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Hello from Manila!
Victor Emilio (“Vito”), our 5th child, arrived at 3:58 am on May 31.
Interestingly enough, when I would visualize my birthing time while
listening to the Affirmations track, I always saw myself as birthing
at 4 am. The power of the mind is amazing!
My pregnancy, despite my age (41) went very well. I was active and
working throughout. I exercised 5 days a week, doing spinning, dance
and Pilates classes up to a couple of days before birth day. My
husband and I have 4 other children, ages 22 to 13, so my last
birthing prior to this was almost 14 years ago.
This was our 5th drug-free delivery and our first to consciously use
hypnosis during birth. As I mentioned in my Introduction to the
e-group, I apparently went into an altered mental state during my
other births but was not aware how I entered it or what it was until
later. This time, with the understanding that it was self-hypnosis
that helped me manage my previous births, I consulted a
hypnotherapist for 3 practice sessions and listened to the
Hypnobabies scripts for 6 weeks before baby’s arrival.
That week I was very busy attending to last minute arrangements for
work and home before taking my official leave. I even scheduled a
belly photo shoot on Thursday, the 29th, and I asked my baby just to
let me have the photos taken before he/she decided to be born. (The
photo shoot went great, I am so glad to have done it!)
Baby cooperated. On the morning of the 30th, I noticed bloody mucous
in my underwear. This would go on the whole day along with sporadic
pressure waves that felt different from Braxton Hicks in that they
would radiate towards my back. Nothing regular though. But I went to
bed at 11 pm that night knowing that I would definitely be in the
delivery room in a few hours.
Shortly before 1 am I had been observing my PWs become more intense
and around 10 minutes apart. Although they were not that close
together, because of the intensity of the sensations I was feeling I
decided we should get going so that I would be nice and settled in
the delivery room and well into hypnosis. So I woke up my husband,
we got dressed and out the door. Our 2 teenage daughters who were
still awake heard us and wanted to come along. So the four of us
drove to the hospital which was 10 minutes away. On the way there
the girls and my husband were very excited and chatty and I was
quiet and concentrating on relaxing. My girls even commented, “Wow,
Mom, we are so excited...but you are so cool!” (All throughout
birthing I heard them chatting away excitedly in the waiting room
next door.)
We arrived at the ER and I walked with my daughters to the Delivery
Room, pausing a couple of times to relax during PWs. My husband
followed after parking the car. When we got to the Labor Room, the
resident did an IE and said I was only 3 cm. I said, I sure don’t
feel like 3 cm and I would like to go into the Delivery Room now,
because I didn’t want to be moved when things started getting
intense. Since it was around 2 am by this time, and the 4 DRs were
empty, they agreed. My OB (who I just met that moment, because my
regular OB was abroad) arrived around 2:30, and I was deep into
relaxation by then but definitely feeling strong PWs. She checked me
and to everyone’s surprise I was at 6 cm! My husband relayed this
via text message to my girls in the waiting room, and I could hear
them getting really excited. I put my iPod on then and kept it on
the whole time.
I asked for hot compresses to put on my back. They gave me warm
towels. The PWs were coming on strong by then. I would call it a
cross between p**n and a really strong muscle contraction, similar
to what you would feel during an intense weightlifting session. The
warm towels and counterpressure massage applied by my husband were
wonderful in helping manage the PWs. I remember feeling that this
had better be over soon, because I didn’t know how much more I had
in me, and then realizing that feeling this meant that the birthing
time was near!
The OB, who was waiting patiently at the foot of the birthing bed,
checked me again, around 3 am and I was at 8 cm. I knew then that
this was the time for the hypnosis to get going! I repeated to
myself the Bible verse I had saved for the occasion, “I can do all
things through Christ Who gives me strength”. I concentrated even
more on opening and relaxing, and felt myself very deeply in
hypnosis.
Amazingly, the eyes-open technique which I had been unsure would be
effective--only because I didn’t feel deeply hypnotized during my
practice sessions--really worked...although, my eyes were closed.
:-) I could hear everyone in the room, I was aware of what was going
on, I could change positions, yet I was so concentrated on opening
my body during PWs. In between PWs, even at 8 cm and with the waves
coming on fast, I actually felt myself nod off to sleep!
This went on for another 30 minutes, but when the OB checked me
again I was still at 8 cm. At this time I told her I was starting to
feel pushy (all while still in VERY DEEP hypnosis!--I knew because
while talking to her I was kind of semi-asleep and experiencing
Rapid Eye Movement, like when you are dreaming). So she said she
would break my bag, which up to that point was still intact, to
speed things along. That’s when the mood in the room changed from
waiting to activity. I could hear everyone bustling around getting
the birthing bed into the right position, preparing instruments and
whatever else (remember, my eyes were closed).
She broke my bag and I felt a huge gush of warm water from my body.
I sat up in bed with my husband at my back, his arms around me. I
switched to the Pushing Baby Out track on my iPod. I felt really
intense pushing sensations. Really hard work! It it took about 20
minutes to push the baby out (my other births took only about 10
minutes or less). I think it was because this was my biggest baby
(8lbs 1 oz) and I have a small frame. I could feel baby moving down
the birth canal, could feel the head turning and the crowning...a
very intense stretching sensation and an incredible urge to
push...like my whole body, mind and soul was directed toward that
purpose. I was grunting and making earthy “hard work” noises. The
doctor was so encouraging, telling me to push one more time, and
then came the sensation of the head being born and a sudden feeling
of relief as the shoulders and body followed! And it was over. I had
a baby boy. :-)
My other reward was to have my two girls welcome their little
brother into the world, and to see their mom happy and relaxed
immediately after delivery. I hope they will carry this memory with
them when the time comes for them to become mothers.
Afterwards, the pediatrician who attended my birth came up to me to
tell me that he was amazed watching my husband and me and wanted to
know what was on my iPod! Since then I’ve learned he’s told his
other patients about my baby’s birth.
I just want to let everyone know that the power of the mind is
incredible. I didn’t expect an easy birth experience... I always
felt birthing was a deeply transformative, empowering, and spiritual
experience and that it had to be somewhat intense to be so. I had
moments of doubt during my practice hypnosis sessions because I
didn’t feel I was “deep” enough, and that I was easily distracted
when I shouldn’t be...but come showtime, everything came together
perfectly and I experienced an incredibly deep hypnotic state that
helped me manage birthing what for me was a big baby. At 41 years
old, I am just so happy that my birthing was safe, natural, and that
my healthy baby was finally born!
I wish everyone who is still awaiting their birthing time a
wonderful birth experience. Keep practicing and know that it will
work perfectly for you when the time comes! I miss listening to my
scripts already. :-)
God bless,
Michelline
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