First Time Mom Sarah’s Hypnobabies Hospital Birth

black and white photo of new family right after birth.

First Time Mom Sarah’s Hypnobabies Hospital Birth

 

“To our surprise, I had progressed from 3 to 7 cm in a little over an hour. I started my Easy First Stage (Hypnobabies main birthing day track) hypnosis track once she told me this, and felt my hypnosis was very deep at that point. “

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My Hypnobabies birth story! 🙂

I want to start by saying that Hypnobabies is incredible, and I want to shout it from the rooftops to all expecting moms! It still amazes me to know that hypnosis allowed my birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor) to be so comfortable. I felt so confident and had affirmations flowing through my mind constantly. Considering I’ve always had general anxiety and especially health anxiety, Hypnobabies helped me handle pregnancy and birthing all so well.

My birthing time began at 39 weeks + 3 days. It was a Thursday and my waves (Hypnobabies term for contractions) started slowly and sporadically throughout the day as I worked from home. But I had no idea that’s what was happening. They were inconsistent and barely noticeable.

By 6:00 PM the waves became timeable, about 5-10 minutes apart, so I took a shower to prepare for a possible trip to the hospital. I started listening to my Birthing Day Affirmations and was so comfortable I actually shaved my legs and washed my hair!! My husband was at work, so I wanted to make sure the waves stayed consistent before telling him to come home. I was still not sure it was actually my birthing time but was cautiously optimistic. I had listened to the Come Baby Out track (Hypnobabies track to encourage baby to be born) for the past 3 days, my hospital bags had been packed for weeks, and I was ready when he was.

The waves remained consistent, so I started my Deepening Your Hypnosis track (Hypnobabies track to deepen the level of hypnosis) and told hubby to head home from work. He got home a little after 8:00 PM and loaded up the truck. I put on my wireless Bluetooth headband and kept my Deepening Your Hypnosis track playing on the way to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at around 9:00 PM, then I switched back to my Birthing Day Affirmations and kept it going on repeat once we were inside. I chose this track because I still felt really comfortable, and it seemed easiest to listen to while interacting with others as we checked in. When I was in a fully supported position, I switched to “off” when a wave came. Otherwise, I was in center. I was feeling so comfortable that I was sure they’d be sending us home.

Checking in took a while because we had to enter through the ER, and I hadn’t pre-registered. By 10:30 PM we were in a monitoring room in the birthing unit. I consented to cervical checks, and at the first check I was at 2 cm. My nurse noticed I was wearing Bluetooth headphones, and I told her our plan for Hypnobabies. She was very supportive and began asking about my birth preferences. Then she spoke with the doctor and said they wanted me to stay in the unit and get checked again in an hour. An hour later I was dilated to 2.5 cm. The doctor then asked me to walk around the hospital for an hour and they would admit me if I continued to progress.

Walking around for that hour was the most uncomfortable part of my birthing time, because I found it hard to stay in hypnosis. That being said, it was still very manageable, and I know that all the time I had dedicated to my hypnosis practices helped me to stay calm and in control. After an hour of walking, I had progressed to 3 cm, so they admitted me. We made it to our birthing room at 1:00 AM on 9/11.

Once in the room my hubby left to get our bags from the car. I laid down on my right side, got comfortable, and turned my switch to off. I asked for the room lights to be dimmed and the air to be turned down. I’m not sure which hypnosis track I was listening to at that time, since I was being asked a million intake questions between waves. (Apparently my highest level of education is an important thing for them to know while I’m in the middle of my birthing time!😝) Looking back, I’m sure I could have requested to complete the intake questions later, but I honestly regret nothing about my birthing time. The stream of hypnosis in my ear never stopped and waves were getting more intense but very manageable.

At some point I become nauseous and started having thoughts such as “I’m not sure I can do this,” but I never felt the need to verbalize those thoughts. Looking back, I now know I was entering transformation (Hypnobabies term for transition). I was much deeper in hypnosis than I realized at the time, and it was helping a lot. Waves felt intense but not painful.

The nurse told me that she would only check for progress if I requested. Well at around 2:00 AM I was feeling like my body was pushing on its own with each wave, so I asked her to check me. To our surprise, I had progressed from 3 to 7 cm in a little over an hour. I started my Easy First Stage (Hypnobabies main birthing day track) hypnosis track once she told me this, and felt my hypnosis was very deep at that point.

My nurse left to call the doctor and then began setting up the room for baby’s arrival. I was following my body’s cues and laid on my right side basically the whole time since that’s what felt comfortable, and my body kept pushing on its own with each birthing wave. This was my first birthing experience, so I wasn’t sure if the pushing sensation was just a normal part of birthing waves or if the baby was actually trying to come out. But I just let my body do what felt right.

The doctor came to check me, and she said I was at 9 cm but didn’t recommend pushing yet because my cervix didn’t seem thin enough on my left side. So, I flipped to my left side per their suggestion.

At this point the nurses left, so me and my husband had some time alone before baby came. In between my waves I was able to laugh and converse with him. Soon I felt like pushing again and called the nurses. They asked if I wanted to try sitting up, and I decided to try. Quickly I knew that position wasn’t right for me, so I asked to lay back down on my right side. A few minutes later, they asked if I wanted to put my legs in stirrups. I agreed because I knew I was ready to push, and I’d been asking my body what position I should be in for pushing but wasn’t getting any clear feelings about it. Swaddled newborn with yellow hat

The doctor checked me again and I was at 10 cm. While the doctor was checking me, my water broke which felt like a huge relief of pressure. The doctor then told me that there was meconium in my water, and I was given an oxygen mask because they said baby needed it. I started listening to my Pushing Baby Out track (Hypnobabies track just for pushing) then, still wearing my headphones because that felt more comfortable for me than playing it out loud. They told me to push when I wanted to, and I kept my eyes closed and in hypnosis.

After a while of pushing, the doctor got my attention to tell me I needed an episiotomy due to fetal distress, which I agreed to. This was something I had really wanted to avoid but agreed to let them apply numbing cream and I didn’t feel a thing.

While pushing I can honestly say I only felt pressure and intensity, not discomfort. After a while I started feeling exhausted from pushing. The nurses and my husband were so great and encouraging, eventually I heard them say his head and shoulders were out. I gave one final push and feeling him leave my body completely was the most amazing and relieving experience ever. Our little boy was born on 9/11 at 3:50 AM, weighing 6 lbs and 11 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Everything happened a lot faster than I expected, and I’m glad it did. It took less than 4 hours from the time I was officially admitted to his birth time. I had been prepared for a long birthing time, but with such quick progression I hadn’t even had time to hang my birthing affirmations, cover the clock, hang our Hypnobabies sign on the door, light my orange electric candle, or even change into my own birthing gown I’d brought. They had even brought me a peanut ball that I used briefly, and a regular bouncing ball that I never even got to use. But I’m so glad that I was over-prepared instead of underprepared. I honestly feel like my birthing time was so perfect and Hypnobabies played a huge role in helping me accept and enjoy the birthing journey no matter how it unfolded.

After he was born, I took off my headphones so I could hear how my son was doing across the room, since a team of nurses had to intervene due to meconium aspiration. Since I had stopped listening to my hypnosis tracks at that point (oops lol), birthing the placenta and getting my stitches were both far more uncomfortable than actual birthing had been. I think this speaks volumes to the power of hypnosis.

I am still so amazed and thankful that I fulfilled my dreams of a natural birth. I had two nurses, one in training, and they were both incredibly supportive and told me they were so excited that they got to be a part of our birthing time.

Thank you Hypnobabies!! 🧡

 

If you enjoyed this story, please check out Tatiana’s story HERE