Pierce's Peaceful Hypnobabies Birth

After Maizy’s Hypnobabies birth went so well we had to use Hypnobabies again for another natural birth. I’m so glad we did.  I wish I could tell every woman in the world that it’s possible for birth to be this peaceful and beautiful. A couple months ago I started listening to my Hypnobabies tracks and Brent and I started doing the scripts to prepare for Pierce’s birth. (Hypnobabies uses some different terminology, pressure waves are contractions, and labor is birthing time)  Using self-hypnosis for childbirth has been some of the most beautiful experiences of my life.

On February 6^th I thought my water broke.  I was lying in bed when something gooshed out.  I checked and it was watery and didn’t really have a scent to it.  With Croix’s birth labor started with my water breaking, and Maizy was born 30 minutes after my water broke.  There hadn’t been a gush, just a little leek. So I thought this was the same as that time.  I had been having pressure waves throughout the night.  I thought it was time.   We called Corinne and headed to the hospital.  After being there all morning we found out my water hadn’t broken after all.  Apparently you can have very watery cervical discharge, and lots of it.  Pressure waves were coming every two and a half minutes but I wasn’t dilating at all so we went home.  It was a little disappointing but I was only 37 weeks so it was fine.  I did feel a little stupid, third time Mom and we were at the hospital for false labor.  Sigh.  Oh well.

On Monday February 15^th I was having some regular pressure waves, they were a little stronger than they had been.  That night as Brent and I were folding laundry I said to him, “well they have been coming stronger and longer and fairly consistently but who knows if that means anything.  I feel like we should try having sex to see if it gets them going, but If it doesn’t then I’ll just be up all night with pressure waves for no reason again.”  (They had been waking me up at night for weeks, and annoying me during the day for weeks).  We ended up just going to sleep, figuring if it was going to happen it would happen on its own.  I woke up at midnight to go to the bathroom.  While I’m sitting on the toilet going pee I thought my water broke, a little.  But who can be sure, I was going pee!  I sat on the toilet a bit longer I thought again that some water came out but I wasn’t 100% certain.  After a false alarm previously I wasn’t about to go to the hospital again unless I was sure!  When we had been in the hospital the week before the nurses had said you could have a smaller tear higher up, which would cause a leek, but not a gush.  But if that happens if you push up on the sack/baby more would gush out.  So I woke Brent up and told him he had to check and see, apologizing all the same breath if it hadn’t really broken.  Brent being the amazing husband that he is agreed to check.  (I’d already made him check my cervix before this so he knew what he was doing, or at least where to be checking.  My cervix had been very VERY posterior so I couldn’t even find it myself).  We folded up a towel, and he checked.  He said he could feel Pierce’s head and when he moved a bit there it was, the big gush.  I’ll never forget the way Brent jumped back like there was a snake coming out of my vagina or something.  LOL! It was hilarious!  We called Corinne we threw some toiletries in the bag.  By time she got there pressure waves were coming stronger.  As we were driving to the hospital I was putting on some makeup (because we had a birth photographer coming and I’m vaine like thatJ) and I hadn’t entered hypnosis yet. We were driving and a pressure wave came and said to Brent “I really need to start using my hypnosis!” because it was a STRONG one.  So I used my finger drop technique and entered self-hypnosis.

We got to the hospital at 12:30 checked in and they sent us up to triage at 12:45.  They monitored me for a while confirmed I truly was in labor and got a room ready for us.  When they checked me the nurse said, “you’re at a 3 ½.”  I made a frowny face, that’s what I had been at when we were there a week earlier for false labor.  I thought for sure with all the pressure waves I’d been having I would have been dilated a little bit more.  With Croix and Maizy when we got to the hospital I was at a 5. One of the things I had read about having a very posterior cervix was that it can cause labor to be longer because the baby’s head isn’t directly putting pressure on the cervix.  So it can take a little longer for it to dilate.  That combined with the face that I was not even dilated to a 4 I thought, this could take a while.
 
My midwife Ramona is awesome and was going to come in to be at our birth even if she wasn’t on call, but we all lucked out and she was already on call and working that night!  I was so so very happy about that.  She was the one I’d wanted at Maizy’s birth, but she didn’t make it (No one made it actually).  I love Ramona, she’s such a great midwife.

We got into our room at 1:25 and they started filling the tub.  They had me hooked up to monitors while the tub was filling.  The pressure waves were coming pretty strong.  I was having a little bit of a difficult time staying relaxed because my legs were shivery.  I asked Brent to come rub my legs and that helped.  I drank some juice trying to keep my blood sugar up.  Both Croix and Maizy had low blood sugar after being born and needed a little formula.  I wanted to avoid that this time. 

