Cameron's Birth Story

Here is a birth story that shows how HypnoBirthing works under all situations!


Cameron's Birth Story

I decided to try HypnoBirthing because I am afraid of doctors and pain, perhaps unreasonably so. I very much wanted to have my baby without feeling fear and anxiety. At the beginning of my pregnancy, I joked that if I could set up the appointment for the epidural in advance, I would. As I learned more about HypnoBirthing, I downgraded my insistence on an epidural to an "if-needed" basis. When I would tell people about HypnoBirthing, they would look at me as though I were crazy. I would say, "For some reason, it just makes sense to me." No one thought that it would actually work. I must admit that I remained somewhat skeptical as well.

It's worth noting at this point that I had three major fears around labor:
1. Pitocin induction - I had heard so many horror stories about Pitocin, I was determined to avoid it at all costs.
2. No possibility of epidural – One of my sisters had a very fast delivery with her second baby and had no time to have an epidural.
3. Back labor - A friend's account of birthing her posterior baby sounded horrific.

At 6:00 am on June 30, after a night of no sleep, I decided to call my doctor. I had been having quite a bit of pain in my upper abdomen. I knew they weren't contractions. I wasn't due for another month and the pain was constant and different than any description of labor I'd ever heard. It felt as though a steel band were being tightened around my rib cage. My doctor told me to go to the hospital to have blood work done to try and determine what the problem was. My pregnancy had been incredibly easy so far. I joked to my husband, John, that I was going to be given a dose of Gas-X and sent home.

We went to labor and delivery and were situated in a room and had blood drawn. I remember thinking it was odd that we weren't just sent to the lab. Within an hour of the blood draw, the phone in the room rang and I answered. My doctor said, "Carol, you're going to have your baby today." It turned out that I had suddenly developed severe preeclampsia. We called my sister, Robin, our birthing companion, to tell her the news.

It goes without saying that my Birthing Plan did not include preeclampsia. I was supposed to begin labor and stay at home for as long as possible before heading to the hospital, where I would be five to six centimeters dilated upon check-in. I would recite birthing affirmations all the while. I would have an epidural, if I felt I needed one. My baby would arrive peacefully and I would feel no fear or anxiety. In reality, I didn't even have my bags packed for the hospital. The baby's clothes had not been washed and we didn't have sheets for the bassinet. John and I hadn't practiced HypnoBirthing in a little over a month. We had practiced only one time with Robin present. In fact, we had scheduled a "refresher course" with Kathie for the very next night.

The form of preeclampsia I had was called HELLP Syndrome. H=Hemolysis, bursting red blood cells; EL=Elevated Liver enzymes; LP=Low blood Platelets. The cure was to have the baby. I was not allowed out of bed, so I was catheterized. My sister arrived and my husband went home to pack a bag. I was zero percent effaced and less than one centimeter dilated. There was talk of Pitocin. I spoke to the doctor and asked if my water could be broken to get labor going, if their efforts to spur effacement (similar to Prostaglandin) helped me to dilate. She said she'd have to wait and see. I put on my headphones and listened to my Rainbow Relaxation and the Birthing Affirmations over and over again.

Once I was fully effaced, about five hours after the initial treatment, I was still less than two centimeters dilated. Labor had clearly not started. The minor tightening I felt in my lower abdomen did not even register on the monitor. My blood work continued to return results that my condition was worsening. My doctor told me that they would have to begin Pitocin. With my greatest labor fear a reality, I asked for an epidural. I was told that because of my low blood platelet count, I was at risk for uncontrolled bleeding. I could not have an epidural.

It was about 5:30 pm, and I was told that the Pitocin would be started by 6:30. I put my headphones back on and said to John and Robin, "I'm checking out now." I knew that I would need to be completely relaxed once the Pitocin started, so that I could stay "on top" of things. At this point, Robin and John called Kathie to ask for some pointers. She was very reassuring, and told them that even without practice, we had everything we'd need.

At 6:40, the Pitocin was added to my IV. No one told me that it had started but I remember feeling my surges suddenly and greatly intensify. The sensation was all in my lower back. I couldn't believe it. Back labor. I told John and Robin what was happening and they looked through all of my HypnoBirthing materials to see what they could do. There was a method for getting the baby to turn that involved stacking pillows under my knees and having me turn from one side to the other with each surge. We tried that for three surges and I found it exhausting. At that point, I asked that we stop and asked Robin to apply counter-pressure to my back and for John to recite HypnoBirthing cues and provide light-touch massage on my arms and head. I had planned on listening to the Steven Halpern CD I had purchased from Kathie. However, in the rush to get my things to the hospital, John had picked up some new-age CD that we had bought at Target and had never listened to. I didn't matter. I was completely calm and felt no fear.

I can't say that there was no pain. But my mind was so far away from my body, it didn't seem to register in the usual way. The counter-pressure massage from my sister served to move the sensation from my back into my abdomen. Once it was there, I remember rubbing my abdomen lightly and saying, "Thank you my body for bringing my baby to me." This had a definite anesthetic effect. I think that acknowledging and being thankful for the fact that my body was completely in charge prevented my mind from registering the pain. I used many visualizations: breathing in to fill up a balloon that then floated away from my body, the opening rose, and being on a beach were the most effective for me.

I spent the duration of my labor laying on my left side, asking for counter-pressure with each surge and listening to my CDs. On several occasions, I was asked to turn onto my back so that my progress could be checked. I had to have a second IV set in case there was a need for a blood transfusion. The doctor attached an internal monitor to the baby's head. None of these things interrupted my hypnosis.

When I felt that it was time to begin breathing the baby down, I let John and Robin know. They told the doctor. As the room was being prepared, I remember talking and laughing with John and Robin. Because my condition was worsening, I was asked to abandon "breathing the baby down" in favor of downright pushing in order to get the baby here faster. Even that did not break the hypnosis. After 20 minutes of pushing, Cameron arrived at 9:08 pm, two hours and 28 minutes after the Pitocin began.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, it was exactly the birth I had hoped for. I was calm and unafraid and the mood of the room was the same. There was nothing but joy when our little boy came.

By the way, my doctor called me the day after Cameron was born. She said that she had never seen anything like Cameron's birth. Not only was she impressed with the fact that I actually stayed relaxed, she also commented on how terrific the support was that I received from John and Robin. They were reading directly from the materials you passed out. She said that she had been very unsure of HypnoBirthing, but had been converted!
For further information on local HypnoBirthing Classes in Rockland, Westchester & Orange Counties in New York and Bergen County New Jersey contact www.BirthingWisdom.com