Gentle Beginning

The Birth of Lillyanne Grace

2011-09-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Below is a reflection from Dr. Stacy Phelps, a chiropractor and mom from the Chicagoland area. Stacy came into my life as one of my HypnoBirthing parents, she become one of my doula clients, and is now one of my friends. Enjoy her story!

If someone would have asked me 10 years ago about having children at home I would have laughed at them. I was too busy downing diet cokes and eating Twizzlers to make plans as serious as that.

Fast forward to November 2, 2009 at 1am and there I was in the back seat of our car speeding down 294 to get to the birthing center to deliver our first born, Callum. That road is ridiculously bumpy, so I vowed never again.

The logical choice was not to have to leave the house at all in active labor with my second child, which began on the afternoon of April 14.

I didn't sleep well the night before and thought to myself, "I really hope labor doesn't start today, I'm functioning on about 3 hours of sleep here..... " There had been a few contractions over the past few weeks but nothing that felt serious. My mom came over to watch Callum so I could nap, my friend Sarah had stopped by earlier to do some acupuncture to help keep me sane so I planned on having a little lunch and taking a nap. I popped a cheese pizza in the oven (why?) and realized I was having some erratic contractions. I was sitting at the kitchen table talking calmly to my brother when I really felt things start to pick up and by the time the pizza was ready I knew there was no way I was eating it.

Wow, time to call in the troops. I phoned Tricia Fitzgerald first and then my midwives who said they were on their way. Tim arrived home and started to set up the pool.

The contractions were really strong and steady, but manageable and the moment I stepped into the pool, I felt relief. One by one these awesome women arrived--first Tricia, then my midwives, Christina and Stephanie, Karen their nurse, Dr. Sarah with her acupuncture needles, and Maggie, the photographer. Everything seemed to be progressing but I definitely did not want to get stuck in my head wondering how much longer this baby wanted to hang out...so I was happy to hear I was dialated 6-7 centimeters when Christina checked me. She suggested I get out of the tub and stand a while to help move things along. I did but it wasn't pleasant--Sarah stuck some more needles in my legs and feet.

Most everyone goes upstairs to make a Jimmy John's order (no one even asked me!--remember I skipped lunch!) and just as I decide to hop back into the pool--I feel this baby make a run for it. It was time to push. And I'm not kidding, I was pushing her out the moment the Jimmy John's guy arrived at the door. Babies so fast you'll freak. Lillyanne Grace was born at 8:39PM. It was perfect.

Reflecting back on the evening, our experience with homebirth was ideal. I know there is a time and a place for hospital birth, but for us this was a life changing experience, the love and support we felt from our "team" was immeasureable. We laughed, and cried all in the comforts of our own home.

Dr. Stacy A. Phelps
Chiropractic Physician
5155 W. 111th Street
Alsip, Illinois 60803

708-636-5555

Henry's Birth

2011-06-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

The following birth story is from one of my best friends...and I feel so honored to have been present at the births of both of her beautiful children.

I wanted an all-natural birth with my daughter Mirielle, but I wound up being induced at 37 weeks for high blood pressure. I tried my best to do it without pain medication, but due to 48 hours of induction and labor and a serious problem with my Pitocin dosage, I finally succumbed to an epidural at about hour 44 and 7 cm dilation. I was really, really wanting to have an all-natural birth the second time around, but also knew that I would have to again be induced.

I knew in advance I would need to be given Pitocin, and I was told by many (including the midwives) that a non-medicated birth with Pitocin is very, very difficult, and that I shouldn't be disappointed should I decide to have an epidural. But I figured I made it pretty far before...and I have never felt "real" (non-Pitocin) contractions so I don't know the difference anyway! I decided that in spite of the medical induction I was going to try my hardest this time around to manage my pain on my own.

We got to the hospital at eight a.m. on a Wednesday morning. My midwife Shari had a couple different ideas for how to begin the induction. She asked me what my main goals were for the birth. I said first and foremost, NO c-section. She asked me how important it was for it to be a quick labor, and how important it was for me to go pain-med free? I explained I didn't care about the time, but that I wanted to go all-natural, but that if labor progressed like last time with the Pitocin (six minute contractions with 30 second breaks, insanity) that I might want an epidural. She said that it was her goal for them to really watch the Pitocin and for me to never have to deal with that kind of contraction pattern.

After checking me, however, all her plans went out the window and she decided I needed to have a cervical balloon put in because I really wasn't very dilated and my cervix was still very thick. That was fine with me...like I told her...slow was fine with me! The goal was to keep the balloon in for six hours or until it fell out.

After only four hours the balloon was already ready to come out, and I was dilated to about four. They broke my water by 2:30 and the contractions started. They were strong but manageable. By 3:30 Tricia had arrived, and I had gone "within.” I was laying on my right side in my bed and breathing through all my contractions. Shari checked me, and I was about 6-7 centimeters. We had one scare after I had gotten up and gone to the bathroom around 4 or 4:30. After I got into back into bed they had me turn over to my left side to change positioning and the baby's heart rate suddenly dropped and wasn't recovering. It got a little frantic in the room, and I was aware of it but because I was "within" I didn't really freak out or anything. I just remember thinking, "no c-section. no c-section." They called an O.B., stuck an oxygen mask on my face, shoved an internal monitor on the baby's head, and flipped me back to my right side. I don't know exactly what happened next, but apparently the heart rate must have evened out and moved back into a normal range.

After that, it all gets a little hazy. I will admit that I can't remember the exact times and details because I was very "in the zone." I was having steady contractions, and I wasn't able to quietly breath through them anymore. I was very...er...vocal. They tell me that I wasn't that loud, but I think everyone was just being nice! According to Tricia's notes they checked me again around 5:25...I remember saying to her "I don't want them to check me, because they are going to say I’m still only 6, and I don't want to get discouraged." But they did...and sure enough...I was still 6-7, though 8 during the contractions. I remember that at the end of each contraction my body would just hurl itself into this tight ball, and I would push, without really trying or even knowing I was doing. it…like one big push at the end of each contraction. Shari told me that she felt like I was "holding back" and to just let myself do what felt natural, so I did. I remember laying there saying, "I can't do it! I can't do it!" all the while thinking, "Tricia told me that I would say this..." Tricia and Shari kept saying, "You ARE doing it." I didn't know how much longer I could go on...and I hadn't even gotten to the pushing stage. In my mind I thought I must have another two or three hours to go.

Between that last check at 5:25 and 5:35 a whole lot went on! I remember at one point Shari saying I only had a "lip" of cervix left. I had another contraction with a spontaneous push at the end, and suddenly (out of what seemed like nowhere) was the baby's head...and a lot of commotion. They hadn't told me I was crowning, or that it was time to push, or anything. But there it was...the baby’s head. It happened so fast that they didn't break down the bed, there were no stirrups, and the midwife didn't even have time to put on her gloves. (My husband tells me after reading this that they did tell me I was crowning, but I have zero recollection of that!) All the commotion was because my baby had its cord wrapped around its head...very tightly. It was so tight that the midwife could barely get a finger in between the cord and the neck, and it had to be cut before the baby was even born. I remember laying there thinking "Oh my God. I'm having the baby. Right now." Again, I knew that something was "wrong" but I was just laying there in my zone...hand over my eyes to keep it dark and maintain my focus. They apparently told me not to push while they cut to cord, but I also don't remember that. I had another contraction and with one push at the end, out came the baby. Justin announced, "It's a boy!" and suddenly he was up on my chest.

Because of the cord issues, Shari said, "You've got 10 seconds to say hello, then he's got to go." That is the one and only thing that makes me sad about my birth...we didn't get much bonding time at all. I looked at his perfect little body, which was actually very blue...and then they whisked him away to the other side of the room.

My husband Justin said it was a bit scary to watch them give our Henry oxygen, but he perked up immediately and his Apgar scores were 8 and 9 in spite of everything. He was 7 pounds 8.8 ounces...and 21 inches long.

As they were cleaning up Henry and doing all their official business, I was delirious...it was like a birth high. I was talking up a storm and making all kind of silly, loopy statements and was just joyful and excited. I forgot to even tell anyone his name until they asked a number of minutes later. It was SO much different than Mirielle's birth, when I was exhausted and couldn't feel my bottom half. Don't get me wrong...her birth was amazing, too...but this one...it was just incredible in every way.

After what seemed like forever, I finally got to hold my little blue baby...and I was in love. He was actually blue from bruising. The whole "big scare" that happened earlier was likely because when I turned over from my right side to my left side, the baby engaged into the pelvis so quickly that he slammed down and bruised his head...and that is probably when the cord tightened around his neck. Scary, but in the end all okay. He was so alert and even nursed for 25 solid minutes right after we were reunited.

And just like that...we were a family of four. We had a son.

So...the natural birth. Did it hurt? Um…absolutely. Was it worth it? Absolutely. But the best part about the human body? Pain is temporary. I remember that it hurt, but I don't remember the actual pain. I do, however, remember the amazing joy I felt upon seeing my son's face for the first time. I am so proud of myself for pushing myself to have the incredible birth experience that I knew I could. Shari told me before she left, "There are not many people that could do that...a pitocin induced birth, where you can't use a tub or have a shower, where you can't move around. Most people couldn't do it." But I did. I credit my training in HypnoBirthing and my amazing support system of Shari, Tricia, and, of course, Justin. I will never say it was easy, and I'll forever be worried that I was "that screaming lady" that you could hear all down the hallway...but it doesn't matter. Because I had the natural birth I knew I could have, and I have a perfect, beautiful son.

Case's Birth Story

2011-03-29T21:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to C and R for sharing the story of their son's birth. Enjoy!!

CASE’S BIRTH STORY

Case was such an active baby in the womb that I was certain that he would be born prior to 40 weeks. I figured that he would get too cramped in there to throw the punches and do the squats he had been doing so much in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, that he would make a break for it in search of more space to stretch. Rob and I -- planning for a natural birth -- had taken a private Hypnobirthing course with Tricia Fitzgerald, taken a crash course in the Bradley method, regularly practiced all the exercises and meditations recommended by both methods, and felt pretty confident that we were prepared and ready.

To my surprise, we passed the 40th week mark with nothing more than Braxton Hicks contractions. My midwives assured me that most first time mothers go into labor around 41 weeks so not to worry. I continued to spin class that week, and visited Debra Christiansen (our fabulous massage therapist, also trained in prenatal massage) of Inner Advantage Massage twice that week in an attempt to stay as relaxed as possible. At Wednesday’s appointment, I told her to go ahead and hit all the labor trigger points that she’d been so carefully avoiding throughout my pregnancy. She reminded me that the baby would come when he and my body were ready so that there was no need to massage the trigger points, but with a little more encouragement, she complied, though very carefully. While I completely agreed with her, I also didn’t want to find myself still pregnant at 42 weeks at which point there would be some pressure to induce.

That evening I joined a group of girl friends for dinner, and towards the end of dinner, I felt a little light headed. I came home shortly thereafter and still feeling odd, and found myself doing about 40 minutes of yoga in our living room before going to bed. I’d missed my prenatal yoga class earlier that day and wanted to get it in before the day was over. I went to bed and was asleep by 10pm.

I woke up at midnight, 1am and again at 2am each time having a mild contraction. I didn’t think much of it and went back to sleep each time. Then at 3am I awoke to a somewhat stronger contraction, and had another at 3:20. I continued having contractions every 15-20 minutes and by 4am had also had a little bloody show. By then I knew I was in early labor. Rob woke up a little after 4am. I shared the news and, with an excited smile, he now couldn’t sleep either. By sunrise, the contractions were coming on stronger and more frequently.

It was a beautiful fiery sunrise that morning over Lake Michigan. We watched it from the living room windows as the sun lit up the clouds, the lake and the sky. We labored around the house changing positions frequently. I used a lot of my prenatal yoga poses, modified child’s pose on the ball and against the counter were particularly helpful. Lela Beem (my fabulous yoga instructor) will be pleased to hear that I used my ujjayi breath lots and lots during this phase of labor. It was extremely calming and helped me stay relaxed and centered through the contractions. An early morning shower was also really helpful in terms of managing the contractions and maintaining a peaceful mind.

At 7am, we called our midwife to give her a heads up that we’d likely see her later that day. We wanted to labor at home as long as absolutely possible and continued through the morning alternating between walking, various yoga poses, and lying down – Rob was great at suggesting we try something new as soon as he could tell I’d had enough of whatever we were doing. Around 11am the contractions were coming on stronger, so Rob ran a bath for me and I spent the next 2 hours laboring in the tub. All the while, Rob made sure I kept hydrated and brought me regular small meals and snacks to keep my energy up for later when I’d really need it.

We updated our midwife on our progress around noon, and she suggested that once my contractions were 4-5 minutes apart that we start making our way to the hospital and check in before they were really strong. By 1:30, they were 3-4 minutes apart and increasing in intensity so we began gathering up our things and headed out. Our midwife met us at Evanston Hospital at 2:30, and confirmed I was at 6.5 cm. I spent the next 4 hours laboring in a big oversized bath tub – very helpful. Rob was an amazing coach and partner. He stayed right with me, breathing deeply and slowly through every contraction I had in order to help me relax my breath, reassuring me that we were doing great, and making sure I stayed hydrated and fed.

Around 7:30, the midwife checked again and I had progressed to 9.5 cm., and there I stayed for quite some time. So we began labor Olympics, moving and rotating from one position after another hoping the contractions and the movement would get me to 10 cm. Finally, our midwife suggested breaking the bag of waters so that the baby’s head could also help by applying pressure to my cervix. Between my pushing with the contractions and my midwife applying pressure to the cervix, over time it eventually reached 10 cm, and I was given the “all clear” to push Case out.

Somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours of pushing later, over the course of 7-10 contractions, I pushed little Case’s big noggin out one centimeter at a time. Apparently he decided to make his exit in a posterior position (facing up instead of down) and presented with the flat top of his head instead of the smaller crown. Luckily he turned from posterior to facing down at the last minute – helping mom out at least a little at the very end.

Reflections on getting through those last few hours:

1) My husband: I couldn’t have done it without Rob. He was awesome. Not only did he somehow manage to not hyperventilate even after taking one huge breath after another with me for hours on end (my nice calm ojjai-ocean-sounding-breath had by now progressed to a much more forceful-prehurricane-ocean-surge), but he was so calming and reassuring. And when a less than considerate labor nurse made some seriously unhelpful comments about natural childbirth during the height of the pushing phase, Rob put a cork in her and ended her negative comments immediately. I was so grateful.

2) Meditation class: I attended a meditation session at the Heartwood Center in Evanston for the months prior to Case’s birth, and I found the practice was unbelievably helpful to me during labor. In one of our meditations, we focus on breathing in white light, filling our body with it one part at a time and then visualize releasing the exhalation out the top of our heads. I used this exercise throughout second stage labor, but instead visualized the exhalation out the birth canal and focused on relaxing those muscles at the same time. It was exactly what I needed to focus on relaxing through each contraction. While relaxing and pushing at the same time, seem at odds with each other, this visualization and breathing technique harmonized the two for me beautifully and was particularly helpful as I pushed out Case’s gargantuan noggin.

3) Vocalization: Always pictured myself as the silent, focused birthing mother, but thank goodness for Lela Beem at Grateful Yoga in Evanston for all the vocalization practice during prenatal yoga - or perhaps because of her – I found that using their techniques really did help me relax through contractions. Hopefully all my variations of aum didn’t carry down the hall too far and annoy the other birthing mothers.

4) Hypnobirthing: I think the single most important tool I took away from this method was the simple conviction that birth is a normal, natural process and that by relaxing instead of panicking and fighting it, a woman’s body will do exactly what it is supposed to do without the need for any drugs and interventions. While labor isn’t easy, it certainly is not the fearful, painful experience regularly portrayed on TV. I used most all of the relaxation techniques that I learned in this class throughout labor, and we alternated listening to the Hypnobirthing affirmations CD and quiet music during most all of labor, which I used to refocus myself when I occasionally lost my concentration.

5) Lastly, I remember towards the end just as Case’s head was close to crowning, I remember deciding I was done and ready to go home. It felt like the wall I always hit in mile 20 of a marathon. We’d tried all the pushing positions and oddly, I seemed to be able to push most effectively on my back. As I lay there between contractions, I remember very vividly having a mental conversation with myself about the pros and cons of going home. I reasoned that this baby had to come out of me one way or another, and I suspected that if I didn’t get it out somewhat soon, ultimately the hospital was going to want to C-section him out of me. I remember thinking that there was no way I was going to let that happen, so that I’d better just suck it up and get fierce about getting him out. And with that I went into my “final 6 mile marathon zone”, bitched out someone for turning on a light and a nurse for talking while I was pushing, and then focused everything I had in me and got it done.

I remember opening my eyes after the final push just as Case was born, and looking in awe at what a huge baby he was. He was so red and wiggly – and looked so very healthy and strong. Rob cut his umbilical cord, and Case quickly came to lie on my chest where we marveled at what a perfect, beautiful, wonderful little boy had come to join our family.

Case was born completely naturally at 11:25 PM on November 4th, at 22 inches long and weighing 9 pounds and 7 ounces. He had sandy blond/brown hair and deep blue eyes, unbelievably defined shoulders and biceps, and the most muscular quads you ever saw! He is an absolute joy – a strong eater and sleeper, curious and active, and has big smiles to share with everyone.

What a beautiful story! Welcome to the world Case!!

VBAC Times Two

2011-03-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

When I received the Birth Stories of Paul and David, I almost couldn't believe that it's been more than 5 years since I helped Elizabeth and her husband welcome two of their sons into this world. Boy, how time flies! Below Elizabeth describes how she was able to have 2 VBAC births after her first son was born via C-Section.

Paul’s birth – July 19, 2005

As a VBAC mom-to-be, I started a little late in my search for a better birth experience. I was about 25 weeks pregnant and went to a trusted chiropractor who just mentioned seeking out midwives as care providers rather than the same OB’s who induced and delivered via c-section my first son. I had heard of doulas and started my search with looking them up online, and had a few recommendations to a group of midwives. I made my first appointment and was convinced that that was the level and kind of care that I needed to have a natural birth.

I became obsessed with learning about natural birth, and knew that I wanted to hire a doula because that has been shown to increase VBAC success rates. I found Tricia through some recommendations and she made my husband and me so comfortable from the first time we met.

As it came closer to my due date, Tricia started her support – encouraging me to try acupuncture and other natural labor starters so that I didn’t go too much past my due date and get even the midwives anxious about a VBAC.

