During this pregnancy I was experiencing a lot of Braxton-Hicks and the closer and closer I got to my guess date I became more and more ready to just be “done”. My guess date was December 21st 2015. I was also having a lot of anxiety and stress related to my guess date and Christmas as well. I also had HELLP syndrome with my first and that was in the back of my mind as well because I didn’t want to have that happen again. (Read this mom's first birth story here. A fast induction!) At 39 weeks I asked my doula if there were any natural ways to induce my birthing time since I was ready to be “done”. She suggested acupuncture, specifically the kind to help have more consistent pressure waves and to get our birthing time going. I was very hesitant at first since I had never done acupuncture but my husband was on board so we went to have that done. We then went home and tried to get some sleep. About 3 hours after having the acupuncture, I woke up having pressure waves. I didn’t think anything of them only because I had been having them on and off through pregnancy. However, this time they were not stopping. My husband decided to time them and within an hour they were lasting about 30-40 seconds and were about 5 minutes apart. During this time I was using my hypnobabies techniques to turn my switch off and breathe through the pressure waves. We called our doula and she thought we should go in, especially since this was our second birth and we were about 45 minutes from the hospital.
We got to the hospital at about 12:30 am and we were put into a triage room. My pressure waves were still about 5 minutes apart and lasting anywhere from 30-60 seconds. Sometimes they would come about 3 minutes apart but then space out again to about 5 minutes. They weren’t really progressing at this point and we needed to wait for our midwife to arrive. When she arrived I was told I needed to get checked (which I wasn’t too happy about) but due to how frequent my waves were and since I was at the hospital I decided it was ok BUT I didn’t want to know any numbers. I got myself comfortable and used my Hypnobabies finger-drop technique before getting checked. This was somewhat of a timing challenge because waves weren’t coming on a regular basis so we had to time it just right. At this time I was unaware but my doula and husband were told I was dilated to 2cm. This was at about 1:30 am. My midwife thought it would be a good idea for me to stay only for the fact that it was my second baby. She decided to let us rest and she said she would be back later to check on us. Also during this time, my midwife said that the baby wasn’t in an ideal position BUT his head was down. I was under the impression that his back was slightly turned to my right side so it would be good to try and get him in a better positon. During the next few hours I tried different positons such as laying on my side with a peanut ball between my legs, sitting on my birth ball and walking around. We had relaxation music playing and for the most part at this time I had my switch off and was able to turn it to center when needed. My doula was reading scripts when needed and we also had the room very dim and as cozy as we could get it. My doula and husband kept me hydrated and they also reminded me to eat light snacks which was very helpful. We ALL were also able to get some sleep.
At about 6am the midwife came back in and I got rechecked. Again, I didn’t want to be informed of my numbers so my doula was told I was at 3cm. Thank goodness I wasn’t aware because at this point I was very sleepy and I felt if I knew I was only at a 3 I would have become very discouraged. Once we got to the birth room, my doula suggested for me to take a bath so as she was getting that ready I ordered breakfast and ate that. During this time my waves were still coming and going and lasting 30-60 seconds. Nothing felt as though it was progressing but I knew that I would eventually get to meet my baby.
My doula and husband were very supportive and the nursing staff were as well. I was able to get in the bath tub in my room and it was very relaxing and my doula again was reading scripts to me when needed. Eventually the water became a little chilly so I decided to get out. At about 10am my midwife came back in and suggested I get checked again to see how my progress was going. I again chose not to know what my numbers were but later was told I was at 5cm.
I tried to get rest and was able to take a nap while my doula read scripts. My switch was in the off position most of the time but I would turn it on when I would need to reposition myself or needed to talk to someone. After my nap we decided we should try and walk around, so we did that for what seemed like only about 10 minutes. When I would have a wave it was better for me to lean over something such as a chair or couch. I would also lean on my doula if she was closer. At this point waves were coming and going more frequently but still were not very consistent. They would last anywhere from 30-60 seconds and be coming every 3-5 minutes on an off. Sometimes it felt they were even 10 minutes apart.
Once we got back to the room I took a bath and my doula was reading scripts to me again. I felt more pressure and it felt as though the waves were more consistent without giving me a break between them. I remember a nurse coming in and saying she would be stepping out for a little while but I didn’t think too much of it because for most of the day we were left to do our own thing. My husband was in the room by our bed and my doula was in the bathroom with me. I was breathing through the waves and felt like I was mostly in “center”.
