Evelyn Ann was born Sunday, January 26th at 10:34am (note: her due date was the 25th!). My pre birth waves started on Saturday am. They were very mild and only every 15 min or so. Since it was too cold to walk outside, we went to the Mall of America and walked around and had a nice dinner. I went to bed around 9 pm and then the waves became more intense, but still seemed like I could "sleep through them". So I called my midwife, let her know I'd call if something changed and attempted to go to bed.
Well, I didn't sleep through them, but all the while they seemed to stay the same intensity and frequency. So I didn't make much of it. Though when I'd get up and move they were INTENSE, even rolling one on top of another. This confused me because if I just stayed laying down they stayed the same. I wasn't sure what was happening. I listened to a number of the hypno tracks and with each wave attempted to turn "off". I can't say I truly felt the hypno-anesthesia, but the hypno techniques certainly kept me focused and relaxed during each wave.
(Editor's Note: Every mother's experience of her hypno-tools is different. Some mothers feel their hypno-anesthesia, others see it, others sense it, etc. There's no one right way!)
After about 5 hours or so of what seemed to me to be "non progressing waves" I wanted more distraction and attempted to go watch TV. That movement really changed something. Next thing I knew I was crawling around on the floor and calling for my husband to get the car started. I also threw up a couple of times. I called our doula and she came right over. When she arrived I was back in my laying position and doing a bit better and she reassured me that everything was going well. She suggested doing some spinning babies moves if I didn't feel I HAD to be at the hospital. I decided to go with it, not the least because it hurt so much to move that I didn't want to move to the hospital!
A couple hours later I began to feel an intense rectal pressure with the waves and I decided I'd better get to the hospital. Now I called the midwife and informed her I needed to come in. Let's just say she was surprised to hear I hadn't been sleeping all night! Oops. Probably should have called her earlier.
We got to the hospital (Abbott NW Mother Baby Center) at around 7:30am. I walked myself straight into the Maternal Assessment Center, albeit very hunched over since it was still so uncomfortable to stand upright. They went to do my assessment and then cut it short and moved me straight to an L&D room. I thought that was odd, but nothing more. Per my instructions, they did not tell me my dilation.
Only a short bit later the midwife informed me if I wanted to push, I could. UM, WHAT? I was concerned I wasn't far enough along and somehow she was telling me too early. I can't recall if it was then or later that she told me I came in at a 9. A 9!! Turns out those "non progressing waves" all night were much more and I didn't even realize it!
(Editor's Note: Every mother's experience of her hypno-tools is different. Some mothers feel their hypno-anesthesia, others see it, others sense it, etc. There's no one right way!)
After about 5 hours or so of what seemed to me to be "non progressing waves" I wanted more distraction and attempted to go watch TV. That movement really changed something. Next thing I knew I was crawling around on the floor and calling for my husband to get the car started. I also threw up a couple of times. I called our doula and she came right over. When she arrived I was back in my laying position and doing a bit better and she reassured me that everything was going well. She suggested doing some spinning babies moves if I didn't feel I HAD to be at the hospital. I decided to go with it, not the least because it hurt so much to move that I didn't want to move to the hospital!
A couple hours later I began to feel an intense rectal pressure with the waves and I decided I'd better get to the hospital. Now I called the midwife and informed her I needed to come in. Let's just say she was surprised to hear I hadn't been sleeping all night! Oops. Probably should have called her earlier.
We got to the hospital (Abbott NW Mother Baby Center) at around 7:30am. I walked myself straight into the Maternal Assessment Center, albeit very hunched over since it was still so uncomfortable to stand upright. They went to do my assessment and then cut it short and moved me straight to an L&D room. I thought that was odd, but nothing more. Per my instructions, they did not tell me my dilation.
Only a short bit later the midwife informed me if I wanted to push, I could. UM, WHAT? I was concerned I wasn't far enough along and somehow she was telling me too early. I can't recall if it was then or later that she told me I came in at a 9. A 9!! Turns out those "non progressing waves" all night were much more and I didn't even realize it!
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I wasn't ready to push so I moved around a lot, trying some various positions. During each wave my husband was right there with me, reciting hypno cues to stay relaxed and send "peace" where I needed it. I attempted to keep myself relaxed and visualized opening. He was so supportive and reassuring. Finally, leaning over the back of the bed I started pushing with the waves. My water had not broken so I was actually pushing the amniotic sac out ahead of the baby's head. It was pretty cool. After a few hard pushes the sac broke and the pressure was MUCH more intense. The midwives had me change position to help her over my pubic bone and did instruct me to do some directed pushes. I was ready to be done, so went with it, though still tried to restrain things a bit to allow for plenty of stretching. Evelyn was born after just two waves of directed pushing and I had only a 1st degree labial tear.
She was placed on my chest and my husband cut her cord after it stopped pulsing. We spent the next 2 hours cuddling and nursing without interruption. The staff was awesome! When WE were ready she was weighed and measured and I walked (yep- walked) up to the postpartum room. We went home the next morning.
I am so pleased and proud of our birth experience. What Hypnobabies gave me was the tools and education to know what I wanted and achieve it. It helped me stay as relaxed as possible and focused, even when the pressure was intense. I'm certain if I'd been fighting it, tensing up, or perpetually fearful I would have been at the hospital much earlier with some sort of pain augmentation. I am so so glad I did the Hypnobabies course. I also think it brought my husband and I closer during the pregnancy and gave him the tools to help me during labor (and not feel "useless").
Equally important in helping me achieve an amazing natural birth was my excellent support and medical team. The midwives (Annie and Kathrine) at North Metro Midwives, the nurses at Abbott, and my doula, Holly Fix, were the other three pillars to my success.
She was placed on my chest and my husband cut her cord after it stopped pulsing. We spent the next 2 hours cuddling and nursing without interruption. The staff was awesome! When WE were ready she was weighed and measured and I walked (yep- walked) up to the postpartum room. We went home the next morning.
I am so pleased and proud of our birth experience. What Hypnobabies gave me was the tools and education to know what I wanted and achieve it. It helped me stay as relaxed as possible and focused, even when the pressure was intense. I'm certain if I'd been fighting it, tensing up, or perpetually fearful I would have been at the hospital much earlier with some sort of pain augmentation. I am so so glad I did the Hypnobabies course. I also think it brought my husband and I closer during the pregnancy and gave him the tools to help me during labor (and not feel "useless").
Equally important in helping me achieve an amazing natural birth was my excellent support and medical team. The midwives (Annie and Kathrine) at North Metro Midwives, the nurses at Abbott, and my doula, Holly Fix, were the other three pillars to my success.
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