During my third acupuncture appointment, I started labor. I was able to drive home, care for my toddler, do some laundry, take a nap, and wait for my husband to arrive home from work at his usual time. I ate a pasta dinner (carb-loading for labor!) and went to my dark, quite bedroom around 7:00. My husband put our toddler to bed, checked on me, and around 10:00, I almost fell out of bed with my first strong contraction. We called Tricia, and since we were having a very major thunderstorm and rain she walked my husband through some ideas. Getting in the shower (didn’t work), sitting on the toilet or birth ball (didn’t feel too great) and getting into the bathtub. I loved the tub and stayed there until about 2:00 am. The storm was dying down, we called the midwife and Tricia and everyone decided to meet at the hospital. After about a 45-minute car ride (during which I’m pretty sure I was in transition!) we arrived at the hospital! Some of the sweetest words I’ve heard in my life were Tricia saying “I’m here” as she raced down the hall to where I was alone in a wheelchair!

Since I’d had a c-section due to failure to progress, I REALLY didn’t want to know how dilated I was in triage. I had only progressed to 5 with my first induced labor and didn’t want to show up at the hospital less than that and get into a mental game with myself. Tricia and I had talked about this and she had the triage nurse whisper to her the news…..I will never forget (and thinking about it now is making me tear up 3.5 years later) when Tricia leaned down and whispered….”you’re almost at 8”.

In that moment I just knew I could do it. I moved to the birthing rooms and expressed I really felt best in the tub, so they prepared that for me. I got in, closed my eyes and really don’t remember much of the next few hours. My eyes were closed, Tricia was whispering in my ear and my body was doing the work. She kept telling me where to relax when she saw tension somewhere, she was reminding me of the work that my body and my baby were doing. She gently guided me through the decision to break my water to get rid of the last bit of cervix. I was not pushing very well in the tub, and the midwife had me move to the bed. I pushed on the bed for what seemed like a short time due to my eyes being closed and staying pretty relaxed. It was about an hour though and finally the midwife said….”if you don’t push this baby out now – we are going to have to start pitocin”. Three pushes later I delivered a healthy, 8 pound, 3 oz baby boy!

After delivery, the midwife suggested that my labor had really stopped during that hour of pushing and that was why it was so hard for me, that I wasn’t having that hard of contractions and so was doing all the “pushing” on my own.

David’s birth – April 19, 2010

I was getting ready for my third baby. The first delivery was an induction resulting in c-section and the second was a beautiful, natural, hypnobirth experience with Tricia as my doula.

I knew immediately I would ask her again to help us deliver using hypnobirthing and even though it was only 5 months after her own baby was born, she agreed to help us out as a returning client. My pregnancy was healthy and safe until a horrible rash returned again during this third pregnancy. The first pregnancy it was diagnosed as PUPPS, the second pregnancy it was diagnosed as PUPPS, but they ran a blood test to rule out cholestasis of pregnancy. When it returned this third time, they ran the same blood test and the results came back showing that I may have this liver disorder. Issues that can occur from the disorder include still birth if babies are carried past 38 weeks. Since my first pregnancy was induced when I was two weeks overdue, and my second ended the day past my due date (with the help of acupuncture and other natural help), this was of great concern for both my midwives and myself. During one particularly hard day when it looked like they would want to schedule an induction, Tricia took time from a family event to talk me down from my stress and talk to me about non-medicated induction methods.

On the eve of having to make the induction decision, at precisely 38 weeks, labor started naturally at home. I was able to mover around all day, caring for my two sons and my nephew with contractions about every 20 minutes from 1:30 am until about 3:00 pm. After 3:00 pm, contractions picked up, but I was still able to manage them and since Tricia had her own new little one, we agreed to wait and see and plan to meet at the hospital when it was time. Although my contractions never moved closer than 5 minutes by 10:00 I was feeling a lot of pressure and really having to work hard to stay relaxed. We decided to head to the hospital even though the midwives thought I’d be fine at home a little while longer.

We had about a 45 minute car ride to the hospital and I can remember sitting in the wheel chair while my husband checked us in thinking….these contractions aren’t that close, I bet I’m not very far along. Upstairs in triage, that was confirmed, but I was at least at 5 so they weren’t going to send me home. They kept in my triage for almost 45 minutes, asking me seemingly ridiculous questions about my knowledge of the risks of having a VBAC, and making me sign all kinds of forms. During this time, Tricia and my husband did a fabulous job of keeping me calm, of pushing the triage nurse to get out of my way, etc. Tricia just kept telling me where in my body to relax and to remember that it was doing the work it needed to birth the baby.

When it was time to move to the room they asked me if I wanted to walk or ride in a wheelchair. Even though at this point the contractions were coming much closer and were really strong, I decided to walk knowing that that movement might help the labor along. Once in the room Tricia suggested getting the shower, hoping that the warm water would help relax me like the tub, but keep labor moving along. She turned on the water, my husband sat on the edge of the tub and I sat on the toilet waiting for the water to warm up. Within seconds I felt a huge gush of water into the toilet, and instantly knew my water had broken. I screamed and my husband said “I’m right here”. I knew I needed more than him because I screamed again “ I need help” and started walking out of the bathroom. Again, within seconds, Tricia had pulled the midwife out of another delivery room and I birthed my third son standing in the doorway from the bathroom to the room. With the door to the hallway open, and with the nurses, Tricia and the midwives having to explain to me what was happening!

After my son was born, they helped me to the bed, he latched on so beautifully with Tricia’s guidance to really let him do the work of deciding which side, and how to do it. Since there were no other birthing moms that needed the midwife she was able to stay and visit with Tricia, my husband and our baby for about 45 minutes. Those first minutes are so precious to me as we all wondered at the super fast birth, the speed with which the staff responded, and of course of how gorgeous my baby was!

The take away I have from my three births, each very different, is that birth is a one of a kind experience between mother, baby and whoever mother wants supporting her. Each one is precious and each one makes me smile thinking of all the little things that happened; the sweet sound of my doula whispering just the right things during a long labor, and then that same doula looking straight in my panicked face and telling me I was going to birth my baby standing up in the bathroom! Each birth left me feeling so strong and they are memories I draw on all the time to get me through this life!

The Birth of William James

2010-12-22T21:05:00.000-08:00

I've been friends with Dan for over 15 years, and his wife, Jaime, for probably at least 10. Whenever the topic of birth would come up at get togethers Jaime and I would always chat about her desire to one day have as natural of a birthing as possible for each of her babies. I'm pretty sure all of our friends thought we were crazy when we'd talk about how Jaime could have calm and peaceful births, but boy, did she prove everyone wrong!

I was thrilled when Dan and Jaime signed up for HypnoBirthing and I knew it would prepare them for an amazing birthing experience. Here is the story of their son's birth, as told from Jaime's perspective.

The Birth of William James

My husband, Dan, and I took Tricia's HypnoBirthing class to prepare for our baby's delivery in July 2010. I desired a more natural birth and wanted to avoid an epidural if possible. To be honest, the thought of an epidural scared me a little more than child birth itself. But, this was my first baby and I wasn't sure what to expect so I wanted to feel fully prepared if I was going to try it without pain meds!

Well, my experience was amazing even if things were slightly different than what I imagined for my baby's birth. I always said I wanted to have my baby at home but because of insurance issues and the fact that my husband thought the idea was crazy, I planned a hospital birth. After being admitted and agreeing to Pitocin (Yikes!!) I thought 'Oh, no - I'm not going according to plan and I'm going to end up in a c-section!' But thankfully, that did not happen and the labor and delivery nurses listened to my request to start the lowest dose of Pitocin and increase it only when I felt comfortable and able to handle it. I labored for hours while listening to Rainbow Affirmations in a quiet and dimmed hospital room. My husband watched Sports Center on the TV and tried to catch some sleep here and there. I did not feel uncomfortable at all for the first several hours. The nurses/residents would ask about pain and I would report that the only thing I felt were kicks occasionally under my rib cage.

The staff seemed surprised by this and I was too actually. After about 9 hours (around 10 pm) my water broke on its own...and that's when things got interesting! The labor intensified but I never felt I couldn't handle it. I kept my IPod on and tried to continue relaxing. I was able to use the washroom as I pleased and reposition myself as needed. The last time my cervix was checked I had been about 4 cm, and when the nurse came back hours later to check me again I was hoping I wasn't still on 4 - I was getting really excited and eager to meet my baby! At about 5:30 am the nurse checked me again and said I was just about 10 cm!!! I honestly could not believe it! For a second, I thought to myself... 'That's it? Really? That wasn't so bad!'

The worst part, for me, during the labor was the nausea that started a few hours after my water broke. Also, the delivery itself was a lot more difficult than I anticipated. I never really had a strong urge to push but the nurses and my doctor wanted me to with each contraction. At that point I was exhausted and hungry (though I did snack on peanut M&M's throughout the day/night). I had been pushing and trying to breathe the baby down for 2 1/2 hours! Finally, our beautiful baby boy, William James Farrell, was born at 8:35 am on July 31, 2010. He was perfect and took to breastfeeding right away.

My husband and I feel blessed to have such a calm and happy baby! I truly believe that HypnoBirthing works! I managed to stayed calm the entire time and focus on everything I learned in the class. It was a beautiful, intense, and amazing experience that I will never forget. I look forward to future deliveries and using HypnoBirthing again!

Jaime Farrell

(PS - the pic of me in the hospital bed with my IPod (and barf bag) is right after the RN told me I was at 10 cm).

The Birth of Zoe Grace

2010-11-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

Kira took HypnoBirthing with me over the summer in Elmhurst. I received an email with her daughter's birth announcement and birth story on Saturday and I was given permission to share it. Below is the birth story of Zoe from her mom's perspective!

So, I had my last appointment on Monday 10/18 (EDD 10/22). I was 70% effaced, 0 station and 1 cm dilated at the time. I went to my prenatal water class that night even though I was pretty tired and a tiny bit crampy. Everyone told me good luck and that they figured they wouldn't see me. I just figured I would go on time and dismissed the comments. Little did I know the baby had other plans. My crampiness continued and I started to wonder if it was becoming the real thing. Turns out it was labor. I stayed in bed breathing through all my contractions until my husband woke up for work at 4:30 am. I told him we needed to pack the bag and he wasn't going to work. I went to the bathroom during that process and I found bloody show. Things were really progressing quickly (I thought) and I soon had to work through my contractions from my bathroom. The toilet was the only place I felt any relief of the pressure of the head. After talking to my midwife she wanted me to stay home a while longer and try to sleep some. I evidently sounded too chipper to be far along. I tried to stay home the 2 hours she suggested, but could not tough it out.

The car ride was the worst part for me. I threw my calm breathing out the window and really made some Hollywood kind of labor noises. I continued to make a scene when I was wheeled up to L&D. The man pushing me tried to tell me how to do Lamaze breathing. I was not amused. I met my midwife at 9 am and we found a room to check my progress. To her surprise (and mine too) I was a full 10 cm! That was all I needed to hear and I started using all my techniques again. We moved to the l& d room and started to prep for the big event.

I breathed the baby down to crowning. My midwife did not think it was possible to do so, but I proved her wrong. I did not have as much urge to push in the bed so I went into the bathroom again. I promised I would come back to the bed for delivery. Once I got to the toilet again I threw my promise out the window.

I ended up birthing the head on the toilet and had to walk to the bed to deliver the rest of the body. I guess I scared the bejeezers out of the midwife and she pulled the emergency cord for back up. In the end I was thrilled to have fulfilled my wish for no interventions or medication. I am so much braver and tougher than I thought I could be. It was all worth it when I got to hear my husband exclaim, "It is a GIRL!" Zoe Grace was born at 11:02 am on 10/20/2010 (two days early). She was 6 lb 12 oz and 20.5 inches. She is beautiful and we are so in love. She is a strong willed baby for sure, so she is testing my strength even after labor.

HypnoBirthing truly was amazing for me. I am so grateful for taking the class and learning I could do this without medication or intervention. I will recommend the class to anyone wanting a natural birth. Thanks again.

Welcome to the world Zoe Grace and congrats to Kira and her family!

The Birth of Simeon Gregory

2010-10-31T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ann was referred to me through a mutual friend a few months ago. We initially spoke for at least an hour getting to know one another, discussing Ann's prior birth experience, and talking about what she envisioned for her baby's upcoming birth. Ann decided to enroll in HypnoBirthing with me for the birth of her second child, and she also asked me to be her doula. Since that time Ann and I have also become good friends. I felt honored to be present at Simeon's birth and look forward to growing my friendship with Ann and her family. Below is Simeon's birth story, through the eyes of his mom.

Simeon Gregory's Birth

I first went in labor with Simeon when I sat down to nurse my three-year-old daughter Cecilia at about 1:30 in the afternoon. We began to nurse and within minutes of nursing, I kept having what I thought were digestive cramps. Sure enough they continued with time, and were showing a pattern. After about a half hour I realized that they were likely early labor surges. They continued, and I text my husband Will, Tricia, my mother and sister to let them know what was going on. I got a glass of wine and Cecilia and I put on swimsuits took a warm bath in the gigantic and deep guest bathtub, and waited for family to start arriving. The surges continued even after the wine and bath so I was sure it was early labor. I neatened the bedrooms, did some dishes, played with Cecilia, and suddenly realized that the baby would most likely be born the following day, which was my birthday. Will, my husband played with Cecilia and organized some of the things we needed to bring to the hospital--video camera, iPhone chargers, etc. My mom arrived at the condo later, and we eventually ordered dinner. I was afraid that I would be in labor all day on my birthday so we decided to have my birthday cake then. I thought that I might be upset about that later when I might throw up, but decided to risk it--I didn't want to miss that cake! Mom, Will, Cecilia and I all enjoyed a small slice, and cleaned up from dinner.

The evening continued on, and Cecilia was too wired to go to sleep because my parents, sister, and brother-in-law had all arrived--it was a houseful and I stayed in our bedroom. I had started vocalizing through contractions like a cow--I knew that was a very good way to vocalize, and while I did it I imagined my cervix pulling up around my baby's head, so he could come out and into my arms. I took another bath, and found it to relieve the tension I didn't realize had been building. I felt like I could stay in the tub and labor there until the baby was born--it felt so good! Cecilia had started to get fussy and upset about my being in the tub, and I think she was a little confused, maybe scared and definitely overtired. Around 10 or 11 I finally said that she had to go to sleep and decided to nurse her for just a few minutes--I knew not to nurse if I was ready to leave for the hospital--my midwife, Gayle, had told me not to because it gives mothers a quick ticket to an unplanned home birth--but I figured a quick nursing this early on wouldn't do all that much, and if it helped, all the better. Within a minute of latching on, my surges increased in intensity and I had to stop nursing. Poor Cecilia thought it was her fault because she accidentally kicked me, but my mom snuggled her and explained she didn't do anything bad. She went out to watch TV with my sister and brother-in-law, and I didn't want her in the room because I had started vocalizing more loudly through contractions, and I thought it might be scaring her. Within 45 minutes we called our midwife, Amy, again, and she suggested I come into the hospital. I was worried because I had felt this way with Cecilia at only four centimeters, but Amy said that a second baby was a totally different labor. My mother spoke with Amy on the phone (I was having double-peak contractions and wasn't conversing through them), and had commented that I "wasn't doing well" and I became upset--I was doing very well, I was just laboring.

We left for the hospital, and my sister Laurie stayed at the condo, ready to drive out if the baby would be coming soon, so she could record the event. We got to the hospital in record time since the roads were pretty empty so late at night. The potholes were murderous, and I think my language was too--I wasn't a very happy camper in the car--I couldn't wait to get back into a tub! We arrived at the hospital and since my contractions were so close together and I wanted to keep listening to Rainbow, I rode the chair in. We went up to Triage, where I got onto the monitor. Amy checked me and I was at a seven. I was so relieved that I had progressed so well! Tricia, who had met us at the hospital, commented that things weren't going to be worse than they were right then. I remember thinking that I wanted to get in a bathtub, because I knew that would help me so much. I did tell Tricia I thought things were going to get a lot worse, and closer together, but I was thinking of Cecilia's birth--I had the epidural at four cm (on Wednesday close to midnight, labor had begun on Monday morning) and for a number of hours I had no pain and was able to sleep. When I woke it was to unexpected pain in my pelvic floor, and the sensations were the same--looking back I can realize that for whatever reason the epidural didn't diminish the sensation of Cecilia's transition and birth, but that I was somewhat stuck then, with an epidural in my back. I did recall the hours of sleep that I did have and longed for that--I knew that it was too late for an epidural at that point. I knew that transition would not last long.

Amy kept me on the monitor for a long time, longer than I think I might have realized, but I wasn't tracking time much anymore. She was waiting for a reassuring period on that monitor. As it was, that didn't happen, and I risked out of the ABC for non-reassuring fetal heart tones and baby's tachycardia. I was worried about my baby, but trusted Amy absolutely to take good care of both of us. Between contractions I nearly started to cry when I realized how important it is to have a provider you can trust so very much. Still, I was upset about not being able to go to the ABC--I wanted that tub! Amy also thought that giving IV fluids could possible help the baby, so I had an IV inserted into my hand, something I hadn't intended to have, but didn't mind anymore. When I was actually entering a standard birth room, I said, "I can have an epidural in this room." I requested narcotics first, but couldn't have them because of baby's heart tones. I felt some frustration with that, and some relief too--I recall thinking that I was too close to birth, it would be bad for my baby and that I didn't really need them, that I would be fine without them, and better off. I knew if I had them I wouldn't be very happy with that decision in the end; I wanted a drug-free natural birth for myself and my baby. I requested an epidural, and I really don't know why--I wanted relief from the very intense sensation of getting close to birth but realized it was the same as what I felt with an epidural last time anyway. I said the latter out loud once, but asked away anyway.

The births I had seen in HypnoBirthing class were so quiet and serene, and that's what I wanted for my son's entrance into the world. I wanted him to enter our world peacefully, and to come into my arms with joy. Instead I was swearing, and telling people that they weren't helping me. Part of the problem was that I didn't know what I needed, but couldn't do much to help myself figure that out. Tricia was such a treasure during that time--I held onto her for so many surges, and was so grateful for her being there--she felt like the most wonderful, helpful person I could imagine having present for our baby's birth. I had laid back down after that, and was able to sleep between surges. I would wake before each started, and I could feel it coming like an aura--a few times I would wake to that aura and then feel nothing, like one wanted to start then didn't. I didn't know what to do with the energy and I had to release it somewhere, and vocal release seemed to be what I needed to do. I began to feel the urge to push with surges but was doubtful because I didn't think that things were really headed that way so soon. I doubted only a short time!

Sure enough, I suddenly felt something really different, a big change in the way my entire body felt aligned. I had breathed my baby down through labor, and then it was as if the whole world suddenly tilted, like gravity almost changed,but in a very right way, and I felt my baby moving down even more. I remember letting out a shriek, I think of surprise, relief, a little fear, and even a little sadness knowing I would never be pregnant with this child again, or feel him move in my belly. I felt scared that it would be more pain than I could bear, but quickly realized that he was coming momentarily, and that he would be out very fast. Amy turned to look when I made the sound, and she saw that the baby was coming at that time. I felt my waters breaking--I thought Amy had broken it, but later learned she hadn't. I remember hearing and seeing Tricia saying "low sounds" at that point, and trying to do low sounds--that was a reminder I needed. I pushed with everything in me for what felt like less than a minute (I believe it was four minutes, but even now I can hardly believe it was that long). I started pushing with a contraction, but didn't stop when it ended--I know you typically push with contractions,but if Amy needed me to stop, she'd have to tell me to stop, but it felt like absolutely what I had to do. I knew he'd be out in seconds, and I was relieved--I knew the birth would be over, but also that he'd be out and safe with me--I was worried about how he was tolerating labor, but relieved that Amy was the midwife monitoring that. It was strange, worrying about my baby, but in the intensity of labor giving up that worry and trusting so readily.

