"Two years ago I was expecting my fifth child and was already suffering from prepartum depression and anxiety.  This made me very nervous since I had struggled with different levels of anxiety and depression after each of my first four births.  Two years earlier I had become a certified placenta encapsulation specialist because I had seen the positive results friends and doula clients were having and as I studied I believed more and more in the process. 

​ After my daughter was born I was very excited to get my pills and give them a try.  My encapsulation partner at the time, completed my encapsulation in my kitchen, and it was exciting to watch her work with my beautiful placenta.  I am thrilled to report that not only did I not have any depression or anxiety during my postpartum time I didn't even have baby blues.  I also found that my recovery was much faster than it had been with the others and that I had an abundance of energy.  I have always been anemic after my births and I was not after this birth and encapsulation.  I still have my tincture in the freezer to use down the road.  My only regret is not having the knowledge about placenta encapsulation soon enough to have done it with the first four placentas.  ​" -Anna Morgan, Placenta Arts Specialist, Birth Doula

 If you have looked into placenta encapsulation you may have noticed that there are differences in encapsulation preferences, such as location, encapsulator, and method, which can be very confusing. Therefore, I would like to present the options so you, the parent, can make an informed decision that is best for you.

Location options:
Your home or your encapsulator’s workspace, whether that be her personal home or a professional placenta kitchen. There are no laws in Tennessee regulating the location an independent encapsulator chooses in which to process. OSHA Bloodborne Pathogen Training for Placenta Encapsulators teaches how to properly clean and sanitize the workspace before beginning and after completion of the encapsulation process and how to adhere to universal precautions for safety and sanitation. For this reason, it is important for you to know the reputation of your encapsulator.

Encapsulating in the encapsulator’s workspace:
Pros: Your placenta is picked up within 24 hours, usually sooner, from your place of birth. Your only job is to be sure it is placed on ice or in a refrigerator within two hours of birth. Most encapsulation specialists are happy to take and send you photos of the process as they work and immediately after the process is completed at your request. Once the encapsulation is complete, it is returned to you. You do not have to make any plans or make sure your home and kitchen are clean and sanitized which per OSHA standards requires the use of chemical sanitation products.

Cons: Your placenta is out of your care. The concern some people have is that you cannot be certain that you are getting pills made from your placenta and that you cannot know for sure how your placenta was cared for when it was not in your care from start to finish.

Encapsulation in your own Home:
Pros: Your placenta is never our of your care or the care of a family member or friend. You have someone you know overseeing the process from start to finish. You can have your own pictures taken of the process and have the ability to visit with and get to know your encapsulation specialist while she works. This is also a great opportunity to learn more about encapsulation, the process, and it’s benefits. If you have a home birth or are home quickly following the birth you can see the process yourself if you choose.

Cons: You are responsible for arranging for someone to get your placenta to your home and keep it on ice or in the refrigerator until arrangements are made to meet the encapsulator at your home to begin the process. There should always be someone present when the encapsulator is in your home. Your kitchen must be thoroughly cleaned before the encapsulator arrives so she is able to properly sanitize and work with the most safety to you and your family, as well as to herself. You would be responsible to assure the dehydrator is never shut off during the encapsulation process as that can cause the placenta to be unfit to consume. Pets in the home must be considered and usually contained so there is no risk of contamination. The sounds and smells of the encapsulation are pleasant to some but disagreeable to others. Some consider these cons to be more inconvenient than negatives.

We are so grateful to be able to share Charlie's birth story. His mother is a huge Hypnobabies advocate in this community. She has graciously shared her experience with us on our blog. She is now the mother of two and has used Hypnobabies for both births.   -Leigh Anne & Kate


"My son, Charlie, was born six and a half years ago by urgent, necessary cesarean. I can’t call it an emergency cesarean because no one was crashing, but I do feel that his method of birth saved his life. I had studied Hypnobabies leading up to his birth, and I am absolutely convinced that doing so helped me with his birth for numerous reasons - mostly that I remember his birthing time as a beautiful, blissful, life changing time. I think to explain that best, I’ll need to tell you the whole story.

Our birthing time started on a Wednesday evening around 6:30 when my waters broke in the car as I was driving home from teaching my final piano lesson for the day. I often spoke to Charlie (my son) during our pregnancy, and I remember feeling a little ache in my lower back, so I said, “oh, Charlie - you’re sitting on my hip kinda funny. Let’s shift over, ok?” and I did a slight pelvic tilt while seated in the car when “pop!” - my membrane ruptured and I immediately felt amniotic fluid in my seat. I pulled over, got the trash bag and blanket I’d put in the trunk for this exact purpose, lined the seat and called my husband and doula before driving home very carefully. I got home around 7:00, took a shower and changed clothes and sat down to eat some dinner. I sent my husband to the store for some depends so I could walk around the house, and I called my best friend who’d had her third baby just a few weeks prior naturally. I commented that I hadn’t felt any pressure waves yet, but I was relaxing, eating, and looking forward to an awesome birthing time. While on the phone with her, my first wave came over me. I stopped mid sentence, took a deep breath, and asked her if I just had a pressure wave. She said, “well, if you had to stop what you were doing to breathe and relax, then I’d say yes.” So we hung up, my husband got home, I finished my dinner, and we went to bed. Not long after that, our doula, Sarah, came. She was amazing and rubbed my back and helped me stay centered and remember to turn “off” during waves. 

