This Hypnobabies Birth Story was written by Jenny, A Hypno-Mom (for the second time!), in Atlanta, Georgia. Jenny and her husband prepared using the Home Study materials and hired a Hypno-Doula for each of their births. I was priviledged to join them for Liam’s birth. She shares with us here, in her own words:

I came up with the title not only to warn you if you didn’t want to read a very long, detailed birth story, but also because it describes our whole experience perfectly. Liam’s birth was planned to be a waterbirth, but as it turned out there wasn’t even enough time to fill the tub! Throughout my birthing time, we made the choice to “proceed with caution,” knowing that as long as the answers to “is mom doing well?” and “is baby doing well?” were “yes,” we could proceed with our natural birth plan.

First of all, waterbirth really isn’t as mysterious as it sounds. It’s simply natural childbirth’s version of an epidural, and I saw it as one more tool available to me to help aid the process. Especially because I’d had a prolonged pushing phase with Avery (also a Hypnobaby) , I was looking forward to the soothing nature of the water which would help Liam to be born more gently. I did a lot of research about what happens in a waterbirth, making sure that it would be safe for the baby. Essentially he is unable to take his first breath until he is gently lifted above the water. It’s quite fascinating to read about the way it works and I have more info. if you’d like it.

I included a lot of detail in my story about the choices that I made and why, because I think it’s important for women to take ownership of their births. That said, if a doctor managed birth is what you choose, I fully respect that!

Liam’s “guess date” was Friday, October 8th. I had started having a few pressure waves Monday, October 3rd indicating he might be thinking about making his arrival, but then they stopped. The next time I remember noticing some mild contractions birthing waves was Friday, October 13th. They stopped again.

Let me begin by saying that I believe that giving babies an eviction date is almost always a mistake. Babies will almost always come in their own time, and unless something indicates that mother or baby are not well, it’s best to wait it out patiently. You can even safely go to 42 weeks (which might also just mean your original due date was a bit off), even though most doctors would never allow that because of the increased risk involved. But that’s why there are medical tests. I do have some measure of trust in the biophysical profile to determine well-being. And Liam scored an 8 out of a possible 8 at my visit on Monday, October 10th. Thank goodness for that, so that I didn’t have to go wondering about interpretation of the results, because I do tend to analyze most everything. Sometimes it’s not very fun.

It was clear by the time the following week had nearly come and gone, that Liam wasn’t planning on exiting any time soon. I was doing kick counts and knew he was happy as a clam in there. Which generally means he needs a bit more time to cook. We even walked around the entire zoo Sunday the 9th, and it felt awesome to be out in the sunshine. Walking with alternate rest periods can be a great way to get things rolling, however if baby is happy in there, it’s not going to change an awful lot. Just like, in my opinion, if your body isn’t ready to contract regularly yet, Pitocin isn’t going to do all of the work for you, but it is likely to make your pressure sensations unnaturally unbearable.

Friday, October 14th, things finally started happening! We were so excited to meet Liam, but he was going to make us wait a little longer still. Patience is key, although supremely difficult when you just want to meet your baby already!

I awoke at 7 AM to a small gush of fluid, which quickly turned into more gushes and lots of trickling. At my 10:30 AM appointment the midwife, Anne Sigouin, used a speculum to see that my water had indeed broken [membranes released]. No kidding?! It could have been a tear in the amniotic sac, however that likely would have presented itself as just a trickle. (Amniotic sac tears have the ability to reseal so that your fluid can be replenished in the sac.) But when your water breaks [releases], usually pressure waves are imminent. However in my case, it was going to be another slow start just like Avery’s birth.

Since I wasn’t yet having any consistent pressure waves (the ones I’d had throughout the night had barely been enough to keep me awake), we decided we’d request to go home, relax, and try getting things going naturally with brief walks, bouncing on the yoga ball, and just resting up. Anne was cool with that, and said to call her at 4:30 to check in, but indicated without saying it outright that we might be admitted that night if nothing had changed.

The good thing about Anne is that she used her experience regarding infection to guide her advice to us. Knowing me as a patient told her that it wasn’t very likely that I would get an infection, especially if I was declining cervical checks, which I did have to do once with the nurse upon arriving at the hospital, not having sex, etc. Sure, infections are still possible, however the good thing is the baby’s head had created a seal which eventually stopped the fluid from leaking and created a protective barrier. I was still leaking some fluid though, which was causing me anxiety.

Our decision to go the hospital was the right one. But it could have very easily taken another direction if Meka Hall, CNM, the waterbirth midwife, had not been on call at the time. As I review the details of everything that happened, I truly believe Meka was a God-send.

We called the on-call staff at the hospital on Saturday night, approaching 24 hours since my water had broken. I spoke to Dr. Cornelius who was on duty, who explained that typical hospital policy calls for induction 18 hours after the water breaks [releases]. She knew having spoken with my regular midwife, that as someone who wanted a natural childbirth, this wouldn’t be my preference, but she informed me of the policy which gave me more anxiety. She also said, “you should talk to Meka.”