I laid on my side and pushed, feeling him close crowning, and not wanting to stop pushing. I wondered at my ability to push him out, but knew I was doing it, all at the same time. Everyone said they could see him, and when I saw Will crying I knew it was true. I lost any fearfulness then, and pushed until I knew he was almost totally out--I reached down to try to receive him, and then, at 4:37AM, Amy was placing him on my lower belly--I tried immediately to pull him up to my chest but she said his cord was short. I kept him on my lower belly, on the side where I always felt his head grinding into my hip, where I could sometimes feel his tiny hand and fingers fluttering from the inside of my womb. He was soft, slippery, perfect and so tiny! I saw his little face and watched him give a little cry; I sort of felt like he was announcing his presence, not that he was protesting anything, scared or upset, which made me feel very good, and so happy. Months before, when my son was conceived, I knew implicitly that I would become pregnant with a little boy that month despite having PCOS and still breastfeeding my older child. I fell in love with my tiny son that very day in December, and that feeling grew throughout my pregnancy, magnified more every day. When I saw my tiny Simeon all that falling in love since December came crashing into me at once overwhelming me completely. He was, at that moment, the most incredible miracle I had ever seen, and I wept with joy over the arrival of my little boy. Who was I to have the privilege of carrying this small child in my body, birth him, and hold him? How could I be so fortunate to be his mother, and a mother again? I half-watched Amy showing the placenta and cord to Laurie and the camera, mostly concentrating on my little baby. When I offered my breast he latched on right away, immediately nursing very actively and well. He was so bright eyed and alert! He was weighed and measured an hour or two after birth--8 pounds, 21 inches long. I was transferred to the post-partum unit where we happily called family and friends and snuggled our new little (sleeping) miracle. Although Simeon's birth wasn't what I anticipated and we had some unexpected complications with his heart, it was a beautiful, happy experience, and I was very, very blessed to have Tricia with me throughout my labor and his birth, especially because we had unexpected issues arise. Thank you, Tricia, for sharing the most miraculous and amazing time of life--birth.

The Birth of Mackenzie Kate

2010-09-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

I taught Kate and her husband HypnoBirthing just a short time ago. Below is the story of the birth of Mackenzie Kate, written by her mom:

It all happened on Saturday, August 21st. By now I was just a day shy of being a full week overdue. I was greatly anticipating the birth of our little girl and had an induction day set for the following Wednesday. I really wanted to start labor on my own so I could use hypnobirthing to its fullest.

That morning I woke up as usual with intentions of going about my daily activities. I went over to my sister’s house around 11:00 and that is when I began feeling some lower backaches that extended around the front of my stomach. It felt like the usual cramping that I had had on and off for about 4 weeks but a part of me knew it felt a little different this time. As the day went on my contractions started becoming more intense and consistent. My sister and niece thought for sure that today was “the day.” I decided to keep busy, so I went to my nephew’s soccer game around 3:00. I figured the distractions would help. By the end of the game I was ready to go home and put my rainbow relaxation cd on.
At 8:30 my husband and I arrived at the hospital and I was ready to have this baby! My midwife and my sister both joined me in the labor and delivery room along with my husband. My contractions were intensifying pretty quickly and I was breathing through them the best I could. The rainbow relaxation cd was playing the entire time in the background which I believe kept me calm for the most part. Finally, at 3:07 am on August 22nd, Mackenzie Kate, at 7lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long, was born into this world as healthy as could be. I didn’t have to be hooked up to an IV and I didn’t have any drugs administered. I am happy to say that I was able to birth my daughter in a completely drug free environment. I did use all of my hypnobirthing tools and I was able to move around and go in and out of the tub. I believe that all of these tools helped me to have a successful “natural” birth.
I know remaining calm and relaxed during all the stages of Mackenzie’s birth helped me to concentrate on what my body and my baby were meant to do. I also believe that it helped her to be the calm baby that she is today. I am so happy that I found hypnobirthing to help me through this miraculous process.

What a beautiful story! Congratulations to Kate and her family!!

Becoming Comfortable in your "Mommy Skin" (or Growing your "Mom Balls")

2010-08-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Today I had a really enlightening experience. My 5 year old stayed home from Kindergarten because she was up all last night with ear pain. Since she's been awfully cranky for the past few days and she isn't one to complain about sicknesses if they don't exist, we decided a visit to the doctor might be in order.

For those of you who know me well, you know that I work often with doctors, nurses, and midwives. I feel very comfortable around medical professionals, and even though I do have "white coat syndrome" (slightly elevated blood pressure when in a dr. office or hospital), I consciously feel amazingly relaxed and at ease when talking with a doctor. I've noticed, however, that this isn't the norm for most moms, especially in my neighborhood and the surrounding area. Most moms I know, even "experienced" moms, still get a bit nervous when going to dr. visits.

I hear women often say how they tell little white lies because they are "afraid" of what their doctor might say or think if they told the truth about issues such as their choices regarding feeding or sleeping habits of their babies and children. And when speaking with women about their childbirth experiences or other encounters with the medical world I hear women talk about what they "weren't allowed" to do or how they had to ask permission to do something during their labors or hospital stays. I have never really understood this way of thinking and have always found it a little wild when I meet a strong willed woman who sounds meek when speaking of her doctor or her child's doctor.

It could be because I have 4 kids and have thoroughly grown my "mom balls", but really, I remember being like this even when I had one child. Then again, I had to really "take the bull by the horns" and demand that someone listen to us about my daughter's sleep issues. And after 4.5 years of changing doctors and not accepting the notion that "we just weren't being firm enough with Cora", we finally found out that Cora has epilepsy. If I had been afraid of the doctors and just blindly followed their advice my daughter would still be up all night, every night, suffering daily from exhaustion.

So, with all of that being said, here is the really cool experience I had today...

There are two M.D.'s and one nurse practitioner at the family practice we use in our neighborhood. We usually see the nurse prac. but today we saw the newer doc who is female and on the younger side. The doctor walked in and we chatted a bit about my daughter's symptoms. She examined Syd and even asked if I wanted to look in Syd's ears, which is why I love this doc so much. She explains everything thoroughly, explains risks and benefits of everything, and obtains truly informed consent. And she wants you to be part of your own care and/or your child's care.

After determining that Syddie has double ear infections the doctor told me that she is expecting again in February. After congratulating her the doc began to ask me for advice. Yes, you read that right...my child's family physician was asking ME for parenting advice. She said that she was nervous about having two so close in age and since she knows I had my first 2 fifteen months apart and I have 4 kids she values my thoughts. I told her that her best bet is to breastfeed and to co-sleep so she gets as much rest as possible and keeps the baby as content as possible. She smiled and said, "Yeah, I was thinking of doing that. That is really good advice. Thank you."

The doc then asked me my opinion about her choice of birthing provider and location and I gave her some suggestions. We talked about the midwifery model of care. Then she asked me my personal opinion and which provider I would choose. She asked me to be really honest.

It was awesome.

As I was leaving the doctor said, "Thanks so much for your advice. It means so much to get thoughts from an experienced mom. Nothing can prepare you to be a mom of multiple children, not even all the education I've had. Experiencing it is the only way to really know."

Wow...see moms, doctors are HUMAN. Don't be so afraid. Be honest with them. Follow your instincts and remember that no one is super human and all knowing. Trust yourself. You are a mom. And you are AWESOME.

The Birth of Clementine Scarlet (Clemmie)

2010-08-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

Leann and Clinton took HypnoBirthing with me at Little Company of Mary Hospital just a few months ago. Below is the Birth Story of their daughter, Clementine Scarlet, through the eyes of Mom and Dad:

Leann's Perspective:

I woke up on the morning of April 30 experiencing some cramping. We were a full five weeks shy of Clementine’s due date so I called my OB to let her know the situation and get her advice. She asked that I go to the hospital, just to be monitored. I walked to meet my husband, Clinton, at work and then we walked to the hospital, checked in, and waited to see how the day would develop. Per my OB’s advice, I decided to stay the night in the hospital. I wasn’t experiencing any discomfort so I quickly became antsy in the hospital, either wanting to make some progress toward delivery or be able to return home. Earlier in the morning I had been working on my dissertation and I was anxious to return to the comfort of my own apartment and my work. In retrospect, I am surprised that I was not more worried about the possibility of premature delivery. I can only suppose that I had fully internalized the messages from the Rainbow Relaxation CD. If neither Clementine nor I was in distress, then I had to trust that my body and my baby were on the right track. I fell asleep that evening fairly sure that I would be released from the hospital the next morning but, in the middle of the night, my surges became more intense and regular. I moved around the room a bit, finally finding that the most comfortable position was kneeling on the floor with my upper body resting on the edge of the bed.

Just before dawn, my water broke. I don’t have a very clear sense of what happened after hearing Clinton inform the nurse that my water had broken. At some point, the urge to push became very strong. Despite the nurse’s request that I wait until a resident was present, I started to push. The sensation of pushing just felt right; it provided relief and satisfaction at the end of each surge. Clinton tells me that I just went into my own place during active labor, coming out of it only to respond to questions from the hospital staff. A friend present during Clemmie’s delivery said that I looked like I was asleep when I wasn’t pushing. I do remember lying very still in-between surges. I experienced deep relaxation during these moments, helping me to prepare for the next surge and push. Clementine Scarlet was born at 7:51am. Because she was considered premature, the NICU team was waiting. They spent about 2 minutes examining her, deemed her perfectly healthy, and placed her on my chest. She was amazingly awake and alert only moments after delivery.

Looking back on her delivery, I have marveled at how effortless it all was. While it was a physically intense experience, I didn’t have to coordinate or orchestrate anything. My body knew exactly what to do and I simply followed its queues. Simply amazing! Clinton and I have been blessed with a wonderful little girl who, despite her early delivery, is absolutely happy and healthy.

Clinton’s perspective:

Looking back on Clementine’s delivery, I am convinced that all of the time and energy that Leann and I put into preparing for that day, both in our HypnoBirthing classes and on our own, really paid off. We had worked very hard to put ourselves in a positive and, above all, flexible frame of mind. When Leann started experiencing surges five weeks ahead of the due date, all that preparatory work enabled us to be perfectly comfortable taking everything in stride. If Clementine was ready to be born, she would be born, and although we had expected to have another month or so to get ready for her arrival, we nevertheless felt very well prepared mentally and emotionally to deal with the demands of birth and parenting as we encountered them. We also had a really excellent experience in this regard with the University of Chicago Hospital personnel, all of whom carefully read and respected our birth plan—even reminding us of our own wishes from time to time—and were extremely circumspect in their efforts to avoid intruding upon our experience. When Leann’s water broke and the delivery process started, she effortlessly shifted into the intense relaxation that she had been practicing—she needed virtually no assistance from me. For me, this really affirmed that any lingering concerns we might have had about our readiness for this process were unfounded. The ease of the entire process from start to finish, and the relaxed, positive mood that we had worked so hard to foster, really enabled us to observe and enjoy every aspect of the experience, without the slightest trace of panic or uncertainty.

Welcome to the world Clemmie!!!

The Birth of Atticus Willey

2010-08-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Adriana on the phone a few months before her beautiful baby boy came into this world. She lived about an hour away from me and she and her husband were about to graduate from graduate school, but together we found a way to get her a HypnoBirthing class in time. Below is the story of their son's birth, through the eyes of his mom.

Our Birth Story

Ben, Adriana, and Atticus Willey

May 15 was a very big day for us but for different reasons than we originally thought. We went to bed with our graduation regalia laid out. Instead, we left with our robes and hospital bags!

I slept as soundly as is possible 9 months pregnant, using the rainbow relaxation to manage discomfort caused by my size and practice contractions. At 7:11 am I woke up to a soft popping sensation and then a gush of fluid. I knew immediately that my active labor had begun. While I knew that I was 100% effaced and at least 4 cm dilated, I was prepared for an all day process. After cleaning up and waking my husband, we took time to pray to express our excitement and ask for peace and safety. While we were praying, my second bag of water popped, along with a much more signficant gush of liquid.

As I was letting my parents, who were in town for our graduation, know that I was in labor, my surges began to intensify (this was about 15 minutes after my water broke). Ben and I had expressed to our midwife that I would like to labor at home as long as possible. And so, I calmly made a “honey to do” list for my parents to complete while we were at the hospital. Only a few minutes into my list, I began needing to lay down and concentrate through my surges. Ben was being very calm and encouraging as he spoke to the midwife on my behalf and began to time my surges.

About thirty minutes after my water broke, I was signficantly uncomfortable. I felt myself losing my ability to relax my body and to stay calm. I dreaded each surge. I was discouraged that I needed to go inside of myself so quickly into labor and felt fear that if this was only the beginning, I wouldn’t be able to endure until the end. In effort to return to a place of peace and trust, I took a bath in the dark and turned on rainbow relaxation. The surges only intensified to the point that I was moaning deeply and sweating. I called Ben into the bathroom to ask for his presence and support. While he was there I began pushing through my contractions and found that this siginficantly relieved the discomfort. It actually felt good! At this point, Ben gently but firmly decided that we needed to go the hospital. I TOTALLY agreed!

From this point on, I allowed my body to take over and simply did what it told me to do. I found myself getting on all fours, arching my back, moaning deeply, and pushing through each surge. The relief and satisfaction when I did this was intense! Though each surge was intense, I no longer felt fear, just a sense of relief and empowerment as I breathed my baby down.

The ride to the hospital was about 15 minutes. My husband was wonderfully calm as I laid in the back seat responding to my surges. We arrived to the hospital at 9:04 am, just shy of two hours since my water broke. The nurse who checked me called for a doctor; I was 10 cm and crowning. When the doctor arrived she instructed me to push (I didn’t need her to tell me! ). I asked if I could wait until I felt the need to push and if I could get into a more natural position than laying on my back. She said ok to both. After positioning myself on my side and waiting for another surge, I continued to breathe the baby down. And, at 9:12 am, only 8 minutes after arriving at the hospital and 2 hours of labor, Atticus Cai Willey was born.

The nurse laid him on my chest with the umblical cord still attached and we watched in awe as he found his way to my breast and nursed for the first time. It was truly a beautiful sight to behold!

My husband and I walk away from our first birth story describing it as incredibly intense, surprisingly intuitive, and deeply satisfying. We believe that our birth story was immeasurably helped by the calm and natural perspective that we learned from Tricia at our hypnobirthing classes. Thank you, Tricia, for showing us that birth can be and IS intuitive, natural, and, most of all, enjoyable!

The Birth of Lillian Margaret (Lily)

2010-07-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

My dear friend (and neighbor) gave birth to her third child a few days ago. Before her second child was born I taught her husband and her HypnoBirthing and was their doula. This time I didn't make it to the birth in time (dang those HypnoBirths can really go quickly!). Below is story of Lily's birth; through her mommy's eyes:

Early Tuesday morning I was 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant and expecting to have to wait another week or so for labor. When I was woken up by contractions a few times between 2am and Jonas' usual 530am wakeup, I figured it was nothing and went back to sleep each time. Once I was actually awake I timed a few and they weren't regular and were between 15 and 30 minutes apart. I knew my labors seemed to be a bit atypical in the past with longer contraction spacing than normal, but I still didn't want to get my hopes up. But just in case I asked Russ to work from home and texted a quick heads-up to Tricia, my doula. Around 11 things petered out completely and I got very cranky. Then at 1 or so they started back up and were 7 to 15 min apart and strong enough that I had to get off my yoga ball and lean over to be comfortable during each one. So I called the midwives and while my timing wasn't classic labor they wanted to check me because of my history of labor getting unexpectedly advanced even without matching the normal patterns they look for. So we packed up (we took our time a bit and I joked with Russ that if I had the baby in the car because he was printing off beer labels for the baby beer, I would NOT be amused) and headed out to drive the hour to their office.

After talking to Tricia on the phone about traffic a bit we decided to call Russ's parents and ask them to head over to Oak Park since we were going to hand off the other kids to them and didn't want them to be late if stuff started cruising along. Then I started noticing that contractions were getting stronger and needing more concentration than they had before and I started listening to my Hypnobirthing track (saved as an audiobook on my Kindle!) during each one and pausing it to talk to Russ and the kids between. At one point I turned to him and said "You know, it's the second time I've used this during labor and I still can't get over how weird it is that an audio track can act like a pain-relief drug." We got to the office and Amy (the midwife) checked me and said I was 6cm, 90% effaced, with a bulging bag. She said we could head over to the hospital and she'd meet us there. We went across the street to grab a quick sandwich from Red Hen Bread and then I had to ask Russ to go get the car because I didn't think I could walk to the parking garage. He realized that meant stuff was advancing pretty quickly so he and Jonas booked it to the garage and back and picked Dorrie and I up.

We drove up to the entrance of West Suburban Med Center and his parents pulled up right behind us. Russ and his parents did a super quick carseat exchange/reinstall and we gave the kids a kiss and then I asked the info desk woman if they had a handy wheelchair as I thought walking was less than enjoyable at that point. We got up to L&D triage, went into the triage room, and I started to feel a bit out of control as things were really kind of trucking along without me at that point. I started concentrating on my Hypnobirthing track more and and thankfully the triage nurses allowed me to do the EFM strip while on my hands and knees instead of lying down, as that was the only position that felt right then. Russ had started doing light touch massage on my back the way Tricia had showed us during our Hypnobirthing preparation with Jonas which helped my focus immensely. The nurse had an OB come in and check me as she was worried that I was going to have the baby right there in triage but she said we had time to get me into the ABC room.

Not long after that Amy got there and we headed to the room. They were filling the tub, but I still felt like the only possible way for me to be was on my hands and knees so I hopped onto the bed. I'm sure plenty of other stuff was happening around me at this point but I was pretty inwardly focused. Pushing made contractions feel less overwhelming so that's what I started doing. Soon my water broke (quite explosively, I heard afterward!) and not long afterward I could feel the baby crowning. That part was the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience, the part where I started thinking "Okay, changed my mind, don't want to do this anymore," but there wasn't really time to dwell on it as she pretty much came rocketing right out after that.

She came out so fast she actually had a few mucous issues and got a little suctioning and oxygen since she didn't get quite the amount of lung-squeezing in the birth canal as usual, but she was perfectly healthy and had Apgars of 8 & 9. It went so fast Tricia got there about 7 minutes after she was born! Then we cuddled for a bit, she nursed a bit, and Russ took her to get get weighing and measuring done. I didn't have any tearing which thrilled me (I was a bit worried since she came flying out so fast!). They came back and told me she was 10 lbs exactly (a medium-sized baby for me! Dorrie was 9#1, Jonas was 10#6) and 20 inches long.

