One Family, Two HypnoBirthing® Babies!

"It's not if the program works for you. It's how you work the program."
​Two-time mother, Flutterby doula client, and HypnoBirthing® student Stephanie explains how she worked the program to her (and her babies') advantage... twice! 

Mary Wangen Photography

FIND OUT ABOUT HYPNOBIRTHING!

When pregnant with our first child, we knew that we wanted to find a doula to support my husband and me during the labor and birth process. Just like with everything related to pregnancy and birth, I chatted with family and friends for insight and recommendations. We were referred to Erin by a friend, and were intrigued by the HypnoBirthing® philosophy/technique. I knew that I was more afraid of an epidural needle than any pain that could possibly come from birth, and loved the idea of self-hypnosis and breathing techniques to assist with labor.
 
We started down the HypnoBirthing® path with Erin’s class, where we learned the fundamentals and techniques, as well as a mindset that birth is not to be feared, but embraced.  It was a great way for us to become more familiar with birth, the process, and relaxation/self-hypnosis techniques. I felt as though my husband and I were armed with knowledge and ready to welcome birth with open arms (or cervix, if we’re getting technical, hehe)!
 
Today, we have a beautiful and sassy girl that is almost three years old, and a handsome baby boy that is three months old. We leveraged HypnoBirthing® and Erin’s doula services for both of our children – two births, two babies… However, each birth could not have been more different!
 
Baby #1:
Labor began with gentle surges in the early morning. I woke up my husband and said “Take a shower, it’s happening!” We hung out at home for hours, relaxing in bed, taking baths, and tracking the surges as they got stronger and closer together. I was a good HypnoBirthing student, and was breathing through each surge and listening to ‘Rainbow Relaxation’ over and over. We decided to head to the hospital, and Erin joined us. 

We covered the clocks, as to not obsess over the amount of hours I’d been in labor. From late afternoon to midnight, I went in and out of hypnosis as each surge got stronger and stronger. After midnight, I was feeling baby descend, based on what my body was telling me. So began two hours of calm and methodical breathing baby down. I visualized and tried “breathing the baby down and out” and I was almost surprised at how little discomfort there was during this portion of labor. I continued to switch positions to optimize progress. Slowly, the baby began to crown. I felt motivated by my husband, Erin and the team as they encouraged me with each surge. Finally, our baby entered the world with one last surge, and was placed on my belly, my husband announcing that it was a GIRL!  We allowed the cord to keep pulsing before it was clamped and spent time skin-on-skin, with Erin guiding our baby and me through the first steps of breastfeeding.
I was super proud of what I accomplished free of fear and drugs!  It was empowering!
 
Baby #2:
I woke up to use the bathroom in the early, early morning (for the 700th time) and noticed that my membranes had released. After a few calls to the midwife and a call to my mother-in-law to cover our Baby #1 responsibilities, we headed to the hospital. After running the test to ensure my membranes released, we hunkered down and waited… and waited… and waited. I had been having practice surges for weeks and the day my membranes release… nothing. 

Around noon, our midwife wanted to discuss our options. I was adamant that I did not want Pitocin and opted for a less invasive option that would just nudge by body to start producing hormones and would allow my cervix to ripen. This option required for me and baby to be monitored for two hours, with one hour free in-between pills. After three or four rounds, the surges were getting stronger and stronger. Erin joined us late in the evening and we did a few different positioning exercises to help get this baby moving!
 
After the ‘belly sifting’ with the Rebozo shawl and side-lying releases, it was on!  I decided it was best if I lay down for a while. I had no recollection of minutes or hours that had passed, as I was in full "HynoBirthing® mode." My husband was watching the monitor and told me (after the fact) that the surges kept coming with no breaks – one on top of the next!

At 11:00 PM, I used the restroom, and both my husband and Erin thought that we should bring the midwife and team in, as it seemed like things were moving forward quickly. Somehow, I was not convinced it was time. I lied down on the bed and planned to rest. I was even about to ask when I’d be ready for a water birth. I could feel the baby moving, but did not expect it to transpire so quickly. I had several deep, deep surges where my entire body trembled. My husband told me he looked at the clock - it was 11:50 PM, and he thought, “Baby won’t be here today! And… is she napping?!” Then with one sudden huge surge, I breathed down and low and the baby came right out… at 11:56 PM! I was so shocked the baby was born and that it was a BOY! The next few minutes were spent the same as Baby #1 – delayed cord clamping, skin-on-skin and starting to breastfeed.

Both births were beautiful and amazing, and resulted in our bundles of joy. With both births, I took advantage of the HypnoBirthing® techniques, breathing, and removal of fear; but, with Baby #2 I really listened to and trusted my body to do the work. I remember saying at both births… “I CAN’T!” and Erin calming saying “You can. You are!” With the support of my husband, Erin, the midwives, and hospital staff, I was empowered to make calm decisions, let my body do the work, and realize that childbirth is not a medical condition, but something that women’s bodies were made for. I am incredibly thankful that I had healthy pregnancies that evolved into uncomplicated births and believe Erin and her doula services, paired with HypnoBirthing®, was the perfect combination for me to have the births that I desired.