Natalie’s Stellar Hypnobabies Hospital Birth
Late night typing this after a stellar day birthing our third Hypno-baby. I just can’t recommend this program enough!
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Little Ava surprised us today by arriving a few days before her guess date… our first early baby! (Any other surprise, super moon babies out there?!?!)
My waves (Hypnobabies term for contractions) started at about 7:30 this morning but they were very light and easy. I’ve been having some really intense Braxton hicks and possible prodromal waves throughout this past week, so I was ignoring the waves and trying to focus on getting my work done. But by 10:30, I knew it was the real thing… my baby was on the way!!!! I took some for sweet snuggles with my older girls, braided my hair into my traditional it’s-birthing-time pigtails and then on went the Hypnobabies tracks!
Hypnobabies makes the first stage so easy. One of the hardest parts for me is figuring out the right window for leaving for the hospital. It’s a 40-minute drive and I knew from yesterday’s doctor appointment that I was already 80% effaced, 2 cm and minus 3. I didn’t want to wait too long but I also didn’t want to be sent home if they didn’t think I was far enough along.
But, like the tracks say, I was ‘in tune’ with my body enough to pick the right window. I was more nervous about the drive than anything, but the tracks made it easy… even enjoyable. Although I WILL say I’ve never noticed that my husband was such a ‘jerky’ driver until I was having some big waves as he approached some red lights and speed bumps. OOF! But, again, Hypnobabies to the rescue and it was a simple thing to refocus.
We got to the hospital and were checked in. It was just enough time to really settle in and feel comfortable, as baby started getting serious about making her arrival about 45 minutes later.
And this is where my Bubble of Peace comes in. That transformation stage is always the toughest for me. Since this is baby number three, I’ve discovered that I REALLY need my birth team to repeat ‘Release. Release. Release’ (Hypnobabies cue to switch off and enter hypnosis) as I struggle to relax and let go during this stage. When I’m able to RELAX and use my hypnosis, it’s FIVE MILLION times easier. But if I start panicking and tense up, I have a really hard time regaining control.
But, thankfully, I was able to get full control back after about half an hour of intense struggles. I told my birth team afterwards that I had almost lost it during that period, and they were actually really surprised, saying I had done great and that I was nowhere near losing control. But I THOUGHT I was losing control and that’s a big deal when you’re in hypnosis. But I’m so grateful that my birth team doubled down on the cues they knew would work for me and helped me get back on track. They were GREAT.
One of the roughest parts actually happened when my husband tried to switch me from our noise canceling headphones to speakers. And it DIDN’T WORK. We had tested the system at home but, for whatever reason, it just wouldn’t connect at the hospital. He ended up taping my phone next to the bed near my ear instead… so now I have a sticky phone from the tape residue. BUT it did the trick. It wasn’t as nice as having the speakers, but I could still hear the tracks. Those 4 minutes of silence were the closest I came to panic during the whole experience, as he struggled to get the tech to work.
But, ladies… I would take PUSHING waves over transformative waves ANY DAY. I don’t know what it is about it but this was my first Hypnobabies birth where those pushing waves felt sooo easy. They’ve always been much easier than the transformative waves, but I’m still blown away at how easy Hypnobabies makes this stage.
For the first time, I really felt like my ‘orange anesthesia’ (Hypnobabies tool for physical comfort) really worked. It’s such an odd sensation. There is a lot of intensity and the hardest part for me was feeling like I was getting enough air to be able to really push. But it feels exactly right and it’s so exciting to know baby is almost there!
I roared baby into the world… I’m not sure how those super quiet mamas I’ve seen on these threads can quietly push baby out while smiling and breathing gently…That’s not me! Roaring makes the sheer effort of pushing go easier for me. My husband is always surprised to find that the loudest I am during birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor) is also when I’m having the easiest time of it.
Actually, giving birth is the WILDEST sensation. Just WILD. Too feel baby move down… the intense stretching sensation… the HUGENESS of that tiny head and body… the sensation of bearing down and pushing… and I don’t know about anyone else’s experience, but I feel like my sweet babies just EXPLODE out of me. The sense of relief and shock is almost indescribable… and it’s so surreal but it’s unbelievably amazing to see there is suddenly a precious, teeny baby right there!
Time passes differently while in hypnosis so it’s hard for me to know how long I pushed. I’d estimate 15 minutes tops, but my birth team said that it was only a few waves before she was out. By the time baby was moving, it really only took two waves for her to make her grand appearance.
Nothing makes you feel more like superwoman than to give birth to your baby naturally…
And one of the best parts? The recovery is SOOO much easier. I feel like my body starts healing right away, with very minimal damage or soreness. I honestly think that the reason I avoided some of the bigger postpartum issues is because of some of the tips from Hypnobabies… like having warm compresses applied to my perineum… listening deeply to my body about the right position to push and listening deeply to WHEN and how hard to push. I’m barely even sore! WOW!
It all took about nine hours, from those first waves early this morning. And Hypnobabies made it soooo easy.
So grateful for this program! So grateful!
I’ve been typing this while I have a squeaky, sleeping newborn on my chest. Our hospital doesn’t have a side car bassinet which means for a long night for us if we want to do skin-to-skin (a priority for us in these first, vulnerable hours and days of welcoming this little one gently to the world…).
But it’s a good excuse to type these memories down while they are still fresh. What a happy and beautiful day!
I looooove the Hypnobabies program! Makes me feel like I can do anything… and such a lovely way to bring sweet babies into the world! It’s made a an enormous difference in our pregnancy and birthing journeys and I recommend it to anyone who will listen