All in all it was a wonderful though very overwhelming experience. 15 minutes in triage and 15 minutes in the ABC room - incredibly intense and fast. But the Hypnobirthing kept me from getting panicky and overwhelmed and Russ remembering his doula training from last time kept me focused and supported. Lily is perfect.

Elective Inductions

2010-07-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

I've noticed an epidemic here in our country and more specifically in the area where I live. Women are being induced, without medical cause and routinely, time and time again. It's become so common here that women look at me strangely when I ask them, "so why are you being induced?" As if it never occurred to them that there should probably be a reason their pregnancy is being forcibly ended. I am not out to blame the moms here; obviously care providers should be practicing evidence based medicine and they should be telling their patients the risks and benefits of all procedures. But they're not, and moms don't even know to ask.

Don't get me wrong, inductions have their place. I was induced when it was found that my son Michael no longer was alive, and I was induced when my hypertension got so out of control that I was risking stroke, seizure, or worse at the end of my pregnancy with Mickey. But to be induced "just because" is risky at best and downright dangerous at the worst.

Unfortunately women are not being given the whole story. They are not being told of the hazards and risks of elective inductions, especially inductions prior to 40 weeks gestation. They are not being told by their care providers that being electively induced (meaning without a true medical indication) increases their chances of needing countless other interventions. And I'm wondering if women do actually realize this, could it be that they probably don't understand the consequences of such interventions? Pitocin, epidurals, forceps, vacuum extractions and c-sections have become so routine in our country that most don't even know the risks that each of these procedures carry. These risks are real. They are not made up by natural childbirth advocates. They are not minimal. I can tell you story after story of moms being electively induced who come to me for their subsequent pregnancies feeling disillusioned and disappointed by their prior experiences. Their pain is often not just emotional, it is oftentimes physical as well.

And it is not just moms who are suffering. There are risks to your baby if you decide to electively induce or have an elective section. I can tell you stories, real stories, of babies born too soon via elective induction or elective c-section who end up struggling to breathe and survive. Babies who spend weeks in the NICU. Babies who would probably have been absolutely healthy and thriving had their moms been left to finish their pregnancies. Babies who seem perfectly normal but who grow into toddlers and preschoolers who are developmentally delayed, have chronic respiratory and viral infections, have uncontrollable asthma...I could go on and on. These are proven and documented consequences that come out of babies being born too soon. Too often I hear women say, "Thank goodness my doctor saved my baby and me with the emergency c-section.", when in actuality, the doctor was probably the one causing all of the issues due to the elective (NOT medically necessary) induction that never should have even occured.

If you are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant, PLEASE educate yourself about "routine" care in the medical model. Know what is evidenced based and what is just done due to personal philosophy. Seek out providers who follow scientific evidence. Consider going toward the midwifery or "wellness" model of care for your pregnancy and birth.

To learn more about evidence based practices in pregnancy and to read about what you need to know and what questions you need to ask while pregnant, please visit Childbirth Connection, Choices in Childbirth or Birth Network

I want to hear from you. Moms and dads who are reading, have you or your partner ever been pressured into having an elective induction or an elective c-section? Please tell us about it below. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER...

The Birth of Lottie Rose

2010-06-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

I just received this birth story from one of my HypnoBirthing moms. Below is the birth story of Lottie, through her mom's eyes:

Our second child, Charlotte “Lottie” Rose was born on May 24th weighing 7lbs 15oz and 21 inches long. The techniques that I learned in Hypnobirthing helped me long before Lottie’s birthing day. After finding out that Lottie was in breech position, I contacted Tricia and sought her help in getting Lottie to turn. She referred me to a spectacular chiropractor, and told me to visualize the baby turning at night while listening to Rainbow Relaxation. Shortly thereafter, I went into preterm labor at 34 weeks, twice. However, at the hospital during my preterm labor, I listened to Rainbow Relaxation and the affirmations and visualized Charlotte turning head down. My husband told me several times that despite the fact we were facing a potential pre-term birth and C-section, that I was incredibly calm and composed. I attribute this to the confidence that I had in our hypnobirthing plan and my continued use of the techniques. Amazingly, while we were at the hospital Lottie went from breech to transverse, then 45 minutes later, turned to head down. I was elated! I was even more thrilled in the coming weeks when early labor stayed at bay and Lottie’s due date approached.

For almost two weeks, I had extended periods of surges which would be 2-3 minutes apart. I knew that I was 4 cm already and finally, on a Sunday, the surges lasted all morning and afternoon and grew stronger. Around 5pm, we departed for the hospital, and I was admitted right away, but was disappointed to learn that I was still only dilated 4cm. I stayed overnight, listened to Rainbow all night, continued to have surges, but progressed to just 5cm 18 hours later. By 8am on Monday, my surges had stalled out completely. At that point my husband and I began to use the Red Balloon visualization, and several other suggested hypnobirthing methods to get labor going again, but to no avail. My doctor presented a few different options for re-starting labor; neither of which I was thrilled with. I could either start a pitocin drip or have my water broken. We asked if we could just go home, but were told that because I was dilated 5cm, there were risks which included having a prolapsed cord. After my husband and I discussed it, I allowed my doctor to break my water. This went against my better judgment, since with my first child the breaking of my water led to incredibly strong surges very quickly. History repeated itself and my surges returned with vigorous intensity, hard and fast. I was able to relax and breathe through them for an hour and a half. At 7 cm, I opted for an epidural because the surges were just too strong for me to tolerate.

Because I got the epidural so late, it wasn’t as effective as I thought it would be. Still able very much to feel surges and the pressure as Lottie moved down the birth path, I breathed her down and through the surges. During the last phase of labor, Lottie’s heart rate began to drop. Consequently, I received an episiotomy to expedite her birth and prevent the need for an emergency c-section. After another hour and a half of labor, our beautiful daughter was born. She nursed right away and has been a wonderful, mild mannered baby. She sleeps well, nurses regularly, and is gaining weight.

Although Lottie’s birth didn’t go exactly as I had planned, hypnobirthing enabled me to be calm and ready for the unexpected during labor. I didn’t plan to get an epidural and I certainly didn’t want an episiotomy, but I just kept telling myself that I could handle any turn that my birthing would take, and I did. Both my pregnancy and birth experience were enhanced through hypnobirthing. I believe that because of hypnobirthing, my daughter moved out of her breech position, and the pre-term labor was warded off. I have her health and full-term birth to be grateful for.

And this is why I think HypnoBirthing is such a helpful childbirth philosophy and method. It is not about birthing unmedicated or with an epidural, vaginally or by c-section. It's about how we handle the labor we are given. Nobody can predict what nature will give us, but we each have the power to decide how we will react to the "hand we're dealt". HypnoBirthing teaches moms how to "calmly take whatever path their birthing will take."

Congratulations to the family of Lottie Rose!!

Epilepsy...you suck

2010-05-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Today is my 8th wedding anniversary to my supportive and amazing husband. Instead of having a celebratory breakfast and a day of fun, I spent the morning at Rush University Medical Center with my youngest daughter as she had a sleep deprived EEG. About 3 weeks ago Macy had a seizure. I keep telling myself that she probably doesn't have a neurological disorder like my oldest daughter, but I'm not sure if it is intution or just wishful thinking and denial. After all, neurological disorders are often genetic. I'm a ball of emotions right now, but surprisingly calm. I know it won't be the end of the world if Macy has epilepsy, but it will suck. Epilepsy sucks.

During the next year I hope to help bring epilepsy out of the shadows. More people need to understand how a neurological disorder in children and adults can be a hassle at the least and deadly at the worst. People need to know how many different kinds of epilepsy there are. They need to know that children with epilepsy often look perfectly "normal", but that doesn't mean they don't struggle with even the most mundane daily tasks and routines. People just need to know epilepsy.

Jasmine Sassack, a mom who took my HypnoBirthing class about two years ago, just sent me a message on Facebook about a walk/run to support epilepsy research. I had no idea that she lost her brother to SUDEP (sudden unexpected death of someone with epilepsy) only 4 days before her daughter was born.

Please join us on Sunday, October 17, 2010 for Paul's Run for Epilepsy to honor Jasmine's brother, to support my daughter, and to raise awareness and money for epilepsy research. Because epilepsy sucks.

UPDATE: Macy's EEG came back normal! There is still a very slim chance she will have more seizures and/or has epilepsy, but most likely she is absolutely fine and the seizure was just random. Woo-hoo!!

Excerpts from Haiti--A Midwive's Journey

2010-05-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Katherine Bramhall is an inspiration to say the least. She is a midwife who has been volunteering and giving her time, knowledge, passion, and love to the women and babies of Haiti for months now. I received the following e-mail from her today. It has been posted her with permission. Please consider donating to Finance for Bumi Sehat Haiti.

9/5/2010

Sunday morning in Haiti….not quite hot, already noisy.

I love it all. I’m the only one awake at the compound after 2 nights and a day of birth at the dome…3 babies…3 new mothers…all born peacefully in one off the most beautiful birth settings I have ever been in.

Go figure. In post-earthquake Haiti…that such exquisite beauty is not only possible less than 4 months after such devastation, but it is functional and operational.

It’s hard for me to not be in love with this. It’s hard for everyone who visits to not be struck by it all. And then fall in love.

It’s still pretty unbelievable, actually.
Except that it’s true. All of it.

The dome at night is a looming, luminescent, white structure, softly lit…a 22 foot tall structure in the middle of a clearing. 44 feet in diameter. Leon planted flowers around one side of it and they are in bloom.

Inside, the walls which separate each birthing space are constructed of thick bamboo poles, with perfectly white, starched sheets stretched across the bamboo frames to serve as soft walls and doorways.

The center console, where the supplies are kept is made of wood. An octagon, which mirrors the roundness of the dome. Josh was brilliant in his vision of this. Its feeling is it is the core of the dome, supporting everything which happens in it.

In the night, with the lights on….soft tube lights around the entire 44 foot circumference of the dome…Christmas lights…give just enough light in each room. Headlamps on birth attendants fill in the rest at just the right times…only as needed.

This scene...this miracle of love…invited 3 new babies into our world in the last 2 nights. This clinic, this soft, solid magic held the space for 3 new women to make their way into motherhood.

And we know that none of this would have been possible without THOUSANDS of people opening their hearts to help keep this possible and happening.

On this Sunday morning, the only feeling I have is endless gratitude.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you.
In love,
Katherine Bramhall
Director of Finances & Volunteer Midwife
Finance for Bumi Sehat Haiti

5/16/2010
Weekend in Haiti

After seeing 47 women and newborn babies on Friday in Prenatal Clinic, the evening breeze was welcome…we were all very tired, but profoundly satisfied. And all semi-secretly hoping for a quiet birthing night so we could sleep a bit. Saturday is the “day after” prenatals…catching up on inventory, charting, planning schedules. By noon all was finished, we were all here and a festive mood set in.

It was hot. It’s always hot, but this was oppressive. Blessing and delight came with the water truck to fill our tank on top of the bathroom building. It always overflows after a fill, a steady stream coming from the roof corner. Kate got THAT look in her eyes, walked straight over in her red tank top and capris and stood under, soaking and cooling every bit of herself…still with that look in her eyes, but mixed with relief.

The “coolest” one among us in more than one way!

Pamela was working in the storeroom and found an inflatable beach ball, blew it up, tossed it out and a sweet game of beach ball volley began, while Nathanael, Stanley and Russeau played Monkey-in-the-Middle in the courtyard.
It was still hot and everyone dispersed…to naps, writing, disappearing to unknown places…and then it was evening.
Kate went to tour Jacmel on foot with Nathanael and Pam and I eventually followed, meeting them on the way back. She and I walked through night neighborhoods of Jacmel to the ocean-front, where you can sit and get a beer at a little table across the street from the ocean. It was the first time she had been out of the compound since she arrived a week later. The ocean was known only as white-topped waves in the dark and a thundering sound.

Oppressive night’s heat…no air moved and it laid on top of all of us. But another blessed night of rest. Sunday morning at 7 we got a call to the dome…2nd time mom in active labor. Pam got there before me and 7 minutes later, a baby girl was born…frank breech…with the placenta arriving almost simultaneously. No complications for mom or baby. Because the dome was so hot, we moved the bed outside under the tarp, so the breeze could cool mom and baby. Family wandered up with food, baby lay nursing peacefully.

Poetry would be so easy at this point in writing! Kate and Pamela burned the cord, as mom watched intently, her relatives observing the entire procedure. I just watched it all. Kate assisted Pamela in every way. The dome was beautiful in our clearing, pure white under the deep, clear blue sky, flowers planted around ½ the perimeter.

What do I write after this? How do I keep deep pride for what we have built out of my words?

Perhaps with gratitude…for the amazing midwives who come and help us build trust in the community one birth at a time by offering their hands, skills and hearts, helping us toward our goal to reduce the highest maternal mortality rate in the west. Perhaps with gratitude for the support we have from the Haitian community in Jacmel…the officials, the men building our clinic, one brick at a time. Perhaps with gratitude to Tata, Russeau, Nadej, Nathanael, Darline and Reginald who keep us going every day…washing our clothes, cooking meals, running errands, advising us…in a million ways.

Katherine Bramhall, Volunteer Midwife and Director of Finance for Bumi Sehat Haiti

Katherine Bramhall
802.279.3158
katherine@gentlelanding.com
http://www.gentlelanding.com/
http://bumisehathaiti.blogspot.com/

New mommy and baby relaxing with family outside of the dome

New mama nursing her newborn baby

Amazing...

Take a nap, Superwoman! --The Value and Importance of a Postpartum Doula

2010-05-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

I asked my good friend (and former homebirth client) Katrina to tell us a little bit about what a postpartum doula is and what she does for families. Check out why you should hire a postpartum doula after your next birth, or why you should consider giving the gift of a postpartum doula to a friend or family member who has a new baby.

Take a nap, Superwoman!
By: Katrina Pavlik

My dad was born in 1943. His mother, a typical woman of her time, was a new mom at age 19, having married her high school sweetheart and moved in with him and his family. No doubt those early years of marriage and motherhood were riddled with tension with the in-laws and my grandfather’s several sisters. Nevertheless, there were plenty of arms to hold the new baby, plenty of people to hop over to the grocery store, do the laundry, change the sheets and cook the meals. My grandmother jokes that my father didn’t touch the ground in his first year of life because there were so many aunties around! Fast forward to 1976. I was born in Colorado, thousands of miles from my grandparents and any extended family. Coming home from the hospital, my mother, now a mother of two, was dropped off at home by my dad, a typical man of his time. My dad (a wonderful person, by the way) went back to work and my mom was on her own.

What happened? When did we forget that new moms need help? That we are not Superwoman and we are not supposed to be? Sure, you can blame this recent phenomenon on gender equality or job mobility or the modern family, but those changes don’t make up for the fact that new moms, whether this baby is their first or their fifth, need skilled, compassionate, I’ll-do-whatever-you-need-me-to-do help.
Postpartum doulas provide the support that you would expect from your best friend and Mary Poppins combined. You got sore nipples? We can help with that. You got a whining 3 year old in desperate need of attention? We can help with that. You got a dusty floor, dirty diaper, screaming baby, demanding visitors, hungry family? Yup, yup, yup - done. More importantly, what about you? What do YOU need? A nap? A shower? A walk? When mama is taken care of, the whole world is a better place.

Postpartum doulas take on all the work that needs to be done so the family can do the most important thing in the world – bond with their brand new, sweet-smelling, gurgling, snuggling, miraculous baby. We “mother” the mother and her family so that they can do the real work of becoming a family.

Sit down, Superwoman. Relax. You can be Superwoman later. Right now, I’ve got you covered.

Katrina Pavlik is a brand new postpartum doula working on the south side of Chicago. She is the mother of two beautiful boys and the wife of one amazing man. She has a Master’s in elementary education and teaches part-time at Daley College. Her passions include chocolate, Jane Austen novels, attachment parenting, cloth diapers and social justice. She dreams of a world where good parenting is seen as heroic and noble. She can be contacted at kpavlik@yahoo.com

My Proudest Accomplishment this Year-Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

My former doula client, and now good friend, Katrina, has asked the moms she knows to answer this question as Mother's Day approaches:

"We as moms rarely give ourselves a pat on the back for all the amazing work we do. What are you MOST PROUD of yourself for doing this year? This can be child related, but it doesn't have to be since we all know we are not only mothers, we are also women!"

Wow...where do I begin? This has been one hell of a year. I got pregnant, sent my oldest off to Kindergarten, attended almost 35 births in 10 months as a doula (while pregnant), taught close to 50 couples HypnoBirthing, taught over 75 undergraduate and graduate students in the School of Education at DePaul, gave birth, and I'm sure I'm leaving many awesome things out. So which of these makes me the most proud? Here are a few of my achievements that stand out:

1. Watching the moms and couples I teach and support become strong and confident makes me more proud than I can even explain. Seeing a pregnant woman have the confidence to trust her inner voice as she labors and births is amazing. Being asked to be in the room when a baby is born makes me even more proud. I can't believe there are people out there that like and trust me enough to allow me to be part of the intimate experience of their baby's birth.

2. Seeing my education students at DePaul student teach with confidence and knowledge, and knowing that they will directly affect so many children positively makes me extremely proud. When I left the early childhood classroom I didn't know if I would ever make a difference in children's lives again, but as an instructor at DePaul I realize I am touching far more children's lives than I ever have before, albeit by proxy!

3. Watching my oldest daughter Cora, who has childhood epilepsy, start Kindergarten at a school that I found through a bit of research and luck makes me so proud of myself. I know my daughter is getting the best education possible at The Academy for Global Citizenship. I know her IEP is being respected and her needs are truly being met. I am amazed by my daughter daily, and I am also proud of all she has accomplished this year.

4. I am proud that I am raising such empathetic and caring little people. My daughters Sydney and Macy handle all of the extra attention Cora receives with grace and understanding. I know many adults who wouldn't handle a similar situation so well.

5. And while all of the above make me proud, I think I am most proud of allowing myself to move on and to open my heart, mind and spirit to carrying and birthing another baby. When I lost Michael in February of 2008 I couldn't imagine ever going through that pain again. I was frightened by the thought of being pregnant again, because there was the potential that I would lose another baby and be right back in that horrible pit of grief and anguish. But I chose to live. I chose to love. I chose to throw caution to the wind and to trust that God would only give me as much as I could handle. And now, as I type this and watch my beautiful 5 month old son, Mickey, as he sleeps, I know I made the right choice. And for that I am immensely proud.