Although I would have appreciated a little more reassurance from her over the phone, I am grateful to Dr. Cornelius for respecting our plan and not pressuring us to come in for an induction right away. This is an example of doctors and midwives working well together. Job well done.

We knew that the decision to be admitted probably meant the dreaded Pitocin.

However, entering the scene is now Meka. She has a wonderful, supportive philosophy which is completely no-pressure. The patient’s body is their own, and she is just there to advise. She is highly skilled and competent in her job, and immediately we know we’re in good hands. When Dr. Cornelius handed over the phone, Meka said, “Darn! I wish they had sent you to me earlier!” She started me on a breast pumping regimen, once every hour for 15 minutes. This was 10 PM. Doula Nicole reminded us to REST in between. The pump allows your body to produce more oxytocin naturally, as opposed to Pitocin which is the synthetic form.

Pressure sensations are still sporadic and not intense. We rested some until 6 AM, but not well. Trying to stay aware of Liam’s movements kept me pretty anxious and awake. If he’d stopped moving it would be an indication of distress and that it was time to go in immediately.

October 15, 2011 at 8 AM we arrived at hospital with Chick-fil-A chicken biscuits. I was in tears, feeling like we were walking into prison. But when we got admitted, I knew that things were going to be alright. Much to our delight and surprise, Meka recommended continuing on the pumping regimen for awhile, and if it didn’t work, then we could talk about starting a low dose of Pitocin with the goal of getting my body in a pattern and then turning the Pitocin back off. She also recommended an antibiotic as a precaution. I felt good about the decision to have that administered, and it was given every 6 hours and didn’t take very long so that I could be up and about as I wished in between.

I think some women find it really hard to understand why you wouldn’t want to lie down during birthing time. But especially if you’re well-rested, it’s only going to help you to use gravity to bring the baby down. Even though I hadn’t slept well the night before, I had gotten fantastic sleep the week before being off work, so I was really ready for this with plenty of sleep in my “bank.” Really grateful for that.

We also ate (peanut butter sandwiches) much to the surprise of nurse Sophia (who would later play a crucial role in this story). Sophia was supportive, but I sensed not very used to patients breaking the rules so brazenly. 🙂

In natural childbirth, it’s counter-intuitive to starve yourself. You’re expecting a good outcome, and so why would you act as though it’s going to soon become an emergency to get the baby out?

Our doula Nicole and I walked the L&D floor for about 30-40 minutes and it was way boring. We actually thought about checking ourselves back out. (Basically signing a form saying “against medical advice,” we’re outta here.) Looking back, I’m glad that we didn’t do that. Really glad. Meka checked in again at 1:30 PM and suggested more breast pump stimulation. With intermittent monitoring we were still confident Liam was doing great.

Sophia had been watching us from afar, and must have seen me gazing longingly at the sunshine outside. Bless her soul, she suggested to Meka that we be released for a walk outside. (YAY!!!!) Best news EVER. I honestly didn’t believe they were serious when they came in to tell us. And I gave Sophia the biggest hug and was nearly in tears. We had a great time on our walk, went to Chick-fil-A for a milkshake and walked until it got REALLY warm out. I felt like a freak in my PJ pants and IV lock, but whatever. We were outside enjoying the day!

We came back to the hospital for an afternoon nap. Liam still looks great on the monitor. His heartrate dipped momentarily as I was on the breast pump, because I’d started having birthing waves one on top of the other, which we attributed to the calzones we ate for dinner. The body’s natural response to fuel and yet another reason to eat.

As Nicole and I discussed the events of the week, it dawned on me that the biophysical profile had shown that Liam was facing out (posterior positioning) which is not the ideal position for labor. Anterior, facing the mother’s back, is where you want him to be so that he can make the easiest exit. So thankfully Nicole had some tricks up her sleeve to try to turn him. We did “figure 8s” on the yoga ball, pelvic rocks, and Rebozo sifting which is a gentle scarf shimmy under the belly while the mother is on all fours (which felt great)! I felt a little ridiculous during all of this but I’ll try anything at this point to get this party started! I just want to meet him! I was very grateful to Nicole for pulling out these tricks. It’s things like this that make a doula worth her weight in gold!

Also worth noting that a nurse shift change occurred at 7 PM. Time to bid farewell to Sophia. A little sad that we could not yet introduce her to our new baby. Enter Krystal, who immediately said she had read our birth plan and had a very positive, “let’s do this” attitude. Honestly I think these nurses were excited to be seeing something a little different. Meka would later thank me for doing a birth plan and giving them the chance to support it. That made me feel so good!

When my pressure waves stopped yet AGAIN, I knew it was my body telling me to rest. So we talked with Meka and I was about to fall asleep as she was saying that she would check in again at 5 AM and that we’d get serious about the low-dose Pit at that point, approaching 48 hours since my water had broken [released]! In another hospital, this scenario would NEVER have happened. Major props to the care providers for their confidence and knowledge in what the body can do. She was completely trusting that since I had no fever, Liam was getting antibiotics and was looking great on the monitor, that there wasn’t a need to rush it. Again, cannot stress enough what a blessing this was!

