Risa’s Hypnobabies Hospital VBAC Induction
“I wouldn’t have been able to experience any of this without taking Hypnobabies. Being induced, having preeclampsia, having my baby not quite ready to come out, there’s no way I would have had the birth I had without it. Even though I didn’t do everything I set out to do, it still was a life-changing experience for me.”
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I was planning a VBAC with the most amazing provider who was incredibly supportive of Hypnobabies. My doula, Aileen Larson was in my corner. I had issues with my blood pressure during pregnancy and was hospitalized at 34w4d with preeclampsia. Luckily, my provider continued to advocate for my VBAC. My husband and I were going through the course and had practiced the scripts maybe three times. My plan was to continue my tracks and scripts up until my birthing time, but obviously, that wasn’t going to happen.
I brought my headphones, Hypnobabies packet, and all my comfort items when I went to the hospital. I kept in close contact with my doula and we were able to make it until my daughter was 35w1d.
I wanted to heal after my prior C-section experience and extended hospital stay. I wanted my VBAC and I really wanted my birth medication-free with minimal interventions. My birth team was good at honoring my plan. I had wanted to move around during my birthing time (Hypnobabies word for labor) but needed to stay in bed due to the IVs and meds. Honestly, it was rough emotionally being hospitalized for 5 days before my baby came into the world. I knew I wasn’t going to be in hypnosis the whole time. But the tracks helped calm my mind when things were overwhelming.
I needed to be induced with Pitocin, but again, having my amazing doctor, he was able to go low and slow and I was able to manage my waves (Hypnobabies word for contractions) for a while just hanging out in bed listening to my tracks. I had a lot of talks with my doula during my hospitalization and birthing time and felt like I needed more time to prepare.
When the waves started getting more intense, I found myself getting more and more distracted while listening to my tracks. I don’t know if it was the amount of distractions I had with all the other medical things going on with me or what, but eventually, I had to stop listening to them because I couldn’t concentrate. Which I know is the entire point of the course, but what ended up working for me was to keep the monologue going in my head about directing my bright orange hypno-anesthesia down below. Over and over again, this is what ran through my head and then finally when things were getting more intense, I had my husband repeat our scripts over and over again until Aileen was able to get there. We only had minimal chances to practice at home, so he literally repeated himself over and over for probably the next hour as things were ramping up.
I realized while listening to the tracks wasn’t going to work for me, I was still able to keep myself in hypnosis and it was the only thing keeping me in control. I kept telling myself in my head that this was too hard and I couldn’t do it anymore, but I never voiced it out loud. I never asked for medications.
I just stayed inside my head and focused and the point that I want to make is that Hypnobabies worked for me, but not in the way I was planning. I know 100% it’s what kept me going and kept me from needing more interventions. Later, my husband would tell me that everyone around me said that they had no idea I was in that much discomfort, but I looked so peaceful. I remember laughing about it later with my doula because I felt far from that.
My daughter came hard and fast and it was the hardest, most exhilarating thing I have ever done in my entire life. I felt it all. My body did exactly what it was supposed to do and everyone around me just let me do it. I felt the most intense pressure I’ve ever experienced and I brought my baby into the world. And I realized that even though she had to be brought to the NICU and I continued another 6 days in the hospital, that this birth really was a healing experience for me.
I wouldn’t have been able to experience any of this without taking Hypnobabies. Being induced, having preeclampsia, having my baby not quite ready to come out, there’s no way I would have had the birth I had without it. Even though I didn’t do everything I set out to do, it still was a life-changing experience for me.
Little Emelia is thriving and nursing like a champ. This is our last baby and I still look back on my birthing time as the most surreal thing I’ve ever been through. It didn’t happen the way I was envisioning, but I realized I had gotten the two things I set out to do (besides of course for a healthy baby): a vaginal birth and one that was completely unmedicated.
So for those of you who feel like Hypnobabies didn’t go the way you were planning, that things got off track, or you’re worried that things won’t go exactly how you want it to, I’m proof that you can still be successful in it and feel like you rocked your birth.