Informed Choice

2010-04-17T20:18:00.000-07:00

I have found that one of the most important steps you can take while pregnant is to become informed. Find out what it is you don't know about giving birth. This doesn't mean merely taking the hospital sponsored class, trusting everything your OB tells you, and showing up hoping for the best. Remember, you don't know what you don't know, and your doctor probably isn't going to go out of his or her way to tutor you on the ins and outs of the "birth world". It's YOUR responsibility to educate yourself on how the maternity system works. You need to explore the many options for prenatal care and the various childbirth philosophies out there, and then it's imperative that you decide which philosophies resonate most with you. Are you okay with the medical model of childbirth or do you prefer the midwifery model of care? Are you okay with routine interventions and protocols? Have you researched the risks and benefits of routine interventions and protocols? Do you know the rates of interventions for your doctor specifically and your hospital in general? Have you explored the option of homebirth? Is your care provider truly following evidence based practices? If not, have you started to make arrangements to switch to a provider who is?

Remember, it's bigger than you. You are carrying a child in your womb, and he or she is counting on you to make INFORMED decisions. Now is not the time to just go with the program, especially when the program involves a "one size fits all" approach. Most care providers routinely do the same interventions for every woman (breaking water bags, elective inductions, starting IV pitocin, epidurals, etc.), regardless of whether or not a mom and baby need those interventions.

Most women ask why it matters. I've been asked many times why a woman shouldn't get all of those interventions. What I think most people don't know is that interventions, each and every one of them, come with risks and are designed to be used judiciously. Some of the risks are small and fairly benign, but some are pretty serious. For example, if a woman decides to allow herself to be induced without medical cause, and before she is in early labor or even pre-labor, her chance of having a C-Section is 40-50% higher than a woman who allows herself to go into labor naturally. Her baby is also at risk for having a myriad of health issues at birth, in the early childhood period, and throughout life. And if she ends up in a C-Section, the risks to mom and baby go up significantly for each subsequent pregnancy.

It's essential that every pregnant woman knows her options. She deserves to know the risks and benefits of all procedures, PRIOR to those procedures being performed. A woman's right to allow or decline procedures MUST be respected. Without truly informed choice, consent, and refusal, a pregnant woman cannot be assured that the best and most appropriate care is being given to her baby and herself.

To learn more about informed choice please attend my workshop this Saturday, April 24th, 2010 from 9:30-11 a.m. at Belle Up Maternity:

I will be holding a workshop at Belle Up Maternity on Saturday April 24th from 9:30-11 a.m. I will talk about prenatal options, informed choice, and doulas. Please tell all of your clients about it! or if you are pregnant, please join us! If you have already taken HypnoBirthing with me or are currently taking it, you are welcome to come for free!!

RECLAIMING YOUR 40: Empowering Expectant Moms for 40 Weeks & Beyond

During what should be one of the most enjoyable times in their lives, many of today’s expectant moms are left wondering “Who’s pregnancy is this anyway?” The short answer: it’s yours!

This class provides an empowering overview of prenatal and childbirth options, including: care provider/hospital selection, prenatal and labor & delivery rights and informed choice. You will also learn about the benefits of a labor and post partum doula to determine whether using one may be right for you. If you believe—as we do—that knowledge is power, then this is the class for you!

DATE: Saturday, April 24, 2010

9:30- 11:00 AM

FEE: $15/person (or couple) *Get $15 credit toward HypnoBirthing® class upon completion of class

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Tricia Fitzgerald, M.Ed, HBCE, CD(DONA), Gentle Beginning, Inc.

Tricia, who was most recently spotted on TLC’s “A Baby Story” as a doula to one of her clients, is a Certified HypnoBirthing® Practitioner and Labor/Birth Doula, who specializes in teaching her clients comfortable, relaxing and empowering birthing methods and techniques that positively support the birthing process for their hospital or home births. Tricia holds a Masters in Early Childhood Development and Education from DePaul University, where she currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the School of Education. She lives in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago, and she and her husband have three daughters, one son, and one angel in heaven—all born using HypnoBirthing® The Mongan Method.

A letter to health care providers

2010-04-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

If you are an Obstetrician or Certified Nurse Midwife, thank you for all you do for pregnant women and their babies. If you know or visit an OB and/or a CNM, please share the following letter with them.

Dear Dr. or CNM:

Perhaps you are familiar with HypnoBirthing®. If not, I'd like to tell you a bit about this method of childbirth education. HypnoBirthing® differs from other childbirth education in three ways:

1. Most childbirth classes teach that pain is inevitable with birthing.
,
HypnoBirthing® teaches that most pain is due to fear and anxiety,

and the subsequent effects of catecholamine. Positive visualization,

similar to techniques employed in sports psychology, and deep

relaxation techniques enable women to labor free of anxiety, thus

releasing their natural endorphins to make labor more comfortable.

2. HypnoBirthing® emphasizes that pregnancy and birthing are

normal, healthy functions and that the majority are without pathology.

Women are encouraged to trust in their bodies to function as they are

designed, and to trust in their health care providers to manage

problems if they arise. Therefore, we do not spend much time teaching

about complications in pregnancy and birth.

3. HypnoBirthing® encourages women to always remember that the

most important consideration during their pregnancy, labor and birthing,

is the health and wellbeing of their baby. We believe that

if women really connect and begin bonding before birth, they are more

likely to make wise decisions about managing their pregnancy and labor.

During their labor, HypnoBirthing® women are very deeply relaxed with the aid of self-hypnosis. They are able to move around in this state, and are not asleep or unconscious. They are encouraged to have their husband, a friend or relative serve as birthing companion to help them to maintain and deepen their relaxation as labor progresses. Women using HypnoBirthing® can, and will, ask for anesthesia if they need it. If you would like additional information, I am more than happy to meet with you briefly or provide a mini-in-service, perhaps over lunch or breakfast. I left some brochures for you to share with your patients.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of service to you.

Sincerely,

Tricia Fitzgerald, M.Ed, HBCE, CD(DONA)

Gentle Beginning, Inc.

773-620-3829

fitzer21@hotmail.com

http://www.triciafitzgerald.blogspot.com/

Spring

2010-04-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally upon us here in Chicago. The wind smells of life and the promise of more beautiful days to come. My girls are thrilled to be able to play outside and I am happy that they will no longer spend all day destroying the house! My son Mickey is growing and changing everyday and I can't believe he'll already be 4 months old.

As I look ahead I am beginning to plan my HypnoBirthing classes and doula availability calendar. My maternity leave from births allowed me time to bond with my baby and to nurture and nurse him on demand. I am happy to report, though, that for doula services I am available to interview with moms and dads who have guess dates of January 2011 and later (the "later" aren't even pregnant yet!!). I will continue to teach HypnoBirthing classes on Saturdays at Little Company of Mary Hospital
( http://www.lcmh.org/body.cfm?id=672) and on Sundays at Elmhurst Yoga Shala (http://www.elmhurstyogashala.com/prenatal/hypnobirthing.html).

I have a few spots left for my Saturday class beginning April 17th and my next Sunday series will begin mid-June. Please e-mail me at fitzer21@hotmail.com for more information.

Please watch "A Baby Story" on TLC on Monday April 5th at noon to see me as a doula for one of my HypnoBirthing moms here in Chicago.

Happy Spring!!

Supporting a Grieving Family

2010-03-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

Having experienced early pregnancy loss and the stillbirth of a child, I can tell you that grieving the loss of a child is a painful and confusing process. Our society has made death, especially of a baby or child, a taboo subject. Families who lose a baby often find that those around them urge them to "just pick up and move on". Well meaning family and friends often share comments such as, "Well, it was for the best.", or "It was God's will.". These remarks often anger grieving parents and leave them feeling isolated and alone in their sorrow. Sharon Gourlay, a HypnoBirthing Childbirth Educator, wrote a profoundly important article on how birth professionals (doulas, midwives, etc.) can support grieving families. I think everyone should read this article, because the advice given is helpful even for those not in the birthing profession. At some point in our lives we will all know at least one person who has had a miscarriage or a stillborn baby. I hope Sharon's article will help you find the strength and knowledge you need to truly support the grieving mom and her family.

Supporting a Grieving Family
By Sharon Gourlay BA, C.Ht, HBCE, HBIMI, RMT
© March 25, 2010

Love one another and help others to rise to the higher levels, simply by pouring out love. Love is infectious and the greatest healing energy.--Sai Baba

As a birth professional one of the hardest tasks you may face is how to support a family who has lost a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal loss. Through my own personal loss and then working with families that have experienced this tragedy I have learned that the below three principals are critical:

1. Listen – "A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren't we like that wise old bird?" Don't try to find the perfect words. There are none. Listening from a loving and centered heart is what a grieving family needs.

2. Be there - When I say "be there" I mean help the family out if possible. No one wants to cook or eat during this time. Take a prepared meal to them. Offer to take the couple's children for an afternoon so they can connect. If you know the family's religious preference, bring them a candle, an icon, or some other spiritual gift. Help clean out the baby stuff. Offer to help clean the house. These little things can be of tremendous help to the family.

3. Compassion - The mother especially will need a safe space to express her grief (pain, anger, sorrow, sadness). What is a safe space? It's different for each person however I believe the following will uphold most people's desire for a safe space:
a. Create a space that is non-judgmental. Healing and releasing grief can be the work of extremes. For a mother to feel safe she needs to know she won't be judged if she is going through denial or anger and can say what needs to come out of her heart.
b. Being able to support in a whole way a mother that is"broken" (physically, emotionally, and spiritually).
c. Being able to express fears, anxiety, stress and know it will go no further than the safe harbor of your arms.
d. Being able to say nothing. Silence is golden when trying to grieve.
e. If you can hold this space for her please do. Not having a safe space causes us to go inward and retreat which makes the grieving process more physically, emotionally, and spiritually demanding.

One of the things most professionals are afraid of is words! What words can I use to help support this family? What if I say the wrong thing? To that I always say speak from your heart. When we use heart centered consciousness we spread love and that is actually thoughtful speech. We think before we speak and that is good.

Some things that I caution professionals never to say:
• It was God's will.
• You can have another baby.
• It was for the best.
• I know how you feel. (Unless you have personally experienced theloss of a baby.)
• Your baby is in a better place.
• Time heals all wounds.
• At least you have other children.
• It's been __ amount of time….get over it! It is time toget on with your life.
• You now have an angel in heaven.

There are many other things you can say or do that will help:
• What can I do to help you today? Asking to help can be incredibly beneficial. It allows the mother to decide that day on what level she needs help.
• Can I help you with contacting friends and family?
• Offer to help the mother with insurance paperwork etc.
• Offer to take the children for an afternoon at the park, zoo, or whatever might be comfortable for the family.
• I am running errands, is there something I can do for you?
• Prepare some extra meals for the family to put in the freezer.
• Bring the family a pizza or some other meal on a hard day.
• Use the baby's name when talking to the parents.
• Find local and online support group and give them to the family to use or not use.
• Remember birth dates, due dates, and angel dates.
• Participate on October 15th – Pregnancy and Baby Loss Remembrance Day
• Light a candle in memory of the baby and family.
• Give the family a candle they can light or seeds that they can plant in memory of their baby.
• Give the mother a remembrance book so she can write down important facts and events around her pregnancy/birth experience.
• Give the mother a journal so she can express herself in words or a scrapbook in pictures.

Birth Professionals need to remember to be gentle with themselves when supporting a family in this way. You can become emotionally attached and may need to work through feelings yourself. Take time to reenergize and connect with your family. Meditation and prayer support may be important for you to remain connected to your source. To support another being you need to feel connected yourself. You may need space when doing this type of work. Make sure that the grieving family has an alternate support system besides you. Asking for help within the birthing community by other doulas, childbirth educators, and midwives sometimes is necessary to ensure the family is supported those critical first three months after the loss (especially if you are working with other pregnant and birthing mothers). Remember, "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal". The love that you show the grieving mother and family can't remove their heartache but it can help them on their healing journey to see they are supported and love.

Love is, Love endures, Love is the answer.

Improving the Maternal Mortality Rate in the U.S.

2010-03-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

How Every Mother Can Improve the U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate
Christine Sheets-Nutile

In January of this year, the Joint Commission issued an alert1 to U.S. hospitals which stated, “trends and evidence suggest that maternal mortality rates may be increasing in the U.S.” The national rate is currently three to five times GREATER than that of European countries.2 Unbelievably, a woman giving birth in the U.S. today has a greater risk of dying than a woman birthing in 40 other countries.2

The Commission (which is the leading health care accreditation and standards group in the United States) went on to state that between 28-50% of maternal deaths were PREVENTABLE. In fact, half of the most common errors were related to post-operative care following caesarean sections.1

Recent reports also show that, in the U.S.,3 rates of both labor induction and c-section are TWICE the World Health Organization’s recommendations.2 As we are seeing, these medical interventions (while common) are not without risk.

Labor induction typically involves the use of synthetic oxytocin. This artificial substitute interferes with a woman’s own oxytocin receptors and can lead to postpartum hemorrhaging, delayed or inhibited bonding with her newborn and difficulty establishing breastfeeding.4 A medically induced labor also significantly increases a woman's chances of having an unplanned c-section.5

The risk of a mother’s death after a c-section is more than three times greater than a mother who gave birth vaginally.6 Over a 10 year period, California had a 50% increase in c-sections AND a 50% increase in maternal mortality.7

A Climate of CoercionThe current mainstream birth culture in the U.S. is simply appalling. Pregnancy and birth are treated as a disease and acute trauma-waiting-to-happen. Many women are not given complete information about the birth process. More and more cases are being reported of maternity patients being coerced into submission; their basic human rights are ignored or even revoked through the courts.

Serious medical interventions are presented as a matter of course and focus exclusively on the expected benefits. Risks and adverse effects are usually not even acknowledged! The provider states whatever he or she believes will result in the mother's compliance with the provider’s desired course of action.8

According to “Evidence-Based Maternity Care” (Sakala and Corry), a truly informed choice “requires access to a range of options, good understanding of best evidence about benefits and harms of offered care and of alternatives and solid support for the choices women make.” This rarely occurs among U.S. maternity patients. 4

In a 2009 interview, Dr. Debra Bingham, Executive Director for the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative and a member of a Maternal Mortality Review Committee, told Amnesty International that the process of gaining an obstetric patient’s consent is highly variable and can depend on who provides information, what information is shared, and how that information is presented to a pregnant woman. “For example, someone who will benefit financially from the woman’s decision may provide information differently than someone who is not financially affected by her decision. Currently, there is limited documentation on what information is shared, how and by whom.”9

Astonishingly, this behavior is not limited to maternal care providers for disadvantaged, low-income or uneducated women. Time and time again, I’ve seen high-powered, confident, educated women become completely submissive. They forgo asking questions and just trust their doctors to make decisions for them, and then accept whatever course of treatment may result.

The Alternative Birth Movement (or What’s “Normal” for the Rest of the World)83% of women in the U.S. have low-risk pregnancies.10 In most countries, these low-risk women would receive their maternal care from midwives or family practice physicians and often give birth at home. Outside of the U.S., the goal is to minimize risks and maximize good outcomes for mothers and babies, rather than maximize income for a provider and facility. So most obstetricians limit their practice to treating women with high-risk pregnancies and those who develop unexpected complications.11 Ironically, many OB’s in the U.S. no longer have the aptitude or knowledge possessed by their predecessors for such uncommon procedures as: external version to manually turn a baby, vaginal breech birth or vaginal birth of twins.4

It’s interesting to note that groups of maternal care providers identify their roles very differently. OB’s feel it is their responsibility to actively manage childbirth. Midwives and other physicians perceive their function to be facilitators in the birthing process.12 This fundamental distinction is evidenced in the care and treatment of their patients: 4 Midwives possess more hands-on skills and are better able to support a woman in labor and assist her during birth than OB’s; midwives use medical intervention more judiciously than OB’s; and midwives understand that a woman’s individual mind-set, desires and personal history play an important part in her birth, while OB’s deny these influences. 12

In low risk situations, intervention can, in fact, actually impede the birthing process and create those life or death situations that doctors claim to be trying to avoid. Despite their lengthy and expensive educations, far too many U.S. care providers have little or NO experience in observing a normal, natural birth. Therefore, they have no idea what a normal birth looks like, much less what a woman in that situation may need.

Not surprisingly, across the nation, low-risk women and their babies have better outcomes when attended by a midwife, rather than an OB.4, 8

Loss of Faith, Rise of FearIn contrast to the rest of the world, almost all pregnant women in the U.S. choose to receive their care from an OB and give birth in a hospital. When it's truly needed, medical intervention can, of course, mean the difference between life and death.

But women’s bodies are designed to give birth -- without any interference! It’s only been in the past 100 years13, that birth was appropriated from women and transformed into a paternalistic, medical, mechanized event.14 As such, women lost the knowledge that comes from witnessing and assisting their mothers and sisters give birth. And women lost faith in their bodies’ innate abilities.

Today’s mother-to-be has probably heard more birth-related horror stories than she can count. From the time she was a young girl, she may have heard her mother, her aunts, and even her friends discuss childbirth as a painful, frightening injury. Unfortunately, these misconceptions are perpetuated and reinforced through popular culture of television and movies. In reality, a normal birth wouldn’t bring in big ratings or box-office dollars.

Follow the Money
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country.15 And more money is spent on maternal health than ANY other form of hospital care.8 Unfortunately, the majority of OB policies, routine procedures and official recommendations are woefully out of date in regards to evidence-based care.4

Outside of the U.S., hospitals typically have a variety of low-tech equipment to aid a woman giving birth – tubs, birthing balls, robes, birthing stools, squatting bars, etc. Any of these can help make birth safer and more comfortable. Unfortunately, very few U.S. hospitals can offer anything besides pharmaceuticals. For the hospital administrator, a birth free of medical interventions is a lost billing opportunity.11

The vast majority of births do NOT require any intervention; but 50-80% of births in U.S. hospitals have AT LEAST one. In reality, any one of these procedures is truly medically necessary in fewer than 20% of all births.8 Ergo between 30-60% of women giving birth in U.S. hospitals are having unnecessary medical procedures performed upon them! But, necessary or not, all of these medical procedures and interventions allow physicians to maximize their billing opportunities.11

In some parts of the country, it’s extremely difficult to find a provider willing to intervene ONLY when truly medically necessary -- especially if the woman has had a previous c-section. Fewer and fewer facilities are willing to accept VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) patients.

After years of increased c-sections, most hospitals have reconfigured their maternity units to accommodate more surgical deliveries: more services scheduled during weekday hours, and more post partum beds – needed for the longer stays required after c-sections. These changes required costly capital investments. Now administrators need to see a return on those investments. So it’s not surprising that hospital policies reflect the facility’s increased dependence on the revenue generated by c-sections. After all, a c-section brings in TWICE the revenue of a vaginal birth.4 A surgical birth is also easier on the doctor. It takes less time and is much more predictable than a normal labor and delivery.

