Wonderful Hypnobabies Birth of a First Time Mom

Wonderful Hypnobabies Birth of a First Time Mom

My beautiful baby girl was born March 28th.  This was my first pregnancy.  Everything went exactly how I envisioned.  It was a wonderful pregnancy and experience.  I had already decided that I wanted to go natural and when I researched, I came across Hypnobabies.  The program seemed to go right in line with my beliefs and what I wanted to achieve.  First I want to say I have a very low pain tolerance so when I read it was possible to have a pain free birth experience I figured it was worth a try.  I have a great relationship with my OB/GYN and I had planned to give birth at the Family Birth Center (FBC) where he has privileges, about 30 minutes away from my home.

Through all the horror stories that people told me about long labors, complications, pain and how I was crazy for not wanting an epidural, I remained focused by letting it all go in one ear and out the other. In fact, I really didn’t tell many people that I was practicing Hypnobabies until it was close to my guess date.  I NEVER told my doctor.  When people would ask if I had signed up for Lamaze class, I would simply say “No, I’m not practicing Lamaze.”  The only information I let enter my bubble and “special place” were stories of natural, uncomplicated childbirths.  I kept telling myself that my pregnancy had gone smoothly and the birth of my daughter would be no different.  My doctor even commented that I was the best patient he ever had.  I never complained, everything was always going wonderful and my baby appeared to be very healthy and happy in the womb.

I did the 5 week at home study.  The daily affirmations were wonderful. I did not have a stressful time at all throughout my pregnancy.  I only had one “freak out” moment and that was towards the end.  On March 27th I had not dilated at all.  I was due on March 30th and my doctor was going on vacation March 30th.  If I did not have my baby before March 30th, he would not be there.  From the looks of it, my baby girl was nice and comfy and had no intentions of coming out.  I really wanted him to be there because he’s an excellent doctor and he really understood my needs.  He told me if I didn’t have the baby while he was on vacation, he would induce me on April 7th.  He knew I didn’t want that either.  So I calmly explained to my baby girl that she needed to come by Friday (the 28th) or hold off until April 6th when the doctor would return!  I had no idea she was listening so closely.

To make a long and crazy story short, that Thursday, I had some mild cramping which felt like menstrual cramps.  It wasn’t painful, just annoying and constant. I assumed it was from my internal exam the day before.  I thought nothing of it.  I worked through the day and made plans for that Friday as I was only scheduled to work a half day.  I went home that evening after doing some shopping.  I went to bed at 11:30 pm.  At about 1 am, I woke up due to a weird small sensation.  I wasn’t sure but I thought my water had broke.  I was very stunned because it all seem so unexpected even though it was just a couple of days before my guess date.  I was totally convinced that I would not be having a baby until April.   I decided I wanted to take a shower and that’s when I felt my first pressure wave, about 25 minutes after my water broke.  It was not painful-just different.  So I continued on, showered, got some last minute things together and tried to time the pressure waves.  That was difficult because they varied.

I knew I wanted to stay home as long as possible and not get to the FBC until the pressure waves were 5 minutes apart.  The less chance of interference the better.  As the waves got stronger, I used the finger drop technique.  I felt good bending over from the waist and leaning on my bed for support.  Making the “ohhh” sound really seemed to help me.  I kept thinking I needed to rest a little longer before leaving but I knew I didn’t want to lay down.  I decided to just focus on helping my body to open up and remain relaxed.  I wanted to make sure my baby could make her grand entrance without any problems.  Things moved pretty quickly and next thing I knew my pressure waves were suddenly 3 minutes apart!  For this reason, I ended up going to the FBC in an ambulance.  On the way I listened to different scripts I had downloaded on my i-Pod.

When we got there at 5:30 am (yes I waited that long), the pressure waves were 2 minutes apart and I was 7 cm!  I was so ecstatic.  Everything was going well.  Even though nurses kept offering the epidural, I knew there was no need for one.  Things happened so quickly I don’t think the staff had time to read the birth plan in my file. They were all in shock with the progression.  They practically forgot about the IV line which was fine because I didn’t want one even though it was hospital procedure.  I was not in any pain at all.  I just felt extreme pressure.  My doctor showed up just in the nick of time.  The baby’s head was practically crowning.  I listened to the Pushing Baby Out script and I couldn’t believe how good I felt.  My body pretty much did all the work and I just tried my best to allow it.  I did end up having an episiotomy even though we had tried the recommended perineal massage exercises.  I healed up wonderfully.  I was making calls while getting stitched up and waiting to expel the placenta.  The IV line only stayed in for about 90 minutes.  I was an extremely happy camper.

So my water broke at 1 am and at 6:46 am I gave birth to my beautiful 8 lb 6 oz baby who was 21 inches long.  It was a very exciting and empowering experience.  I am so glad that I found Hypnobabies.  It definitely helped me achieve my desired birth experience.  When I tell people my story, they are amazed at how quickly everything took place, especially for my first birth and how I did not experience any pain or have the need for an epidural.

Unfortunately, 2 of my friends who gave birth 2 weeks and 4 weeks after me did not have such a great experience.  They both ended up having C-sections.  They scolded me for lying to them about the experience.  I promised them I did not lie at all.  It was definitely my mind set and Hypnobabies that made the difference.  I will recommend this program to any expecting mother.  I look forward to doing it again someday!  Thank you so much.