Births and Stories 

Emma W March 2022

McKenzie H August 2021

Nicole D May 2021

Nicole H March 2021

Kayce F November 2020

Jenny D August 2020

Brooke S July 2020

Leah F March 2020

Carly F October 2019

Nicole D May 2019

Jamie H  March 2019

Alexis August 2018

Jenny July 2018

Rayne April 2018

Audrey H July 2017

Bonnie W July 2016

Jamie H - November 2015

Calie S - October 2015

Rayne R - May 2015

Lisa W - April 2015

Whitney P - March 2015

Amy R - January 2014

Sari - December 2013

Colleen P - July 2013


Lisa - March 20, 2013

Lisa had an amazing birth! I am so happy for her. 

On March 18m she had her membranes stripped and had an acupuncture appointment.  Since she had already passed her due date, her doctor was wanting to schedule her induction in a few days.  She wanted to encourage her labor to start on it’s own, so she could avoid Pitocin, etc.

It seemed that these two things were going to work for her, since she started having some birthing waves that afternoon and evening. They would come and go, but she said she would just go on normally to see how things went.  She didn’t call during the night. 

The next day she texted and told me that they were about 15 minutes apart. She had a few during the night, that woke her, but nothing too intense.

We kept in touch during that day as she was deciding whether to visit her OB, or to just wait to see if things were really going to happen.

Her birthing waves seemed to slowly get closer together. In the late afternoon, she told me that they were about 10 minutes apart.  Then around 6:30 she said she had a few that were 5 minutes apart.  By 7, she asked if I could come to her house since they seemed to be getting closer together and more intense.

I left at about 7:30 and got her house at about 8:30. She was doing great.  They were excited that this was probably it, and that they were going to have a baby soon! 

Lisa was walking, and sitting on the birthing ball, while sipping her red raspberry tea.  She also had on her “Birthing Day Affirmations” and said that she loved listening to this track. Her waves were wonderful. They were pretty consistent, and then would spread out a little. But she always knew that when that next one came, it would be more intense. Some of them she was able to talk through, and some she had to stop and be more focused.  We did acupressure points for a minute, and also the abdominal lift.

At about 10:50 we decided that everyone should lay down and get some rest. We also thought it might be a good idea for Lisa to lay down and listen to another Hypnobabies track.  I remember looking at the clock at 11:00 pm and then falling asleep on the couch.

I woke up at 12:30 am and could hear Lisa humming in the other room.  It was exciting! I started timing her “hums.” They were about 5 minutes apart, but obviously more intense.  At about 12:45, they opened their door so Lisa could use the restroom. I suggested to her husband that he just get everything in the car, since we’d need to head to the hospital sometime that night.

As he was doing this, Lisa went through a few more birthing waves that were much closer together and much more intense.  We then thought it might be a good idea to just get to the hospital so she could get settled in and get in her “zone” since this baby was on her way!

We got into the car at about 1:00 AM and drove to the hospital. I parked the cars while they headed upstairs.

I met them upstairs and Lisa’s birthing waves seemed to stay pretty close together. She was doing so great and was so relaxed!

Soon they checked her for her admission stats and the nurse told her that she was about an 8, but maybe she should call it a 7. This was probably around 1:20 AM.

We were all so thrilled! Lisa’s goal was to have a VBAC, so she was so happy to hear that she was already a 7. It was very exciting!

Things began to become much more intense since she was in the transformation stage. She had the shakes and she really had to focus on her waves.  Her husband and I pushed on her knees and back and helped her into different positions. In between she sipped on water and used the restroom.

Just after 2 AM, she started to feel really pushy. The staff checked her again to find that she was almost completely dialated! She just a little bit of cervix on one side.  She was doing SO great and was almost there, despite very close and intense pressure waves!

Byt 2:30 all of the cervix was gone and she was pushing exactly when she needed to push. She did a lot of pushing on her knees at first. She really found it helpful to have the counter-pressure on her back and a cool cloth on her head.

Then, she turned over to a sitting/semi reclined position to continue pushing.  We helped by pushing on her knees, etc.  The doctors got ready and soon she pushed her beautiful baby girl into the world at 2:53 AM. She did it!!! Successful, unmedicated VBAC!  She made it through all of that intensity and reached her goal. I was so very happy for her! Their little baby girl was so beautiful and started nursing right away and did so well. Lisa was happy to have her baby skin-to-skin this time, plus just the fact that she got to keep her and hold her for as long as she wanted.

A while later, baby girl weighed in at 8 lbs 2 ounces. She was so healthy .  Congratulations to this wonderful family and their beautiful new addition!

Tamzen - March 9, 2013

I arrived to Tamzen’s house at about 10:50am. She was relaxing on her birth ball, and listening to Hypnobabies. She was so calm and peaceful and looked like she was doing great!  In between birthing waves, we chatted a little bit about her morning and how she was feeling.  She also said that they had called the hospital to give them a heads up that they would be in later.  They did not tell her if her doctor was on call, so I called the hospital again and found out that her doctor was not on call, and that the doc who was on-call, did not support VBAC’s.  Tamzen then talked to the nurse in L&D who basically told her that if she came to the hospital, she would have to have a repeat cesarean because the doc there did not support VBAC. Tamzen told her they would look into different options. So we started making phone calls.  I called a doula friend who referred some doctors who supported VBAC.  When we got off the phone, we talked about our findings, and her husband had found out that one of the best docs for VBAC support was on-call at another hospital. So it was decided. We were off to have this baby the way that Tamzen had prepared and hoped for.

We arrived at the hospital a little before 1:00 PM and settled down in Labor and Delivery. The staff there seemed so kind and they were very willing and helpful to take Tamzen, unassigned. They requested her prenatal records from the other hospital and Tamzen got ready to have her baby in a very supportive environment!

I believe she was checked around 1:30 pm. She was dialated to a 4.  Even though 4 cm’s is wonderful, it’s also the dialation that Tamzen remained at with her first birth, and where she was when she had a cesarean.  But we still knew that she could do this and with some more patience, she could get past a 4.

We had her Hypnobabies tracks turned on in the background and soon she was back in her zone and doing wonderful with her pressure waves. She felt comfortable on the birthing ball for a while and relaxed and listened to her hypnosis there. We changed a few positions here and there, and kept her hydrated. 

At about 3:45pm she felt really nauseous and threw up. We had very natural-birth/vbac supportive nurse who came in and helped when needed, but also let Tamzen do her own thing. At 4, she checked Tamzen to find out that she was 4 centimeters, but that her cervix was paper thin. At this time, she was very encouraging and told Tamzen that she knew she could do it and that we’d all be here to help.