For years, the medical establishment has been working to limit birthing options. They've fought against birthing centers, homebirth, midwives, even against their own accountability.
Many believe that they’re more interested in protecting their revenues than improving outcomes for our mothers and babies.11

Rather than abolishing choices, vilifying alternatives and criminalizing their competition, I'd prefer to see them working for other, more worthy goals – such as educating their patients, encouraging normal/natural births and working with facilities to update protocols to reflect evidence-based medicine, all of which will ultimately reduce maternal mortality.

Until then, it’s up to us to change the birth culture!

Improve Your Own Chances of Survival
If you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant:

Examine your pre-conceived ideas on birth. How were these formed? From stories of women of previous generations? From fictional or sensationalized movies and tv shows? YouTube is awash with amazing, joyous videos of women experiencing normal, natural births. Use these to visualize the kind of birth YOU want.

Take responsibility for your own education on birth! While pregnant, you have months to prepare and can seek out accurate, complete information. Labor is a time of extreme, internal focus. It would be difficult to absorb and comprehend a significant amount of new information. So preparation is key, in case you need to make decisions quickly. Research common interventions such as: ultrasounds, fetal monitoring, induction of labor, epidurals, extractions and c-sections. Learn the risks and what factors determine when each may truly become necessary. Insist that your provider obtain informed consent for each procedure.

Read books on natural birthing options. Consider alternatives to the standard OB-attended hospital birth. Choosing a high-tech OB at a high-tech hospital doesn’t guarantee you a safe birth. But it WILL increase your risk for high-tech interventions which may or may not be medically necessary.16 Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM’s) are licensed in all 50 states and can attend births in hospitals, birth centers or even your home. Don’t be afraid to make an unusual choice when it comes to what’s best for you and your baby!

Don’t choose your provider or facility simply based on location or insurance coverage. Seek out like-minded mothers and local doulas and get their recommendations.

Schedule a consultation with potential providers before committing to one. Get their rates of various interventions – fetal monitoring, inductions, episiotomies, forcep delivery, vacuum extraction and c-sections. Ask how much freedom you’ll have during labor – particularly on movement, eating/drinking and positioning for birth. Are there limitations on who is allowed to attend your birth? If they’re anything less than forthcoming with these answers, find another provider. Tour the facility. Ask questions there as well, specifically regarding their procedures for newborn care, policies on rooming-in and breastfeeding support.

Listen to your instincts. More women are educating themselves and seeking providers based on their shared philosophies of birth. Unfortunately, medical professionals can also offer the all too familiar “bait-and-switch.” The provider will agree with everything the mother-to-be wants for her birth throughout her pregnancy, but has NO intention of letting the birth happen on those terms. Shockingly, some will even go out of their way to make SURE it doesn’t, regardless of what’s in the best interest of the mother and her baby. So if you have any reservations about your provider or facility, especially if you feel they are patronizing you, don’t be afraid to make a change – no matter how far along you are.

Surround yourself with others who have had intervention-free births. Listen to their stories. Ignore those who tell you that you won’t be able to handle it.

Take a childbirth class, preferably one OUTSIDE of a hospital setting. (Too often, classes hosted by the hospital are more about “How to Be a Good Patient.”) Bradley and Hypnobirthing are excellent choices.

Choose your labor support team wisely. While your partner, family members and friends may want to be present at the birth, consider hiring a doula. She can provide physical and emotional support throughout your pregnancy, birth and post-partum period. She is knowledgeable about the process of birth, familiar with area providers and facilities and can facilitate communication with staff to help you make informed decisions. A woman in labor is vulnerable – both physically and emotionally. A doula can help protect your space and your choices.

Empower yourself to have the birth YOU desire! Birth is a business. As more mothers demand normal, natural births, providers and facilities will be forced to adapt to attract consumers. Reducing unnecessary interventions will lead to healthier mothers and babies!

Christine Sheets Nutile is a mother of three. She was supported by a doula and used Hypnobirthing for each of her midwife-attended hospital births. She is the co-founder of an Attachment Parenting group in the south suburbs of Chicago. She is also an advocate for natural childbirth, breastfeeding, babywearing and home education.

REFERENCES
1 The Joint Commission, Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 44 from January 26, 2010, “Preventing Maternal Death”; available at http://www.jointcommission.org/SentinelEvents/SentinelEventAlert/sea_44.htm

2 WHO, UNICEF and Wellstart International, “Baby-friendly Hospital Initiative: Revised, Updated and Expanded for Integrated Care”, 2009; available at http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/9789241594967_s1/en/index.html

3 J. A. Martin et al, Centers for Disease Control, Births: “Final Data for 2006”;
National Vital Statistics Reports, Volume 57, Number 7, from January 7, 2009; available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr57/nvsr57_07.pdf

4 C. Sakala and M. P. Corry, “Evidence-Based Maternity Care: What It Is and What It Can Achieve,” Childbirth Connection and the Reforming States Group, 2008, pages 37, 47, 62-67; available at http://www.childbirthconnection.org/pdfs/evidence-based-maternity-care.pdf

5 K. E. Kaufman, “Elective Induction: An Analysis of Economic and Health Consequences”.

6 C. Deneux-Tharaux et al, “Postpartum Maternal Mortality and Cesarean Delivery”, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Volume 108, Number 3, Part 1, September 2006; available at
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/green_journal/2006/v108n3p541.pdf and
J. Villar et al, “Maternal and Neonatal Individual Risks and Benefits Associated with Caesarean Delivery: Multicentre Prospective Study”, BMJ, 2007; 335; 1025; page 5; available at
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/reprint/335/7628/1025?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=Caesarean+delivery+rates&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

7 California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative, www.cmqcc.org/maternal_mortality and www.cmqcc.org/maternal_disparities

8 R.M. Andrews, “The National Hospital Bill: The Most Expensive Conditions by
Payer, 2006”, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, Statistical Brief 59, 2008, page 7;
available at http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb59.pdf

9 Amnesty International Publications, “Deadly Delivery: The Maternal Health Care Crisis in the USA”, 2010, page 1 and 79, available at http://www.amnestyusa.org/dignity/pdf/DeadlyDelivery.pdf

10 National Center for Health Statistics. 2006. 2003 Natality Data Set. SETS 2.0, Rev. 805. Vital and Health Statistics. CD-ROM Series 21, Number 17, May.

11 S. Goodman, “Piercing the Veil: The Marginalization of Midwives in the United
States”, Social Science & Medicine, 65, 2007, pp. 610–21; available at
http://www.collegeofmidwives.org/Citations%20or%20text%2002/Marginalizing_NurseMfry_May07.pdf

12 B Reime et al, “Do Maternity Care Provider Groups Have Different Attitudes Towards Birth?” BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Volume 111, Issue 12, Pages 1388-1393; available at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118813477/HTMLSTART

13 Y. Lapp Cryns, “Homebirth: As Safe as Birth Gets” The Compleat Mother Magazine 1995; available at http://www.compleatmother.com/homebirth/hb_safety.htm

14 J.J. Mathews and K. Zadak, “The Alternative Birth Movement in the United States: History and Current Status”, Women Health, 1991, Volume 17, Number 1, Page 39; available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2048321

15 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD Health Data 2009–
Frequently Requested Data; available at http://www.oecd.org/document/16/0,3343,en_2649_33929_2085200_1_1_1_1,00.html

16 M. Wagner, “Technology in Birth: First Do No Harm”, Midwifery Today, 2000;
available at http://www.midwiferytoday.com/articles/technologyinbirth.asp#sources

Zachary Gareth is Here!!!

2010-03-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

Zachary Gareth

February 11, 2010

6 lbs, 12oz.

20.5”

I didn’t use Hypnobirthing for the birth of my first child in 2006. Nonetheless, I had what I considered to be a “rockstar labor” – a vaginal delivery that lasted about 12 hours total. I labored in a tub, which really helped me to tolerate the contractions, and pushed for somewhere around ½ hour. Sometime during that labor, I discovered that my contractions were a lot less painful if I ‘breathed into’ them – a technique similar to one I had learned in yoga class for stretching into and holding poses. I found that if I could direct my body towards relaxation and focused on my breathing that time seemed to ‘distort’ and my contractions were a lot more manageable. When I became pregnant with my second child, I wanted to make sure that I had this same sort of experience; Hypnobirthing seemed a good fit.

I could 'tell' I was getting close to Zach's birthday earlier the week before he was born, but asked him to please wait until the big snow storm had passed though. 12 hours after the storm had passed, at 1:19am, my first surge woke me after a set of dreams about giving birth. I began timing surges to look for regularity and put on my headphones to listen to my relaxation CD. At 2:00 am I was up again and called my mom to come over to be with my daughter and called the midwife. She said to wait until surges were about 5 minutes apart before going into the hospital, noted that I sounded calm, and said to try to get some sleep.

By 5:00am, I was surging about every 8 minutes, but they were very intense. I wanted to go to the hospital to soak in the big labor tub – warm water sounded SOOO good. My husband suggested a hot shower instead, saying I seemed pretty calm and that we should wait until things were more intense to go to the hospital. We didn’t want to be there all day, he said.
By 6:00am, I put my foot down and said I wanted the tub -- we were out of hot water at home. My mom (an RN with OB experience) guessed from the frequency of my surges that I was around 6-7 cm dialed and I was still about 7 minutes apart.

We arrived at the hospital around 6:35am; I called the midwife and sent a text message to a friend at 6:28am while on the way. I refused to let the hospital staff put me in a wheelchair and walked through the hospital and up to the 4th floor. The intern that let me up to the L&D unit kept asking me if I was OK. I probably looked a little odd and rather distracted with my pajamas and headphones still on, telling them I was in labor but did not want to be wheeled upstairs. When I arrived in the unit, feeling somewhat dazed, I announced that I wanted to soak in the labor tub.

However, when I was checked, I was apparently 10 cm dilated and Zach was almost crowning!!! I couldn’t believe it! No time for the tub! No time for my GBS injection! No time even for a fetal monitoring strip! My husband was still parking the car and the midwife hadn't arrived yet. (Later, she said I had sounded so calm on the phone that she didn't think there was any hurry.)Within 10 minutes, my water broke, my husband and the midwife showed up, and I delivered Zach in about three pushes. My dear husband held my leg with one hand and gave me light touch massage on my back with the other. :)

Zach’s Agpar was 9.9+ and he nursed on the first try. Since I had no tears and Zach was healthy (he was testing GBS negative even though I hadn’t had the injection) we were permitted to go home 24 hours later, which I really wanted to do because my daughter was missing us back at home.

Up until Zach was born, I really didn’t think it was possible to have a better labor experience than the one I had in 2006. Boy, was I wrong! The surges were uncomfortable, but manageable with breathing and visualizations, and to only have to push a few times at the end was FANTASTIC! An added benefit that I noticed is that because I didn’t spend a lot of time straining and pushing, my postpartum recovery period was a lot shorter than before, too.

YEAH Hypnobirthing and MANY THANKS to Tricia for all her fantastic information and support!

Congratulations and welcome to the world Zach!!!

For good causes

2010-03-13T19:17:00.000-08:00

As the economy continues to give a lot of us grief, it can be difficult to imagine donating to any cause out there. But I urge you to think about donating to these worthy causes...even $1 or $5 can make a huge difference!!

Hi there I am walking for Champions for Children's Walk which will benefit the Joli Burrell Child Advocacy Center in Park Forest, IL. If you click on the link you can find out more about the center They provide victim sensitive investigative services for children so that they do not have to be repeatedly questioned by the police. I am sending you the link so you can take a look and see what we are doing. You can donate any amount even a $1 under my name to help the walk. http://illinois.events.nationalchildrensalliance.org/index.php?s=47&group_id=47

Thanks for reading this.

Vikki Rompala

As many of you know, my husband and I know the pain of losing a baby. We also know many other families who have endured restless nights as they wonder if they're premature babies will survive. That is why I'm very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year and hope you will join my team! Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We're walking because we want to do something about this. The money we raise will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care. Please join my team. You can do so on my team Web page. If you can't walk with me, please help the team reach our goal by making a donation. You can do that online as well. Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!
Peace, Tricia Fitzgerald Visit my team Web page at http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=2883293&ct=4&w=4044454&u=triciafitzgerald
Would you like to see what March for Babies is and why I'm walking? Click the link to see the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ1CsZbjY0g
If you would like to learn more about March for Babies, visit the Web site at http://www.marchforbabies.org/.
The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. Michael's 2nd birthday would have been this Wednesday, February 3rd. Please join us on April 25th to walk in his honor!
Thanks!
Tricia

Zachary John has arrived!!

2010-03-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

I recently finished a HypnoBirthing series at Elmhurst Yoga Shala. There were 6 couples in the course and so far 2 of the moms have birthed their babies. Allison sent me her birth timeline/story today. Enjoy!!

Hi All! Following is a summary of my birth experience...
- Zachary John Schwarz was born Fri, 3/5 at 9:36pm, 7lb 15oz (at 37 weeks, 2 days)
- Went to midwife appt on Thurs, 4cm dilated and 60% effaced, she wanted to induce me Fri morning, due to hypertension and preeclampsia issues
- We agreed to do more labs, give me the weekend to start on my own, then reassess on Mon, also allowed her to stir up my membranes, not something I wanted to do but when weighed against inducement, a better option in my mind
- Tried some natural methods of inducement (fear release, relaxation and visualization, some acupressure, even ate spicy food!)
- Back to midwife on Fri, blood work had some funkiness, but 4+ cm dilated and 80% effaced, she wanted to induce me Sat
- Focused again on relaxation and visualization, laid down for afternoon, had feeling like I was getting my period (which I had had for several days actually)
- Some membranes released at 4pm, by 4:45 was finally noticing a discernible pattern of any kind in surges, perceived as lower back tension, began using slow breathing
- By 5:45, perception of surges had moved to belly, between 3-4 minutes apart
- Arrived at hospital at 6:20, 6cm dilated, continued slow breathing and other techniques (rainbow, affirmations)
- Needed IV for penicillin (GBS +), nurses were having trouble putting it in, a couple different nurses tried on one arm until they finally called in another nurse to try on my other arm, Bob told me that when they let go of my right arm to try the IV in my left arm, my right arm just dropped heavily onto the bed, I was so relaxed
- My fantastically awesome birth companion, Bob, used light touch massage, anchor (hand on shoulder), verbal prompts ("deeper, breathe, loose and limp"), intense eye contact; he also kept me hydrated and used a cool washcloth on my neck
- Had all kinds of other tools and visuals that I did not even feel the need to use
- Believe I breathed him down, breathing pattern changed with stronger surges
- Felt pressure in bottom, checked by midwife and was 10cm, couldn't even believe it
- Decided to push, felt right and good, in the position that my body told me (which was one that I never would have thought), pushed 15-20 minutes through 6-8 surges and he was born, healthy and beautiful!

The beautiful Schwarz family

Talk about "loose and limp" "Rainbow Overdose"

- Did get one minor perineal tear, probably because I was so enthusiastic on my final push
- Total time of (nonmedicated) labor and birth with what I would perceive/describe as discomfort/pressure = 5 hours
- And get this, blood pressure throughout labor was normal! lower than it has been the entire pregnancy
- In addition, do not have a ton of postpartum soreness
- I ABSOLUTELY ATTRIBUTE THE SUCCESS OF MY BIRTH EXPERIENCE TO MY COMMITMENT TO HYPNOBIRTHING COMBINED WITH PRENATAL YOGA

Korina... I found Hypnobirthing to be well-respected by our midwives and Hinsdale Hospital. The only people present in the room other than us during labor and birth were our midwife and one nurse. One additional nurse came in after he was born to assist. Very good overall experience with the hospital.

I guess this turned into pretty much the full story!

Perhaps more later,

Allison Schwarz

Congratulations to the entire Schwarz family!!!

The Purpose and the Value of Labor Support

2010-02-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

In 2007 when I applied for my DONA doula certification I was required to write an essay about the Purpose and the Value of Labor Support. Today I was reading through some old files and I came across my essay. I was happy to see that I still agree with everything that I wrote. Enjoy!

The Purpose and the Value of Labor Support

I. The benefits of labor support to the mother and her family
Giving birth is a highly transformational and often empowering event in a woman’s life. Labor and birth deeply affect the entire family. This impact can either be negative and traumatizing or it can leave a family feeling elated and blissful. When a laboring mother and father feel supported and free of fear they are better able to let go and allow labor and birth to occur as naturally as possible. Labor doulas help partners support the laboring mom by offering encouragement, comfort measures, and sometimes simply the chance for the birth partner to step out for a walk or a bite to eat. In the end, having a labor doula present at a birth almost always results in a more peaceful, comfortable and calm birthing experience for mom, dad, baby, and the entire family.

II. The purpose behind providing labor support
Labor can be a tremendously trying time for a mom and her birth partner, especially if the parents are unaware of how the birthing process works and if they are left alone in a hospital room with little information or positive support. When a woman seeks a labor support person she recognizes, even if only subconsciously, that giving birth is a process that will test her physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. Thus, she is seeking the support, guidance, and empathy of another woman, often one who has labored and birthed herself. The main purpose of providing labor support to a mom is because a woman is a whole person; she is not just a uterus and vagina “delivering” a baby. Doulas work hard to attend to every aspect of a laboring mom. While the highest priority is a physically healthy mom and baby, doulas are also a gentle reminder that the emotional, psychological and spiritual well being of mom, dad, baby, and the entire family are valuable and must be nurtured during the process of labor and birth.
It has been found that when women find and work with doulas they have shorter labors, a reduced need for pain medications, and a lower chance of having a C-Section (Klaus, Kennell and Klaus). Quite simply, the purpose of providing a trained labor support person to a mom is so she, her birth partner, and her baby can enjoy a shorter, easier and healthier birth.

III. The doula’s responsibilities
Doulas are not midwives, doctors or nurses. They do not have medical training, and thus, do not provide any medical services. This includes but is not limited to internal exams, blood pressure readings, or listening to the heart tones of a baby. Rather, a doula’s responsibility is to provide emotional, physical and informational support to a laboring mom and her birthing partner. While a doula does not have medical training she does (or at least should) have knowledge of the birthing process and interventions that may be suggested during labor and birth. If special circumstances or “bumps in the road” occur a doula can help a mom and her birthing partner formulate questions so that they will fully understand what is happening and so they can make truly informed decisions. It must be noted that while doulas do help parents advocate for themselves and their babies, they are not to make decisions for a laboring mom nor should a doula ever speak for the parents. At times a doula may have to act as a mediator or a facilitator of healthy dialogue between the parents and medical staff, but it is imperative that all decisions are made by the laboring mom and her partner. In the end a doula’s job is to respect the choices of her clients, even if they are not the same choices she would make for herself.

Bibliography
Klaus, M.H.; Kennell, J.H.; and Klaus, P.H. (2002). The Doula Book. Perseus Publishing: Cambridge, MA.

Team Michael

2010-01-29T22:57:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, my husband and I know the pain of losing a baby. We also know many other families who have endured restless nights as they wonder if they're premature babies will survive.

That is why I'm very excited to be a part of March for Babies this year and hope you will join my team!