The pressure waves were coming closer and closer together, and we decided that it was time to go to the hospital. This was around 11:00 on Wednesday night. The drive to the hospital was the hardest part of the whole birthing time up to that point. It was only about 15-20 minutes, but trying to stay relaxed and “off” during waves while having to remain in a seated position was extremely difficult. But, lo and behold, we made it to the hospital! We arrived, I was fully “out of it,” so to speak with my hypnobabies cues going in my head, and my bubble of peace firmly in place as we entered the emergency entrance. I remember my doula standing with the birth ball and her gear, my husband guiding me as gently as possible, and the lady at the admittance desk asking me to sign forms. I asked my husband to read them, and I signed where needed. We got up to L&D and settled into our cozy, nest-like room. The nursing staff was wonderful. We had our birth plan on file, but also had a copy printed with our goodie bag of treats for them. We taped our sign to the door, saying that we were using self-hypnosis and to use the words pressure waves, birthing time, and transformation as a reminder to any staff that entered the room. The doctor on call came in briefly before leaving us alone to work through the birthing time without interference. I spent a lot of time on the birth ball in the shower - the hot water on my lower back felt so good. I would take breaks to ask for sips of juice or water, my doula or husband would bring them to me as well as hold me as I walked around in the room, leaning on them during waves. 

At some point in the middle of that first night, my pressure waves slowed down in intensity and pace. It’s possible that my body wanted to rest, or it’s possible that I was exhibiting what Ina May Gaskin describes as the “sphincter law” - that the body will slow down birth in a setting that doesn’t feel safe and well-known. Either way, we decided to augment with pitocin. We didn’t have it on for long or turned up very high before I insisted that we turn it back off and remove the IV. This was the first time in the entire birthing time that I would describe the pressure waves as “discomfort” rather than just intense, strong, powerful, down and out pressure. Once the pitocin was turned back off, my waves returned to their previous intensity and regularity. I was in such a blissful, happy state during this entire birthing time that I remember vividly smiling at all of the care providers, talking cheerily, and moving easily when asked if I felt like I needed to walk or kneel or squat or lean. The midwife on call during the day mentioned that I didn’t look like a birthing woman - I was too comfortable. Over the course of the next day, I progressed to 10 cm dilation and found that my body was working on pushing my son out by about 9:30 or 10:00 that night. This is Thursday night. I remember that the exhaustion really caught up with me around this time. I would have a pushing wave and then doze off in between waves. I had the hospital bed in its upright sitting position, and I just sat, pushed, and rested. I would prop up my feet, play tug of war with a sheet with my doula, watched my dilation in a mirror, and sit up and push. We tried shifting around to hands and knees, but I was most comfortable sitting. After three hours of pushing, he still wasn't descending. The doctor on call decided that he needed to check the baby’s position, so he performed a vaginal exam while I had a pushing wave without asking my permission - only the second time in the entire birthing time that I felt any sort of discomfort. We had tested the strength of the pressure waves with an intrauterine catheter and found that they were “strong enough.” His vaginal exam found that my son was positioned posterior and acynclitic - so he was face up and looked like he was holding a phone between his shoulder and his ear. As we continued pushing, my son’s heart rate dropped and didn’t recover as quickly and easily as they like to see. They gave me oxygen, and we discussed our options. I was told by the doctor on call that, while surgery wasn’t ideal, it was beginning to look like it was our only remaining option. He said that it wasn't quite an emergency yet, but it was getting there and that I would not be able to have my husband with me in the room if it turned into a “crash” emergency cesarean. I felt that I had no other choice but to relent to the surgery, so I agreed. The only thing I was ever afraid of about birth was having an epidural placed or having a cesarean. I had planned that neither of these were going to need to happen, and when they suddenly were happening, I felt like I was in shock and just had to hold on to the idea that I needed to make sure we came out of this situation with a healthy baby and that I would not be paralyzed.

