Birth Story

Another wonderful birth story from a 3rd-time mom who took my class:

Cindy,

Here's our GREAT birth story!

Last Wednesday night I dozed off after listening to Rainbow Relaxation on my ipod. Between midnight and 3 am, I realized that birthing waves were waking me up every few minutes. They weren't strong, and I'd had a few nights like this, so I didn't think much of it.

By 3 am, the waves were coming every 4 minutes, so I was no longer falling asleep in between them. I decided to throw our last minute items in the suitcase, but I still thought it was just practice labor. The waves were short and not at all painful, so I didn't wake up X or call the midwife until 6 am. The waves at that point got closer together and stronger, so I asked X to get our daughters ready for daycare. We decided to leave for the hospital around 7:15 am. I felt like we were leaving home much too early, but I didn't want to get stuck in rush hour, which might lengthen our drive from 15 minutes to an hour.

When we got to the hospital, I was still smiling and chatting between waves, although now when the waves came I needed to go silent and limp in order to stay relaxed. They monitored the baby for twenty minutes before checking me and announcing that I was at 6 centimeters. WHAT?? I wasn't even sure I was really in labor up until that point! I hadn't experienced a second of pain, and after two previous unmedicated births, I didn't think I could possibly progress that far without any discomfort! But there I was.

So they sent us to the alternative birthing center room as we'd planned, and I got into the shower for 15 minutes while X and our midwife filled the tub. I climbed into the tub, and after one contraction my water broke. Suddenly, the contractions changed, and I started shaking and feeling a lot of pressure. I ought to have recognized it as transition, but it seemed far too soon for that! Still, my body (and midwife) knew that it was time for the baby to come. After two incredibly powerful contractions, he was in my arms! And he was perfect.

He was born at 9:15 am, so it was a VERY good thing we didn't get stuck in rush hour! I'm pretty sure we'd have had him in the car.

[Baby] was (and still is) calm, bright eyed, and alert at birth. He didn't even cry, he just looked at us all as though a bit surprised by his new surroundings.He nursed well immediately. At our request, we were discharged just 12 hours after we arrived at the hospital, since baby and I were both healthy and ready to roll. It was wonderful to spend [baby]'s first night in our home.

Our fast, easy, peaceful, beautiful waterbirth was not only everything we'd hoped - it was more than we hoped. My two previous births were empowering, wonderful experiences, but there was pain and at least a few moments of fear. This time, I felt in control and confident throughout, and I felt wonderful afterwards. X and I are thrilled that we were able to have such a fantastic experience during our third, and likely our last, birth.

Thanks for telling us about West Suburban Hospital and Gayle and Julie's midwife practice. As you know, they are wonderful midwives, and West Suburban is a great place for families seeking a natural, positive birth experience. We are so glad that we learned about HypnoBirthing, and we're grateful to you for your instruction and support throughout the pregnancy! Please let us know if there's anything we can do to help you once you're back in Chicago. We'd be thrilled to act as references for your class and to share our great experience with other couples.

A pic of the little guy at less than an hour old is attached. Thank you again-- so much -- for everything!