Julie’s Successful Hypnobabies VBAC Waterbirth Story

Julie’s Successful Hypnobabies VBAC Waterbirth Story

“Hypnobabies helped me stay relaxed and imagine opening around my pelvic floor and cervix. I had been feeling sensations of progression, fullness, and lowering on and off, but I wasn’t sure if things were moving along, so I asked for a cervical check at this point to see where things were. I was at 9 cm and +2 position, which added to my confidence.”

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In the middle of the night I awoke with discomfort, and at 3:30 am I determined that I was feeling pressure waves (Hypnobabies word for contractions). I rested in bed and began listening to my Birthing Day Affirmations track with some excitement (as I was only at 38w 4d and wasn’t expecting this so soon). At 4 am I got up, showered, packed for the birth center, then rested in bed some more, letting my husband rest up. I woke him at 6 am and told him that birthing time had begun, but to go ahead and continue to rest. At this point I thought that perhaps I would rest some more, then get up and make cupcakes as a birthing day project, but at 6:15 my water broke and pressure waves got stronger, so my husband called our doula and midwives. Things were already progressing much faster than with our first child.

I got into a warm bath and listened to my Easy First Stage hypnosis track (Hypnobabies main birthing day track) as my husband made breakfast for our now-awake toddler and made arrangements for a friend to watch him. My 2.5-year-old toddler wandered in and out of the bathroom, bringing me a banana and granola and rubbing my arm during pressure waves (he was a great help!) I was relaxed between waves, able to talk to my son and read the affirmations we had taped to the wall.

My doula arrived around 7:45 am, and she was a great help and soothing presence as she offered suggestions, helped me into different positions on the toilet and birthing ball, and provided counter pressure on my back and legs. After one intense wave I threw up, but I was focused and dealing well with each wave. Exhaling using “horse lips” did wonders to help me relax my face and therefore the rest of my body, and provided a focal activity during my pressure waves.

Around 10 am my waves were 1 min long and 2 minutes apart, and we all agreed to head to the birth center. Hypnobabies tracks (still on Easy First Stage) were very helpful during the car ride. I rested across the back seat with one knee on the floor and one on the seat, propped up with lots of pillows and just relaxed, listened, and breathed. My husband was impressed that I seemed so calm on the drive over; he didn’t hear me make a sound.

We arrived at the birth center around 10:30 AM and I got into the birthing tub. I spent 10:30 until around 12:30 using different positions in the tub, on the toilet, and standing or squatting around the bed with a birthing ball. Although the waves were so intense sometimes that I was shaking, Hypnobabies hypnosis helped me stay relaxed and imagine opening around my pelvic floor and cervix.

I had been feeling sensations of progression, fullness, and lowering on and off, but I wasn’t sure if things were moving along, so I asked for a cervical check at this point to see where things were. I was at 9 cm and +2 position, which added to my confidence. My midwives suggested that I stand with one leg on a chair with my back against a wall and do an abdominal lift and tuck for 3 waves on each side so that I would feel that fullness and progression even more by encouraging the baby’s head to place pressure directly on my cervix. These waves were very intense, and I leaned on my husband between waves and focused inward. After 3 on each side, I was starting to feel the urge to bear down. I squatted with support for a few more waves with my husband behind me, then wanted to get back into the tub.

In the birthing tub, I squatted and held onto handles. After a couple of more waves, I could tell that they were turning into pushing waves and asked for the Pushing Baby Out track (Special Hypnobabies track just for comfortable pushing) to be played. During each of the first few pushing waves, I would breathe for a breath or two, then do some active pushing at the end of the second breath, which just felt right for me. I could sense more fullness and the lowering of the baby’s head. After a few waves, the active pushing got more powerful and seemed to be almost out of my control, like it was my body’s choice and not my brain’s.

I felt very intense stretching and said “I think she’s coming” in a happy voice at the end of one wave. I had one very intense push and felt like the baby’s head was out halfway. I took deep breaths and waited for the next wave to push again, letting my body adjust to the stretching. I felt burning and tearing but knew that she was almost here. During the next wave, I pushed her head out. Pushing out her shoulders took a few more tries and a little help from the midwives to release them. In a total of just about 10 minutes of pushing, she was born and placed into my arms just after 1 pm.

My son was sitting on the edge of the tub and was able to watch the pushing phase and the birth of his baby sister, which was amazing to me. In the end, I felt like I was in control of this birth in a way that I didn’t with my first birth. I felt changed by the experience, and overall thrilled with this birth and of course with my beautiful baby girl.

A - Kimberly Gross
I became passionate about the field of childbirth after the birth of my son and wanted to help families have the best birth experience possible.