I needed to keep repositioning myself and eventually I found it was most comfortable to be in a squatting position leaning over the edge of the bath tub. Things were getting pretty intense and I felt like things were going to be happening very soon. Pressure waves were VERY constant and I was not getting a break between them at all. It was becoming a little difficult to stay focused but my doula kept reading scripts and telling me I was doing great. During all this, my husband was still in the bedroom and I said “the baby is coming” several times and I am not sure that he believed me. I was in a little bit of panic because it was just my doula and I in the bathroom and I was in the bath tub. I remember being told that they really don’t want people giving birth in the bath tubs in the rooms because in case something happens there isn’t room for the nurses!
I was following my body and just let it do the work in helping my baby be born. It was only a matter of a few mother-directed pushes and then I looked down and my baby was born! I was still in a little bit of panic and shock because it all happened so fast. While all this was happening my husband was trying to find a nurse or midwife to come in and by the time they found someone my baby had already been born! I also remember a doctor (who was not mine) came in and was putting her gloves on when my nurse came in and scooped my baby out of the water and handed him to me! It was a really great experience being able to have no complications and to really do it on my own! My baby weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 ½ inches long!
At about 6am the midwife came back in and I got rechecked. Again, I didn’t want to be informed of my numbers so my doula was told I was at 3cm. Thank goodness I wasn’t aware because at this point I was very sleepy and I felt if I knew I was only at a 3 I would have become very discouraged. Once we got to the birth room, my doula suggested for me to take a bath so as she was getting that ready I ordered breakfast and ate that. During this time my waves were still coming and going and lasting 30-60 seconds. Nothing felt as though it was progressing but I knew that I would eventually get to meet my baby.
My doula and husband were very supportive and the nursing staff were as well. I was able to get in the bath tub in my room and it was very relaxing and my doula again was reading scripts to me when needed. Eventually the water became a little chilly so I decided to get out. At about 10am my midwife came back in and suggested I get checked again to see how my progress was going. I again chose not to know what my numbers were but later was told I was at 5cm.
I tried to get rest and was able to take a nap while my doula read scripts. My switch was in the off position most of the time but I would turn it on when I would need to reposition myself or needed to talk to someone. After my nap we decided we should try and walk around, so we did that for what seemed like only about 10 minutes. When I would have a wave it was better for me to lean over something such as a chair or couch. I would also lean on my doula if she was closer. At this point waves were coming and going more frequently but still were not very consistent. They would last anywhere from 30-60 seconds and be coming every 3-5 minutes on an off. Sometimes it felt they were even 10 minutes apart.
Once we got back to the room I took a bath and my doula was reading scripts to me again. I felt more pressure and it felt as though the waves were more consistent without giving me a break between them. I remember a nurse coming in and saying she would be stepping out for a little while but I didn’t think too much of it because for most of the day we were left to do our own thing. My husband was in the room by our bed and my doula was in the bathroom with me. I was breathing through the waves and felt like I was mostly in “center”.
I needed to keep repositioning myself and eventually I found it was most comfortable to be in a squatting position leaning over the edge of the bath tub. Things were getting pretty intense and I felt like things were going to be happening very soon. Pressure waves were VERY constant and I was not getting a break between them at all. It was becoming a little difficult to stay focused but my doula kept reading scripts and telling me I was doing great. During all this, my husband was still in the bedroom and I said “the baby is coming” several times and I am not sure that he believed me. I was in a little bit of panic because it was just my doula and I in the bathroom and I was in the bath tub. I remember being told that they really don’t want people giving birth in the bath tubs in the rooms because in case something happens there isn’t room for the nurses!
I was following my body and just let it do the work in helping my baby be born. It was only a matter of a few mother-directed pushes and then I looked down and my baby was born! I was still in a little bit of panic and shock because it all happened so fast. While all this was happening my husband was trying to find a nurse or midwife to come in and by the time they found someone my baby had already been born! I also remember a doctor (who was not mine) came in and was putting her gloves on when my nurse came in and scooped my baby out of the water and handed him to me! It was a really great experience being able to have no complications and to really do it on my own! My baby weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 21 ½ inches long!
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