The nurse finally told me I could get in the tub after five more minutes of monitoring.  After the next pressure wave is jokingly said, “It’s been five minutes right?”  I just wanted to get in the tub, it had been so helpful with staying relaxed with Maizy.  Finally around 2 they let me off the monitors and I could get in the tub…..ahhh it was delightful! 
The nurse said she’d be back in about 30 minutes to check baby’s heart.  Being in the tub helped with the shivering which helped me to stay relaxed.  I thought these pressure waves are STRONG!  I was able to use my hypnosis to stay relaxed, even through the strong pressure waves.  I would just close my eyes and relax and let my body do what it was made to do.  I wondering if the pressure waves were doing anything.  So I reached down to check and I could feel Pierce’s head right there.  I could only feel just a little lip of cervix.  I thought, hummm I bet he’s going to come soon.  I had been laying in the tub but felt like squatting at the edge would be good.

  As soon as I did that I felt a LOT of pressure and maybe little urge to push, but nothing like I have to push now!  I felt my body tensing up and I closed my eyes told myself peace and felt my body relax.  It was amazing I could feel everything relax except my uterus. This was at about 2:23. With Maizy it took a few pushes to get her out.  I thought I had some time.  I asked the nurse to go get Ramona.  She asked, Do you feel like you have to push?  I said I don’t know.  Do you feel like you’re going to have the baby?  No, I don’t think so.  At that point I didn’t really.  I thought I had time for Ramona to come and check and see where I was.  The nurse left to get Ramona and then the urge to push took over.  At about 2:24 I told Brent, “GO GET RAMONA!” because it felt like a long time since the nurse had left to go get her! At some point I had gone from squatting to laying back in the tub.
 At this point Pierce was crowing.  Just like with Maizy, this part hurt, and I kept say oww, oww, oww.  Thankfully Ramona got there.  She first thing said let’s get you out of the tub…but I couldn’t.  There was no way I could move.  So I went from saying oww, oww, oww to I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, to pushing through another pressure wave.  I think I had my eyes closed at this whole point.  I don’t remember seeing anything.  At this point Brent used one of the Hypnobabies tools to help me relax, he put his hand on my forehead and gently told me peace, this helped me to relax. 

After that pressure wave passed Ramona tried again to get me to get out of the tub, but I couldn’t, another pressure wave came and she told me to pull my legs up into more of a squatting position, I couldn’t really even do that, she pulled my leg up for me, and took my hand.  I remember feeling the strength of her hand, then her calm voice “ok Terina breathe, take a deep breath”.  As I took a deep breath I was able to relax again.  Another pressure wave came, big push and his head was out, another push and we brought him up to my chest. 

Look at Brent's face!

Pierce was born at 2:27.  We had to work a bit to get him to cry because he was so calm and relaxed.  When he finally did cry it sounded like a little laugh, it was the sweetest thing.  He was just the sweetest thing.  

Oh how I love him!

They had me get out of the tub.  As I was holding Pierce and getting out I kept thinking, don’t fall, don’t fall.  I was wrapped up in towels as I got out of the tub and into the bed.  After the cord stopped pulsing Brent cut it.  

At 2:40 the placenta was delivered.  Ramona showed it to us, so crazy a person fit in that tiny spot.

They let us enjoy our baby, some skin to skin and each other.  Brent kissed me, told me what an amazing job I did. 




At three in the morning I commented that it was 3AM and I wasn’t even tired.  At 3:48 Pierce started nursing.  



At 4:23 the nurse came back and took Pierce for measurements.  He weighed in a 7lbs 6oz, 19 ¼ inches long his APGAR was 8/8.  

As the nurse was taking his measurements he grabbed onto her finger and wouldn’t let go. I loved sitting there watching Brent just admire our boy.  

One of the worst things about gestational diabetes is that they have to check the baby's blood sugar. so sad!  I was so thankful Pierce's blood sugar was good every time they checked it!

At 5:00 we were moved to the postpartum room and I was tired!  We tried to sleep but there are so many people coming and going it was impossible.  At 8:30 Croix, Maizy, and Grandma came for a quick visit before school.







Finally around 9:30 I was able to get a little nap. It was a long day of trying to nap but nursing, people checking on us, my uterus contracting, did not make for much sleep. Brent and the kids came back around 5 and brought Kneaders, a sampling of desserts.  I could only eat a bite of some of them….so much sweetness! It was great to see the kids and they just loved their brother.  It made me sad as they were leaving Maizy didn’t want to leave us.  She wanted Mommy and her baby to come home with them.  After they left I literally couldn’t see straight I was so tired, my vision was blurry.  Having a baby in the middle of the night is a rough way to start!  So much sleep deprivation!  Babies shouldn’t be allowed to come in the night, just during the day after Mom’s get a good night’s rest the night before. 

The next morning we had his newborn screen, hearing test, birth certificate, and all the stuff you have to get done.  We were finally discharged around noon.  It was great to come home and get into my own bed and actually get some sleep.