Frankie’s Hypnobabies Hospital Birth story… it’s long, but a wholly positive story!
“I kept the headphones on and tracks playing throughout my birthing time, and my husband quietly and gently used the Peace and Relax cues just when I needed them. He even reminded me about my Special Safe Place and walked me through it during a particularly intense wave. I credit Hypnobabies 100% for allowing me to experience such an easy and comfortable birth!”
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At 38 +6, I woke up about 2:30 am Thanksgiving morning with pressure waves. Not having felt practice waves at all during my pregnancy, I felt sure these were birthing time waves. I began to time them and when my husband woke up at 5, I told him they were averaging about 7 minutes apart. Because they were inconsistent and I was completely comfortable, I sent him to work and spent the morning doing my Fear Clearing and Deepening tracks. By 9, the waves had fizzled out so I set to work cooking a mini Thanksgiving dinner for the 2 of us. My husband got off work early, we ate a late Thanksgiving lunch, took a nap and watched a little TV. Around 8 pm, I was feeling a tightness in my low back (muscle related, not like the pressure waves from the morning). My husband is a massage therapist, so I asked him if there was anything we could do for the muscle spasm. He released my hip flexor on the right side, and I felt immediate relief. Then he released the left hip flexor and we watched the baby move from the left side of my abdomen (where he hung out the entire third trimester) to completely centered. Within 60 seconds I had my first pressure wave. It felt exactly like what my body was trying to do that morning!
After about 20 minutes, I put on my headphones and began listening to Easy First Stage and Deepening tracks while lying in bed. By 10, the waves were consistently 1 min long and 5 min apart. My husband called the doula, and I called the midwife (the one on call for my practice was not my primary caregiver). She told me I could either go into triage now or wait awhile. During regular appointments my primary midwife had vehemently recommended (and I happily agreed) that I stay home as long as possible. I asked our doula to come on over to the house, and laid on the couch or sat on the birthing ball. The pressure waves were so easy and comfortable that I just focused on my hypnosis, breathing and relaxing.
When the doula arrived around midnight, the pressure waves began to pick up in frequency and intensity. She sent my husband to bed (smart woman), dimmed the lights, and used warm rice bags and counter pressure on my lower back through each wave, while I sat on the birth ball and leaned onto the couch. Between each wave, I sat up and sometimes we talked. After what felt like 30 minutes, my doula said waves were 2 minutes apart and suggested we think about heading to the hospital. I was still hesitant to go, not wanting to get there too early, but one wave later agreed. I was surprised to look at the clock and see it was already 2 am! I woke up my husband, we climbed in the car and arrived at the hospital at 2:30.
I was taken to triage while my husband and doula parked their cars. I stood up and leaned onto the seat of the wheelchair during each wave. The nurses had me give a urine sample and quickly got me into a room for a cervical check. The first nurse said she couldn’t quite tell how dilated I was and had the nurse midwife on duty come in to check. When she said 8 cm, the first nurse said, “That’s what I thought but didn’t want to say it out loud because Mom is so calm. I thought for sure she was a 3 or 4 when she checked in!”
I was quickly moved to a birthing room where I kneeled on all fours on the bed during each wave until my doula recommended leaning over the back of the bed. Between 2 intense waves, I looked up and was so excited to see my primary midwife there and ready to help me birth my baby! After a check, she asked if she could pull the lip of the cervix back and I agreed. I was immediately at a 10 and after about 10 minutes of pushing, she asked if she could break my water. Again, I agreed. She then began coaching me through each wave. She would direct me to push and say “don’t be scared of it. Don’t run away from it.” She was absolutely right, I was running from each wave and her gentle reassurance and guidance to push was exactly what I needed!
Franklin Durrett was born at 5:13 am on 11/24. Although I did not consciously use any of the Hypnobabies techniques I had practiced, I kept the headphones on and tracks playing throughout my birthing time, and my husband quietly and gently used the Peace and Relax cues just when I needed them. He even reminded me about my Special Safe Place and walked me through it during a particularly intense wave. I credit Hypnobabies 100% for allowing me to experience such an easy and comfortable birth! My nurse summed it up when she said I was her favorite natural birth patient ever, because I was so calm and even able to laugh between waves at 9 cm. Thanks Hypnobabies for giving me such an amazing gift!