I remember being wheeled on the gurney while sitting up - naked - and struggling against the pushing waves that were overtaking my body. Remember, I was convinced at this point that my baby was in trouble and that each pressure wave was making it hard for him to get oxygen. The staff tried to wrap me in a sheet, but I kept tossing it off. We made it to the OR, and the anesthesiologist on staff asked me “if I wanted to continue my hypnosis for the surgery or if I wanted the real stuff now.” He was old and had a British accent. I don’t know if he was just trying to make a joke and lighten the mood, or if he was trying to prove to me that the 29 hours of natural birthing time, during which I hadn’t felt any discomfort except for the two times we had outside influences didn't “really” count, but either way, I’ll never forget how small and insignificant it made me feel. I was in too much shock to respond, so I just shut down. I am a survivor of sexual abuse (which was in my file), and I felt violated from the moment we got to the OR. The mood of the birth went instantly from one of empowerment, security, and safety, to one of uncertainty, violation, and fear. I wasn’t allowed to have my doula or my husband with me as they placed the spinal, so I held my nurse, Mary. She was a god-send and my only lifeline to the peace I remembered from the calm, safe L&D room. They had students place my spinal. They made a mistake the first time, so I felt fire shoot down my leg as they hit a nerve. I was fully in “off’ so as to not move a muscle as I asked them what kind of acid was just splattered all over my leg (remember - I was trying to avoid moving at all so that they didn't make a mistake and hurt my spine), and they removed the needle and tried again. The second time took. They had me lay down and spread my arms on the support boards as a resident anesthesiologist asked me questions to try to monitor my breathing and whether or not I could feel my abdomen. I was much too afraid to be able to continue my cheerful banter from the L&D room and was struggling not to cry. My husband came in and sat next to my head. I closed my eyes and listened to the doctors discussing their days - their golf games, the fact that their children were going off to college… things that had nothing to do with the significance and magnitude of the moment. I was about to meet my baby. We were about to go from a couple to a family. And no one seemed to care. It wasn't long before I heard that first cry - that amazing, life-changing, small little sound that I’ll never forget - my son’s first cry. I had planned to see him slide out of me covered in vernix and amniotic fluid and blood and be the first voice he heard in the world as I gently said, “welcome home, sweet boy” - but instead, the OB resident working with the doctor on call called out, “happy birthday!!” while I listened to beeps and numbly resigned myself to being the second or third woman to be able to speak to him. They brought him over to a table on the far side of the room without showing him to me where they dried him off and bundled him up. They invited my husband to come see him and take pictures, and Charlie grabbed my husband’s finger and held on for dear life. We have one picture of Charlie before he was completely swaddled and one picture of him next to my head as a little baby bundle. He was taken to the nursery, and my husband accompanied him. I was alone with the hospital staff as they stabilized me and put my body back together. I think I must have been in shock or had a reaction to the anesthesia because my heart rate sky-rocketed and wouldn’t come back down. They took me back to the L&D room for recovery, and I asked over and over for them to bring my baby to me so I could hold him and nurse him. My doula met me there and asked to call the nursery and see what the hold up was. They never said it, but I think they were trying to monitor my heart rate before bringing him back to me. We delayed his first bath, declined eye ointment, and there wasn’t anything necessary happening in the nursery. My husband declined nearly every procedure in the nursery. About an hour later, I finally had my boy in my arms. My doula helped me establish our first latch, encouraging me to hold my breast like a sandwich to get it into his tiny mouth. 

We spent a few more days in the hospital, moving over to the postpartum ward. The nursing staff was mediocre but adequate, and the nursery staff was downright unhelpful with breastfeeding questions. Thankfully, I was connected with fantastic lactation support by way of the business my doula was associated with - then Nine Months and Beyond, now Nashville Birth & Babies. Once we were home, my milk supply came in, and I found fantastic help from the lactation consultants at Nine Months & Beyond. I went to support groups both for lactation and cesarean recovery and educated myself in an effort to avoid a cesarean for any future births. 

Fast forward 5.5 years, and I had a second, beautiful Hypnobabies birth. This time, it was at home. My care providers never made me feel small or insignificant, and I never felt afraid or out of control. It was a much shorter birthing time, every bit as intense, if not more so, and a simple, completely uncomplicated birth. I had my daughter in a birth tub in my kitchen, spent a little time on my living room sofa immediately following her birth, and then spent the next several days in my own bed, eating my own food, enjoying my own shower, holding my own baby. I absolutely credit Hypnobabies with the confidence that I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I could have a comfortable birth and that my body could absolutely get to 10 and pushing. And had I not used Hypnobabies during my son’s birth, I am convinced that I wouldn’t have the memory of the wonderful, blissful, amazing birthing time that led up to his necessary cesarean."

One of our Hypno-mamas shared the birth story of her daughter Colette. She was able to use her self-hypnosis tools throughout the entire birth. Their birth made a different turn than expected and they were able to recognize that based on their circumstances, they made the best decisions possible. She hopes her story will help other mamas recognize that a doula can be very beneficial to help both mom and dad during a birth. We are grateful that she was willing to share her birthing story with us. 

"We made it all the way to 42 weeks, and so made the decision to induce my birthing time. The first step was ripening my cervix, and the medication kicked in so quickly that within 15 minutes I have having birthing waves constantly without any time to rest in between. The birthing waves came so quickly that I wasn't fully prepared and was not sufficiently using my hypnosis - it took an hour or two (I think - we had the clock covered up) to "catch up." My husband constantly helped with the "relax" cue, which was so immensely helpful. 

We had been told the first step of induction would probably take several hours to kick in, and that we'd be able to get some rest that night. They didn't give me the first medication until about 10:30 pm(which was at least an hour and a half after I was usually heading to bed!), and then of course with birthing waves starting immediately, we got absolutely no sleep. So about seven or eight hours in, both my husband and I were falling asleep between birthing waves (only a minute or two apart at this point) and I was having a hard time maintaining hypnosis. My husband was trying to maintain the relax cue, but he was starting to talk nonsense he was so tired! This is when I knew we should have hired a doula - a mistake we won't make next time! We were so exhausted that I ended up opting to get an epidural just so I could get a little sleep. 

Of course there's no way to know for sure, but I think if I had been able to fight the exhaustion and skip the epidural, our birth would have turned out a bit differently. Since we were so far along, my placenta was starting to give out, and the baby's heartbeat was dropping significantly with every push. The epidural makes it so you can't feel anything, and so I felt like I lost control of getting to push with my body's urges instead of when I was told. Would this have prevented the baby's heart decelerations? Probably not, but she may have come out with fewer pushes. We ended up trying forceps, which failed because she was not in a good position to be pushed or pulled out - again, if I hadn't had the medication and been forced to remain on my back, we could have used gravity to our advantage and found a position that would keep her turned and able to come out. Ultimately, we ended up with a c-section, which was the best option based on the the decisions we'd made. We are happy to have a beautiful, perfectly healthy little girl who is the light of our lives. 