Her birthing waves started to become stronger. They always remained pretty close together at 2 to 3 minutes apart. Tamzen was doing amazing and doing things perfectly, despite the intensity.  There came a point just before 5:30, when she was on her side, and the pressure waves just felt like too much.  She looked at me and said, “I think I might need the epidural.”  Our nurse was there and piped right in to ask, “Would you like me to check you. You’ve probably progressed.”  She did check her to find that she was a 6. A 6 was wonderful news! We reassured Tamzen that she had just gone through the part of her birthing time that would probably take the longest, and that now things could happen very quickly. We also changed her position, and it helped incredibly. Mike and I put counter pressure on her knees to help relieve the tightness in her back. Tamzen was more comfortable sitting up with this counter pressure, and seemed to feel much better and seemed to be able to get relaxed and continue with her birthing. 

All of  a sudden, only a half hour later, she started feeling pushy. The nurse checked her again, and found that she was an 8! More excitement!  8 centimeters is such a big deal.  With her pressure waves, she continued to feel a little bit of a grunty/pushing feeling.  Then they became stronger and longer. The nurse asked if she could check her again at about 6:35 to see if her cervix was out of the way. The great news was that she was almost complete!  There was just a little bit of cervix left on one side.  She was almost there!

Tamzen felt a lot of amazingly strong pushing sensations. The doctor came in to check on her and helped to ease back her cervix, so that soon after, it was gone. Full dialation just before 7 pm! 

Pushing! This baby was coming.  He and his mother were doing so well! His heartones were so great and his mother’s birthing was so amazing.  She felt very comfortable pushing while in a supported, sitting position. We did get her a squat bar for her bed, and she used that for a couple of pushing waves, until her legs were falling asleep. She went back to sitting and did so great during her pushing phase. She was absolutely incredible!

Pretty soon, baby was on his way!  She was able to feel his little head as he came upon her perineum. Such motivation!  She pushed his head out soon after, and his body was quick to follow. He was here! 7:46 pm on March 9th! She got her natural birth! She got her VBAC! What an incredible moment of love and success!  He was able to go right to his mother’s chest and his APGAR’s were 8 and 8.  Such a beautiful baby boy who hardly made a peep. But soon got bright-eyed as he looked at his mama. The hospital staff just couldn’t believe how calm he was and we joked that it was because he was a hypno-baby.  He just snuggled right up to his mama and soon he started nursing like a champ. 

Tamzen got a 2nd degree tear, but she said she didn’t even feel it when she birthed her baby.  Soon the placenta came and she got a shot of Pitocin to help the bleeding. All the while, being congratulated by friendly nurses, the doctor, and snuggling with her new baby.

After a little while, Dad got to hold his new son.  He was then weighed and he was 8 lbs 1 ounce and 21 inches long (I believe).  He was so calm in the warmer and as the nurse put on a diaper, etc.  He became sleepy and was content to sleep right then and there.

It has been such a pleasure, and such an incredible experience, to work with this amazing couple! Thank you so much for the honor of attending your birth!

Aimee - October 31, 2012

Aimee’s water started leaking on October 30th. She went for a walk, but it did not encourage strong contractions, so she decided to get some sleep.  In the morning, she said she was having contractions, but nothing too much, nothing to make her head to the hospital. We kept in touch that morning. In the afternoon, she decided she would get things arranged so that she could go in and see her OB.  We decided that I would head from Idaho to Utah since she would be having this baby sometime soon.

When I got there, I received a text from her husband, that they were at the hospital. I told him that I was on my way. As I was driving, I received a text that they were discussing their options. One was to strip her membranes, to encourage the contractions.  I arrived at the hospital and they said that they had decided to go ahead with the simple procedure. The doctor came in soon.  Afterwards, we decided to go walking.  Things were working out great.  Aimee really started to feel these contractions and they were coming stronger and closer together. Whenever a contraction came, she would lean on her husband for support.  We went back to her room, where she was monitored for a little while.  It seemed that her labor was progressing quickly. She tried the birthing ball, a chair, and the toilet for different positions.  She was doing so well, but I felt like things were happening fast, because it was tricky to find something comfortable.  Not too long after, we may have been back in the room for about an hour, she was checked to find out that she was almost fully dialated!  And she was feeling really pushy.

She tried to lay on her side to encourage her final dialation, but it was uncomfortable. So she would stand up and sit down, because that was easier for her to do. Success! She was complete and she then was able to push!  The baby was coming quickly. Aimee is incredible at pushing. I don’t know if I’ve seen very many women in so much control, when it’s so intense!  So the little BOY was here!  He was a surprise! And definitely a surprise to his dad whose reaction was, “Oh, shut up!”

He was a big, health baby who was able to be held by Aimee right away!  This family is so amazing and they had another incredible birth. I was so blessed to be able to witness their strength, determination, and love! Congratulations!

Rayne  October 17, 2012

Jerilyn -July 17, 2012

Missy - August 2, 2011

Whitney - July 12, 2011

Hilary - June 24, 2011

Kristin - April 1, 2011

Kristin texted me at about 7 am on April 1st, saying that she had been having surges since about 3 AM.  She said she was stumped because they weren’t getting closer together or stronger.  She said she was able to sleep a little bit, maybe an hour. She said she would keep me posted on whether or not she thought this was the real thing.

At about 8:45 am she called and said she thought it would be a good idea if I thought about coming. She was going to go over to her mother-in-law’s house to soak in the tub.  So I started getting ready and got on the road.

At 10:20 am, I texted her to see if she was doing okay. She texted back that she was throwing up and feeling chilled. I was a little nervous because this can be a sign of transition! I asked her to have her husband call me.  Meanwhile, I called my back-up doula and asked if she’d leave asap to be with Kristin. She said that she would.

Her husband called me back a while later after realizing I wasn’t one of his Idaho brokers J and said that Kristin was doing pretty well. When he told me that her contractions were still about 5 minutes apart and that she felt okay now, I didn’t have to worry that she was going to have an unassisted home birth. J  I asked him if they would like a doula there, and he wasn’t sure. Kristin seemed to still be wondering if this was really it. I asked him if I could send Talya (peacefulbirthing.com) over to talk to her and assess the situation. Then if they wanted more time together without doulas, she could leave. He thought that would be a good idea.

I’m assuming that Talya arrived a little before 11:30 am.  She called me just before noon and said that they were going to start packing up so that they could head to the hospital.  We decided that I would be there to meet them at the hospital.

A little while later she called to say that they decided to eat something before they left. 

I arrived to the hospital at 1:00 pm and they had just been in triage for a few minutes. One nurse was in there talking to Kristin and getting some information from her, and then another nurse came in to assess her and check her dialation. Meanwhile, Kristin brushed her teeth so that she could feel a little refreshed.

Kristin did not want to know how dialated she was, she just wanted to know if she could stay or go home.  The nurse wasn’t sure what she would do so she said she would talk to the midwife. Jake also went out to get the detailed info so that he could have more knowledge about the decision being made.

