Hello fellow hypnobirthers! I’ve been enjoying following along with you all, thank you for being a lovely community of strong mamas. So this is my birth story- I live in Pittsburgh, PA, in the US. I found your course Suzy as I was listening through episodes of the Pregnancy Podcast… as you all may know access to health care in the US is tied to the type of insurance coverage a person has (or doesn’t have). I’m fortunate to have insurance through my job. I chose an OB/GYN provider in my insurance network once I realized I was pregnant. After researching my options early on, I found myself wanting a natural & calm birth experience. I told the Drs In my Practice group of my hopes & it was met with support but I was cautioned to prepare adequately for unmedicated childbirth. The Drs in my group only delivered at a nearby hospital, which wasn’t my first choice, but that’s what my insurance was going to cover… So prepare I did!
I signed up for the Calm Birth School because I wanted to supplement the class I was taking at the hospital. I enjoyed the online content and the message of the classes really resonated with me… I found myself practicing breathing on the bus, at work & before bed. I looked forward to it… and it became second nature after a bit of practice. I was at 38 weeks exactly the day I gave birth to my son. I fully expected to go past my “due” date of 11/26. I was expecting my baby to be born in early December because this is my first child and that seemed very normal to me, most new moms seem to have their babies after their due date … but I had mine two weeks “early”!
It was a Thursday, a nice day in November when it’s usually cold and rainy. The sun was out and I’d gone to work as I normally would. I noticed a surge around 9am & thought, oh ok, Braxton hicks! They just kept on coming, building in intensity. I started timing them around 10am… when I realized they were getting closer together & grew stronger… I’d planned to be at work for the next two weeks, so I was rushing to wrap things up…
I was coping as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t clue my coworkers in to the fact that I thought I was in labor… I left around noon, breathing all the way & took the bus home… I labored at home with the birthing ball, in the shower & on the bed but I had time and the ability to pack a bag and make some phone calls before we headed up to the hospital around 4pm. On our way to the hospital my partner was driving and I felt wistful, I remember feeling the sun on my face and saying “today is a great day to have a baby!!”
I kinda thought my water had broken before I arrived at the hospital and that was confirmed when I got there… I was at 8cm almost 9 when they examined me. I brought copies of my birth plan and shared them, and when the staff asked me if I wanted to have an epidural anyway I said no thanks, I felt that my time had come. I was ready & excited! I just kept waiting for the next surge, resting in between & when I breathed deeply, I imagined the color blue would grow brighter and brighter until the peak and then it would dim as they receded.
I made it through the surges by imagining they were like waves washing my baby & I closer & closer together. I had my son at 9 pm after a few hours of breathing while pushing … I had an excellent labor experience. I attribute that to lots of planning, good luck, and also to what I learned from The Calm Birth School. I was also very fortunate to have a room with natural morning light. I took this picture the next morning while I was doing skin to skin in the hospital. 
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??? I had a very specific picture in my head of how I wanted this birth to go. I was prepared for a labor other than what I pictured if necessary but I felt delighted that I was able to have the birth experience I hoped for.
I think within the Drs group and the hospital setting it was a rare occurrence too, one my care providers commented on. So thank you for the work you do and have done in support of calm births! It made all the difference for me! If you’re ready for your own Calm Birth Story, check out our three free videos here www.thecalmbirthschool.om/freehypnobirthing