The good news (other than our beautiful healthy baby) is that I'm a great candidate for VBAC and we know exactly what we will do differently next time around.  I was told that because of my pelvis shape, I have a higher probability of needing c-sections with future babies, and that is just more reason for me to know staying unmedicated and able to feel and move my body during birth is extremely important. I still believe in Hypnobabies, even if the ultimate outcome was not what we were hoping for. Let my story help to convince you if you're on the fence - hire a doula! "

Kayla Smith announced a few days ago that she is officially a certified Hypnobabies instructor. Kate Cropp and myself (Leigh Anne Hancock) are happy to have another instructor join our ranks. Kayla is a doula with Nashville Birth and Babies and wanted to be able to reach even more couples through teaching. Kayla herself used Hypnobabies with her second son's birth. Kayla lives in the Nashville area and plans to teach at our Brentwood location on Sunday afternoons. If you've been wanting a weekend class, check out our calendar and see if one of her classes will fit your schedule. Kayla was so excited when her certification went through, she posted this on her Facebook page:
(shared with her permission)

Thanks to Kate Cropp & Leigh Anne Hancock for the wise words and encouragement that helped me push forward.

Thanks to Kate, for her support, interest, and encouragement.

Thanks to Ryan Smith who kept the boys on his own while I was in New Orleans for six days being trained and who made sure they were taken care of when I needed to work toward this goal. Who supported my desire to do something I love and who has sacrificed to see it happen. 

And praise to GOD from whom all blessings flow!

I'm sure that there are more! Thanks to all my friends and family!"

Ellen Morris, DONA Certified Doula, ICEA Trained Childbirth Educator

 I am a mother of three, grandmother of five. I have always loved babies, and so after my children grew up and ventured forth on their own, I retired from my corporate job and became a birth doula.  I live with my wonderful husband, who gets almost as excited about birth as I do, and three little dogs.

My passion and mission is to provide birthing women and their partners with loving support for a memorable and positive birth experience.  Whether you are preparing for your first birth or your tenth, whether you are planning a home birth, a hospital birth or birth at a birthing center, I can help make a difference in your experience. 

I am a certified birth doula with DONA International. DONA requires that we complete a recertification process every three years ensuring that we strive to educate ourselves and improve our skills on an ongoing basis. In addition, we are required to complete continuing education training each year.  I am also an ICEA trained childbirth educator. 

Nancy Hinesly MS, APRN, CNM, IBCLC, CD – Birth & Postpartum Doula, Lactation Consultant

I am the mother of two lovely grown daughters and a grandmother. It was through their births that my desire to assist women in childbirth began. My first birth was in a hospital with a nurse midwife. My midwife was amazed at the ability of a 20 year old to deliver completely natural after only six hours of labor (I read Childbirth Without Fear…). I was equally impressed by my midwife and began to set goals as a young single mother to become a Certified Nurse Midwife. My second child was born at home with the assistance of a midwife and family. Both births were amazingly positive experiences!

I am an Advanced Practice Nurse, Certified Nurse Midwife, and Lactation Consultant as well as a Certified Doula. I have more than 25 years of women’s healthcare experience specializing in obstetrics. I am very excited to be joining Nashville Birth and Babies as a lactation consultant and doula. I want to empower you and your partner through education, physical, and emotional support for a positive birth and breastfeeding experience. For some it is a natural birth and for others it may be receiving labor anesthesia. There is no single or right way. A healthy, confident mother and baby are the goal! It’s your birth, your way.

Pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding are natural processes and your body already knows what to do.

I had the pleasure of having Cristy and Casey in my most recent Hypnobabies class. Cristy's guess date was three days after the finish of our last class. Casey asked during our birth rehearsal, "How do we know when to go to the hospital? I really don't want to have a baby on the side of the road." I'm thankful that Casey was able to think about what he might do in that situation. 

Two days ago, Casey called to let me know that they had their baby. It was great getting to hear about a Hypnobabies birth from a Dad first. He supported his wife wonderfully by staying calm and confident.  Here is the birth story from Mom's prospective, with me filling in with Dad's phone conversation comments. Congrats to Cristy and Stephen.
~Leigh Anne


Our Birth Story:
Mom: Our baby was born on July 12, 2014 at 8:26 pm.  Baby was 6lbs-10oz, 19 1/2 inches and was a.....BOY !!! Everett Jay!  My birth was amazing. I can not imagine it going any better. I was at lunch with my mom around 2:30pm and lost my mucus plug. We went to her house and I started having light pressure waves. 

I drove home and asked Casey to meet me. By the time I got home the waves were more intense. I put on a Hypnobabies cd, got in the shower and then laid down. At 5:30pm my pressure waves were only about 35 seconds in length, but two minutes apart. This confused me, and because I wasn't in pain, so I waited. At about 7pm Casey heard me starting to "ahhh" and thought we should go to the hosptial. 

Dad: Cristy wanted to do some last minute cleaning of the house, but I insisted that we needed to get to the hospital because of the sounds that she was making. 

