Labor technically started on Friday. I was having mild waves throughout the day & bloody show. I was able to work a full day of work. I knew he was going to make an appearance soon. Friday night waves woke me up about every 20-30 minutes. I rested in between & sat on the birthing ball. They were very easy to get through using Hypnobabies. By 9 am Saturday they started to get farther apart. My daughter Gabbie went with some friends & Travis & I walked the mall for about an hour. I had some good productive waves while walking. We got home, I sat on the birthing ball & they started to become more intense & were about 5 minutes apart for about an hour. We called the Dr. & he said it was time to come to the hospital. We arrived at around 5 pm, they hooked me up to a fetal monitor (I really didn’t want to lie there for an hour) & the waves stopped! She checked me & I was 4 cm & 80% effaced (last time I checked that was active labor!). After about 20 minutes of monitoring me, my OB tells me I am not in labor & decides to send me home! He also said he would consider breaking my water Wednesday or Thursday after my next appointment! I was so upset. Before we left I was bawling my head off. The nurse gave Travis the direct # so he could call her when we were in “real labor” & she would start filling up the birthing tub. I was thinking that maybe my pain threshold wasn’t as high as I thought. Maybe I had forgotten what real labor left like since my daughter was born 9 years ago. I started to doubt myself.
As soon as we got in the car they started up again. By the time we got home 20 minutes later I had already had 3-4 waves. We got home & they started coming faster & harder. After about an hour my husband wanted to take me back to the hospital but I insisted that I was not going back after only an hour. Within a few minutes they were 30 seconds apart & I was barely able to recover from one when I was hit with another wave. Travis was getting VERY nervous, he called my best friend & told her what was happening & she said “Get her to the hospital now!” Then he called the nurse & she said “get her here now!” He was very calm but was freaking out inside.
My normally soft spoken husband looked at me & said “GET IN THE CAR RIGHT NOW!” I knew that he was going to throw me over his shoulder if he had to so I walked to the car. Let me tell you, that car ride was very difficult. Waves were coming one after the other. Travis was doing his best not to speed. At one point my water broke, although there was no gush so I was not aware that it even happened.
We arrived at the hospital at 7:45pm. I had to stop a few times on the way to the room. I told her I was having a water birth & she said “I’m sorry the tub is unavailable” I was like “WHAT!? You have got to be kidding me!” She kept apologizing but I was so upset. Now mind you, it takes 1 hour to fill the birthing tub. As you will see that would not have been an option.
These nurses knew I was in labor & they were amazing. Somehow I got into a gown & onto a bed (I don’t even recall how I did that) & a nurse checked me. I was 8 cm! They were trying to get the baby’s heartbeat but I just could not lie on my back. I rolled onto my side. Within about 15 minutes it was obvious to everyone that the baby was coming & the Dr. was not! A nurse checked me & I was 10 cm & the baby was coming down the birth canal. I panted through about 4 more waves to prevent myself from pushing. Finally I looked at one of the nurses in the eyes & told her there was no way I could prevent my body from delivering my son. She said (in her wonderful British accent) “ok, go ahead darlin”. Sawyer was crowing within seconds. She adjusted his sweet head, told me to push gently & his head came out. His whole body followed very quickly. He was born onto the end of the bed at 8:11pm. The cord was wrapped around his whole body. Travis was there crying as he watched his son come into the world. I was thrilled at the power my body had. It was amazing how efficient my body was at delivering this child. Jill & Rose were the most wonderful, amazing nurses ever! They took such expert care of us in a very dramatic time. When they finally handed my son to me I was overcome with emotion. I was crying & kissing his face. Jill’s eyes filled up with tears & she came over & hugged us both. I found out later that Jill was a midwife in England but not licensed to practice in the U.S. God sent this amazing woman to guide my son into the world. I can’t count how many times I told her I loved her J
Sawyer was 7 pounds 12 ounces & 21 inches long. His APGAR score was 9 & 9.
My OB walked in about 20 minutes after Sawyer was born. I think he was a bit embarrassed but did not say so. I never did get my water birth but I did get my wish of not laboring at the hospital for a long time & also not having any drugs and/or an IV. The only drug I took was a Motrin later that night J
Hypnobabies helped in early labor. Listening to the cd player & going into deep relaxation made it almost easy. Once I became emotional after being sent home from the hospital, it was ineffective mostly because I lost a bit of control. I regained control but the waves were intense & frequent so I concentrated on breathing. I was very controlled throughout the rest of my birthing time & was able to breath & moan during waves. I found that I was irritated to do anything other than breath & moan through all the waves of transition. I dilated from 4 to 10 in about 2 hours. I think that hypnobabies, the birthing ball & walking all prepared my body to be very efficient.
The one thing I HATED about Hypnobabies which really isn't the program itself was the word "relax" when my husband said it to get me deeper into hypnosis. It came across more like "WILL YOU JUST RELAX! IT CAN"T HURT THAT MUCH!!!" Isn't that a riot? Next time I will have hubby use a different word. LOL
Sabrina