Thank you to Hypno-Mom Michelle for sharing her beautiful birth story with us!
“Hypnobabies was a huge help throughout my pregnancy and definitely helped me through my birthing time.”
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.
“I can’t even count the number of birth stories I read in order to prepare myself for my own. I am writing this not only for my own memory but for others who are interested in natural child birth.”
I was really fortunate to have a comfortable pregnancy but on Monday, March 23rd I had a horrible night of sleep. I kept tossing and turning, and I remember saying to Mike “it took me long enough but I finally feel uncomfortable”. Moments later (5:30 am) I went to the bathroom and something came out of me that I could only describe as a jelly fish (sorry for the detail, but this is a birth story after all).
I did what I did throughout the rest of my pregnancy when I had a question… I googled it. Turns out I had lost my mucous plug. I texted my mom to confirm Dr.Google’s answer and then waited. Soon my pressure waves started (pressure waves are contractions). I started listening to my hypnobabies birth day affirmations to prepare myself for what I was about to experience. After that Mike began to time my pressure waves and when they were 5 minutes apart for 1 minute long and getting stronger by the hour we called (7:30am). My midwife had been on holidays the week before and I had originally visualized my birth to happen over the March Break but when I found out she wouldn’t be available I immediately told our child not to come out until after Sunday, March 22nd. Turns out her timing couldn’t have been more perfect. One of the midwives came out to assess me and then we just waited for the pressure waves to get stronger and closer together. When that happened (they were 3:1:1) we met my midwife at the hospital (she had just came back on call) and continued to labour there (11 am).
I got into the tub but it slowed down my birthing time, which got me a little frustrated, but it quickly picked back up. I had practiced hypnobabies throughout my pregnancy but when I got to the hospital I just kind of went with the flow and did whatever I felt like my body needed to do. I spent every pressure wave with my face buried into pillows and my butt in the air, kind of like an ostrich with it’s head stuck in the ground. I tried switching my position throughout my pressure waves but I always went back to this one.
I can’t remember what time it was but I remember puking and thinking yes, finally! Because I knew puking was a good sign, it meant I was close to transition or maybe that I was in transition (entering the next birthing stage). My pressure waves grew quite strong and Mike (my husband & birth coach) was amazing at getting me through them. He just kept telling me I was doing great, he loved me, and that I could do this.
My membranes had still not ruptured (my water was not breaking) and my midwife asked if I wanted her to break them. I said no. I wanted everything to happen naturally. My goal for this birth was to have as natural of a birth as possible and that was what I was going to do. Except 7:30pm rolled around, I had been labouring for roughly 15 hours, and at that point I was 9.5 cm dilated. At this point she asked me again, and told me it could either be another 3 hours of strong pressure waves or she could rupture my membranes and it could be an hour. I gave in and told her to go for it. The minute my water broke I felt a huge sensation to push. I began pushing immediately and pushed for 30 minutes, drinking and eating apple sauce in between pushes. Mike held my leg up for what probably felt like hours to him and I am so thankful he was right there with me. I had tried different positions for pushing in and I had originally said that I did NOT want to push on my back but after trying all fours, side lying, squatting, the only position I liked was sitting up right but on my back. As soon as I heard them say we can see her hair, look at that head of hair, that gave me all the motivation I needed and I pushed and pushed until she finally came out. There was a moment of silence after the birth and the midwives worked quickly as the cord was around her neck so they had to cut it immediately and assess her. Mike kept asking is it a girl? Is it a boy? But they didn’t answer, they wanted him to be the one to say it’s a…. GIRL! What an amazing moment. Not knowing for 9 months made that three-worded sentence the most memorable moment of my life. It only took about a minute or two and she was back on my chest skin to skin breastfeeding 5 minutes after birthing her.
My midwife was patient as I had requested to birth my placenta naturally. I was just so happy to have our little girl happy and healthy laying on my chest. After giving me that time they weighed her in at 7lbs 15 ounces, just an ounce shy of 8 lbs! They checked her out to make sure everything was okay, they checked me out to make sure I was okay, and even though I birthed on my back, I didn’t tear (woohoo!).
We spent the night in the hospital because I had a bit of a fever and it was late, we were exhausted. We kept Lux, our new daughter, in the room with us for the night even though the nurse offered to take her so we could get some sleep. The last thing I wanted was to be away from her. We went home the following day after lunch.
I will admit, the experience itself was quite intense, but I would do it all over again in a heart beat because the reward you get at the end is better than winning millions of dollars. Nothing can compare to it. It is absolutely incredible what our bodies are capable of. I have my husband to thank for being so supportive and encouraging, he helped me stay positive throughout my whole pregnancy and birthing time. I also couldn’t imagine going through a natural childbirth without my midwife. She was amazing, understanding and knew exactly what to say and do to help me get the experience I wanted. Hypnobabies was a huge help throughout my pregnancy and definitely helped me through my birthing time. I do wish I would have used the CDs a bit more while at the hospital but I don’t regret anything about Lux’s birth.
“Just as a woman’s heart knows how and when to pump, her lungs to inhale, and her hand to pull back from fire, so she knows when & how to give birth.” – Virginia Di Orio
