iHypnobirth

One of the biggest tools for Hypnobirthing moms are the hypnosis scripts given to us in classes.  I want to talk a little bit about scripts and how to choose one that is right for you.

A script is basically a 1-4 page relaxation guide.  It can have several parts which usually consist of an opening relaxation tool such as progressive relaxation, a “deepening” exercise using vivid imagery, and a closing sequence to bring you slowly out of hypnosis.  Two of the scripts I have used most in Hypnobirthing are “Rainbow Relaxation” and “The Waterfall.”

When deciding which script(s) to use in your Hypnobirth, take into consideration what kind of learner you are…Auditory, Visual, or Kinesthetic.  If you are auditory, use scripts that talk about sounds (hear the wind blowing through the trees, the babble of the brook, etc.).  If you are Visual, choose scripts that talk about colors, light, or other things you see (Rainbow Relaxation is great for visuals).  If you are kinesthetic, like me, you will want to use scripts that talk about movement and feeling.  The Waterfall script is great for me because it talks about getting into a pool of healing water and feeling its effects on your body.

If you don’t have access to pre-written scripts (usually received in a Hypnobirthing class), you can write your own.  Think of a place that you have been, or wish you could go, or create in your mind, that is relaxing to you.  It needs to be somewhere you can find peace, joy, and calm.  Write about it in simple, descriptive terms.  Have your birthing partner read it back to you and clean it up grammatically and otherwise so that it flows well.  Then, tack a relaxation technique onto the front and add a countdown onto the back (i.e. working backwards from 5, slowly bring yourself out of hypnosis….5…..4….becoming more alert….3…..2…..fingers & arms starting to move….1…fully alert and awake, ready to continue your day).

I’ll try to write some original scripts and post them for those who would like to try them for free.  I can’t use what I have been given because it would break copyright rules, I’m sure.  I’ll write more about scripts, and specifically how to use them to prepare for and use in birthing, in future posts.

I couldn’t believe my ears when they announced his weight…9 pounds 13 ounces!! I had birthed a nearly 10 pound baby naturally! The next thing I thought was, “oh no…what’s the damage to my perineum!” I looked at Roberta as she was examining me and she informed me that I did not need stitches…I only had a minor laceration that would heal on its own. Incredible. I was relieved, to say the least.

Everett was doing fine, so they finally handed him to me all wrapped up. I wanted skin-to-skin contact to I tried to unwrap him and while that was going on, I delivered the placenta. It was finally over! They wanted me to nurse Everett right away because his blood sugar levels were low. I finally got him unwrapped and on my chest and was even able to get him to nurse a bit. This is when everything went downhill.

The cramping started as he was nursing, and as soon as he was done my nurse came to push on my uterus. Out gushed lots of fun stuff and she kept pushing and pushing to get it all out. I was in so much pain and begging her to stop, but she couldn’t! After the gushing stopped, she took it all and weighed it, and I had lost about 350ccs of fluid & clots. I guess this is a lot because they were a little worried about me after that & gave me a shot to help the uterus contract. Well, as you can imagine, that started 2 hours of excruciating pain. 4 ibuprofen, 2 percocet, and 1 shot of demorol later, I could finally relax and feed Everett again. I am being completely honest when I say that was the most painful thing I had ever experienced…way worse than labor…and I actually asked Nathan if they could knock me out!

My blood pressure shot up during the pain and they were worried that I might be having post-partum pre-eclampsia (toxemia) which is rare but does happen from time to time. Luckily, as soon as the pain went down, so did my blood pressure. Finally, around 3 or so in the afternoon, Everett and I were doing well enough to be moved to our recovery room. I was able to get up and go to the bathroom, and felt so much better in the recovery bed. They kept the pain meds coming and I wasn’t in too much pain after that. My recovery has actually been faster since then…my bleeding is lighter, sitting down isn’t painful at all, and I’m looking forward to a fast recovery. This birth was a bit more traumatic than Kaisa’s (mostly because of the meconium issues & the post-partum pain) but I still feel that it went extremely well and that my choice to birth Everett naturally paid off. I have a feeling that if I’d had an epidural, the pushing would have been completely ineffective and I would have been whisked off for a c-section at the first signs of fetal distress. Thanks again to the Hypnobirthing method for another wonderful birth!

Natha, Kaisa, Everett & I

Baby Everett

Happy Mom & Baby

Roberta said I was dilated 9.5 cm and to push if I wanted to. The problem was, I wasn’t really feeling the urge that strongly, and when I pushed it didn’t feel right. The pressure was not in my bottom where it should be. A couple of surges later I was fully dilated but I still wasn’t feeling right. She had me turn on my side; the baby probably needed to turn a bit more and that’s why things didn’t feel quite right. I was pushing all on my own, I felt, with almost no help from my body. I could feel him coming down though, and that was encouraging me to keep pushing even though it was extremely difficult and quite painful. Pretty soon I could feel him coming over the tailbone and I knew it was close. As he was crowning, Roberta had me reach down and feel his head. Almost there!

I started to sense and urgency that they really wanted this baby out. I later learned that his heart rate was dropping a bit and one of the nurses was even talking c-section. I’m glad I didn’t hear that at the time! Roberta was wonderful, she kept encouraging me to push without freaking me out. I was a little worried about my perineum at this point, but I was more worried about the baby, so I gave it literally everything I had, and pretty soon his head was out. Moments later, I had delivered him and I heard him cry. This is the most wonderful feeling in the world! Nathan was right there with me the whole time, and since we couldn’t yet hold our baby, we held each other and kissed.