Mom: On the way there the waves got more intense.  I was starting to grunt and ahhh. I was listening to a hypnosis cd in the car. Between pressure waves, I was able to repeat along with the cd. 

Dad: I really thought the baby was going to be born in the car. She kept making the pushing noises that we learned in class. I had been worried before the birth that we might have the baby in the car, but I did my best to stay calm, like we talked about in class.

Mom: Once we got to the hosptial 8:15 pm and went in, they were certain I was ready. They got a wheelchair and we went to the birth room. I got on the bed and the next pressure wave I pushed, his head came out. I pushed again and out he came !!!!! 8:26pm It was amazing. I feel hypnosis truly helped and let me enjoy my birth. I never felt pain, only discomfort. I was able to have conversations in between my pressure waves and was able to have a natural birth. Thank you so much for what you do !!!! Please keep me updated on the rest of the group and feel free to share my story ;)
              ~  Cristy  ( Everett's mommy)

I'm grateful that Alicia and Havan were willing to share their recent birth story. Cora was born last month at home surrounded by loving parents and their support team. If you would like to share your Hypnobabies birth story with us, please send us an e-mail. Enjoy. ~Leigh Anne

Cora Havan Tucker:  Birth Story

Pregnancy

​Havan and I had been trying to conceive a baby for nine months.  I had researched strategies for improving fertility, one of which is not to stress, and that is one of my biggest hurdles in life.  We had begun to track my basil temperatures so we would know when ovulation was approaching.  In October 2013, I was preparing my fourth grade class for a school-wide production when I suddenly felt extremely faint and my vision went blurry.  The principal watched my class while I went to see the school nurse, and the first thing she asked when I described my symptoms was, "Are you pregnant?"  Six days later, we drove to Rite Aide after church and bought the test that would confirm that I was indeed pregnant.  We were beside ourselves with excitement.  

​We immediately shared the news with our best friends, Amanda and Patrick Johnson and a few of Havan's closest coworkers, but we kept the anticipated baby a secret from everyone else until we could get the whole family together for Thanksgiving dinner in late November.  As it turns out, the Johnsons had their own news only two weeks later, and we found out Amanda and I would enjoy simultaneous pregnancies.  In late November the news was out to the family, church, and my students at school.  We sent Christmas card announcements to everyone else to spread our excitement about future baby Tucker.

​At around eighteen weeks of gestation, we had our second of three ultra sounds where the radiologists studied and measured the growing baby and discovered whether we would expect a son or a daughter.  We asked them to seal the results in an envelope which we immediately delivered to our college friends Sam and Allie Garza.  The following weekend, Sam and Allie hosted a gender reveal party where everyone we loved gathered to watch us throw darts at balloons that would reveal the pink or blue confetti hidden inside.  We instantly fell in love with the idea of our upcoming daughter as soon as Havan's dart pierced the balloon that held the pink colored confetti, and it showered to the floor of the Garza garage.

​My pregnancy went very smoothly.  I had no nausea, only occaisonal headaches that went away after the first trimester.  Havan and I, after receiving advice from the Johnsons, discussed having a water birth at home, an idea I had admired since seeing the birth video of Waylon Nash Johnson in January of 2013.  We decided that a natural birth in our own home would be the most comfortable and fitting method of welcoming our daughter into the world.  We set up an appointment with Amanda's midwife, Mary Anne Richardson, and after the consultation appointment, agreed that she would be perfect for guiding us through our natural home birth and delivering our baby.

​When we had my blood tested during the first trimester, we learned that my blood type is BNeg.  Unfortunately, a negative RH factor is a red flag for expectant mothers married to RH positive fathers.  If the baby's blood were positive like her dad's, my body would view her birth as an invasion of incompatible blood cells.  The risk of harm to Cora was low, but this would likely mean a future full of miscarriages for our family.  Thanks be to God that an injection has been recently developed to deter my blood from reacting to the incompatible RH positive cells.  I received the RhoGam injection when I reached 28 weeks gestation, and it was a big weight off my chest.

​Every other aspect of my pregnancy was perfect.  My weight, iron levels, glucose measurements, and uterin growth were all ideal.  I ate well, slept well, and had a lot of energy to be productive once the school year ended in May.  When the weather warmed, I swam in the pool almost daily and felt like my body was prepared for birthing.

​As part of our preparation, Havan and I signed up for a Hypnobabies class (also due to the excellent advice of the Johnsons).  The idea of using hypnosis to ease the pains of child birth sounded hokey to me when we first looked into the classes.  However, the real principles of Hypnobabies are: 1. You are in control of your mind and how you feel about every situation including child birth;  2. Fear and anxiety serve to slow and complicate a birth, and you can learn to control your fear.  This class gave us everything we needed from pregancy health information, to natural childbirth statistics and data, to countless concentration/relaxation strategies and tools.  I practiced breathing relaxation and "hypno-anesthesia" to my uterus, envisioning a safe place and a bubble of peace, releasing my fears and building images of my perfect birthing, and thinking only positive thoughts about pregnancy and childbirth.  Hypnobabies helped me to feel confident about my natural water birth at home.

