William's Fast and Joyous HypnoBirthing® Story!

A first-time mom shares her speedy, confident birth story!

"When you change the way you view birth, the way you birth will change" -Marie Mongan, HypnoBirthing Creator

My husband, Matt, and I attended the HypnoBirthing® class at Flutterby when I was around 25 weeks pregnant. I knew I wanted a natural birth, and the information Erin provided, along with the philosophy of HypoBirthing in general, really helped to calm my fears and empowered me to make informed decisions throughout my pregnancy. I started listening to the hypnosis tracks and birthing affirmations every night before bed throughout the rest of my pregnancy. 

Fast-forward to 37 weeks. I woke up to my water breaking on a Sunday morning. I was thankful to have made it past that milestone knowing I would be able to birth at the birthing center and hoping that the brith would go as planned. I was still nervous about whether the Hypno-preparation I was doing would "work," and if I would be able to stay calm and let my body lead the way. My midwife suggested I see an acupuncturist and chiropractor that day to help get labor started. That evening, Matt and I listened to the HypoBirthing tracks again as we fell asleep. I woke up about 3:30am feeling some mild back pain, still listening to the track in the background. I was breathing deeply and keeping my body relaxed, sure that things were starting to happen. 

About an hour later, I woke Matt up to press on my back as the surges were getting stronger. I remember going deep into my body and leaning on the side of the bed as music played in the background. I think it was around 7am when Matt called Brittany, our doula, and the midwife. I could hear the conversations, but was so in the “zone” that I wasn’t really aware of everything being said or what was going on outside of my body. I also wasn’t able to keep track of my surges, because I wasn’t fully aware of when they were stopping and starting. Another hour passed, and I could sense that the birth was getting close. About the same time Brittany arrived, I was feeling the urge to push. It came as a surprise more than anything... and a relief as the pressure I had been feeling in my back was alleviated! Thank goodness Brittany was there, because I still didn’t really know where I was at in labor. I remember leaning on her, breathing, and she rubbed my back and repeated affirmations to me. So awesome.

After just a few surges, Brittany told us we needed to go to the birth center right away because she could see baby's head! I had no idea he was that far along. I knew I needed to get to the car. I came out of my hypnosis enough to put shoes on (I was just wearing a towel around my waist!) and get into Brittany’s car. I breathed through two surges before arriving at the birth center. It was labor day. Everyone had to make an extra effort to get there and the nurses arrived just before we did. We knew he was coming fast, so when they asked if i wanted to try the birthing tub, I declined and got up onto the bed. I remember having just a few surges on the bed… everyone was cheering me on and I felt like a rock star. It actually felt good to breathe him out…not easy, but good. About 30 minutes after we arrived at the birth center, William Doyce was born: September 4th, 2017, 9:54am. He gave out one small cry as he came out and then seemed immediately calm as he rested on my chest. Matt and I just laid there in awe, looking at him and touching his skin.

My birth experience was so positive, and a great deal of that had to do with the HypnoBirthing preparation and education I received at Flutterby. My biggest surprise and takeaway from the birth was that I didn’t feel afraid. I knew what was happening, and that my body and my baby both knew what to do. I just needed to get out of the way. I couldn’t have done that without the HypnoBirthing practice.

THANK YOU, Bethany, for your story!

Flutterby, located in the Twin Cities, provides childbirth education, doula services, and more! All expectant families are welcome here.