Super Rapid Thanksgiving Birth Center Hypnobabies Birth
“I felt the pressure of something … Exiting. In two more pushes, I opened my eyes and a real live human was placed on my chest. And I said, “Oh my God, I have a baby.”
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 was 40 weeks +2 days, and after a largely comfortable and easy pregnancy, I had been experiencing surprise 9th inning back discomfort for about a week. As my guess date (Hypnobabies word for due date) came and went I found myself irrationally upset that I wouldn’t be one of the 4% with a guess date baby, and despondent over the idea of spending the next two weeks with a full belly and an uncomfortable back. After two days of wallowing, I woke up on Thanksgiving morning, did one of my “Fear Clearing” hypnosis tracks and texted my doula “I want you to know that I’m over my slump and have made peace with how and when this baby is going to come.
My greatest mission now is doing whatever I can to fix my back”. I got up and proceeded to do PT-style exercises from the pregnancy strength training program I’d been following religiously. After a few rounds of squats, clamshells, and bridges, my back felt a bit looser but I commented to my husband “wow, I’m feeling some considerable downward pressure now”. I had no idea but at the time I was likely somewhat dilated already (I hadn’t had my cervix checked yet, by choice). I got dressed and ready to go to Thanksgiving lunch at my parents at 12:30, but around 11:45 am I started to feel birthing waves (Hypnobabies word for contractions). I texted my doula “starting to feel some early pressure waves, but so hard to tell”. I started timing them while TO MY DELIGHT watching The National Dog show, which was just starting. They quickly started coming every 2 minutes, 40 sec to 1 minute each, and I thought it might be a good time to put my Easy First Stage track (Hypnobabies main birthing time track) on, but I really wanted to see the corgis.
Fortunately, they showed the herding group first. At around 12:15 I put on my tracks and my husband called my mother to let her know we would need a raincheck on the Thanksgiving lunch she’d spent two days slaving away over, entirely by herself. I knew I’d need to eat something, so my husband reheated a big bowl of Banza mac and cheese he’d made and I gobbled it up between waves. As the waves were getting more intense, we called the midwife and she told us it sounded like things were “just getting started” and to give it a few hours and call her back. I got back into my hypnosis track, half paying attention, regularly asking my husband to put counter pressure on my knees or back during each wave. I kept trying to send my hypno-anesthesia to my uterus and felt no relief, but the trying kept me mentally occupied.
Things were getting more intense by 2:30 PM, we’d stopped timing the waves because I needed help with relief so regularly, and I decided to get in the shower and sit on the birth ball. As I was getting in the shower I noticed blood trickling down my leg, turned around to brace on the vanity so my husband could put pressure on my back, and I noticed several thin wet pink drops drip on the tile – this was my water breaking. I got on the ball while he called the midwife, and while I remember the warm water feeling pretty good, the pressure coming from the waves was becoming overwhelming. The Midwife said, “good to know, sounds like a few more hours” – I couldn’t fathom a few more hours.
It was then I first started to vocalize – first time saying the word “PEAAAACE” (Hypnobabies cue for instant physical comfort) audibly and tentatively. This rapidly descended into screaming, screeching animal sounds – sounds that my poor husband will never unhear. Steve helped me out of the shower and as I laid down on my side on the bed “I said I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO PUSH.”. Then I second-guessed myself and thought, that can’t be right, I just got going, but thank goodness he called her anyway. I’m pretty sure she heard me screaming in the background, and she told Steve to get us to the Birth Center, NOW.
I kept my big Bose headphones on, threw on my mom’s Fuchsia bathrobe I’d been borrowing (originally her hospital robe from when she had me), a pair of furry lined crocs, and my husband’s winter parka and got in the car. I barely made it to the car. At this point, I want to acknowledge what a champion driver my husband is. He sped, but safely, all while I was trying my best not to screech “PEAAAACE” in the car, desperately trying to resist the urge to push. I remember desperately saying “don’t come don’t come”. After an incredible 25-minute drive we arrived at the birth center and the midwife ushered me in and helped me on the table to check me right away. She said, “YUP, THERE’S YOUR BABY” and said to someone elsewhere, “Let’s bring her in, get the tub running but I don’t think she’s gonna make it in there”.
When we got to the room she said, “ok where do you want to have your baby, in the tub or on the bed?” and I said “WHEREVER’S GOOD” and crawled up onto the bed as the tub was still filling. I felt another strong wave and they turned me over onto my side and said, “OK with this next wave, have your baby” and I finally got to push. I felt the pressure of something… Exiting. In two more pushes, I opened my eyes and a real live human was placed on my chest. And I said, “Oh my God, I have a baby.”
My mom brought a Thanksgiving plate all made up for me to the birth center, complete with a slice of chocolate pie for afterward. We were home and in our beds by midnight the same night. The very first song he ever listened to was Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day”, which we played for him in our bed (I’d sung it to him in utero). A Thanksgiving for the books!
