Brittany’s Peaceful, Confident Birth Center Waterbirth
“I smiled between waves, I welcomed each one, and I knew I would have my baby in my arms soon. I never felt panicked or afraid; I felt in control. I never thought to myself, “this is transformation.” I thought I was heading that way at home in my bathroom “cave,” but Hypnobabies gave me the tools and preparation to remain calm, happy, and peaceful, throughout my baby’s birthing.”
Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis really does help you enjoy a much easier and more comfortable birthing! Use code hypno1528 for 10% off our Hypnobabies Home Study Courses.
My guess date (Hypnobabies term for due date) was 1/24/2020. On 1/27 at 2:15 pm I woke up from a nap with my daughters Ella and Ivy to a pressure wave (Hypnobabies term for contraction) that felt like a stronger Braxton Hicks. Continued to have these types of waves sporadically, no closer than 10 minutes apart.
1/28/2020 – 40 + 4
12:30 am woke up to use the restroom, had some bloody show! I was SO EXCITED! Pressure waves continued and strengthened, coming every 10-12 minutes until about 5 am. I slept off and on, timing some waves using the Hypnobabies app. Throughout the night I listened to the Maintenance track, Fear Clearing (Hypnobabies track to release fear), Hypnotic Childbirth 1, and Joyful Pregnancy Affirmations.
I got up around 5 am, had a cup of coffee, read my book for a bit (“Forever Interrupted”), and called Mom to update her…but then after my call, the pressure waves fizzled, and I didn’t have another one until around 6:45 am. I called Mom again, we went back and forth, and she ultimately decided to start driving this way (she lived about 7 hours away from me at the time).
I got back in bed to snuggle with my husband Travis and our youngest, Ivy. By 7 am Ella was also in our bed snuggling and everyone was awake, excited that this could finally be the day we would all meet baby sister!
Daddy decided to go into work until 9:30 am when he would pick us up to go to our regularly scheduled weekly prenatal appt at 10.
After our prenatal appointment we walked around Walmart and picked up a few things, ate Chick Fil A for lunch and to let the girls play, then I had an appointment with the chiropractor at 12:45 pm.
By the time we got home, my Mom was also pulling into our driveway. I had pressure waves very sparsely throughout the afternoon and evening.
1/29/2020
I slept well from about 11:30 pm (1/28) to 3:45 am (1/29). I woke up abruptly to a big pop! I thought my bag of waters had ruptured, but there was only a small gush of discharge. I thought, maybe baby girl just made a big move. I started listening to the “Come Out Baby” track (I had been listening to it at least once a day since Sunday, but usually fell asleep). At 4:23 am I had my longest and strongest pressure wave yet, and another 14 minutes later.
4:40 am – After the two very strong pressure waves, I was about to do a forward-leaning inversion and as I climbed onto our bed, my bag of waters ruptured with a big gush of fluid. I excitedly changed clothes and moved to the birth ball to listen to “Your Birthing Time Begins” (Hypnobabies reminder of tools and cues for birthing) while brewing some red raspberry leaf tea.
I had another strong wave on the birth ball at 5:10 am and my bag of waters released another even greater gush of fluid. If there was any doubt in my mind the first time (and there was some), now I was completely sure my water had broken
My next pressure wave was at 5:27 am. The waves continued to feel more productive, but they were still only coming every 12-20+ minutes. Can’t wait to meet you baby girl!!
6:20 am- I ate some breakfast sausage, took my medications and vitamins, and drank a delicious cup of coffee while chatting with my Mom who had also just woken up. It was a joyful morning!
At around 7:10 am the pressure waves started coming about every 4-5 minutes. I fed our pony and cleaned his stall.
At 8 am we ate breakfast (eggs, toast, sausage). I text the midwives an update. They said Diane (one of the midwives) would be at the birth center in about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Took a nap 8:55-9:40 ish am, waking up to a very strong pressure wave. I let the midwives know that my waves had slowed, but they suggested that I come in to get checked out and maybe take some herbals to get things moving. Travis and I left the house at 9:50 am.
The midwives didn’t end up checking me at all – which was great! They gave me some cotton root and B&B to strengthen my birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor). At 10:30 am I took my first doses. We picked up Raising Cane’s for lunch and came back home. Pressure waves were fluctuating between 5 and 9 minutes apart. Once home we ate lunch.
My waves started picking up, so I began listening to “Easy First Stage” (Hypnobabies main birthing time track). From here on, I spent most my birthing time in center. I started out leaning over the birth ball for two waves. Then I moved to the toilet in our master bath. At 12:10 pm I sent a text to Travis asking him to bring me my diffuser (it has a glowing orange setting), some lavender essential oil and my birthing affirmations board. He set up “my cave” and I turned off the light, focusing on my Peace cue (Hypnobabies cue for instant physical comfort) in center and repeating open, open, open in my head. I alternated between sitting and standing, swaying my hips and head, while leaning against our towel racks. I really embraced the visualization provided in the Come Out Baby track (I think it’s mentioned in some others too) of my cervix becoming a soft glowing orange stretchy halo, or something to that effect.