Birth

​Friday June 20th felt like just another day, the last day in the 38th week of gestation.  I completed my daily to-do list, relaxed on the couch, swam in the pool, and had fun with my husband when he got home from work an hour early.  We called our friends, as we always do, to see what welcome-the-weekend plans we could pull together.  Since everyone was busy or wishing to stay home, we purchased an on-demand movie (Monument Men) and settled in for the night.  About halfway through the film, at around 8 P.M., I suddenly felt a very strong movement in the bottom of my uterus, and as I started to react in surprise, I felt a gush of fluids.  It felt like a gallon of water poured out of me, and I sent Havan running to get towels.  He helped me to the bathroom, and liquid continued to leak out of me.  I smiled up at him and said, "Guess we need to call Mary Anne."

​At this time I felt amazingly calm.  I wasn't scared, anxious, or nervous.  We called Mary Anne, and she informed us that because our water broke early, without any other signs of birthing time, we were being put on a clock.  Without the bag of waters, we would need to be in "hard labor" within fourteen hours (10 A.M.) or we would need to go to the hospital.  Even with this news, I did not feel scared, nor did I even consider it a possible snag in the perfect birthing I had envisioned.  I simply listened calmly and took notes as Mary Anne described the precautionary methods we should take and the home remedies we could use to encourage birthing time along.

​One of the remedies on the list was castor oil, which can be a harsh method that causes unpleasant side effects, so we were encouraged to use it only if nothing was progressing by 2 A.M.  We took this time to drive to Wal-Mart and pick up the items we would need if the castor oil became necessary.  I had some pressure waves as we wondered around the aisles of Wal-Mart, but they were very light and simply required me to walk a little slower.  We arrived home and used some nipple stimulation.  Then we began to prepare some of the things we would need for the birth.  We made sure the washer and dryer were empty and the recycling bin was cleared.  We prepared a litter box for the cat to spend the night upstairs.  At this point, the pressure waves became a little stronger and there was a light-pink mucus appearing in my underwear.  Around midnight, we listened to the hypnobabies Birthing Day Affirmations CD and tried to get a few hours sleep.

​I did not sleep a wink.  How anyone can sleep through even mild pressure waves is beyond me.  I wasn't in pain, I was simply hyper aware of the changes in my body and the fact that within 12 hours, I would be well on my way to bringing my daughter into the world through one means or another.  After 2 hours, I couldn't bear the pressure or the excitement alone, so I woke Havan, who was sleeping soundly, and we headed to the kitchen.

​I spent the next two hours breathing relaxation through some strengthening pressure waves.  Havan used the counter pressure technique that Leigh Anne Hancock had taught us in Hypnobabies by squeezing the muscles around my hips together as my uterus pulsed and contracted.   He also whispered wonderfully comforting messages in my ear about relaxing my muscles and each pressure wave bringing Cora closer to being in our lives.  He timed my pressure waves and they were lasting over a minute every 5 to 7 minutes.  Mary Anne had instructed us to call her back when the pressure waves were 4 minutes apart, at least a minute in duration, consistently for an hour.

​Between pressure waves, Havan busily prepared the house, or rubbed my back, or engaged me in a mixture of heartfelt and humorous conversations about our coming daughter.  At 4:30 A.M., he fed me some peanut butter toast and made me a mug of cumin tea--another suggestion on Mary Anne's list of natural induction techniques.  Approximately 1/3 of the way through the mug of tea we noticed a huge difference.  Suddenly my pressure waves were quite strong, and I had 5 or 6 in a row that were only three minutes apart.  At this point I told him to call Mary Anne even though we had not timed the waves for an hour yet.  Mary Anne said she we could expect her to arrive at our home within 50 minutes.

​While Mary Anne was en route, Havan helped me relocate to the birthing ball in our bedroom.  He continued to provide counter pressure during each pressure wave, and I cannot describe the incredible difference I felt each time he squeezed my hips together.  Between waves, he would hurry off to inflate the birthing pool and put the hose adapter on the shower head, dropping everything and running to my side everytime I exclaimed, "It's starting!"

​Each pressure wave came on lightly at first--you could feel them starting, rising and peaking in pressure, and then ebbing away again, very much like an ocean wave as described in some of the Hypnobabies literature.  Between waves, I rocked on my birthing ball and watched the sunrise.  During pressure waves, I leaned against the bed with my face in the pillows and thought hard about relaxing every muscle in my back and abdomen, allowing my uterus to take control and ease my baby downward for me.  Tensing my muscles would only serve to interupt the natural departure of the baby from the womb.

​To my surprise and excitement, Mary Anne called Havan when she was 20 minutes away and asked him about the things I did during pressure waves and told him to go ahead and fill the birthing pool.  She asked him if I had requested to go the hospital yet or mentioned not thinking I could go on any longer.  He said, no, I had not said anything like that, and she informed him that that typically happens a little later on in the birthing process.  As soon as I heard water rushing into the birthing pool, I was instantly even more relaxed because I knew the warm water would help the baby come even quicker and more smoothly, and make the effort to keep my muscles relaxed that much easier.

​Mary Anne arrived close to 6 A.M., and a huge smile crossed my face as I saw her walking into the bedroom.  She immediately got to work filling out measurement charts, listening to the baby, and assisting Havan in preparing the pool.  Not long after, Mary Anne's assistant, Becca, and another girl, Tonya, who is training to become an official midwife's assistant, arrived and helped test my vital signs and bring me water.  Though Havan had kept me nourished and well-hydrated, the first two times Mary Anne listened to the baby's heartrate she said the variance was lower than she would like which could be a sign of fetal distress.  Havan went to the kitchen to prepare a special drink called Labor Aide that I had made in advance and frozen.  He came back and I sipped the drink through a straw during each pressure wave.