I went to sleep with the thought in my mind that Pitocin was probably not going to be necessary, but that if it did, I would be fine with the decision. Boy was I right! Enough already.

At 1 AM I got up to pee, and was feeling intense pressure in my back and saw some bloody show. I relied on Nicole for counter pressure and double hip squeeze which felt awesome, and rocked on the ball which was bringing the baby down very quickly. I could now feel him making direct contact with my pubic bone. This baby was finally coming and coming fast! I was in a great deal of discomfort at this point and expressed to Nicole that I was having a hard time using my hypnosis tools (which would normally have allowed me to “get in the zone” had this labor ramped up just a touch slower). But when your baby says it’s “go time,” there is very little that can be done to slow it down. And heck, we’d been waiting ALL weekend for this moment, so most of what I felt was joy and excitement!

Nicole suggested side lying as a way that I could start to use my tools. That worked for about 2.5 seconds when I began vocalizing loudly. “Ahhhhh” and blowing air out my lips like a horse. I was completely surprised by my involuntary ability to make these sounds and how awesome they felt!

This is where I will pause to explain my decision to go without the epidural. I have been asked many times “why would you do that to yourself?!” Many women do just fine with an epidural. And there are plenty of cases where it helps the mother relax and therefore progress. More power to you! I don’t make this choice to show that I can do it, or at least, that is not my primary reason. I am not a glutton for punishment!

However I was so excited that with Liam’s birth, I was really able to tune into my body in a way that I hadn’t with my first birth. I used hypnosis very successfully with Avery’s birth. Almost so much, that at times I wasn’t listening to my body because I was so relaxed and felt as though I was in a dream-like state, if that makes any sense at all.

With Liam’s birth, I experienced it to the fullest, knowing the whole time that my body was doing what it needed to do, and that gave me so much confidence and was so empowering! And I was able to choose my own positions which helped not only to relieve discomfort, but to give me even more confidence that I was doing this correctly.

At 1:50 AM after a brief time lying on my side, I exclaimed “I have to poop!” And truly I did. To the potty I go. TMI, sorry. Nicole reminded me while I was on the potty that I should use my uterine muscles to push Liam out rather than go with the pressure I was feeling in my bottom. Babies don’t come out of bottoms, in case you hadn’t noticed. 🙂

Miraculously I was able to achieve both efforts nearly simultaneously. LOL. But the important thing is that I immediately felt a difference when Nicole reminded me to push Liam out by pretending to “push the seat belt” away from me. When I said “do you think I could get in the tub?” I needed some relief. I thought surely I’m at least at 6 cm. They want you at a 6 before you can get in the tub. I believe that is to avoid having to get in and out, if it relaxes you so much that your birthing time stops, which has been known to happen. Kinda silly if you ask me.

Krystal came in to check me on the potty (how rockin’ is that?!) and said I was NINE centimeters! I cannot tell you what a moment this was and how grateful we were to Krystal for not requiring me to get on the bed for the exam. I knew that Liam would be here soon!

After getting cleaned up I moved to the foot of the bed, desiring to get up on all fours. The nurses were hurriedly changing the sheets and getting the bed set up for me to get into, while the other folks in the room were scrambling to fill up the tub. The hot water was BROKEN!

I swayed and rocked through the next several contractions pressure waves which was a nice little break from the inevitable, while Krystal came and checked Liam’s heartbeat. Still perfect. Meka was still not here; she had been resting at home and had just gotten the call. She was rushing into the parking deck by about 2:20 AM.

As soon as they finished changing the sheets I moved up on the bed on all fours which felt so great, and Baby Liam was beginning to crown! Nicole whispered to me to remember the pushing technique (push as though you are pushing away your seat belt. Do NOT bear down like you are having to poop) and that it was not important to ‘resist’ or wait for Meka or the nurses to deliver Liam, but to relax into it and gently guide Liam out. His head was gently born at 2:35, so quietly that we hardly knew what had happened. But we heard his first cry and that was an AWESOME moment, especially for me because I couldn’t see him yet. But I could hear him! At 2:36, just as Meka walked in the door, Liam was born into Daddy’s arms!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

He weighed 6.74 oz, 19 inches long and his head was 13 inches. He was born anterior, facing my back, with his hand up by his face. I had two tiny tears that didn’t require stitches. A very nice change from Avery’s birth.

The cord pulsed for a full 10 minutes before it was cut, and the three of us bonded for a full hour before Liam was whisked away for his sponge bath and newborn assessments. We delayed Hepatitis B vaccine (Liam is not planning on being sexually active just yet and I have one monogamous partner), declined Vitamin K (since he is not undergoing circumcision or any other surgery AND I had such a short pushing phase), and declined eye ointment (since it isn’t likely he has an STD and so that he could see us in those first few precious moments). He got the heel stick for PKU testing (required by law). Otherwise he was ours, all ours to keep! Perfect and healthy!

What an amazing experience. We would not trade it for the world. Liam is the most content baby and is easily soothed and breastfeeding well. I attribute that to the gentle way in which he was born. THANK YOU to the staff at South Fulton Medical Center for allowing us to have the birth of our dreams.