My waves had become consistently 2-3 minutes apart for about 30 minutes and lasting anywhere from :47-1:20. At 12:35 pm I text my midwife, “2-3 minutes apart now for the last 30 minutes or so. Feeling very warm, maybe entering transformation (Hypnobabies term for transition). Should we head back or wait a little longer?” She asked how long the waves were, I told her, and she said, “Yep. Let’s head back.” Thankfully so, it would turn out!
Surprisingly to me, the car ride wasn’t uncomfortable. I was able to stay in hypnosis with my switch off for most of the ride, using center on occasion to talk to my husband. My waves slowed up a bit, stretching to about 4-6 minutes apart over the 20-minute drive. We arrived at the birthing center at 1:15pm and when I stood up to get out of the car, I felt another gush of amniotic fluid. I immediately headed to the bathroom and had a couple waves on the toilet. At about 1:25 pm I moved to the main birth room where I leaned over with my elbows on a dresser and my hands covering my eyes (the room was brighter than I expected, just from natural light streaming through the curtains) to wait while the birthing tub filled.
To my surprise I began feeling the urge to push, and it was unavoidable. After the first pushy wave ended and I had bared down a bit, I asked, “is this okay, to be pushing so soon?” The midwife said to do whatever my body felt the need to do. I didn’t have any internal checks, they just took my blood pressure and temperature upon arrival, and then periodically checked baby’s heart rate externally with the fetal Doppler. I smiled between waves, I welcomed each one, and I knew I would have my baby in my arms soon. I never felt panicked or afraid; I felt in control. I never thought to myself, “this is transformation.” I thought I was heading that way at home in my bathroom “cave,” but Hypnobabies gave me the tools and preparation to remain calm, happy, and peaceful, throughout my baby’s birthing.
Baby girl began crowning at 1:56 pm. At 2:08 pm my husband caught her as she was born, first her head, then her body with the next wave. He was squatting behind me, so he handed her to me through my legs, and I brought her up to my chest and just held her, so proud and grateful and full of love. We moved to the bed to rest, snuggle, and wait to birth the placenta. We discussed her name (we had a short list that we were ready to choose from) and settled on Emilia Cadence.
My mom, Ella and Ivy, arrived at 2:30 pm. (My husband had text them when Emilia was crowning to let them know things had progressed very quickly and they should head in.) It took about an hour for the placenta to detach. I tried to nurse Emilia on the right side to help, but she wasn’t ready to latch just yet. I pushed through a couple pressure waves to try and pass the placenta while lying in the bed but laying back to push just wasn’t working for me. The midwives helped me move to the birth stool. I was surprised that I had to push through a few more pressure waves to pass it, but my pushing was so much more effective in an upright position on the birth stool that it went by quickly. After getting back in bed, I switched Emilia to the left breast, and she latched on and began nursing immediately! Everyone cheered! I was absolutely overjoyed! She has nursed like a pro ever since!
Once the cord was completely white, Travis cut it. At 4 pm Emilia and I moved to the bathtub where we took an incredibly soothing herbal bath together. She was unhappy at first, but quickly relaxed and enjoyed it.
We moved back to the bed so that the midwives could examine me (no stitches needed, just a few minor tears that would heal themselves!) and then weigh, measure, and examine Emilia. Travis got to hold her up in the sling and scale. We were all shocked that she weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21.5 inches long! More than two pounds heavier than our other children and two inches longer! She received her vitamin k shot while nursing, then we were able to dress her in the same outfit that Ella and Ivy each wore home, although it was very snug on Emilia and the little pants were like high waters! She wasn’t too happy about being dressed or getting in the car seat.
We left the birthing center at 5:09 pm, almost exactly 3 hours after she was born.
I credit the peaceful beauty of Emilia’s birth to the Hypnobabies program, the excellent mother-centered care I received from my Midwives, and to my own absolute dedication to preparing for this birth. I went into this pregnancy knowing it would be my last and knowing that I had to do everything in my power to prepare for the birthing experience I longed for. I completed my Hypnobabies study and maintenance diligently, though I slept through the vast majority of the tracks. I did the Spinning Babies daily activities/yoga, received chiropractic care the last 6 weeks, drank red raspberry leaf tea, took the Polly Jean formula, used wheat germ oil on my c section scar, ate plenty of protein, drank all the fluids I could, read Ina May Gaskin’s Guide to Childbirth, watched “Orgasmic Birth,” etc. I didn’t want to have any doubt in my mind that I did everything in my power to achieve the birth I wanted
