Megan’s Peaceful Hypnobabies Birth
“By 9 AM I called my mother-in-law and she drove to our home to pick up our daughter, just in case it was my birthing time! My husband decided to come home from work and throughout the afternoon we practiced the three balances from Spinning Babies. I rocked on a birthing ball and spent time in the bathtub where I listened to Your Special Safe Place track on repeat. Visualizing holding my son was so peaceful and made every wave feel powerful!”
On December 21, 2022, at 10:30PM I gave birth to my beautiful son using Hypnobabies. His birth and my pregnancy involved many surprises and without Hypnobabies, I don’t believe that it would have been such a transformative, and incredible experience!
There were many surprises during Milo’s pregnancy, and at 37 weeks I began having practice waves (Braxton Hicks or pre-birth contractions). I knew from my previous birth, that this meant our child was coming soon, but I may have a few weeks of anticipation. At my 38-week appointment my doctor confirmed that he was at a station zero and that I was progressing with dilation and effacement (although I declined to know those numbers) and believed that he was coming soon! At 39 weeks, I began having consistent, regular waves (Hypnobabies term for contractions) that increased in intensity throughout the night so my husband and I drove to labor and delivery. Once there though my waves slowed down. We spent some time in triage and decided to go home. I was discouraged and left feeling like I wasn’t going to know when my true birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor) began. I was induced with my first child, because I had PROM, and never experienced beginning birth on my own, naturally, and without the use of Pitocin. 
At 40 weeks and three days (still very pregnant!) I met with my doctor, and we decided that at 41 weeks we would begin an induction. We discussed artificially breaking my waters, and the use of Pitocin to begin my birth. My appointment was on a Monday afternoon and by Tuesday night I felt very anxious. I listened to my Fear Clearing track (Hypnobabies track for releasing fear) and my husband and I prayed about the induction and the health of our baby. I also used the Visualize Your Birth track (Hypnobabies track that helps you visualize your perfect birth), and that helped me have peace about what was to come. We were going to meet our baby! Wednesday morning at 3:30 AM I begin to feel waves again. I thought that these were also prodromal/practice so I tried to rest, but they continued to increase in intensity. By 9 AM I called my mother-in-law and she drove to our home to pick up our daughter, just in case it was my birthing time! My husband decided to come home from work and throughout the afternoon we practiced the three balances from Spinning Babies. I rocked on a birthing ball and spent time in the bathtub where I listened to Your Special Safe Place track on repeat. Visualizing holding my son was so peaceful and made every wave feel powerful!
Around 5 PM my waves were about five minutes apart and growing in intensity. We live about an hour from the hospital from where I was birthing so we decided to make our way in. While I was in the car, I actually leaned over our third row of seats and listened to my Fear Clearing track. As I was listening, it was reassuring to know I only had one fear about my birthing time! It was, whether or not we had picked the right name for our baby and not about birth or the hospital. My waves felt powerful and strong, and each one reminded me of how close we were to our son.
Once we arrived and checked in the nurse confirmed I was 5 cm dilated 100% effaced and baby was still at a station zero. We checked into a room and things quickly move from there! I listened to Visualize Your Birth again because it was so comforting. My husband and I did the side-lying release from spinning babies through several pressure waves and almost immediately I felt my son drop! My doctor arrived at 7:30 PM and broke my waters. I had progressed to 7 cm and baby was at +1 station. It felt like each wave gained in intensity after, but with my husband supporting me with counter pressure and reminding me each time that we were that much closer to meeting our baby it felt like time flew by.
I began to reach a point where I was having a hard time staying in hypnosis, and things were really starting to change. I felt very vocal this
birth and humming and “ahhhh-ing” through each wave was really helpful. I told my husband “I don’t think I can do this “and he told me I was so close and so powerful! Later he said that he knew our baby was going to be born soon because I had said this with my first child, and she was born within half an hour. At around 9:50 PM I felt that it was time to push. I felt so much pressure my doctor checked and said I was 9.5 cm dilated and baby was still at the same station, but we positioned myself sideways on the bed with a peanut ball, and he encouraged me to push when I felt like it. Pushing was my favorite part! I felt so present and powerful in between waves. I felt like I could talk to the nurses and my doctor, and we joked and laughed. Each wave gave me energy, and as I felt my son begin to descend, lower and lower, I knew that I had done it! And I was in tune with my body all along! It gave me so much confidence!s born at 10:30 PM. I had no tearing! He weighed 8 lbs. 9 oz., 21 inches long and had a 14.5 cm head circumference! As they placed him in my arms, I saw his face and knew right a
Our son’s birth was also special because it was our doctors last birth of a 40-year career! The nurses even had confetti and decorations in the hallway, ready as a surprise once he was done helping with the birth!
My son’s birth was so incredible and was a testament to how wonderful the unknown can be. There are many times throughout the last few weeks of pregnancy where I had made peace with something and we had a change of plans, but I truly believe God had the greatest one for us laid out all along!
