Midwife Caroline’s Hypnobabies Hospital Birth
“Looking back, the entire birthing time felt way shorter than it was-it really is true your perception of time is skewed in hypnosis! My midwife came to check on the balloon since it had been about 6 hours since insertion and I had not felt it fall out. I figured I was still about 2 centimeters, but I was 8 centimeters!”
As a midwife, nurse, childbirth educator, and friend, I am now recommending Hypnobabies to anyone and everyone! I wanted to share the story of my Hypnobabies birth. I wish I had learned about this program in midwifery and nursing school-it is an incredible resource!
Thanks for all that you do for families!
I am a midwife and this is my hospital birth story of our second baby but first hypno-baby! (Previous birth was a hospital birth with an epidural)
After working as an obstetrics nurse and childbirth educator at one of the top five busiest maternity hospitals in the country, I felt like I had seen it all. This manifested as unexpected anxiety that presented at my first birth, a non-Hypnobabies birth, despite birthing at the hospital where I knew the staff and felt comfortable. Although I got great care from my midwife and team and had a beautiful vaginal birth with my son, I did start down the cascade of interventions largely because of my nerves. After that birth, I completed my midwifery degree as I felt a deep down desire to birth the way it was meant to be, rather than filled with protocols, interventions, and “what ifs”-which is what I was taught as a new nurse and thought was the norm in the high acuity, busy teaching hospital where I trained. The only way I felt I could experience the birth that I wanted and knew I deserved was by tackling my past experiences and retraining my mind-this is where Hypnobabies fit perfectly into my plan.
In my second pregnancy I experienced a good amount of family and work stress and felt I wasn’t giving this baby the attention they deserved. Awake in the middle of the night thanks to insomnia, I made an impromptu decision to commit myself to a new challenge by purchasing and starting the online Hypnobabies course at 32 weeks. Although I already possessed most of the childbirth knowledge, I really appreciated the expert opinions and evidence-based research. I listened to the positive affirmations non-hypnosis tracks during morning walks or while driving daily and listened to at least one track at night before bed. I often fell asleep but these tracks really came in handy when my pregnancy insomnia peaked. Instead of being up for 1-3 hours in the middle of the night, I was falling asleep after 10-20 minutes and getting more hypnosis practice in. I also saw my mood was improving because stress was decreasing. By the end of the pregnancy, I realized that Hypnobabies was worth the investment regardless of the outcome of my birth because it helped improve my sleep and decrease stress.
There was talk of induction close to 39 weeks given minor risk factors I had but my midwife was on board with waiting until 41 weeks which is what I had done with my son and what I desired. I was nervous with each appointment for fear of needing a medical induction but I utilized my Hypnobabies tools to remind me that everything would go smoothly.
Fast forward to 41 weeks and I was still pregnant (and frustrated!). My partner read me the Hypnobabies Change of Plans Script the morning before our induction. I was at peace with not going into spontaneous birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor), especially after reading all the positive induction stories on the Hypnobabies website. I also listened to the Come Out Baby (Hypnobabies track to encourage birthing time to begin), Fear-Clearing Track, and Visualize your Birth. With the help of my doula, I came up with a plan that my midwife was amenable to so that I could allow my body the opportunity to take over during the induction process. I listened to two Hypnobabies tracks on the way to the hospital in the car. I was 2 centimeters so the midwife placed a Cook catheter balloon into my cervix upon arrival. I started a hypnosis track before the catheter insertion but it was so quick and easy that by the time I had turned my switch off it was over (way easier than the hundreds of cervical balloons I had witnessed or inserted in my patients thanks to hypnosis!). I envisioned birthing in the tub but there was not a clean room with one available yet; this worked in our favor so my partner and I were able to go on a lunch and coffee “date” in the hospital and walk around for a few hours. Eventually we got settled in a room and I listened to Your Birthing Time Begins (Hypnosis track) so I could picture where our baby would be born. 
The birthing waves (Hypnobabies term for contractions) were coming consistently but I only experienced mild discomfort for a few seconds with each one; I really felt like I was in latent, early birthing time (Hypnobabies term for labor). Eventually a saline lock was inserted after two attempts that were easy and uneventful. I had Easy First Stage (Hypnobabies main birthing day track) playing in my ear phones throughout my birthing time from here on out.
The next plan was low dose Pitocin with the balloon. I asked for it to be started at the lowest dose and to be turned up slowly. I didn’t notice much of a change in the pressure waves after starting it and after 1-2 hours. Looking back, the entire birthing time felt way shorter than it was-it really is true your perception of time is skewed in hypnosis!
My midwife came to check on the balloon since it had been about 6 hours since insertion and I had not felt it fall out. I figured I was still about 2 centimeters, but I was 8 centimeters! Needless to say our doula rushed over to the hospital! I was able to remain calm even when the midwife recommended an intervention due to the baby’s heart rate. I made an informed decision and declined and instead asked to turn off the Pitocin.
As I had envisioned, my body took over and I was able to progress without any intervention. The team kept offering me the tub they knew I had wanted but the birthing waves felt so manageable that I did not feel that I needed it. My doula used essential oils and candles to remind me of my safe place. The only other comfort measure I wanted was counterpressure and my husband and doula took turns supporting me.
I never felt like I experienced the transformation phase! Up until this point I was silent during the waves; now the only change I noticed were loud vocalizations and possibly a few seconds longer birthing waves.
My body was starting to tell me it was almost time to push without a strong urge. Our midwife was not responding to the nurse’s calls and my partner was getting nervous. I requested a doctor to come in as I wanted to start pushing. Bubble of Peace (Hypnobabies term for warning): With the stress of the midwife not being here, an unfamiliar doctor who was concerned about the baby’s heart rate, and a change to the Pushing Baby Out (Hypnobabies pushing track) on the speaker (which in retrospect I should have turned on much louder or kept to myself in my headphones), I felt a loss of hypnosis. I began to push as fast I could, which is not as I had practiced, culminating in a big splash of amniotic fluid all over the room (which we now laugh about!), and the midwife ran in with just enough time to put on gloves and guide me to birth my baby. After three waves and powerful pressure sensations, our baby was here! My partner shouted in tears “it’s a girl!”. I was caught off guard that baby GIRL was already here! I did not experience the high that I expected after having the unmedicated and successful Hypnobabies birth that I imagined but felt in shock as well as in awe of what I was capable of.
I am so thankful for this opportunity and now recommend this amazing resource to all my friends and patients-regardless of their goals for their birth as I truly believe everyone can benefit. I believe Hypnobabies helped me have a less stressful pregnancy and postpartum experience. If I was able to reprogram my mind and achieve my birthing goals, so can you!