Every day, thousands of babies are born too soon, too small and often very sick. We're walking because we want to do something about this.

The money we raise will support March of Dimes research and programs that help moms have full-term pregnancies and babies begin healthy lives. And it will be used to bring comfort and information to families with a baby in newborn intensive care.

Please join my team. You can do so on my team Web page. If you can't walk with me, please help the team reach our goal by making a donation. You can do that online as well.

Thank you for helping me give all babies a healthy start!

Peace,

Tricia Fitzgerald

Visit my team Web page at

http://www.marchforbabies.org/team/t1371537

Would you like to see what March for Babies is and why I'm walking?
Click the link to see the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ1CsZbjY0g

If you would like to learn more about March for Babies, visit the Web site at
www.marchforbabies.org.

The March of Dimes mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

Michael's 2nd birthday would have been this Wednesday, February
3rd. Please join us on April 25th to walk in his honor!

James Michael Fitzgerald Haworth (A.K.A. Mickey)

2009-12-05T13:09:00.000-08:00

IT'S...A BOY!!
We welcomed James Michael Fitzgerald Haworth, or "Mickey", into the world at 9:57 a.m. on December 4, 2009. 8 lbs. 5 oz. 20 inches long.

I had to be induced 12 days past my EDD due to Pregnancy Induced Hypertension. Mickey and I are both doing really well. I will post my birth story soon!!

HypnoBirthing and Doula Testimonials and Maternity Leave

2009-10-28T23:42:00.000-07:00

I am only 23 days away from my baby's "guess date"! As I prepare to meet my new little one I find myself looking within and becoming reflective about the recent events in my life.

During the past 5 years I have worked with close to 200 women/couples as they have prepared for and welcomed their new babies into the world and I still feel honored everytime someone asks me to help her during her pregnancy and her baby's birth. I can't even begin to explain how much I have learned about life during the past 5 years. I know that I have found something that few people ever find-I've found a way to get paid for what I enjoy doing most!

I will be taking a break from attending births for about 9 months, however, I will begin teaching HypnoBirthing classes again mid-January 2010. If you or someone you know and love is pregnant, please have them contact me about my upcoming HypnoBirthing classes at fitzer21@hotmail.com or 773-620-3829.

I have received many comments and testimonials from the moms and dads I have worked with. I've included some below:
HypnoBirthing Testimonials

“When I was pregnant with my son Adam, I imagined a labor and birth that was calm, gentle and I wanted to be connected with my husband and new baby. I found that HypnoBirthing with Tricia was a gift and a connection that gave Adam not just the chance to be born healthy but to thrive. Before he was born I looked forward to having time together everyday listening to the rainbow relaxation CD. If I ever had doubts or fears about the pregnancy or birth I would listen to it day or night and I would immediately become calm. I found that the classes that Tricia lead gave us a whole new perspective about what our roles were as parents and Adam's birth. My husband really wanted to be the person at my side and Tricia supported us and checked in and kept us both in a calm state of mind. I love how Adam came into this world at 9 lbs 4 oz. My labor was focused, gentle and loving (and totally drug free). I really believe that because Tricia, Alex, Adam and my midwife all worked together as a team, my environment and how I wanted to birth Adam was supported, uncomplicated and truly the greatest moment in my life. Thanks Tricia!”
- Dr. Laura Ledger
Cedar Rapids, Iowa (formerly of Chicago)

“My husband and I weren't exactly sure what to expect from HypnoBirthing classes, we just knew we wanted to try for an unmedicated birth with as little intervention as possible. Tricia was an excellent educator; she really opened our eyes to the world of gentle birthing. We used the deep relaxation techniques, and our daughter was born naturally in under six hours. It was such an amazing experience, thank you Tricia!
And that's the truth! Thank you for everything, we couldn't have done it without you.”
Sincerely,
Carly Majszak & Andy Olczak

“To call Tricia’s HypnoBirthing class educational and resourceful will not do it justice, it was also truly inspirational. We loved watching the tapes of natural births. My husband and I learned a lot about natural birth in the class and it gave us confidence that we can do our VBAC naturally. After class: When I went into labor, there was absolutely no panic. We put most of the techniques we learned to work and gave birth to our beautiful baby daughter 100% naturally! We finally had the birth we had always wanted.

Through HypnoBirthing, I was able to give my baby the gift of a birth without drugs and myself a gift of a VBAC. It was a wonderful spiritual experience. I focused inwards, meditated and was swaying peacefully during the second stage of labor. Having seen both ways of giving birth, drug-free natural birth rocks! I really experienced the pleasure of giving birth. My baby found my nipples and started nursing spontaneously when I held her skin-to-skin just a few minutes after birth. That is the ‘proof in the pudding’ that HypnoBirthing works.”
Hema Sundaram
Chicago, IL

“HypnoBirthing was extremely valuable. It provided my husband and me with a variety of tools to help us through the birthing process. This was especially beneficial for my husband because he learned what he could do to help me. The class also forced my husband and I to take the time to discuss the type of birth experience we wanted and what we needed from each other, the hospital, and the healthcare providers for that to take place. Because of HypnoBirthing, I really felt like I was in control of my birth and had a wonderful experience.”
Deirdre Brown
Elmhurst, IL

"Unfortunately I was induced but I had a great, supportive nurse who kept the Pitocin low, 30 minutes after my doctor broke my water, I went into Hard labor, I breezed through transition and began pushing 45 minutes later! I laid back, let my body take over and Zachary was born about 30 minutes later - I was surprised at how easy my birth really was! What a miracle to experience labor and delivery and to see this amazing, beautiful baby boy in my arms!"
Samantha and Evan Dench
Zachary Dench, born 12-24-07

“HypnoBirthing is an empowering, natural childbirth method. It allowed us to have the birth we desired: peaceful, relaxed, and most importantly, drug-free.”
Julie and Shaun Krueger
Oak Park, IL

“I found Tricia to be very knowledgeable and helpful in the last few months of my pregnancy and during the birth of my son, Jonah. HypnoBirthing helped me through labor even though I ended up having a Cesarean. Tricia is one of the most caring people I have ever met, her soothing presence, encouragement, and proactive attitude as a doula helped me through all the unexpected situations that arose during Jonah's birth. I feel so blessed to have had her there!”
Elizabeth, Aaron and Jonah Groff (5/29/08)
Crete, IL

“I recommend Trish's class to everyone who has any fear for their pregnancy and labor or who wants to have a fear-free, comfortable, easy birth. I think HypnoBirthing is the best method and the best way of getting prepared for the birth of any baby and Trish has executed a wonderful class. We definitely used the variety of information and samples provided in the classes during our beautiful daughter's birth. HypnoBirthing in general and Trish's class is definitely helpful, even if you plan or end up with c-section.”
Ebru, mother of Asya Cansu (born Feb 18, 2008)

“My wife was completely excited about the class. I, however, was a bit skeptical and decided to attend solely for support. I was surprised to see there was a very down to earth approach on Trish's part which I appreciated as a "not so spiritual" type of guy. The class was also great in the sense that it confirmed or re-affirmed thoughts and approaches I already had in mind. In summary, I'd say the class was great and helpful. I learned a lot.”
Renny, father of Asya Cansu (born Feb 18, 2008)

“We wanted to try the natural route for my second birth and HypnoBirthing seemed to be the most gentle and relaxing. Class was exactly that, relaxing and also very informative. Tricia made giving birth sound like the natural process it was created to be and de-medicalized the birthing process. I am proud to say that my daughter was born without the use of pain medication. It was a great experience.”
Michelle Fregoso

"Tricia was a wonderful HypnoBirthing instructor and doula for us. She truly helped to make the birthing of our daughter an amazing experience. I would recommend her services to everyone!"
Lindsay and Matt Gopin
Chicago, IL

“Being pregnant for the first time, I did not know what to expect during labor and delivery. I took Tricia's HypnoBirthing class with my husband and found the information and relaxation techniques to be indispensable! The tools learned still help me today to relax and center myself as a new mom. I will use this method with all my births!”

“I hesitated when my wife said she wanted to take a HypnoBirthing class and have a Doula present at our first child's birth. I did not know much about child birth at the time, and I thought it sounded a little weird. It was the best decision we could have made. I learned what to expect and how to help my wife relax and focus. As a Doula, Tricia helped my wife in ways I could not. Her presence was calming to not only my wife but to me as well and she helped make a very difficult day easier. I am forever grateful.”
Jessica and Mike McCarihan
Chicago, IL

Doula Testimonials

“Being pregnant for the first time, I was naturally anxious about labor and delivery. Having Tricia present at my birth as a Doula was one of the best decisions I have ever made (honestly!). Her knowledge, support and calming presence helped my husband and I through a 23 hour labor, including a c-section, and I intend to have her present at all of my births. She is an amazing woman and now a good friend.”

“I hesitated when my wife said she wanted to take a HypnoBirthing class and have a Doula present at our first child's birth. I did not know much about child birth at the time, and I thought it sounded a little weird. It was the best decision we could have made. I learned what to expect and how to help my wife relax and focus. As a Doula, Tricia helped my wife in ways I could not. Her presence was calming to not only my wife but to me as well and she helped make a very difficult day easier. I am forever grateful.”
Jessica and Mike McCarihan
Chicago, IL

“Tricia was an unbelievably calming presence during my VBAC – she was a confident and focused presence and helped me to stay present and calm. From the talks we shared before, through the actual birth and afterward – she shared wonderful information, personal experience and gave me the confidence I needed. My baby just turned one, and I will always remember his birth and Tricia’s role in that great day!”

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from having a doula at our second birth, but my wife really wanted one to have a successful VBAC. Tricia right away made me feel comfortable in her role, didn’t take anything away from me and in fact I was able to follow her lead in what to say and do to make my wife comfortable. I’m not sure I would have been able to enjoy the event as much without her there – helping me just as much as she helped my wife”
Much love,
Elizabeth and Greg Kachoris
Bolingbrook, IL

“Without Tricia's help, I doubt I could have made it through 25 hours of labor to have the unmedicated VBAC delivery I wanted. She came to my house in the wee hours of the morning and stayed with me until Ada was born around 10pm, suggesting laboring positions, reminding me of HB techniques, offering me food and drink and cheerleading me through a stalled labor and a rough transition.”
Ada, born 7/17/07
Alma & Josh Klein
Oak Park, IL

“Tricia, our instructor for HypnoBirthing classes, was also our doula. Tricia was absolutely wonderful. I had my husband, my mom and Tricia as my support team. Tricia made sure everyone felt they were part of the birthing process. She was there the whole time when I needed her. She understood my need for a VBAC totally and provided emotional and physical support throughout my labor. She took cues on what I needed without even me asking for anything. She even remembered that aromatherapy relaxed me and came prepared. We loved having Tricia in the birthing room with us so much, we always think of her when we think of the warm memories of having a calm natural birth of our beautiful baby daughter. Thanks Tricia!”
Hema Sundaram
Chicago, IL

“I would not have been able to go through my 34 hour labor without Tricia; she not only helped me but my husband as well. We decided not to vaccinate and the hospital wasn't very helpful, but having Tricia there was the support we needed to stand our ground."
Kelly and Greg Dettlaff
Crete, IL
Daughter Molly 5/17/07

Coming out of the darkness...

2009-08-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

When we lost Michael in early 2008 I couldn't imagine ever feeling happy again. The grief was so thick, and it seemed that the darkness would never lift. It was as if everything that could go wrong in our lives was going wrong. Then, one day, we found ourselves on the other side...

From todays "Daily OM":

August 28, 2009
Going through the Opening
Contracting before Expanding

Sometimes our lives contract before they expand. We may be working hard on ourselves spiritually, doing good in the world, following our dreams, and wondering why we are still facing constrictions of all kinds; financial, emotional, physical. Perhaps we even feel as if we've lost our spirituality and are stuck in a dark room with no windows. We may be confused and discouraged by what appears to be a lack of progress. But sometimes this is the way things work. Like a caterpillar that confines itself to a tiny cocoon before it grows wings and flies, we are experiencing the darkness before the dawn.

When things feel tight, it's easy to panic or want to act in some way to ease the feeling of constriction. We might also spin our wheels mentally, trying to understand why things are the way they are. However, there is nothing we need to do at this time other than to be patient and persevering. We can cling to the awareness that we are processing the shift from one stage to another, and the more we surrender to the experience, the more quickly we will move through the tightness into the opening on the other side. Just like a baby making its way down the birth canal, we may feel squeezed and pushed and very uncomfortable, but if we remember that we are on our way to being born into a new reality, we will find the strength to carry on.

Even as we endure the contractions, we can find peace within ourselves if we remember to trust the universe. We can look to the natural world for inspiration as we see that all beings surrender to the process of being born. In that surrender, and in the center of our own hearts, is a willingness to trust in the unknown as we make our way through the opening.

Only 12 more weeks until my baby's estimated due date...

"With our thoughts, we make the world." ~ Buddha

Another Beautiful VBAC

2009-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the birth story of Addie through her mom's eyes:

On Monday, July 6^th, I went to my 41 week doctor’s appointment (his gestational 41 weeks based on my last menstrual period, whereas mine gestational 41 weeks was Wednesday the 8^th based on ovulation day). I was silly enough to let him start checking my dilation and effacement (out of sheer curiosity) a few weeks before and was disappointed that, at 41 weeks, I still had not dilated at all, though my cervix seem soft and thin (no way to tell if you can’t get inside the inner cervical os to check)-he estimated 30% effaced, baby at -3 station. I called my doula with the bad news and she reassured me that most first time vaginal births do not start dilating before labor begins. That afternoon I went to an acupuncturist and had some electro-stim to try to help labor come on, and went for a 3.5 mile walk to Evanston on Tuesday. The walk seemed to make the baby feel like she lowered a bit more, and I enjoyed listening to my self-hypnosis scripts on the walk, with no distractions. I listened to them every night as I went to sleep for several months, as I used Hypnobirthing as my coping mechanism in labor.

I woke up at about 4 in the morning on Wednesday July 8^th with a recurring menstrual cramp sensation…I realized that these must be the notorious contractions that I wasn’t sure I would know when they happened. Sean and I got up and walked up to the beach and through the park and home to encourage things to move along. The contractions were 7-9 minutes apart all day, and didn’t seem to be getting any closer together or strong (though they were lasting 60+ second each). At about 3:30, my fantastic doula, Tricia, advised me that they might be prelabor and not the real thing and suggested I take a bath and have a glass of wine and go to sleep. Before that, I took Gillian to ballet class and walk a mile and a half home to see if it might help move things along. The times I woke up through the night, I noted that I was still contracting, but not with enough discomfort to keep me awake.

Thursday morning, the 9^th, I woke up at 6am to a shiny happy Gillian who abandoned us shortly after waking us up (so much that we couldn’t go to sleep to go play with her Nonni-who, thankfully, was willing to stay with us for several weeks to help us out). Around 6:20, I noted stronger contractions that were now 5 minutes apart. I got up and noticed that when I was up and about, the contractions were 3-5 minutes apart. I excitedly texted Tricia with the news and she told me to let her know when they were consistently (for 1 hour) 3-5 minutes apart and lasting more than a minute. I texted her back and told her we would start timing them after breakfast and a walk to the beach. We started timing them at 9:02 am and over the next hour they were all 5 minutes apart or less and all were 60 seconds or longer. We called Tricia at 10:15 and told her we thought this was it. She thought it was a good idea to still go to my biweekly post date doctor visit and get my dilation checked to see where we were in labor (I had one scheduled for early afternoon); she guessed by my behavior and the length and intensity of the contractions that I was ~3cm dilated. We called ahead to the doctor’s office and they were expecting us. My doctor checked me and found I was 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced, a huge difference from Monday. I was a little disappointed, but Tricia thought we were going to progress quickly and we went back to our house to labor. We labored on the birth ball for an hour on our return home, listening to the hypnobirthing scripts.

Around 4pm, my labor got increasingly intense after an hour-long shower (which Tricia said could help push me into active labor-and it did) and I continued to breathe and focus on my hypnobirthing scripts. Sean set up a surround sound system in the bedroom with old computer speakers to really support my immersion in them. I managed very well, breathing calmly through contractions as my body continued to open up. Sean helped me labor in bed and on the birth ball, while Tricia reminded me to breathe deeply and helped me labor with encouragement and also added aromatherapy oils to help things progress. At 5 pm, I started having cold and hot flashes and became nauseous. At around 6pm I lost my mucous plug (I had been waiting for that for weeks, and it happened during labor!) and had a lot of bloody show. At about 6:15 pm I got in the bathtub, and it was there that I labored for an hour and began vocalizing. My version of vocalizing (which was completely instinctual and involuntary) was a low “Ommmmmm” sound, which I accidentally discovered released a lot of tension with each contraction. Tricia added oils to the bath and dumped the hot water on my stomach with each contraction, gently reminding me to breathe in deeply, to breathe in and out with long soft breaths. She told me she thought I was at or near transition. My contractions were very intense at that point, some had two peaks, contorting my belly into tight mounds, sometimes for more than two minutes at a time (I now wonder if the red raspberry leaf tea three times a day from week 36 made the contractions super-efficient and intense).

My friend Amanda is a family practice physician and told me she would check my dilation before I went to the hospital to ensure I didn’t get there too soon, and help me avoid medical interventions. She arrived at 7:45 pm and I was really actively withdrawn into myself and away from the world by that time. The seconds and minutes and hours were warped and fragmented and I had no concept of time (thankfully, I know when things happened because Tricia kept excellent notes). Amanda checked my dilation and told me I was 7cm dilated and 90% effaced, my bag of water was bulging, and that it was time to go to the hospital. We left for the hospital at 8:25 pm.

The ride to the hospital was rough, particularly with our post-winter-from-hell pothole ridden streets. I always hate potholes, but I hate them a whole lot more when I am in transition. We arrived after pulling over fairly frequently during strong contractions, and made it there a little before 9 pm. I would think the scene of us entering the ER would have been very Friends-episode-like, with the intensely laboring woman in the wheel chair entering and, upon realizing we were far into labor, the staff quickly abandoning protocol of asking 20 million questions to take us directly to OB triage. We went some crazy back way, all the while, I was “Ommmmm”ing loud and not giving much of a damn who heard me. Turns out Sean knew the registration guy wheeling us there from a playgroup in the neighborhood, which I now find ironic. We went to OB triage, where I gave them a urine sample and got a heplock and undressed. I had the hypnobirthing scripts on in my iPod, and was doing my best to dissolve into, despite the distractions. When the nurse asked me what I wanted to control pain, I said “nothing” as firmly as I could muster. No one mentioned pain medications again during my labor.

