 |
| |
Hypnobabies Class Birth Stories |
|
| |
| |
|
Karlene's First Hypnobabies Birth
|
|
Karlene and Jim's First Hypno-Baby, 3 weeks "early and absolutely calm":
This was our first pregnancy. We found out we were pregnant in June and realized we were embarking on a whole new journey. I began to buy books that would help me understand all that I would go through in the next 9 months. I really enjoyed reading about my pregnancy and soon figured out that there were many opinions about the whole process of labor and delivery.
I knew one thing for sure - I wanted to have a natural childbirth. I did not want to put drugs in my body or risk anything for the sake of my baby. In the back of my mind, however I wondered if I could do it. I had heard many stories of agonizing, long, painful childbirths and I couldn't help but second guess myself at times. Jim and I decided we wanted to have our first baby in the hospital - he was more comfortable with that and I supported him. I knew there were many procedures that hospitals enforce that I may feel uncomfortable with so I knew we needed to educate ourselves.
Jim and I went to take a tour of our hospital and we were very pleased with it. They seemed open to natural childbirth and led us to believe they would support our decisions during labor and delivery. We also had a supportive doctor.
Although our doctor and hospital seemed very supportive with our decision to have a natural childbirth I knew that Jim and I really needed to prepare ourselves for any pressure to do something that was really unnecessary during labor. I also wanted to really prepare myself for the unmedicated birth I so believed in.
Jim and I were recommended to Hypnobabies by our friends Jim and Lori. I did not know anything at all about hypnosis for childbirth and I wasn't sure if it was something that could actually work. We decided to take the class and go for it. My attitude going in was: if it could help at all, it's better than nothing. Boy, was I in for a great experience that changed my whole view on the birth process. Our Hypnobabies class educated my husband and I on what procedures were unnecessary in the hospital. She equipped and empowered us to go into the hospital room and make decisions for ourselves. She encouraged us and helped me believe in myself, which gave me the confidence I needed to feel good about natural childbirth.
The CDs and scripts she gave to Jim and me to listen to were great. At first it seemed like a lot to do but I soon looked at it as an opportunity to sit down and force myself to relax each day. I really was taught how to deeply relax with the CDs. They were essential tools for me when the time came to put it all into practice. I do have to say that when I first started listening to the CDs I wondered if it was working. "Am I really being hypnotized?" I thought, but I soon put all the worrying aside and just decided that it was working. And it was, I just needed to believe that it was.
As my "guess date" was approaching, everyone kept asking me how I was feeling - Was I nervous, scared or worried? I could honestly answer, "No, not at all." I felt confident, ready and relaxed. The class helped me reach this point. My "guess date" was Feb. 11th and on Tuesday morning, January 22nd, my journey began. (3 weeks "early")
I woke up and felt a sort of pop. I didn't really know what it was but I got up because I thought I had to go to the bathroom and to my surprise water was pouring down my leg. I just thought, "Oh, my water broke." I was very calm and poked my head out the door to tell my husband. He said, "OK" and he was very calm too. We had both decided during the pregnancy that we wanted to stay home as long as possible. I felt strongly about that so I just cleaned myself up and put some Depends on, (they work great, by the way) and went about my regular business.
I had no regular birthing waves and I felt fine. I took some time to pack my bag, relax on the recliner, bake brownies for the nurses with a note to say thank you in advance, and just reflect on how my life was about to change. It was really quite nice. About 1 PM I started to feel some small birthing waves. I wasn't sure if they were real birthing waves because they didn't feel strong and I still felt fine. Each time I would feel one, I would close my eyes and work on my relaxation.
At 5 PM Jim and I decided to go to the hospital, mainly because I was concerned about traffic and it seemed like the birthing waves were getting stronger. I got checked in and the nurses at first didn't believe that my water broke. I think they thought I was going to be there a long time because I seemed so calm. I sat in one of the comfy chairs and just stayed right there. The doctor came in and introduced himself because my regular doctor was on vacation. This was at 7:30 PM. I heard him tell the nurses to call him at home when I was further along. Then he came over and told me to tell the nurses when I felt pressure - like I had to go to the bathroom. I looked at him and said, "That's how I feel right now."
I kept stopping him while I was having a birthing wave. He looked at the nurses and said, "I think I'm going to check her before I leave, her contractions seem very close together." He did an internal exam and his eyes got wide and said, "You're at 9 cm.this hypno-birthing must really work!" (this is an exact quote)
I think everyone at the hospital was surprised that I seemed so "together" and I was at 9 cm. I was feeling the pressure of the birthing waves pretty strong but it was nothing like I had heard about from other people, now that I look back. During each birthing wave, Jim would read some birth prompts and I would just focus my lightswitch to the off or center position (Hypnobabies tools) and felt only pressure. I started pushing and I worked through each push one at a time. What I remember so vividly is telling myself to take one push at a time.
My Hypnobabies techniques helped me to relax between pushes. I think I would have been tense in anticipation of each push if I hadn't learned how to relax and let my body do what it needed. At 10:11 PM my beautiful boy, Conner James Taylor was born. He was 8 lb, 3 oz and I did it with not one thing connected to my body - no IV, no drugs, just my body doing what it knows how.
I truly believe that our Hypnobabies class prepared me to have a smooth and gentle childbirth. When Conner was coming out, the feeling was incredible, knowing that my body was created to have this baby without any intervention. And because I was relaxed and ready, Conner was ready to come. Was it painless? Yes. Pain would never be a word I would use to describe my experience. It was beautiful!
Thank you, Hypnobabies!
~ Karlene (who has added 2 more Hypno-babies to her family since this one; the last was breech and she used our "Turn Your Breech Baby" CD to turn him right at the end of her pregnancy. He was then born easily and vaginally, using Hypnobabies!)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Copyright Hypnobabies 2009. All rights reserved. |
|
|
