Home HypnoBirthing® Nurturing Mom Doula
It's a boy!…and…it's another boy!
Outside a fierce storm raged; driving rain pelted against large, sliding windows and trees fell across power lines, plunging the entire city of Manchester, New Hampshire into darkness.
In the Labor and Delivery Unit of the Elliot Hospital on that November 1 st evening , Toni Bachand, a HypnoBirthing® mother in labor with twin sons, was oblivious to the flickering of the lights as the hospital's auxiliary electrical system took over.
Sitting at Toni's side, her husband Chris held her hand while softly reciting HypnoBirthing® prompts that reminded her to trust her body, to relax, and to release her birthing over to her body and her babies. In the background the voice on the HypnoBirthing Rainbow Relaxation tape offered similar suggestions that Toni trust her body to do what it was designed to do and to visualize her body enveloped in a mist of natural anesthesia.
Each time Toni experienced a uterine surge (contraction), Chris lightly stroked her arm in an upward motion, giving her the suggestion of experiencing the numbness of glove anesthesia travel upward and throughout her body.
After only 4-1/2 hours of active labor, Toni sensed that she was fully dilated and was moving into the next stage. Because Toni was exhibiting none of the usual signs of advanced labor, her nurse was skeptical. Toni assured her that she was ready to start bearing down to bring her first baby through the birth canal. The nurse reluctantly agreed to call the doctor.
When the doctor arrived, her tone and expression also demonstrated disbelief. As she examined Toni, she assumed a puzzled look and said, “Oh, my gosh, you are over nine centimeters dilated.” Following the usual precautionary procedure when twins are being birthed, Toni's medical attendants prepared her to be transferred to the operating room. Chris and Mickey Mongan, Toni's HypnoBirthing® instructor and secondary birth companion, accompanied her, both outfitted in full operating room regalia.
Once in the operating room, Toni continued to labor, surrounded by 14 gowned, gloved and masked OR and neonatal pediatric staff, poised to spring into action at a moment's notice should the need arrive.
Toni was placed on a hard, narrow operating table that could have defied relaxation. In spite of this, she successfully applied the HypnoBirthing® techniques that she and Chris had practiced over the many months of her pregnancy.
Still at her side, Chris continued to recite birthing prompts. Toni's second stage of labor was free of the usual, loud, cheerleader style coaching of the medical staff. Instead, she responded to Chris's prompts that urged her to breathe love down to her babies as she gently brought the first twin, 5 lbs. 1-3/4 oz. Cody Steven into the world at 8:06pm.
A little less than an hour later, at 9:00pm, the second twin, 4 lbs. 14-1/2 oz. Brandon Christopher, edged his way down and past the perineal rim, entering the world in the same gentle manner as his brother had.
While the entire medical staff stood by in awe, it was evident that the HypnoBirthing® training that Toni & Chris had participated in had indeed allowed them to bring their babies into the world in the gentle, satisfying manner that they had hoped and planned for.