. When the midwife came in she said everything looked good on the monitor but it looked like we were staying & going to have a baby the next day. I was VERY caught off guard because this was NOT how it was supposed to go, even though I was 41 weeks along I was just shocked! We had plans to stay at home as long as possible & to have our doula come to our house & go with us to the hospital.
It all started on November 6th 2012 at about 4:30 pm. We were 41 weeks along & going to have a biophysical profile done. While we were at the ultrasound the technician said my fluid was low & that I needed to go have a non-stress test done to monitor myself & the baby. We went up to the hospital (which I thought was just because the clinic was closed) & the nurse hooked me up the monitor & said the midwife would be in shortly to see me. When the midwife came in she said everything looked good on the monitor but it looked like we were staying & going to have a baby the next day. I was VERY caught off guard because this was NOT how it was supposed to go, even though I was 41 weeks along I was just shocked! We had plans to stay at home as long as possible & to have our doula come to our house & go with us to the hospital.
At about 5:30 pm or so I called my doula and told her what was going on. My midwife then said to get things going she wanted to administer Cervidil. Before she gave me this she checked me & I used my Hypnobabies techniques to get through that. At first I didn't want to know but then changed my mind. I was barley at 1 cm. They said the Cervidil should help my cervix get ready & they would induce me in the morning if things didn't happen on there own. They gave me Cervidil at 7 pm & told me it would stay in at most 12 hours unless my body starts reacting to it. I had to be continuously monitored while on that. At 1 am the nurses came in & said I was having too many pressure waves & they needed to remove the Cervidil. I was having pressure waves every minute lasting about 1-2 minutes...which I wasn't feeling at all! I thought great this is going to be a breeze! They also said I had dilated to 1 cm, was 75% effaced & was at a -3 station. The nurse then told me we should get some sleep because tomorrow they would be inducing me. So that's what my husband and I did...we slept!
BUBBLE OF PEACE: At about 5:30am on November 7th, I woke up to having a lot of lower back pressure & at first I thought it was because I had slept on such a hard bed. I then began to realize they were pressure waves & they would last about 1-2 minutes..I didn't really pay attention to how often they came...This is when things started getting really frustrating for me. At about 6 am or so a nurse came in & was checking my vitals. The midwife then came in & said they needed to take my blood so we did that. I was trying to keep an open mind, but I wasn't really a fan of the midwife we had that morning. After about a half hour the midwife came back & told me I had HEELP syndrome & that she would be transferring my care over to a Dr. At this point she didn't explain much, she just told me my blood pressure was high & my platelets were low & we needed to get things going asap, BUT she said I could order breakfast & take a shower & just hang tight..So to me it wasn't that big of a deal. I decided I would feel better if I took a shower because I was still having the lower back pressure waves. I asked for a birth ball so I could sit on it in the shower & that's when I began freaking out...The nurse started freaking out saying I couldn't have a birth ball & that I needed to hurry up because we needed to get the baby out & I became very confused...I started crying & freaking out & told my husband "If its such a hurry why don't they just cut me open to get him out, all I want is a birth ball." My husband reminded me that we were not doing that & that it was ok & that everything was fine. Keep in mind none of the nurses were really explaining anything to me. So I got out of the shower & was going to order food & the same nurse began freaking out saying I couldn't eat because I was going to have an IV with Magnesium Sulfate for my high blood pressure. She said the IV makes people really drowsy/dizzy & possibly sick so they didn't want me to eat & once I got the IV I would have to stay in bed. I became very very frustrated at this point & I asked the nurse if there was a time limit on getting the baby out & if it was 12 hrs then what my options were. The nurse said yes we have 12 hrs & we would talk about options then. I was in bed getting my IV & I called my doula, she said she was on her way asap. She told me to put on my Hypnobabies tracks so I told my husband to get that going. END BUBBLE OF PEACE
Once my doula arrived, she began setting the room up to make it a little more Hypnobabies friendly. She dimmed the lights, set out some flameless candles. She also gave me a cotton ball with the lavender scent. She began reading me some scripts & my husband applied counter pressure on my lower back during my pressure waves. At 9:15 am they checked me & I continued to use my Hypnobabies techniques. I came to later find out I was dilated to 2-3 cm, 90% effaced & at a -1 station. For the next few hours, my husband & doula kept me well hydrated, comfortable & made sure I got up & used the bathroom. They did a great job at keeping me comfortable with cool rags on my forehead & also keeping my legs warm. My body temperature was all over the place. Our doula also asked the nurse for a peanut ball to help keep my pelvis open while keeping me comfortably laying on my side at the same time.
At 11:30am I was checked again & I was 100% effaced and fully dilated. (Editor's Note: That's two hours to go from 3 cm to 10 cm people!) My doula then put on the Hypnobabies "pushing baby out" track & she said I "ahhed" my baby down for about an hour. I listened to my body throughout my entire birthing time.