​As everyone bustled around the room getting things ready and preparing supplies, I continued to sit on my ball and concentrate on relaxation with Havan's counterpressure available upon request.  What felt like only a few minutes after the girls arrived, I decided to see what Mary Anne would say if I somewhat playfully asked if I could get in the tub yet.  I was certain she would say, "no" and remind me that the pool needed to wait until the last minute like a trump card in a card game that will help you succeed right at the end.  To my surprise, she said, "yes!"  The excitement and relief I felt in that moment was incredible.  I stood up and Havan helped me strip down to a sports bra and everyone helped me step over the side of the pool and into the 100 degree water.  As I sank down in the water, I felt a rush of extreme comfort and I said out loud, "I feel sooooo good."  Havan knelt at the side of the pool and held my hands, and rubbed my shoulders, and talked quietly to me about Cora knowing how to be born, and how I could just relax and let it happen.

​At first I sat against the side of the pool, and the girls brought cold wash clothes to me and placed them on my neck and forehead.  This was the single most comfortable moment of the birth, and the girls ushered Havan out of the room to go eat something, as it might be the only window of opportunity for him to nourish himself for a while.  While Havan was gone I acutally fell asleep for a few minutes on Mary Anne's shoulder.  She measured the baby's heartrate again while I soaked in the incredibly soothing warmth.  This time, the baby's heartrate was varying perfectly--the Labor Aide had done the trick to keep the baby strong.  Mary Anne had told me long ago that when the fetus is "in distress" during birth it is almost always a sign of undernurishment and dehydration.  Why deny the baby it's source of strength during a time that requires so much energy?  

​The birthing pool trump card worked.  After the first ten minutes of unsurpassed comfort, transformation started and the pressure waves were incredibly strong and effective, bringing the baby down and causing my body to start pushing involuntarily.  The feeling of your body surging and pushing and bearing down on it's own is astounding.  While it could be scary for many, I was in awe of it.  Mary Anne began talking loudly to me saying, "That is what it is supposed to feel like.  Let it happen.  You are doing exactly what you are supposed to do."  This was exactly what I needed to hear, and it gave me confidence to embrace these powerful sensations.  I would let loud moans escape my lips during each pushing wave because it felt right to do that.  I would also say things that I could hear or remembered hearing Havan say to myself out loud like "relax" or "peace" or "release."  As the waves grew stronger, I instructed each person to help me in the way that felt best.  Havan applied pressure to my hips, Becca pushed down on my lower back, and Tonya held my head in her hands so that I could relax my neck mucles and shoulders.  I would tell each helper to, "please shift the pressure to the left" or "please raise my head a little higher."  Later, Becca told Havan that she had never seen or heard a more vocal woman during transformation.  So often, women are overwhelmed and cannot speak during this stage of pregnancy.  Mary Anne continued to take measurements and record my comments and reactions to the changes in my birthing waves.  

​At 10 A.M. I heard Mary Anne approach Havan and whisper to him that it had been fourteen hours since my water broke, and we clearly didn't need to go to the hospital because we were so far along at this point.  Next she asked him if she should use an IV to administer antibiotics to prevent infection, which is a risk when your water breaks early on in the birthing process.  I heard Havan respond with the exact words I would have wanted him to say, "Unless you think it's absolutely necessary, I think that would simply cause more stress for the mother."  It was so amazing to have a birth partner who knew exactly what to do and say during the entire birth.

​Up to now, I had been pushing on my hands and knees with my stomach hanging into the warm water.  Mary Anne told me that to make my pushing much more effective, I was going to swtich to a squatting position with my back against the side of the pool.  Havan put his arms under my shoulders to hold me up, and I squatted as low and wide as I could like I had practiced during my prenatal exercises for months.  With Havan and the water providing support, I was able to shorten the birthing canal substantially in this position.  Mary Anne gave me a supply of oxygen through a cord in my nose that would help make it easier to take large, effective, breaths.

​Mary Anne told me in a few minutes the urge to push would suddenly feel more constant, growing stronger in waves, but never really going away between them.  She told me that instead of taking long slow breaths like I had been, I should inhale deeply twice and then hold my breath and push voluntarily to help usher the baby down the birthing canal.  If I could give at least three big pushes during each pressure wave, bearing down and holding my breath as long and strong as I possibly could, the last push in each group would bring the baby further down.  

​This is what I did for the next however many minutes.  I would breathe deeply, then hold my breath, bear down, and push.  I have never put all my strength into something so thoroughly and completely.  After three incredible pushes, I would come briefly out of my squatting position and stretch my legs out until the next wave began.  As the pushing continued, a mirror was placed in the bottom of the pool allowing everyone, including Havan, to get a good view of the progress my uterus and cervix where making.  After a few more strong pushes, I heard someone say,"Look! She has lots of dark hair!" as the baby began to crown.  Havan squeezed me close and said, "dark hair!" in my ear in the most heartfelt and astounded tone of voice.  I took a quick peek at the hair during the next set of pushes and then closed my eyes again to concentrate.  I chose to look at the mirror very little.  I told Havan later that I was busy convincing myself that every single push could be the push if I could just give it everything I had.  If after each push I had seen only centimeters of progress in the mirror, I might have felt defeated, but instead I surged onward, knowing that with my body's strength and my hightening will power, the baby would be in my arms soon.