The nurses talked about how she was Group B positive, and could possible need to start her round of antibiotics. One nurse was a little worried that if they sent her home, with doulas, then she wouldn’t make it back in time (4 hours before delivery).  Her husbandthought it was a good idea to stay and we all agreed that we could do some natural augmenting to help labor to get going, since surges had slowed down a little bit.

Kristin spent a while on the monitors while the nurses tried to get a good reading.  Finally, when she laid on her side they were happy enough with the charting that they let her off of the monitors. I want to say that it was around 2:30, but I’m not sure on the time on this one.

Her husband went home to eat, clean, up, rest, and feed the dogs.  Kristin and the doulas decided to walk the halls. We also did a few belly lifts to see if we could encourage surges.  Kristin did great in the hallways walking through her surges. She said that it felt best to do that, and we had a good time chatting. When she was a bit tired of doing that, we went back into the room and tried some different positions.  We rubbed her back and Talya did some hypnobirthing scripts with her.

Soon after (sorry for not remembering the time…I’d guess around 4 ish) her surges really picked up. It was like she all of a sudden went from 4-5 minutes apart to 2 minutes apart. She really had to concentrate and focus to get through them.  This is when we started calling and texting her husband to let him know that he better hurry and get back to the hospital. At 4:50, the nurse checked her and she was a 5+. Which she felt was great because during her fist labor experience, she had stayed at a 3 for many many hours.

Around this time, she also got nauseous and had to throw up. This was a good sign and we were hoping that meant she was progressing and getting close.

VERY soon after that, she exclaimed that she felt a ton of pressure and that she had to go to the bathroom. We assured her that the baby was coming down, and that’s exactly what it feels like.  Good thing a nurse was in there preparing the delivery table.  We asked her to let the other nurses know she was feeling an extreme amount of pressure. 

Her nurse came in and she again exclaimed that she needed to go to the bathroom. She literally jumped of the bed to head to the bathroom, but she only made it about a step before she went down on her knees. We ran around the bed and when I knelt in front of her, she put her arms around my neck to help hold herself up. That’s when her water broke!  And thankfully, her husband also arrived, in the middle of all the commotion.

By this time, there were a lot of nurses in the room to help, and she started grunting and pushing while we were in this position on the floor. Because of the meconium, the nurses wanted her up on the bed since they thought they might be delivering a baby without a midwife or doctor.  We lifted her on the bed and she remained on her hands and knees.  She was pushing with a lot of force by now, and doing and amazing job.  I was on one side and Talya was on the other side supporting her under her arms.

Soon the midwife came in and was there to help coach her. She had her try different ways to push on her knees and told her that she was a great pusher!  Towards the end of the pushing phase, her midwife, had her lay on her side, and that is the position that Kristin pushed out her beautiful baby girl.  We are not sure but we figured she pushed for about 12 minutes. Baby girl was born at 5:26 pm! 

The baby nurses took her over to the warmer so that they could suction out the meconium and make sure everything was okay. Kristin only tore a little bit and so the midwife made that repair. They did give her some pitocin to encourage the placenta to be born. They also gave her a small dose of fentanyl to help with the afterbirth pain.

They weighed baby and she was 7 pounds 1 ounce, and mom was able to hold her skin to skin, and she started nursing right away!

Kristin was absolutely amazing and went through an incredible experience. None of us could believe how fast and furious the ending was. She made it and she should be so proud of herself! Hers was a beautiful birth and was practically textbook perfect. She was so in control, even when she didn’t know for sure if she could do it, (but then her baby came about 15 minutes later.)  We were so grateful to be a part of this special experience and to meet Kristin. She’s a wonderful, strong woman and we were blessed to get to know her and to be with her on this wonderful day!


Lisa - Oct 30, 2010

I received a phone call from Lisa at 2:18 am on October 30th. She said that her water had broke at 1 am, and that it was mostly clear with a little bit of pink show. So she said that she was going to stay home for a little while. She was already having contractions, and they were about 5 minutes apart.  She was going to try and lie down and rest in between them. I told her to call me again, anytime.

She called later at 3:57 am. She said her contractions were getting stronger now, so she was wondering if she should go to the hospital. I told her that it was her choice and if she felt it was time to go, then she should go…. Especially if she would be more comfortable by being there and being ready.  So she decided she would get ready to go and would call me in a bit. She called at 4:38 am and asked if I would come and meet her at the hospital.

I arrived to the hospital at about 5:30 am.  Lisa was sitting in a chair and her nurse was next to her preparing her IV.  Lisa looked to be in active later. I soon found out that she was already dialated to a 5 when she was admitted at 5 am.  I was so happy for her, since her water had only broken 4 hours earlier! She was doing amazing. I knew that her contractions must have been really intense without her bag of waters and if she was also dialating so rapidly. 

We focused on relaxing and breathing. I had her change positions and she leaned on her husband for her support. She did incredible and even though it was intense, she stayed in control and relied on the support from her husband and me.

She asked to be checked again at 6:45am. She was already a 7. Things were going so quickly and 7 centimeters was quite the accomplishment! I was so proud of her. I knew that transition would be coming. We continued to help her stay relaxed, focused, and calm.  Things were pretty intense though, and her pain level was reaching its limit.  She asked for an epidural which we all reassured her was okay.  Especially with how far she had made it naturally!  The nurse suggested that she get in the shower until the anesthesiologist could arrive. That seemed to help her while she was waiting.

When she got out she tried to rest on the bed while we assisted her through contractions. Finally the anesthesiologist arrived and the nurse checked her to find that she was practically 8 centimeters! What an amazing feat for a first-time mom!  I was so impressed with her!  An 8! She was amazing.

She received the epidural at 7:30am. It took a little while to really set in, but gradually the pain eased and she could rest. Now her and Brian’s family arrived to show their support and love for the both of them. The room was full of excitement in anticipation for this baby boy to be born.

The nurse checked Lisa again at 8:15am and she was dialated to 9 cm. We thought it would only be a matter of time now.  The nurse came in to ask Lisa if she was feeling pressure yet, but she had not. At 9:45am the nurse checked her again, and said that she just had an anterior lip of cervix left.

