Here is Amie's birth story. Just a month after giving birth to Sawyer she told me (Anne) "I seriously can't wait to do this whole birthing process again! It was fantastic!"
My journey to a calm and comfortable childbirth was not an easy one. I was the girl who said she would never try a natural childbirth. Why, you may ask? Let me start by saying that I am a Registered Nurse. I remember back to my nursing school days very vividly. I remember watching and assisting women with the birth of their babies, watching them scream and writhe in pain. To me, that was no way to welcome the birth of your baby. I knew from that point on that I would be getting an epidural when the time came for me to have babies. I wanted to enjoy the birth of my baby and that did not appear to be possible without an epidural.
Fast forward to June of 2010, we were expecting our first baby, a little girl. We were so excited about adding to our family and could not wait to meet our daughter. I ended up going into labor on my own at 41 weeks. I received my epidural when I was dilated to an 8. I thought that epidural was the best invention in the world. Well, once my water broke, we found meconium present in the amniotic fluid. The NICU team had to be present at the birth. My epidural had me so numb that I pushed for three and a half hours. My fabulous midwife was saying that we might need a vacuum extraction to get my daughter out. Luckily, we did not need that and she was born after a lot of effort on my part. She wasn’t breathing adequately so she had to go to the NICU. I had to stay in my hospital bed because I was too numb to go anywhere. Once my epidural finally wore off, I got to see my daughter…four hours after she was born. I didn’t get the bonding experience I so desperately craved.
When I got pregnant with our second child, I knew that I wanted a better experience. I knew there had to be something more fulfilling available to mothers. I knew that getting an epidural was not an option for me this time around so I started looking into natural childbirths. I researched birth doulas and while doing that, came across the Hypnobabies program. I was skeptical, to say the least, but thought that it would be worth a try. I figured that using my wonderful Hypno-doula, Anne, and using Hypnobabies was my best chance at having a natural childbirth.
I was unable to get into a Hypnobabies class in my area, so I used the home study program. The program was easy to work through and provided a ton of useful information. Some of the materials were new to me, even though I am a nurse and this is my second pregnancy! I enjoyed taking the time to go through the workbook and to spend time practicing self-hypnosis. With my busy schedule, I was unable to do Hypnobabies every day. I thought this might hinder my ability to have the childbirth that I wanted. Luckily, it did not!
On June 28, 2012 I had my 41-week midwife appointment. At that time, we found that I had polyhydraminos (too much amniotic fluid) and that my son was not responding with pressure waves on my non-stress test. I had to be induced…that day…right away. I wasn’t able to go home. I called my doula and she met my husband, Jimmy, and I at the hospital. Pitocin was started at 1830. I was experiencing mild pressure waves prior to starting Pitocin and I was already dilated to a 4 and was 80% effaced! My doula, Anne, filled the room with aromatherapy and turned the lights down low. We had Hypnobabies tracks playing in the background and I was really able to get into a state of self-induced hypnosis, even though I was hooked up to an IV and continuous fetal monitoring. Nurses came in and out of the room and I was able to stay within hypnosis. When my pressure waves started to get more intense, changing positions, using verbal prompts and the release cues and having my husband and doula present were the most wonderful tools I could have had. At around 2330, my midwife, Heather, came in to check my progress. She actually met me in the halls when I was up walking around. Heather and my nurse were surprised to learn that I was already dilated to an 8 and was 100% effaced! Heather said that I was coping really well with the "contractions”. For the record, my mind only heard the words “pressure waves”. A positive mindset really goes a long way! My pressure waves were coming every 1.5 minutes at this point and were lasting only 30-40 seconds. My birthing time was very easy at this point. Pitocin was stopped at 0110; my body was doing exactly what it needed to do all on its own! My baby was sitting up really high at about a -2 station. Heather suggested rupturing my membranes to see if that would help my son drop further into my pelvis. The amniotic fluid seemed to gush out for forever; it was insane how much fluid was inside of me. It took a while for my baby fully descend into my pelvis. At around 0610, the decision was made for me to try and rest for a little while before trying to push. Pressure waves were still coming regularly, but I was able to feel relaxed in between waves. Anne had turned on the Deepening track, which was wonderful! The day shift nurse checked me when she first came in and sure enough, it was go time! We all perked up at that good news!
