Member Blogs

The Birth of Talan: My Birth Story

First and foremost, let me just say that I don't believe I would've

had the birth that I did if it wasn't for research. From interviewing

doctors to see if they had the same beliefs as me, to researching

hospitals and their policies, it was a tedious process, but in the end,

well worth it.

I knew for months that when I went into labor I

wasn't going to go straight to the hospital; that would've been

pointless. Why go there and be in the same place for hours? Nope, my OB

told me about the 4-1-1 and that's what I used. That's when your surges

(hypnobirthing lingo) are 4 minutes apart, lasting for 1 minute, for at

least 1 hour.

Ahhh, Hypnobirthing ... I forgot to mention that

for those who are just reading this and aren't on my friends list. My

husband and I took Hypnobirthing classes together and they helped tons,

as you will read. I HIGHLY recommend the course to anyone who wants a

natural birth that they don't have to scream and moan through.

Anyway,

I got up to go to the restroom at about 3 A.M. on Sunday morning

(August 3rd, my due date). When I woke up I had a little tinge of pain,

but I thought it was just a BH surge and didn't pay it much attention.

Well they continued so I thought I'd better time them (with my handy,

dandy kickTrak). I knew that I

was having actual surges when I had some that were MUCH stronger than

the previous ones, and the time between them varied. Naturally, hubby

woke up and asked me what was wrong and I told him that I was having

surges. He asked me how far apart they were and how I was feeling. At

that point they were maybe 12 minutes apart, and I told him that they

weren't bad enough to keep me awake .... I was pooped. So we rolled

over and went back to sleep.

I woke up a little after 7 A.M.

Hubby had gotten up to make breakfast and woke me up as well. I picked

up my kickTrak and began timing my surges again. They were, again,

stronger, and closer together, around 7 minutes apart now. At this

point I was putting my hypnobirthing relaxation, visualization, and

breathing techniques to much use. I think there was one time when I

lost focus and actually felt contractions, and it was that morning.

When I felt the actual pain, I went straight back into hypnobirthing

mode. When I tell you it works wonders, it works WONDERS! Anyway, hubby

and I sat down and ate breakfast. Like I said, I lost concentration for

a while and felt a couple of contractions. I knew my hubby could tell I

was feeling them; I must have had some kind of look on my face. In

Hypnobirthing they teach the guys affirmations to say to their wives,