After this point, I’m not exactly sure of the time things were happening. I believe that they gave her a drip of pitocen at 10:15 ish, to see if it would help to get her fully dialated.  About a half hour later the nurse came in to check on her and the little bit of cervix was still there. The nurse decided that she would have Lisa push a little bit, to see if she could push the baby’s head around the cervix. She pushed a few times, but the nurse didn’t feel a difference.  She turned Lisa on her hands and knees to push. The monitor was also going on and off of keeping track of the baby’s heartrate and when she found a rate, it said it was in the 60’s. She turned Lisa back over and when the monitor found the heart again, it was in the 130’s. The nurse was worried about the cervix and the heartrate, so she decided to go and get the doctor.  First the resident doctor came and felt when Lisa was pushing and didn’t feel a difference. So the on-call doctor came in and had Lisa push some more.  He felt the cervix and said it was really starting to swell now. He said that with the dip in the baby’s heartrate and with a cervix that was swelling, their next option was to perform a cesarean section before things got worse.  I asked if we could watch the baby for five more minutes since the heartrate was normal at the moment, but the doctor said he didn’t want to chance it, and plus, he said there wasn’t anything they could do about a swollen cervix. Lisa and Brian spoke with each other and agreed to the c-section.  At this point, the doctors said this was their only option.  She would be just fine and have a healthy baby boy, very soon!  They took her to the operating room at about 11:00 ish, and by 11:30, her baby boy was born!

The family was waiting outside of the doors, and Brian got to bring the baby out to show everyone. There were many tears of joy and hugs of support. What a handsome little guy! And he was doing so well! All were happy that he was here safe and sound and that both mom and baby were doing well and healthy.

Lisa did so incredible under such physical and emotional situations. I was really impressed with her abilities and with her strength!  Congratulations to a wonderful couple and a very cute baby!

Tenille - October 29, 2010

Jerilyn - August 2010

My original due date was August 21st and all through the pregnancy this continued to be the date of expected arrival.  When I went to my doctor appointment on August 3rd, I was only dilated to a fingertip and 75% effaced.  At the next week’s appointment on August 10th, still not much progress as I was only 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced.  I was thinking for sure I would be that first time mom who would go two weeks overdue!!!  But on Sunday August 15th at 7:30 am, I woke up and stood up out of bed when I felt a gush of fluid and I thought that I had peed my pants!  The fluid was clear, but I still  wondered if my water had really broken, so I  went back to bed.  After laying down for about an hour, I again stood up out of bed and another gush of fluid came.  This time it was tinged with red/pink color, but I still wasn’t sure if this meant my water had broken.  Spencer and I decided to stay home and just take it easy in case we decided to go to the hospital.  I had not even packed a bag for the hospital yet, so Spencer helped get all that ready.  I read some things and thought that it was also possible what I was experiencing was just the loss of my mucus plug, because I wasn’t having any contractions.  I wasn’t continually leaking fluid and so I was not convinced it was my water.  We decided to not go to the hospital and see what happened.  On Monday, August 16th at around 1:30 am, I got up to go to the bathroom and again experienced a gush of fluid.  Then at about 2:30 am I started feeling small contractions.  It did sort of feel like

menstrual cramps at first, but seemed to increase in intensity with time.  I started to time them as I lay in bed and they were coming about 3 to 5 minutes apart and lasting for 40 seconds.  At about 4:00 am, I woke up Spencer and told him what was happening and he started to time the contractions.  They were still consistent, so he got up and started to get things ready to go to the hospital.  We left the house at about 5:30 am and drove to LDS Hospital…..thinking this was really it….we were having a BABY!

We got to labor and delivery at about 6:00 am and explained that I needed to be checked to see if my water had broken.  I also told them I had been having consistent contractions that morning.  They asked when the first time was that I had felt the fluid and I told them it had been Sunday morning at 7:30 am….then they were concerned because it had been over 24 hours.  We got checked in and the nurse did two separate screenings to see if it was amniotic fluid, one with a paper thing that was positive and then she swabbed the cervix and they looked under a microscope which also came back positive.  We were staying at the hospital for sure!  They checked me and I was still only 1 cm dilated.  Dr. Johnson was already at the hospital that morning for a scheduled surgery and so he gave orders to start me on pitocin and penicillin, because they were worried about infection with my water being broke for over 24 hours.  I was sort of bummed about having to be induced with pitocin, but Dr. Johnson wanted this baby to be born soon and my body was not changing on it’s own despite that my water had ruptured.  They explained to me that normal dose for pitocin is around 2 to 4 and sometimes will be increased to 8.  I was started out on 8 and then over time they just kept increasing it and increasing it.  Dr. Johnson had mentioned that he thought it likely the baby would not be born until later that night, because I was moving so slowly.   But he planned to check on me again that afternoon and see how things were progressing.      

 Natalie (my friend and doula) got to the hospital around 9:30 am and we started working on laboring in different positions and using relaxation techniques.  I wanted to try to have an unmedicated delivery.  Things were going good and I felt in control for the most part.  Spencer and Natalie were such a support, helping me to try to stay relaxed during the contractions.  It turned out to be long labor, which I hadn’t really expected.  The doctor kept increasing the pitocin and limited how often they were checking my cervix because of fear of infection.  At one check, I had increased to 2 cm and then around 3:00 pm I was 4 cm.  At that time I was still doing it on my own without pain medications and I was at a 20 on the pitocin!!  The contractions started to get really uncomfortable and painful and I found myself dreading the next one.  I thought to myself that I just couldn’t do it anymore and I was so tired….I wanted an epidural.  I told Spencer and Natalie and they were both very supportive.  I felt like I was giving up in a way, but they both pointed out that I had done so much…..I labored for almost 8 hours without medication and on a high dose of pitocin which was a great accomplishment!!  Around 4 pm, I got an epidural and apparently he had some trouble placing it….because he poked me in the back several times!!!  I didn’t really know what was going on, because I was trying to focus on staying still while I was having very painful contractions!  Finally, it was completed and it really did give me some relief and I could rest after that.  Spencer and Natalie could rest too!!  Dr. Johnson continued to increase my pitocin and it got up to 28, by the time I delivered!  

Around 7:00 pm, Spencer’s mom came to the hospital and then a little after that my mom arrived!  She had left Mesquite to drive up to Salt Lake City and wasn’t sure if she would make it, but things went slower than we had expected so she was able to get there in time! They decided to check me again around 8:00 pm to see if I had progressed any and I was dilated to 8 cm!!  I was so happy!!  Soon after that, I started to notice that I was totally numb on the left side of my body but was feeling pain on my right side.  I tried moving to different positions and having some extra doses of the epidural, but it didn’t make a difference.  I could feel my contractions on the right side and it started to get very uncomfortable.  I told the nurse I was feeling a lot of pressure in my groin area and she indicated that this was probably because the baby’s head had come down.  When it persisted, she decided to check me again and when she did I was dilated to 10 cm and almost complete!!!!  After that things seemed to move pretty steady, because I started to push around 9:00 pm.  They kept asking me who all I wanted to be in the room with me.  Originally I had only planned on having Spencer and Natalie with me, but Spencer’s mom was there and I could tell she wanted to be a part of it.  By that time I didn’t care about others “seeing me”, I could relate that it would be more about the experience of witnessing her first grandchild born….something that would be precious to her.  So I told her to stay and I also asked that my mother come into the room as well.  As I started to push, I was surrounded by all this support…people who loved me….Spencer, Natalie, my mom, and my mother-in-law.  Plus, an awesome medical team who were focused on the well being of me and my baby.  I couldn’t have asked for more. 