When it became time to push my baby out, I felt very invigorated and ready to meet him. It was amazing how strong and empowered you are when you can feel what your body is doing! My sweet baby boy, Sawyer, was born on June 29, 2012 after 16 minutes of pushing. He was immediately placed on my chest and I was able to bond with him, in a way that I did not get to experience with my daughter. My whole birthing time lasted 13 hours from start to finish. It seemed to fly by. I never would have guessed that I was in labor that long. I had nurses approaching me during my hospital stay saying that they heard about my amazing birth. I really was able to have the calm and comfortable childbirth that I longed for. My Hypnobabies birth was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had! And for the record, I now tell friends that having a calm and enjoyable childbirth is possible…without any pain medications!
When I got pregnant with our second child, I knew that I wanted a better experience. I knew there had to be something more fulfilling available to mothers. I knew that getting an epidural was not an option for me this time around so I started looking into natural childbirths. I researched birth doulas and while doing that, came across the Hypnobabies program. I was skeptical, to say the least, but thought that it would be worth a try. I figured that using my wonderful Hypno-doula, Anne, and using Hypnobabies was my best chance at having a natural childbirth.
I was unable to get into a Hypnobabies class in my area, so I used the home study program. The program was easy to work through and provided a ton of useful information. Some of the materials were new to me, even though I am a nurse and this is my second pregnancy! I enjoyed taking the time to go through the workbook and to spend time practicing self-hypnosis. With my busy schedule, I was unable to do Hypnobabies every day. I thought this might hinder my ability to have the childbirth that I wanted. Luckily, it did not!
On June 28, 2012 I had my 41-week midwife appointment. At that time, we found that I had polyhydraminos (too much amniotic fluid) and that my son was not responding with pressure waves on my non-stress test. I had to be induced…that day…right away. I wasn’t able to go home. I called my doula and she met my husband, Jimmy, and I at the hospital. Pitocin was started at 1830. I was experiencing mild pressure waves prior to starting Pitocin and I was already dilated to a 4 and was 80% effaced! My doula, Anne, filled the room with aromatherapy and turned the lights down low. We had Hypnobabies tracks playing in the background and I was really able to get into a state of self-induced hypnosis, even though I was hooked up to an IV and continuous fetal monitoring. Nurses came in and out of the room and I was able to stay within hypnosis. When my pressure waves started to get more intense, changing positions, using verbal prompts and the release cues and having my husband and doula present were the most wonderful tools I could have had. At around 2330, my midwife, Heather, came in to check my progress. She actually met me in the halls when I was up walking around. Heather and my nurse were surprised to learn that I was already dilated to an 8 and was 100% effaced! Heather said that I was coping really well with the "contractions”. For the record, my mind only heard the words “pressure waves”. A positive mindset really goes a long way! My pressure waves were coming every 1.5 minutes at this point and were lasting only 30-40 seconds. My birthing time was very easy at this point. Pitocin was stopped at 0110; my body was doing exactly what it needed to do all on its own! My baby was sitting up really high at about a -2 station. Heather suggested rupturing my membranes to see if that would help my son drop further into my pelvis. The amniotic fluid seemed to gush out for forever; it was insane how much fluid was inside of me. It took a while for my baby fully descend into my pelvis. At around 0610, the decision was made for me to try and rest for a little while before trying to push. Pressure waves were still coming regularly, but I was able to feel relaxed in between waves. Anne had turned on the Deepening track, which was wonderful! The day shift nurse checked me when she first came in and sure enough, it was go time! We all perked up at that good news!
When it became time to push my baby out, I felt very invigorated and ready to meet him. It was amazing how strong and empowered you are when you can feel what your body is doing! My sweet baby boy, Sawyer, was born on June 29, 2012 after 16 minutes of pushing. He was immediately placed on my chest and I was able to bond with him, in a way that I did not get to experience with my daughter. My whole birthing time lasted 13 hours from start to finish. It seemed to fly by. I never would have guessed that I was in labor that long. I had nurses approaching me during my hospital stay saying that they heard about my amazing birth. I really was able to have the calm and comfortable childbirth that I longed for. My Hypnobabies birth was one of the most incredible experiences that I have ever had! And for the record, I now tell friends that having a calm and enjoyable childbirth is possible…without any pain medications!
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