We went up to a labor and delivery room, and as I had asked, the lights were dimmed. At about 9:45 I resumed a more focused labor after another check where I was about 8 cm and 90% effaced, with a bulging bag. I labored on my birth ball, I labored leaning on Sean, and I labored on the toilet. At 10 I said “I don’t want to do this anymore” (which I later found out is a very different state of mind than saying “I can’t do this anymore”). At 11:35 I had a spontaneous push and ruptured my bag, and the amniotic fluid went everywhere. I know that rupturing the bag makes labor more intense, but I had already been officially in transition for 4 hours (counting when Amanda said I was 7 cm) and maybe longer, so I didn’t notice if it did get more intense. I find it amazing that some people can fight the urge to push, since my urge was so completely instinctual that I didn’t even feel it coming…it was like when you vomit or have a stomach cramp and diarrhea on the toilet-that kind of involuntary reflex. There was no holding back. When a contraction came, I pushed, HARD. I pushed on my side, on my hands and knees, and semi-sitting/squatting. The baby came fast, and I was surrounded by gentle encouragement…they told me they could see her head, and I reached down to feel it. It was hard and weird and warm, and not part of me. I kept pushing and she crowned and came out in one push at 12:50 am. She was on my chest, and perfect, and beautiful…8 lbs and 3 oz and everything I prayed for. She was pretty phlemy and a little blue, so they took her to suction her (she hadn’t “spent enough time in the birth canal to get that wrung out of her”) and Dr. C proceeded to manually help the placenta out (they did hook up the pit to my GBS antibiotic line to help), and then he began repairing my destroyed perineum. I had third degree tears, probably because of the power of and my inability to control my pushes. It took about 45 minutes for me to get sewn up, and I was shaking from the hormones. When Addie was done getting suctioned, she nursed for the better part of an hour, and she kept me from shaking during my repair. The mood in the room was celebratory-everyone on my birth team knew our first birth story, and every one of them wanted us to have what we wanted. Somewhere, our victory was also theirs, and it was exciting and energizing that we banded together and made it happen.

There were moments of humor, some of which were funny (Dr. C raving about how youthful and good looking my placenta still was-he would have guessed it to be about three weeks younger than it was, or Sean eating a bag of goldfish while watching me get sewn up) and not so much (Sean telling me to “grind it, baby” when I was on my hands and knees pushing- NOTE: TRANSITION IS NOT THE TIME TO MAKE SEXUAL INNUENDOS TO YOUR LABORING WIFE).

After that I was starving (all day I had eaten 2 probiotic shakes, two pieces and two bites of toast, and two bites of banana- the two bites of toast and banana being all I ate after breakfast). Tricia got me a snack box and raided the vending machine for candy per my request, and we rested waiting for a recovery room. At 3, we arrived in our room, coming off our high. This time, my healthy baby slept next to me, and no one whisked her away from me to intubate her in the NICU. This time, it was as it should be. We left the hospital 36 hours later-all of us-me, Sean, and our healthy, beautiful, full term baby.

***********************************************************************

Reflections:

I did it. Vaginal birth after c-section. And I did it well. It was hard, but the experience is mine and I am proud to own it. I want to add another positive story to those that make a case that regardless of previous complications, our bodies are beautiful machines that know how to have babies. Every woman deserves to see what power she is capable of, VBAC or not.

Self-hypnosis was a very effective coping mechanism for my labor. I was able to control my state of mind and breathe into the surges until instinct took over completely. I never lost control of my labor. I never panicked. I stayed at the center. I thank my preparation and my doula for that.

Tricia ensured I got the birth I wanted. I would never birth another child without a doula. She was calm, reassuring, and is an expert on birthing…birthing is a woman thing, and women need to be with women when they are having a baby. The first time I met Tricia I felt like she was an old friend and I had known her forever, and I was completely comfortable with her. She will soon be off having her fourth baby, and I wish her the best :-). If we do this again, we’ll be calling her for a repeat service!

Dr. C is the best doctor on the planet. He calmly hung back, and let me do my thing. Tricia told me in the hall that he asked her about rupturing my membranes if things didn’t progress, but he didn’t push the issue. How many doctors can hold their desire to interfere and let nature take its course? He is funny, smart, empathetic, and talks to me like a peer, not a patient. It will be a very sad day when circumstances take him out of my life.

I found that I was more internal during my labor and didn’t really interact with the people around me. I didn’t do much leaning on Sean or looking into his eyes, though I was glad to feel his hands on my shoulders or him squeezing my hands during contractions. I went internal early on and stayed there. I suppose that is part of using hypnobirthing in labor.

Labor is surreal…waves of a fascinating kind of pain. You become instinctual. You can’t live in your head in labor or you will panic. You have to journey so far in. I found strength and a rock solid core I glimpsed before but didn’t know the breadth of. That is what is empowering about a natural labor and delivery. I feel like I joined some sisterhood of the ages or something, millions of years of women birthing a species as God intended…it is the proudest and hardest physical work I have ever done. Instead of saying “she was delivered” like I do with Gillian, I say “I delivered her”.

Sean was supportive, positive, and a rock for me during labor. He played the same role in our labor as he does in our life together-he creates space for me to exist and move in. He makes it safe, and he is a guardian. And I am grateful for that.

Suzi (my mother in law; Gillian’s “Nonni”) being here for Gillian was a Godsend. I labored here all day Thursday, and Gillian thought I was at work. We left for the hospital when she went to bed. I have so much gratitude for the help Suzi provided before and after Addie was born.

Lots of stars align to make a natural birth more likely. Addie allowed us a full night’s sleep before she kicked things into high gear. I worked well with my chosen relaxation technique and practiced it for months before the Day Of. I had a doula that was phenomenal. My bag of water stayed intact until I was pushing. My uterine contractions were regular and very effective (again- red raspberry leaf tea??). My baby was in the optimal position. I had people who could help me labor comfortably at home until it was time to go to the hospital, and a doctor who wanted this birth to be what I wanted. I know I am blessed, and I know that God was there.

Chicago Moms Blog: Not without my doula

2009-06-19T10:10:00.001-07:00

In July of 2007 I assisted a mom as she had a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) for her 2nd child. It was an amazing experience, and below is the link to the blog entry that the mom posted shortly after her baby's birth. I believe all women should have a doula during labor and birth, but I think it's vitally important for VBAC moms to have a doula by their side. VBAC births are by far my favorite births to attend. If you are planning a VBAC, please contact me so we can talk!!

Chicago Moms Blog: Not without my doula

Posted using ShareThis

To learn more about VBAC please visit:
www.vbac.com/
www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/vbac.html
www.ican-online.org/vbac/home

Elliott Thomas is here!!

2009-06-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a beautiful birth with a mom and dad at Evanston Hospital. It was a long labor, but Jody stayed so calm throughout. I feel honored to have been a part of baby Elliott's birth. Below is an excerpt from an e-mail I just received from Jody, along with some pictures of little Elliott and his family.

Tricia,

I wanted to send you an email thanking you for all you have done for our family. My memories during labor are flashes of you caring for me in any way you can. I am so thankful that I had you, Chris, and Debi with me so that I could have the type of drug-free birth I so desperately believe in. Even with back labor and inconsistent surges, the skills I learned in hypnobirthing carried me through. Thank you for your tender, healing touch during my labor and for all of those moments you looked deep into my eyes to calm me. You almost knew what I was feeling before I did. Your ability to care for a woman during the most intense moment in her life is an extraordinary gift. Chris and I can't stop talking about your knowledge of the birthing process and healing touch through oils, accupressure, and soothing voice filled with encouragement.Happy to report that Elliott is breastfeeding well. We just made it through engorgement! His first doc visit went really well, and his poops are yellow and seedy! I hope this all gets easier after a few weeks.

Love and Thanks,

Chris, Jody, and Elliott

A more detailed birth story will follow soon...

Here is the birth story of Elliott Thomas:

Late in my pregnancy I was told by my midwife that my baby was in the OP position. I began to incorporate yoga positions into my exercise sessions that would encourage my baby to turn anterior. I went into labor naturally on April 27, at 3:40 am with contractions 12 to 15 minutes apart. As my surges became closer during the next 12 hours, I began to notice the lingering pain in my lower back after each surge. I managed the back pain the same way I was able to breathe through the surges: through visualization, deep, low breathing, the support of the baby's father, and Tricia. Tricia and Chris would take turns relieving the pain in my lower back by applying pressure to my back while I was on all fours during each surge. As the labor progressed, so did the surges, as well as the pressure in my back. In addition to pressure applied to my back, Tricia and Chris applied heat to my back, essential oils were used, music, and various positions to aid in encouraging the baby to move as well as provide me with some relief. 40 hours into my labor, it was becoming more difficult to maintain my focus, but my dedication and belief in natural birth, HypnoBirthing, and the support I was receiving all helped to keep me focused on the natural birth I wanted for myself and for my baby. The use of the bathtub at home and at the hospital also provided great relief and relaxation. One technique Tricia used was aiming the shower head onto my lower back while at the same time applying pressure to that area. I would breathe through the surge and use the visualization techniques I had learned. My advice to any woman facing back labor and striving for a drug free birth is that it's definitely possible if you don't panic and stay as loose as possible. I focused on keeping my jaw, shoulders, and lower body as loose as possible. When my son began his journey through my birth canal, I visualized a flower opening or my entire lower body opening to birth my baby. This visual kept me from panicking and also guided me toward a sensation that felt more like "pressure", not a "burning" or "ring of fire" we often hear about. Also, believe in yourself and trust in your partner and Doula to help guide you and keep you focused. My baby boy was born alert and latched on to my breast immediately after birth. My 49 hours of labor was worth every minute.

Thomas Michael Irwin has arrived!!

2009-05-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday May 20th Heather was induced for low fluid levels. Her handsome son, Thomas Michael, was born at 2:22 a.m. on Thursday May 21st. Here is Thomas' Birth Story:

"On the morning of our due date, we had an appointment for a sonogram to check my fluid levels, which had recently been registering low (despite hydration efforts). The sonogram showed that the fluid levels had dipped below the safe level and we were instructed to head to the hospital for an induction. We were initially upset by this as we were working towards a natural childbirth through the Bradley method. But after discussing it with the doctors, it was emphasized that induction was the best option for the health of our baby. We called Tricia to let her know we were heading to the hospital!
I had been having contractions that started the evening prior, but they were still about 15-20 minutes apart. The doctors and nurses agreed to go slow on the pictocin to see if it would jump start my natural contractions. I did have to have an IV for this, as well as the antibiotics for Strep B. They started the pictocin around 2:30pm. My husband David left the hospital just after so he could run home and get our bag, cord donation kit, and car seat (we had taken the El to the appointment). While he was gone, my OB came in and ruptured my bag of waters to jump start the process.
Around the time he returned, the contractions started to become more intense. We worked on a few different positions. The IV was annoying, and the monitors kept slipping as I moved around. But the nurses were very supportive of our needs and came into adjust without complaint.
Tricia arrived soon after. She dived right in and worked with Dave to get me through each wave. Dave was by my side the entire time, lightly rubbing my back, giving me sips of water, and wiping my forehead and neck with a cool rag. Tricia provided calming words that helped me to visualize getting over each contraction. She made sure I kept my shoulders and neck relaxed and my breathing slow and deep. She also brought lavender oil which was very soothing.
For a few hours we labored with the contractions 2-3 minutes apart. It was hard, and exhausting, but because the pictocin was kept low (I never had it above level 4) I could rest in between. At some point, however we all began to notice that they were slowing to sometime 4 minutes apart. I was at 6cm. At this point I felt that the pictocin may be increased and that scared me enough to start talking about an epidural. Tricia suggested that Dave and I try some time alone under a warm shower to see if we could get the contractions to increase. The dark, warm shower did the trick! By the end (I think it was around 2 hrs) I was at 9.5 cm and felt ready to push!
Our little one took his time coming out. He was pretty low to start, but it still took me about 3 hours to push him out. Tricia and Dave were wonderful and encouraging. Thomas Michael came into our world at 2:22am on May 21, 2009. He was perfect - screaming his head off. He came to my chest before getting cleaned off and weighed. Soon after, his daddy was able to hold him and calm him down.
Despite the unplanned induction, we both felt that the birth of our little boy was so special and perfect. Because we had Tricia's support and had taken the time to educate ourselves on the type of birth we wanted, we felt able to keep control of the challenges labor presented."

I really enjoyed being at the birth of Thomas Michael. It was such a beautiful birth and Heather was amazingly strong and relaxed. It was a birth that reminded of why I do what I do and how influential a doula can be at a baby's birth!! Here is an e-mail Heather sent to me shortly after the birth:

Hi Tricia -
I received your wonderful text message, but haven't had time to reply (wonder why?).
Thank you so very much for attending the birth of our beautiful baby boy. Despite the induction, we couldn't have asked for a better birth. Your calm words helped us so much. Family has asked both Dave and I if it was worth going with a doula, and we both have given a very positive YES! You were able to give Dave the confidence and support to just be there for me. He is so appreciative of that. Your calm voice and suggestions helped me through the worst of my contractions. And through the pushing (which was hard work!)
One of the things I was most afraid of was to look back on our birth and feel disappointment or regret. We have none of that - just awe and respect (and a little bit of pride).
I will give you a call soon. We have family in until mid week next week. So far breast feeding is going well - he has gained 6 oz in the past 48 hrs!
We can't thank you enough!
Love,
Heather, Dave, & Thomas Michael

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-06T16:32:00.000-07:00

I recenlty attended a homebirth in my neighborhood. Katrina and Jeff were an amazing team and when their little boy was born the entire house shook with the most amazing energy. It was one of those births where I am reminded of the amazing power of love.

Katrina just asked me to share a story of motherhood for a compilation she is making for Mother's Day. I sat and thought for a moment, and below is my contribution. Here is what my children have taught me this year:

When my fourth child was stillborn on February 3, 2008, I didn't know how I was going to be able to go on. It was the hardest thing I've ever endured. My three girls, ages 2, 4, and 5, were my saving grace. While surrounded by adults who felt uncomfortable and fearful at the mention of death and grief, I had these three little girls who were open, honest, and reflective. They taught me that it's okay to be sad, but more importantly, it's okay to keep living. 15 months later I find myself pregnant again and while I'm thrilled, I'm also absolutely terrified. Everytime someone asks me which baby this is for me I struggle with what to say, but my children always pipe up with, "This is mommy's fifth baby, our brother Michael died.". They say it so matter of factly, but so lovingly, and everytime they say this it warms my heart. Michael lives on everyday because of my little girls. Last July we planted a tree in our front yard to remember Michael on his due date. Now that Spring has arrived, everytime we leave the house the girls yell out, "Hi Michael!" to the beautiful baby tree that is beginning to bloom. I am amazed at the strength and openess of my children. I feel blessed everyday that they are in my life, and because of my children, I am reminded daily of what is important in life.

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommies out there!

More pictures of David Louis

2009-05-06T16:26:00.000-07:00

Hi There! Click on the link below to see more pictures of baby David!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=t.rex79&target=ALBUM&id=5330037337948522945&authkey=Gv1sRgCNDttNrMhsSVAQ&feat=email

David Louis has arrived!!

2009-04-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

Tara and Joe (Beverly Yoga HypnoBirthing class) have had their little one!! I taught them HypnoBirthing and was also their doula.

David Louis Ortiz
Born @ 3:01am on Thurs. March 26, 2009
Weight: 8lbs 8oz
Length: 19 in.

Here is the birth story Tara sent me:

What looked like a labor that might have lasted 8 hours start to finish, wound up to be a 24 hour experience. Right from the starting gate, surges came frequently and gained in intensity as each hour passed. Having practiced Hypnobirth breathing & meditation diligently since 6 months of pregnancy, I was able to stay very calm with no fear or anxiety. Using Rainbow Relaxation coupled with the support of my loving husband and wonderful doula, I was able to breathe through the surges and zone out almost entirely. I went so totally inward, that many times my husband had to speak on my behalf. At one point my he joked I looked completely high. I don't remember large portions of my labor and had to have my husband relay most of the details (especially time lines) for this story.
After about 19 hours of active labor with dilation stalled at 6.5 cm, physical exhaustion began to set in. Surges came one on top of the other and became very difficult to deal with. After MUCH consideration, I relented and opted for an epidural to accompany the pitocin suggested by our midwife, in order to help with progression. Even after the meds, I insisted on a few hours rest before pushing and continued sleep breathing and playing soft music in the background. Three hours later, I was fully dilated and he was ready to roll. The nurses and midwife kept saying it might take hours of pushing, but my little guy came within 40 minutes. I don't remember too much right after that - only my placenta flying out and the sound of my poor baby being poked and prodded violently by a team of ambivalent nurses. After what seemed like forever, they put my baby in my arms. It was surreal and wonderful all at once. I could go on and on about amazing those moments were, but I digress.
The real point here is this: I am totally convinced that I could not have managed my labor without the Mongan method. And this is coming from a someone who might be considered a *little* sarcastic and cynical. Initially, it sounded kind of new-age and cheesy to me. But after giving it a fair chance with practice and Tricia's classes, I'm true believer. This method allowed me to get as close as I could to having my "ideal" birth experience - even with all the circumstances beyond my control. Learning to let go allowed me to hold on.

What a beautiful birth for a beautiful baby!!! Congratulations Tara and Joe!!

Alexander Grey is here!!

2009-04-08T20:04:00.001-07:00

I received this e-mail from Heather (Beverly Yoga HypnoBirthing class)
Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to share our news: Alexander Grey was born on March 26, 2009 at 11:12pm!!! Weight: 7 lbs 3 oz Length: 20 3/4 inches
P.S. We are calling him "Xander".
Here are some first pictures from the hospital photo people. We'll send some of *our* favorites later.
http://www.bellababyphotography.com/interim/index.php?page=gallery&gallery_id=16211>> What you can't see in these pictures is his gorgeous dark head full of hair. More pictures to come. We had a successful VBAC delivery and I am feeling fine. We are very busy getting acquainted as a family of four. Anaise is a very gentle, helpful big sister and hasn't asked us yet when he is "going back to the hospital" like many other toddlers ask once they realize they have to share their mom and dad.

Heather, Mark, Anaise, and Xander

I assisted Heather and Mark at Xander's birth, and it was beautiful. I love attending VBAC's. It's wonderful to see how fulfilled mom's feel when they strive to and are able to vaginally birth.

Congratulations Heather, Mark, and Anaise and welcome Xander!!!

Congratulations!!

2009-04-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

Tara and Joe and Heather and Mark welcomed a baby boy into the world on Thursday March 26. It was a busy baby day at Prentice!!

Emily and Justin welcomed a baby girl on Sunday March 29th at Hinsdale Hospital.

Congratulations new parents!!

If you'd like to share photos and/or your birth stories, please e-mail them to me and I'll post them here on the blog!

Waiting...

2009-03-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this to send some energy out to my "mommies in waiting." I have a few moms ready to give birth any day now...hang in there ladies...you'll make it!

Hello!!!

2009-03-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

So I've finally taken the plunge!! This blog is for all of the moms, dads, and families with whom I've worked. Share your thoughts, birth stories, questions, experiences, etc...or simply keep in touch with other moms and dads from your HypnoBirthing class.

Enjoy!!