An Empowering HypnoBirthing Story - The Birth of Bennett

On Wednesday 7/19, we were 4 days ‘past due’ with our sweet baby. We prayed and hoped for baby to join the world without medical induction or intervention, so we crossed our fingers and waited to see when baby would join us earthside, despite the pressure from our OB. 

We went about our daily activities and on the evening of 7/19 we enjoyed music bingo with friends at the brewery.  I had started noticing some mild contractions while we were there but wasn’t paying too much or being too optimistic as I had  experienced some false labor a few days prior. 

When we got home that evening I got in bed and tried to get a little rest, just in case…to my surprise by midnight I was starting to have more frequent contractions and they were getting much more noticeable and uncomfortable. Around 2am I decided to try getting in the bath to take the edge off and see if these surges would lighten up a little. By the time I got out of the bath around 3:45ish I was having contractions about every 3 minutes, lasting about 45 seconds so I decided to wake up Dylan as the intensity was becoming a little more than I wanted to manage on my own. Dylan helped me through the next 30 minutes or so in the quiet of our bedroom, at that point we then decided to text our doula Rebecca, who was conveniently awake, and chose to meet her at the hospital shortly.

When we arrived to the hospital around 5am, we got checked in and they took me straight to the delivery room, (I was about 4cm, 80%) they got me hooked to monitors and started my IV (which I requested to just be saline locked) and I worked on continuing to breathe through the surges. With 

Between about 5:30 and 9:00 I rode the incredible and equally increasingly uncomfortable ride of frequent, long surges. I struggled with a lot of pain in my lower back, so Dylan with each surge helped combat that with strong counter pressure against my hips. Moving positions, from the bed, to the ball, to the bathroom, allowing myself to experience the ‘primal’ nature that was showing through. There was moments so close to your arrival that I wanted to give up my dreams of a natural birth, but I’m glad Dylan and Rebecca kept me to my goals. Constant reminders that I could do it, and that you were so close, helped me through. This was hard work, but I knew it would be worth it.

Around 9:45 Rebecca suggested I try to go sit on the toilet, the surges were so intense at this point and not long after we moved into the bathroom my water broke. After my water broke, I was still having a lot of pressure and I started to feel the urge to push. I followed that urge and we quickly realized you would be making your arrival very soon. 

With some encouragement I was able to move back into the bed, we called the nurse, and as I followed my body’s urges you quickly made your entrance. I was able to reach down and grab you and pull you up to my chest, a dream come true. Total pushing time being less than 10 minutes. 

You were finally here, you were perfect, and dad got to announce that you were a boy! Our first moments can only be described as blissful magic. You latched within minutes. You were here, earthside, with strong lungs, and the sweetest face. 

Our perfect baby boy. 

Guest Blog by Tori Wolff. Tori shares her birth story of her son, written just a few days after his birth. Tori and her husband prepared for their calm and empowering birth experience attending Rebecca's HypnoBirthing class and utilizing her doula services in preparation for the birth and for labor and birth support.

You have the power to create the birth experience you crave and envision for yourself!!