As I started the phase of pushing, I was in a lot of pain despite having the epidural.  My body started shaking and I became very nauseated and vomited a few times.  My mom was by my side holding the throw up container and I teased her that her kids were still throwing up on her!!  My mom also was holding my hand and placing a wet washcloth on my face in between contractions.  Natalie and Spencer helped to hold my legs when I pushed.  Spencer’s mom was on my right side holding my hand and helping to hold up my back so I could get into a good pushing position.  Pushing was very hard and I really had to use relaxation breathing, to try to work through the pain.  I remember thinking in my mind that it was too hard and I couldn’t do it.  But then I had all these people there supporting me and helping me to relax during the contractions and encouraging me to push when I was having a contraction.  I remember hearing Natalie’s voice calmly telling me to relax my face, relax my shoulders, relax my hands, etc….which really helped me.  I remember hearing Spencer’s voice counting down as I pushed and telling me “you’re doing awesome honey”.  I remember hearing my mom and Spencer’s mom counting and encouraging me.  I just think back to that experience and realize that I couldn’t have done that without all their support and I always get emotional as I think about it….because I feel it was such a spiritual experience for me. 

As I was pushing, my nurse said that she could see some meconium, meaning that Madison had a bowel movement in utero likely because of stress from the labor.  The nurse called the special nursery team to get set up in the room, just to be safe in case Madison happened to inhale any of the fluid into her lungs.  I pushed for 1 ½ hours and then this beautiful little girl was born.  Dr. Johnson was there for about the last 10-15 minutes and he was such a support too.  He helped to stretch out some of the tissue around Madison’s head, so that I could have a greater chance of not tearing.  They had a mirror in place so I could see Madison’s head and it was such a moment of relief when I pushed that last one and she was born!!!  Everyone was crying because we were so overcome with happiness at the sight of her!!  Spencer cut the umbilical cord and then they rushed Madison over to the baby warmer with the special nursery nurses to make sure that she was breathing okay.  She started crying and I knew that everything was fine!!  I ended up delivering at 10:32 pm and Madison weighed 8 pounds, 1 oz and was 20 inches long!  That was bigger than we expected her to be, but she was perfect.  Dr. Johnson had to give me a few small stitches, telling me I had a small tear inside but that it was minimal and would heal quickly.  After Madison was found to be okay, she was brought over to me and placed skin to skin and I could look into her beautiful eyes and it was a moment I will never forget.  I could hardly believe that this was my little girl……she was so beautiful and everyone was commenting on how she had such long eyelashes!! J  It was such a great joy to have her in my arms; we had been through a lot together that day!   My nurse helped me to try to breastfeed Madison and she caught onto it quickly and was eating well in no time, which was another great blessing!  It was wonderful to have so much support there for us.  I also feel such gratitude that I had an awesome doctor, great nurses, and a good hospital.  The word that best describes this whole experience for me is LOVE.  I feel so much love for my daughter, so much love for my husband, and so much love for my family (and Natalie) after having shared this experience with them all.  

Marinda - May 2010

My birthing time started Thursday morning at 3AM. I woke up with pressure waves 3 minutes apart lasting 60-90sec. I was pretty excited that this might be the real thing. (since we had several practice sessions over the previous weeks.) They were strong enough that I could not sleep through them, so I used my wonderful Hypnobabies CDs and allowed the experience to fill me. At about 5:30, my husband woke up and I told him he needed to stay home from work because today was the start of our birthing day. They continued to be between 3-5 minutes, and I was able to relax through them wonderfully. I called in my birth support (my doula Marie Johnson and Natalie Permann - my birth photographer) I continued to relax beautifully, and my husband used the “relax” and “release” cues. He was amazed at just how relaxed I would become with the release cue. (which was my favorite) We ended up calling our midwife around 1 because we wanted to be checked, but not at the hospital. We meet her at the office and I told her that I didn't want to know the number of where I was (since that was so emotional for me during my last birth to know how slow I was progressing) I told her if I was less than a 6 to tell me to go home. She checked me and said I was good to go home. (This was hard for my husband, as he really wanted to know where I was at, but he totally respected my wishes not to know.) We went home and continued to have waves all night. They slowed during the night to about 7-10 mins. I thank hypnobabies for the small amount of sleep I did get. I used the shower several times over the course of the morning, but I could feel my waves getting stronger. At about 6am on friday they were about 3 minutes lasting almost 2 mins. I woke my husband and called my doulas back to my house. I felt all the signs of transformation, and I welcomed it. At one point they were only about 2 mins apart lasting over 1 minute long. I know that if it weren't for Hypnobabies, I would not have lasted this long. this 2-3mins apart lasting 90 seconds or more lasted until about two in the afternoon when I told me husband we should head to the midwife to be checked once again. This time I told her I wanted to know where I was at, I felt this was the right thing to do. She informed me that I was about 3cm and almost fully effaced. My baby's head was still high, negative 1 or 2. At this point we talk about our options and decided to break my water to see if we could get his head to move down. My midwife ruptured my membranes and I continued to use my Hypnobabies tracks. My doulas and midwife commented on how my charts on the computer changed when I was listening to my Hypnobabies tracks. My midwife later told me that she was sure it was the Hypnobabies that kept my sons heart rate steady and kept him out of distress the whole time. At about 1am Saturday morning we had made it to a 10, with a small lip, and my midwife allowed me to start pushing. We kept this up for a while, her holding the cervix back, and my birth support team couching and supporting me the whole way. At about 3am he still wasn't moving past the pubic bone and we knew it was time for a repeat cesarean birth. 

Our little guy was born happy and healthy, and I was able to hear his first cries. (with my first c/s I was put under a general and wasn't able to nurse my son until he was 3 days old) I was able to hold and nurse him right away. Though we ended with a cesarean birth, this time it was a completely different experience. I was so grateful to be able to work through the birth process with my husband and my birth team. I was grateful to experience pushing and to know I tried everything to have a VBAC. 
I had such a wonderful birth, and personally know how well Hypnobabies works. 50 hours of continuous waves and not once even thinking I wanted to quit.
I had a great surgeon who checked my pelvis while he was doing the c/s and gave me more information on the shape of my hips and why my vbac didn't work. This was a great relief for me to know how my body was shaped, and why I had 2 cesarean births. 
I loved using Hypnobabies myself, and know it made all the difference in my comfort during my birth

Eleah - May 14, 2010

Eleah went to a dr appointment on May 13th and found out soon after that, she needed to be induced. Her doctor called and told her to get to the hospital because her blood pressure and protein levels were way too high. Eleah called me at noon to inform me that she would be starting her induction.