​Pushing continued and during each set the women and Havan would say "Ohhhh!" and "Wow!" and "Look at that!" to remind me that things were happening, and I should keep at it and not allow my strength and determination to wane.  As Cora's head eased out of my vigina, a little bit at a time, my perineum stretched to make room.  Occasionally, I would make a comment like "It hurts!" or "It stings!" but I would quickly remember that I wasn't supposed to say those things during my positive birth, so instead I remembered all the times Havan help me practice stretching my perineum and how it stings some at first, but it goes away as you adjust to the sensation.  After every stretch, I would focus on adjusting to the new sensation and was quickly able to alleviate feelings of "hurt."

​In the next few minutes I could tell that Cora's head was well on its way through my vagina, and Becca kept saying, "I think the next push might be it."  This was incredibly encouraging, and I decided to give each set five of my strongest pushes yet.  A few sets of pushing later, I felt a release of stretching as her head slid all the way out, and I heard gasps of excitement from everyone, Havan loudest and most excited of all.  With the next set of pushes, at 10:27 A.M., Cora's body slid out and Becca snatched her out of the water and put her in my arms.  My whole body sank down into the water, and I relaxed and stared at the purple human in my arms. Her head was covered in dark hair, and her facial  muscles squeezed as she started breathing in quick little pants.  The first thing she did when she was born as stick her tongue out the side of her mouth and Tonya said, "Wow, who has the long tongue in this family?" and I laughed and replied, "That would be me."  Becca placed a warm fresh towel over the baby as I sat in the water holding her close and staring.


Recovery

​After Cora was born, everyone helped me up and out of the tub as I concentrated on holding the baby securely and in a position where I wasn't pulling the umbilical cord.  Cora and I climbed into bed and I placed her skin-to-skin on my chest while the cord sent a few last pulses of blood into her body, and her skin changed from purple to pink.  Havan climbed into bed next to me, and we stared together at our new daughter.  Mary Anne prepared the cord to be cut, and Havan snipped the baby free from her old lifeline.  Tonya measured my vital signs, and gave me an herbal concoction to drink that would help the placenta to detach and be born.  After a while, with one last push, the placenta came out in one piece, and Becca massaged my stomach to help my uterus contract and stop bleeding.  This part was not uncomfortable at all, and I just stared lovingly at my new, beautiful baby and thought about how she looked exactly like the baby Cora I had pictured so many times during my self-hypnosis sessions.

​Havan soon got a turn to hold the baby while I relaxed next to him, and Mary Anne checked my perineum for tears.  I did have two incredibly small tears that were minimal thanks to the stretching exercises and the saturation of warm water.  Mary Anne said they were both so small that she would normally let them heal on their own, but they happened to be positioned in such away that my vaginal opening looked a little bit deformed.  I gave Mary Anne permission to suture the wounds as she promised that in two weeks I would be back to "looking like a porn star."  Havan and Becca examined, measured, and weighed the baby while Mary Anne tenderly and precisely stitched my tears back to normal.  The stitching would have been the scariest part for me, but Mary Anne gave me a few shots of local anesthesia, and I didn't feel a thing.  In fact, at one point I asked her to let me know when she started and she said,"Oh, I'm halfway done."

​Cora weighed 6 pounds, 12 ounces and measured 22 inches in length.  Her color was beautiful, her vital signs were perfect, and her reflexes were sharp.  She passed her hearing test on both sides.  Becca collected some of the blood from the cord, took a heel prick, and gave the baby a Vitamin K injection.  Later the cord blood results would show that Cora has ONeg blood and is, in fact, compatible with all the blood types.  After her exam, Cora was placed back on my chest and Becca coached me through our first breastfeeding experience.  Havan's mother and father arrived at 1P.M. to visit with us and the baby and receive post-partum instructions from Mary Anne.  Mary Anne and her assistants cleaned up and made me a helping of lasagna.  Cora, Havan, and I rested the remainder of the day, and Minh-Triet sat in our room the whole night to hold the baby and help with diapers, outfit changings, and temperature monitorings.  The first couple of feedings were slightly difficult as Cora and I tried to learn exactly which angles and positions would successfully express colostrum.  Since then, she has become a feeding champion, eating well and regulary, and has already learned how to latch correctly without much help.

​I stayed in bed, as instructed, for the first 48 hours with Cora sleeping or bonding with grandparents nearby.  Now, six days later, I am up and about, feel energized, have a furious appetite, and am shocked at the complete lack of pain as my vagina and cervix recover completely.  I only have 7 pounds to lose to return to my pre-pregnancy weight and breastfeeding should accomplish that for me in no time.

​Cora attended her first pediatrician's appointment on Tuesday and she was found to be completely perfect aside from a small bout of jaundice which is not significant enough to treat medically and requires only short daily sun baths on the deck.

I am blessed to have a perfect family.  I have the most loving and supportive husband, and the most gorgeous and healthy baby girl.  With faith in God, determination, relaxation, and the help of some talented midwives, we accomplished all of our birthing goals and had the birth we dreamed about to bring out new daughter into the world.  Though I will readily admit this was the biggest, hardest challenge of my life, it was in no way scary and never seemed impossible.