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Allison's Beautiful Birth
I am writing because I know so many women who are fearful and anxious about giving birth—especially first-time moms—and I want to share a positive story about the birth of my first child, Allison.
I went to Lamaze classes before Allison was born, but didn't find them terribly helpful. They were educational, but didn't seem to answer my questions about what labor and delivery would really be like. Then I heard about a process called HypnoBirthing® in which the mother and her partner use deep relaxation techniques to help manage pain during labor. I had four “hypnosis” sessions (although it didn't feel like being hypnotized, it just felt like relaxing for a while) and then I listened to the tapes to practice relaxing. And then we waited….
I realized I was in labor at about 4:00a.m. on September 20, 1995. I called the hospital and they told me that it probably wasn't labor because I didn't describe it as painful, just as a tightening of the muscles. But when I timed this “tightening of the muscles,” I realized that the tightening was coming about five minutes apart. So we decided to go to the hospital anyway.
When I arrived, the admitting nurse called up to obstetrics and said, “well, she's here, but you'll probably be sending her back home. I've been doing this for 15 years, and I can tell you, she's not in labor.”
Boy, was she wrong! When they checked me, I was already dilated to 5 centimeters and was beginning the last stage of labor. The nurses kept looking at me, and then looking at the monitors that were measuring my contractions, then looking back at me in disbelief. I guess they expected me to be screaming or something, but it didn't feel like pain. It felt like work, but not pain, really.
I arrived at the hospital at 5:00 a.m. and my daughter was born at 6:53 a.m.—less than two hours later. I pushed only five times, and they actually had to have me stop pushing so the doctor could get his gloves on to catch my daughter! I must admit that there was some pain toward the end of the delivery, but it was very minimal. The entire experience was blissful, ecstatic, and glorious beyond belief. Truly the single most incredible thing I've ever done in my life. And NOTHING like the horror stories that people kept telling me about.
Please…if you are pregnant…find out about HypnoBirthing® in your area. I am currently expecting my second child and am using the same hypnosis techniques again for this birth. You do not need to be afraid of giving birth! It is a beautiful, wonderful experience and one to be experienced in joy, not in pain and fear.
Good Luck!
Lisa