They put her on magnesium for a while to prevent any seizure from high blood pressure, and after a while, gave her the first dose of cytotec. She was doing well and not really feeling contractions throughout the afternoon.

She then got her second dose of cytotec around 6 PM and at 7 PM, her husband called me and said that she would like for me to come to the hospital. The contractions were now getting very strong. I got to the hospital at about 8 o’clock. She was doing so well and her husband was also helping her and supporting her.  She had many obstacles during her labor. Since she had to be induced early because of severe symptoms of pre-eclampsia, they were very strict with her during labor and she was not allowed to do all that she would have liked. The staff did not allow her out of bed, unless she needed to use the restroom and they did not allow her food and water – only ice chips.  Despite these things, she did a great job and moved and positioned herself in the bed as best as she could. We provided comfort measures and counter pressure to help her along and through her contractions. She was absolutely amazing and in control. You could tell that she was very educated, prepared, strong, and determined. It was quite inspiring.

At 9:30 they decided to forgo the third dose of cytotec and instead, started pitocen. At this point she was dialated to a 2 and 75% effaced.  By 1:15, she was still doing absolutely incredible. She was working with her limitations and doing so well. She took advantage of getting up to go to the restroom. She did get very nauseous at times, and was so strong at keeping in control and being emotionally stable.  They also checked her to find that she had effaced more – to 90% and was at a 3.

By 2:30 AM, things were getting very intense and contractions were even closer together.  She didn’t know how much longer she could go with things like this, and no one blamed her. She asked for the epidural. The nursing staff opted not to check her before the anesthesiologist administered the epidural  at 3:00 AM. Then they did decide to check her at 3:20. The epidural was on it’s way to working, but Eleah was still working through her contractions as best as she could.  When the nurse checked her, she was surprised to find that Eleah was dialated to a 9!  It was wonderful news.  At this time, her water also broke, which is very common since she was dialated so far.

They let her rest for a while, and then at about 4:45 they had her start pushing.  At 5:11 AM, Serene Elizabeth was born! She was 5 lbs 15 ounces and 20 inches long!

It was an amazing birth and Eleah and her husband were such a neat couple to work with.  Eleah did so well despite her many restrictions. I was so proud of her and in awe of her abilities! 

Shannon - April 26, 2010

Shannon called me at 9:40 on Sunday night, April 25th. I was in the bedroom with my son, so I didn't hear the phone call. I saw her message just before 10 and I called her back. Her husband answered and said they thought it might be time. I talked to Shannon and she explained that her birthing waves had just gone from 6 minutes apart to 4 minutes apart, and then her breathing changed dramatically, so I knew it was time for me to get in the car. But with her going so fast, I was nervous that I wouldn't make it in time.  I told her that I could call Tracy, the backup doula, and she said, "Yes, I need someone here as soon as they can." Yep, it was time. 

I called Tracy, and she jumped up and went over to Shannon's house. I also jumped in my car to make the 2 hr drive.  When I was about 20 minutes away, I got a call from Tracy that they were headed to the hospital. We figured Shannon  was either going to go fast, and I might not make it, or else you never know. Things can always slow down.

I finally got to the hospital a little after midnight and rushed into the room to hurry and use the bathroom. I came out and baby was crowning! A couple of pushes and her beautiful baby girl was born at 12:11 AM. Her mom and her husband were able to see and experience the whole thing - it was truly a beautiful and emotional experience.

Shannon did an incredible job! It was a quick birthing time, so it was truly intense! Especially the last little part with baby coming down and out so fast. She was absolutely amazing!  She did everything perfectly! She followed the Hypnobabies hypnosis cue words that really helped her to relax. And when she wanted to scream at the end, we just reminded her to make low noises and she immediately switched, and focused. 

Her baby was so alert and started nursing like a champ! Which released those hormones and relaxed Shannon so much that she wanted to sleep. Meanwhile Tracy and I massaged her feet and head. She was so grateful to her husband and told him how much he helped her and how thankful she was for his support. He said that he wasn't going to let her do it any other way, that he really had believed her in decision to go natural. Now after seeing it, he thought it was absolutely incredible and the only way to go. It was so neat seeing them experience such an experience. I was so happy for them.

The nurses then helped Shannon clean up and she was amazed how easy it was to just get up and take a shower. Then they moved her into a comfortable recovery room where we left her resting peacefully with her new baby. 

It was an incredible night and an amazing birth! Tracy and I were so happy for her. What a joy

Shellie - March 26, 2010

Shellie was due March 27th with two baby girls: Fraternal twins.  She did not go into her birthing time early, like some expect a mother of twins to do, so they decided it would be in her best interest to induce her at 40 weeks, since the babies would be a good size and since she desired a vaginal birth.

She and her husband, Bryan, checked into Riverton hospital on March 25th. At 9:30 am they checked her and she was dialated to one centimeter and was 80% effaced.  After all the questions, paperwork, and fluids, they started her on pitocen at about 10:45 am.

She had been feeling birthing waves for quite a few weeks already. The pitocen seemed to make them more regular, but she didn’t feel any change in the intensity.  Every half an hour they turned up her pitocen, but she felt the same.

Her husband, Bryan, was a great support. He was with her every step of the way providing her comfort, and making sure she stayed hydrated. He also made the hospital staff laugh with his humor, his songs about pitocen and such, and the nicknames he came up with for everyone involved.  The neat thing was to see how much he cared and loved Shellie and all that she was going through. He was right there by her side, helping her all the way.

All this time, they kept turning up her pitocen. She did not feel any different by 7 pm that evening. They decided to check her and to our wonderful surprise, she had already dialated to a 3+.  We thought that was really great when she wasn’t even feeling the intensity of her birthing waves.

Since she was not feeling much, they had the discussion about the fact that her pitocen was high, and that they were hoping she would feel that she was in active labor soon.  A little while after 7 pm, they decided to break Baby A’s bag of waters.

By 8 pm, Shellie could now feel the intensity of the birthing waves and needed to concentrate on relaxing and concentrating. Her pitocen was still high so she had to really focus through her birthing time.  They weren’t getting that great of reading on baby A’s heart rate, so they decided to put in a internal fetal scalp electrode at about 8:20 PM.

During the next few hours, Bryan, the CNM, the nursing staff, family members, and I were intensely focused on Shellie and helping her through each birthing wave. She particularly benefited from counterpressure, especially the knee-press.  We also used light touch massage, essential oils and cool wash cloths to provide her comfort.

They checked her dialation again at 11:20 pm.  She had remained the same at a 3+. We thought with all the intensity that she might have dialated a little bit more. But she was doing great and I was amazed with her strength and willpower. 

We kept going. We got into the shower to put warm water on her back, but the water temperature kept getting cold, so that was disappointing. She went through pressure waves on the toilet and we tried every position throughout the night to see what she was able to handle the best.

