Brooke’s Fast & Peaceful Hypnobabies Home Birth
“I am/was so grateful and just so amazed at how fast and peaceful everything transpired and how perfectly the situation unfolded. From start to finish my birthing time was less than 3 hours!!”
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.
This is a reminder that labels don’t define you and that having a supportive, experienced provider and birth team is probably THEE most important thing you can do!
Here is my story of the fast & peaceful birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor) with my 4VBAC (3HBAC) at 41 years old…
When I woke up on Saturday, August 27th I was feeling sore, tired, and defeated that I was still pregnant at 41 weeks and 2 days. As soon as Chavis said “good morning” and asked me how I was, I started weeping. He continued to comfort me and assure me that our baby was coming, and it was merely days at the most we would have to wait.
I KNEW that all of my babies have come at 40+ weeks, but every day past the “guess date” (Hypnobabies term for due date) can feel like an eternity. I had been having pressure waves (Hypnobabies term for contractions) on and off for weeks, which was new for me. So, I had been convinced he was coming sooner than later. It was just becoming harder and harder to trust the process with each passing day.
I kept myself busy throughout the day with little tasks around the house like cleaning out the linen closet and medicine cabinets. I then got out my manual breast pump and decided to try pumping a little to see if I could help encourage things to get going. I pumped for 5-10 minutes on each side while reading others’ birth stories online. I had a couple of small waves and then stopped, feeling emotionally drained.
I continued watching birth videos online and a few minutes later I felt a distinct POP, so I stood up and went to the bathroom. I had a minor wave and felt a small gush. I noticed the fluid was yellow in color and knew right away what I saw. I called Chavis in and together we called our midwife, Mary Catherine, to let her know what was happening. After having another pressure wave and a much larger gush of fluid, she confirmed my fear – meconium. Ugh!
We then had the difficult discussion and realization. Due to the possibility of meconium aspiration at delivery, it was best that we transfer to the hospital. Our hearts were all broken at the loss of our planned homebirth, but our goal was achieving the safest overall birth for us both. Mary Catherine assured us she would meet us at TGH and do everything we could to have a beautiful birth experience there. Chavis and I shed some tears and prayed. I found peace knowing God was in control and our birth would happen where it was meant to. We took a few minutes to mourn and wrap our heads around this unexpected change of events.
I called my parents in tears to let them know the new plan. I let my mom know to stand by and we would call her when we were ready to leave so she could come over and stay with the kids. Chavis began to gather the luggage and start packing our hospital bags. I decided to hop in the shower. At this point I hadn’t had a pressure wave or any other signs of birthing time for about an hour. We weren’t going to head off to the hospital until my waves were 5-7 minutes apart. Since nothing was happening it could be tonight, or it might be in the morning. (My shortest birth previously was 16 hours, so we were expecting to have plenty of time!)
As soon as I got out of the shower and started getting dressed, I was having small waves coming pretty frequently, but I was able to talk through them. Chavis was timing them and after having 7 of them with about 4 minutes apart we called Mary Catherine to let her know. As we were talking, she listened to me have another wave (which was the biggest one yet) and she said we had our answer. It was time to get moving and we would meet her at the hospital. My mom arrived at our house about 10-15 minutes later and by this point I couldn’t get a sentence out or catch my breath before another intense pressure wave hit me. They were now 2 minutes apart
Our bags were packed at the door, and we were ready to walk out when yet another huge pressure wave came over me. When it was over Chavis looked me in the eyes and said he didn’t feel comfortable driving 30-45 minutes to the hospital over the bridge to Tampa with the way things were going. (I was in complete denial and thought he might be overreacting ) He told me we might lose some time, but he needed peace of mind. We were prepared to have a baby at home, but NOT in the car. He called to update the midwife again. They decided she would come over first to check me and then we could all head to the hospital together. I made my way to my bed to go lie down and try and get some rest while we waited.
I climbed in bed, put on my headphones and started my Hypnobabies self-hypnosis tracks that we had been practicing for months to try and help me relax. The waves were coming one on top of another and I knew the birth tub wasn’t an option, so I needed to hop back in the shower for some relief. I played my Hypnobabies track loudly in the bathroom while trying to breathe through every wave in the shower. I was so thankful for the hot water and the shower bars holding me up at times.
I was getting shaky and feeling like I couldn’t take any more right when Mary Catherine arrived. As much as I didn’t want to, I climbed out of the shower and onto the bed and asked her to check me. I was certain she was going to tell me I was only a few centimeters dilated and that we needed to get in the car and head to the hospital, which I was dreading. But I was mentally preparing myself for another 12+ hours of birthing time. She shook her head and said, “No, you’re fully dilated except for our friend ‘the lip’” (I’ve had a stubborn cervical lip for all of my previous births). There was no time to transfer. It was baby time! I was in total disbelief at how quickly things transpired. I was just so grateful and thankful that our baby boy was so close to being in my arms.
The next few waves came, and my body started pushing on its own. I was on the bed on my elbows and knees holding Chavis’s hands. I could feel our son was coming down. At one point, Mary Catherine checked his heart rate, and it sounded more like mine (much slower than the normal fast horse trot sound). She calmly said baby was not liking my current position, so it was time to change. I knew it was serious and dug even deeper to get more focused.
I tried getting on my side but couldn’t get comfortable, so I listened to my body and ended up flipping over on my back. The next wave almost immediately brought his head out. Mary Catherine suctioned him and helped make sure his nose and mouth didn’t get near the meconium filled fluids. I could feel his body squirming and making adjustments by moving his shoulders to prepare his body for birth. I was watching Chavis and Mary Catherine and could see the adrenaline, anticipation and excitement on their faces.
When the next wave hit, I pulled my legs back and pushed with everything I had and felt Mary Catherine bring him up to my chest. He immediately let out a healthy cry and I watched my husband fall to his knees with tears in his eyes praising our Heavenly Father! Mary Catherine also let out a jubilant praise and dance and the energy was incredible!
Minutes after he arrived, Michelle, another midwife arrived and immediately jumped into action helping with all the postpartum duties.
My mom and the kids were all anxiously waiting outside our door to come and meet the newest member of the family. Everyone was buzzing around and over the moon excited!
We called my dad shortly after and let him know he should come over and meet his newest grandson. I was so excited to introduce him and announce his special shared name. My heart was bursting when we shared the news, and he held him for the first time!
I am/was so grateful and just so amazed at how fast and peaceful everything transpired and how perfectly the situation unfolded. From start to finish my birthing time was less than 3 hours!!
I’m especially grateful that Chavis trusted his intuition and we DID NOT get in the car!! He and Mary Catherine were absolute ROCKSTARS and I could not have gotten through it without their support, knowledge, and faith. The whole experience was truly orchestrated by God. I felt His presence all around!
Thank you Father God for watching over baby Hyder and me and for making a way even with all the potential obstacles we were up against.