BUBBLE OF PEACE: At about 5:30am on November 7th, I woke up to having a lot of lower back pressure & at first I thought it was because I had slept on such a hard bed. I then began to realize they were pressure waves & they would last about 1-2 minutes..I didn't really pay attention to how often they came...This is when things started getting really frustrating for me. At about 6 am or so a nurse came in & was checking my vitals. The midwife then came in & said they needed to take my blood so we did that. I was trying to keep an open mind, but I wasn't really a fan of the midwife we had that morning. After about a half hour the midwife came back & told me I had HEELP syndrome & that she would be transferring my care over to a Dr. At this point she didn't explain much, she just told me my blood pressure was high & my platelets were low & we needed to get things going asap, BUT she said I could order breakfast & take a shower & just hang tight..So to me it wasn't that big of a deal. I decided I would feel better if I took a shower because I was still having the lower back pressure waves. I asked for a birth ball so I could sit on it in the shower & that's when I began freaking out...The nurse started freaking out saying I couldn't have a birth ball & that I needed to hurry up because we needed to get the baby out & I became very confused...I started crying & freaking out & told my husband "If its such a hurry why don't they just cut me open to get him out, all I want is a birth ball." My husband reminded me that we were not doing that & that it was ok & that everything was fine. Keep in mind none of the nurses were really explaining anything to me. So I got out of the shower & was going to order food & the same nurse began freaking out saying I couldn't eat because I was going to have an IV with Magnesium Sulfate for my high blood pressure. She said the IV makes people really drowsy/dizzy & possibly sick so they didn't want me to eat & once I got the IV I would have to stay in bed. I became very very frustrated at this point & I asked the nurse if there was a time limit on getting the baby out & if it was 12 hrs then what my options were. The nurse said yes we have 12 hrs & we would talk about options then. I was in bed getting my IV & I called my doula, she said she was on her way asap. She told me to put on my Hypnobabies tracks so I told my husband to get that going. END BUBBLE OF PEACE
Once my doula arrived, she began setting the room up to make it a little more Hypnobabies friendly. She dimmed the lights, set out some flameless candles. She also gave me a cotton ball with the lavender scent. She began reading me some scripts & my husband applied counter pressure on my lower back during my pressure waves. At 9:15 am they checked me & I continued to use my Hypnobabies techniques. I came to later find out I was dilated to 2-3 cm, 90% effaced & at a -1 station. For the next few hours, my husband & doula kept me well hydrated, comfortable & made sure I got up & used the bathroom. They did a great job at keeping me comfortable with cool rags on my forehead & also keeping my legs warm. My body temperature was all over the place. Our doula also asked the nurse for a peanut ball to help keep my pelvis open while keeping me comfortably laying on my side at the same time.
At 11:30am I was checked again & I was 100% effaced and fully dilated. (Editor's Note: That's two hours to go from 3 cm to 10 cm people!) My doula then put on the Hypnobabies "pushing baby out" track & she said I "ahhed" my baby down for about an hour. I listened to my body throughout my entire birthing time.
Birth Partner Andrew doing the relax cue. This is 17 minutes before baby arrived!
At about 12:30 pm the doctor came in & checked me...I was so into the Hypnobabies I didn't even realize my baby was starting to crown. I remember the Dr asking if I had felt anything & I said no so the Hypnobabies must have been working! However during the time when I was "ahhing" my baby down I could feel him moving down & it was an amazing feeling knowing I was listening to my body & my baby & I were working together so we could meet each other! It was just a great feeling! When the Dr came in at 12:30 pm she had me shift from my side to a reclined position so I could push my baby out. I used mother-directed pushing while staying focused using the Hypnobabies techniques I learned. My son was born at 12:49 pm on November 7th! He was a beautiful healthy 9lb 5.8oz baby boy at 21 inches long! I couldn't believe I had done it despite all the little road bumps we had. I have learned from this experience to not have your mind totally set on something happening because what's meant to happen will. I can't wait to have another baby & experience the same things I did during this birth. My husband was also amazed at how well everything went & my doula, who is trained in Hypnobabies said she was amazed at how well everything turned out & she was honored to be there for our support! I DEFINITELY recommend Hypnobabies to anyone having a baby! It was such a wonderful experience & I'm so glad Hypnobabies is out there for people to use! I am especially amazed because I'm not a big person. Prepregnancy I weighed 135 & I'm 5ft 7in tall & I did get pretty big & figured I would have a bigger baby but I really expected to have more interventions while pushing him out. So I truly believe the Hypnobabies helped & as far as pushing him out there weren't any issues & it was one of the most amazing feelings & experiences I have had in my life!
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