At 1:30 am, they checked her and she was at a 4. She was doing so wonderful, but her pitocen had been at the highest level for hours. She also was not getting a break in between- her uterus would not relax and would stay contracted.  She had been going through this for 6 hours now. Since it was late, since she was at a 4, and still needed enough energy to push out her babies for a successful vaginal birth, she decided to get the epidural. That way she could rest, her body could relax, and she would be more likely to have the energy and strength to have a vaginal birth.

She received the epidural at 2 AM.   At 4:15am they checked her again and she was a 6+ and progressing very well. She kept relaxed and by 6:30 AM, she was completely dialated to a 10 and 100% effaced!  They had her push for 15 minutes in her room, and then they transferred her to the OR to birth her babies.  They had a back up dr there, Dr Hutchison who was willing to do breech births. Baby B had been breech up to this point, but just before they transferred Shellie to OR, they did an ultrasound and figured that Baby B had turned and was now head down! Such great news!

Everyone was dressed and ready for the OR room. Shellie started pushing again and did an amazing job. She was completely calm, in control and giving it her all. She worked and worked and was able to push out her beautiful baby A, out at 7:52 am. She tore just a little bit. Baby was beautiful and healthy and doing wonderful!  Mom and Dad were so happy, it was a wonderful experience to witness them meeting their very first baby, and their first twin. What an exciting event!

Baby B  was head down, and it looked like they had to break the bag of waters.  Baby B was a little trickier to get out. Shellie was a champ! I could not believe how she held it together and kept on going. It was truly inspiring!  She worked, and pushed, and pushed. We tried putting her legs in different positions. We tried putting her head up higher. The CNM had her pull on a towel . She did so great. They figured that Baby B might have been in a little bit of a weird position and just needed to get her head past the pubic bone. After pushing for more than an hour, Dr. Hutchison tried a vacuum on Baby B. Finally, after a few attempts, the Dr was able to get her head past the pubic bone. The CNM, continued to help Shellie and the baby gradually come down until Baby B’s head was out! What a celebration!  One final push and all of Baby B, had arrived!  Twins! It was a wonderful, successful, vaginal birth! Baby B arrived at 9:58am.

They had done it! After 24 hrs, the babies were here and they were so happy that they were born vaginally, without complication, and that they were so healthy.  Baby A was 6 lbs 13 ounces. Baby B was weighed at 6 lbs 8 ounces, but it was later determined the weight might have been incorrect and she was actually over 7 pounds. Nice, healthy babies!

The placentas took a little while in coming out. Julie was very patient. She had waited for the cords to stop pulsating before clamping them, and she also waited for the placentas. They ended up coming about 35 minutes later, in chuncks. She was able to get everything out and repaired Shellie’s tear. Second baby had increased the tear to about a 3rd degree.

Shellie and Bryan were an amazing couple to work with. They had an intense, but incredible birthing day with perfect outcomes. Two beautiful, healthy girls, born vaginally.  I’m so grateful they allowed me to share in such a special experience, that I will always remember!

Jenny - February 27, 2010


Nayelli- February 26, 2010


Amy - November 2010

Amy’s husband called me at about 6:50 am. Today was the day!  Amy was 10 days over her due date, so her doctor wanted her to go to the hospital and be induced.  He told me that the hospital had called to tell them they could come in at 7:15 am for her induction. Amy’s request was that I be there about an hour after that.

When I arrived to the hospital, Amy and her husband were settled in their room, answering questions and filling out paperwork. The nurse was very supportive and asked Amy what she would like to do to get things going. Since Amy was almost dialated to a four, she decided to have her water broken. She hoped that would start her surges and that she would not need pitocen.  The nurse agreed to let her do this, and told her that after an hour or so, if there was not progression, they probably would start pitocen. 

At 9:15 am, the resident doctor came in and broke her water.  The nurse monitored her for a minute afterwards to make sure the baby was doing well. He was doing just fine, so she let Amy and her husband go walking to try and encourage surges.

 

We found a very nice, quiet hallway, with a big window. Amy liked to pace back and forth along this hallway, since there were not very many people passing by all the time.  She walked, ran, did knee lifts, and we did a belly lift.  Things started happening. She could feel surges.  The nurse wanted her back in an hour to be monitored. We went back to the room. We thought that she might offer pitocen, but she said that if things seemed to be starting, she’d give Amy some more time. The nurse did want her back in a half hour to monitor the baby since his heart would decelerate a little bit during surges.

 

Back to the hallway they went. Again she walked, did knee lifts, and rubbed her belly. The surges were starting to come in a consistent pattern. While she was there, I ran to get her some snacks.  After a while, she went back to her room for monitoring and this time, the nurse also checked her. By 11:40 am, she had dilated to a 4 plus. She was happy that there was progress.  The nurse asked what she wanted to do, and she wanted to get up again and walk some more.

 She also decided she was hungry for lunch, so she sent her husband out to get her some food.  While he was gone, we walked some more. Towards the end of her walk, she had to pause and lean on me during her surges.  She was definitely headed toward active labor.  Her husband came and met us in the hallway. We started back to her room, and she would lean on his shoulders and back every time a surge came.

 We reported her progress to the nurse who was satisfied and monitored her again. Baby was doing well. Amy decided to stay in her room. She wasn’t very hungry anymore.  She sat back in her bed and listened to her hypnosis tracks and did an excellent job at relaxing and concentrating.  Neither her husband nor I could really tell when she was going through a surge, she was so relaxed on the outside. We had to really concentrate on her breathing. When it changed ever so slightly, we assumed she was going through a surge.

 She liked hands on her shoulders and hands on her feet. This seemed the best comfort measure for her, and a good, gentle distraction. Every now and then she would open her eyes and request water, a cool cloth, or a trip to the bathroom.  At 1:55 pm she requested to be checked and the nurse found that she was dialated to a 5 and 90% effaced.  The staff was pleased with her progress and were happy to let her go at her own pace. There was no more mention of pitocen to augment the process.

Amy was doing incredibly well, although she was working through intense surges. She seemed focused on her hypnosis, her thoughts, and her mind power.  We were there if she needed us, but we also tried not to interrupt her. She was doing amazing!  She was very still and didn’t move around very much, but she did change positions as needed. She also kept hydrated and kept her bladder empty. 


At 3:40 PM, she was checked again. She was dialated to a 7 and 100% effaced.  She decided that she wanted to get into the tub. The nurse went to get the bath water ready and realized that the plug was broken. That was not good news for Amy, but her husband came to the rescue. He figured out how to fix it and the tub was filled. 

Amy then told us that she felt like she was close. So the nurse checked her again at 4:10 PM  and she was dialated to an 8 plus.  It looked like she might not have time to get in the tub now. She seemed okay with that.  We told her, “How about instead of getting in the tub, we have a baby!”

Her doctor also came in. She was completely amazed at how calm Amy was. She asked, “What are you listening to?!” Aimee was deep into hypnosis and really working hard that she didn’t have the energy to explain. So she just told her she was listening to Positive Affirmations. The doctor could not believe how well she was doing.

Soon she felt the urge to push, so her husband helped her over to her bed where we suggested she get on her hands and knees since the baby felt posterior at her last check.

She did this and really liked the position and the change of pressure. She started pushing. The doctor was there and ready. She suggested that she turn back around and lay on the bed to push her baby out, but Amy was more comfortable where she was.  Pretty soon the baby was crowning!  I would guess that Amy only pushed about 8 minutes on her hands and knees and then baby was here!

At 4:55 PM, they had a beautiful baby boy! Amy was able to hold him right away. Her husband was overcome with emotion and was extremely proud of his wife.  What an incredible couple! And a beautiful baby boy! He had a lot of dark hair and weighed in at 7 lbs 2 ounces.  He didn’t cry very much at all. He seemed to be more interested in looking at the world around him with his bright eyes. It was wonderful to see how alert and calm he was. The nurses took care of what they needed to do while his daddy was able to be right at his side. Then he was able to hold his brand new son who looked up at him with his wide eyes.

Amy’s doctor told her that her birth was the best natural birth that she had ever seen. She said it was textbook, perfect. We all agreed that she was absolutely amazing.

Very soon baby went back to Aimee and started nursing right away. He did a great job! Everything was calm and peaceful, beside some discomfort Amy was feeling, but they were able to give her some pain relief. Everyone seemed happy and relaxed. They had met their goal of having a natural birth. It was a great accomplishment and a wonderful day! 


Tami - October 2010

I got to the hospital at 5:30 PM. I pushed the call button. The nurse that answered told me, "Sorry, you cannot come in. She already has her two visitors." I explained that I had called earlier, and they told me that she could have two doulas." She said, "Nope, I'm sorry." I told her that I understood. So I was ready to just go home. I texted the doula already in there to tell her that I was not allowed in. Pretty soon the director came out to the lobby and told me that they were going to make an exception and let me in. I told her it was okay if they needed to follow policy - I didn't have to go in, but she said it was fine. So she let me to her room.

It was really neat to work in a team. And it ended up being a really good thing because I was there for 10 hrs! The other doula had already been with her for a previous 6 hours. The dad also was grateful for the help from both doulas. I could not believe the huge hug he gave to me afterwards, and we had never met previously. This couple did absolutely amazing. It was her first baby and she went completely natural. Completely! And she did not lose control nor did she scream even once. She used self hypnosis (Hypnobabies) and it was amazing. It took her through her 26 hour labor all the way to the very end. I was so impressed. She had the baby at 2:30 am. It was such a neat experience!


Holly - October 2010

SO... I got home at about 4 AM from helping with a birth, and my child started to cry. I got him out of bed and he was struggling a bit with his breathing. I gave him a dose of his inhaler, and he went to sleep for an hour. He got back up and his breathing still made me really, really nervous, so I decided to take him to the ER at Primary Children's. They gave him a breathing treatment and the higher dosage really helped him. My mom met me there to help, which I really appreciated. I also called my husband and he got the day off to come and help. I needed the help because my friend had checked into the hospital to be induced, and I was to be her doula too! So we kept in touch over text message. We were both a little frustrated at first because before they started the pitocen, her doctor came in and broke her water. Now, I'm under the opinion because I have been taught by midwives that you usually do not need to break someone's water to induce them, especially if they are not dialated very far. Plus, this friend of mine, her labors go so fast, that she doesn't need her water broken. There are times when it may be more beneficial to have your water broken, but I believe that it is when you are way into labor, not at the get go. Now it's usually okay when your water breaks first thing on it's own, because.. it's on it's own. It's not artificial. Anyway....my child was doing okay so I decided to head to this birth. When I got to the hospital, she was doing SO amazing! She was working through her contractions beautifully and her husband was so supportive! They were doing so well. I was so impressed that she was doing so well with no sac of waters, and hooked up to intense pitocen. She said that her Dr told her the baby was posterior. So we changed her positions, and it worked! He turned. That was so neat to see. She kept progressing very quickly. She was so strong and so determined! Her husband and I worked together to do some counter pressure and pretty soon she felt like pushing! The doctor and nurses rushed in and that baby was coming!  They positioned her flat on her back, and the baby was coming so fast, she couldn't really do anything about their positioning her. She's a pro anyway, so she could deal with it. And she did! Her little babe was born at 2:10PM and was just the cutest, most alert baby I have seen! It was such a celebration and such an accomplishment! It was so amazing to be there with her, I was so grateful. I am so happy for these beautiful women and that they let me be part of their special experience. I really love being a doula!

Lee - October 2010

What an incredible day. I was supposed to be to an early morning meeting today, but I slept right through my alarm. I woke up at 7:20 to my phone turning off because the battery was dead. I thought to myself that I better plug it in and charge it up, in case I get a call. I then thought, "What are the chances of that happening in the next 15 minutes." But I plugged it in anyway. Two second s later, my phone rang. It was Lee, she said she was heading to the hospital because she was having contractions and she knows she progresses very quickly. So I got ready and headed to the hospital to meet her.

I met her in triage and she was being monitored. Her contractions were irregular and she was dialated to a two. They told her she could walk around for a while, or go home. Since she was 5 days late, she said she was determined to have this baby today, so she was going to walk around. We went and got some breakfast and then rode the elevator to the 6th flor and walked down the stairs. We then repeated and went up the elevator and walked down the stairs. We did this for an hour and it was giving her some good waves. We also sat down for a minute and I did some accupressure points to help induce labor, soften the cervix, and bring the baby down. On our way back to labor and delivery we stopped at the chapel and attended a bit of church.

Back in labor and delivery, the checked her and she really hadn't progressed, so they said she could go home and set an induction time for the next day. She told them she would be back that night instead.

So I went home and had a normal day until 5:30 when I locked myself out of my house. I had to call for help and waited for it to come. When I finally got my keys out of my house and put my kids in the car to go to family dinner, I got a call from Lee. She said that she was headed to the hospital again because her contractions were regular, about 6-9 minutes apart. So instead, I headed to the hospital. I got to the hospital about 45 minutes after she called me. They had admitted her. I walked into her room and could tell she was close. 10 minutes later, she had her baby! I was just there to remind her of what she wanted to do while pushing. It was incredibly fast. And she did amazing and all natural too! She had a beautiful, beautiful baby who was alert and healthy. I stayed for a few hours afterwards while they monitored her, and then headed home on a happy high.

Kristen

Tenille

Whitney

MIDWIFERY BIRTHS



 

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