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Kincade’s Hypnobirthing Birth Story…

Hi Beauties…

I’m finally getting around to introducing my little guy and sharing his birth story for those of you who are interested!

Meet Kincade…

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We couldn’t be happier that he’s finally here.

If you follow me on Instagram you know…he made us wait. And wait. And wait. 12 days past his due date to be exact.

Once I passed the 41-week mark my doctor had me come in for monitoring every few days. Each time they offered to strip my membranes or schedule and induction and each time I politely declined.

I was able to go into labor naturally with my daughter (her birth story here) and I trusted that my body would do it again, in it’s own time.

Let me start out with a little disclaimer: I chose to have a medication-free delivery and thankfully, the stars aligned. My body and baby cooperated. But just because this was my choice – it doesn’t mean it has to be yours. Pregnancy and birth is beautiful no matter how it happens. I appreciate you respecting my decisions as I respect yours. What matters in the end is healthy moms and healthy babies. 🙂

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Kincade’s Hypnobirthing Birth Story…

On Sunday, 12 days past my “due date” I went to the hospital to be monitored. Everything looked perfect with me and the baby but my fluid levels were borderline. My doctor’s only concern at this point was that if my fluid levels continued to decrease then I’d be at an increased risk for a c-section and she knew I’d rather have a vaginal delivery if possible.

My husband and I discussed our options and decided that we wanted to continue waiting. We would go home and drink lots of fluids and rest to be mindful of my fluid levels (I had NOT been resting up until this point. I had been walking as much as I possibly could to get things moving). We did, however, agree to her stripping my membranes because we knew we were running out of time and an induction was just around the corner. In fact, they scheduled me for an induction 3 days later so I was praying, praying, praying, that the baby would arrive on his own before then.

After our appointment that morning I started getting regular contractions around 4:00 pm. I was able to continue on through the day with focused breathing, timing them on my phone and making notes. I had dinner with my family and then relaxed on the couch for awhile, noting that the contractions continued every 4-8 minutes but they weren’t really getting closer together.

But at 10:00 pm the surges started to get stronger and longer. They were still 8 minutes apart but I was having to drop off into my “hypnobirthing relaxation” to get through them. As they continued to intensify we decided to head into the hospital. I grabbed a Kind bar for some last minute energy but couldn’t stomach it. The contractions were too strong.

(note: I’ve chosen to deliver at a hospital with both of my babies even though I plan for medication-free deliveries. I love my OBGYN and our hospital is very supportive of natural births so I have never regretted that decision.)

We checked in to the hospital at 11:00 pm and the surges continued to be strong, but spaced out enough for me to feel in control and relaxed. I was excited and thankful. Our nurses were woderful and in full support of my Hypnobirthing birth plan. They had all read my birth plan in advance so never suggested anything outside of that (epidural, pain meds, etc). They left me alone to labor and come in every hour on the hour to check the baby’s heart rate (I chose intermittent monitoring so that I would have the freedom to walk around).

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I was feeling the contractions strongest in my back which was a challenge. Back labor is no joke. I labored standing while leaning forward on the bed and laying on my left side. Most of my focus and concentration went to my breath and my self-talk.

I counted my breath to keep me focused and I continually told myself that it was “just pain, the pain is not dangerous.” Giving birth is more of a mental challenge than anything. I know for a fact that if I would have let myself believe that I couldn’t do it, even for a second, then I would have given up and given in to the pain. It would have taken me over. But I kept my self-talk focused and I took it contraction by contraction, just like I did with my daughter. My husband was so encouraging and made me feel empowered and in control the whole time.

When I checked-in I was already 7 cm dilated, which was a big surprise – but also a testimony to how wonderful Hypnobirthing is. That means I labored at home until I was 7 cm dilated, which is no small feat! But thanks to my breathing & relaxation it didn’t feel that bad. A few hours after we checked-in I was 10 cm dilated and feeling a lot of pressure of the baby coming down.

Transition was just as intense as I remembered and this time my legs were shaking uncontrollably. The nurses brought me warm, heavy blankets which helped my body to calm down.

The only way to make it through transition is to remember that it’s almost over! Again, giving birth is so mental. I can’t get over how big of a role the mind plays in the process. Good thing I’m married to a mental performance coach. 🙂

As I was nearing the point of “pushing” the doctor on-call wanted to break my water to make sure there wasn’t meconium in the fluid since I was 12 days overdue. I agreed since I felt ready to breathe him down and I wanted to know he was safe.

At that point things REALLY picked up. I pushed/breathed him down (I did my own combination of something) for 6 minutes and out he came!

(note: Hypnobirthing teaches a method of “breathing the baby down” rather than the traditional pushing that is coached by doctors and nurses in the hospital. Both times I have done some combination of the two, letting my body dictate what to do.)

Kincade came out with a loud cry, opposite of his sister who was nearly silent. He was immediately placed on my chest for the first hour.  We bonded with him skin-to-skin for a glorious 60 minutes before the nurses even touched him. He immediately started nursing all by himself and nursed for the entire hour. Did you know newborns can do that without any help? It’s absolutely incredible.

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Kincade was 7 lbs. 6 oz., healthy, and beautiful. Thank the Lord.

 

Thank you SO much for all your support on this journey.

xo,

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PS – If you are hoping to have a calm, anxiety-free delivery I can’t recommend Hypnobirthing enough. Even if you choose to get an epidural the relaxation skills taught in the Hypnobirthing method would be of great value. I’d start by reading THIS BOOK and then finding a coach/instructor in your area. And if you’re near Denver I can’t recommend Angie Egan enough.

PPS – Pilates is SO helpful when it comes to having a smooth delivery. If you’re currently pregnant be sure to check out my online prenatal Pilates program, Balanced Beginnings. Click here to learn more.

 

 

 

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13 thoughts on “Kincade’s Hypnobirthing Birth Story…”

  1. Amazing how much hypnobirthing helped you. Also amazing how he nursed right away so naturally and you had a full hour skin-to-skin. I have your prenatal pilates “on call” for when I get pregnant, but I’m also doing your other videos now along with my other exercise because I want to equip my body as much as possible. So thankful you share your stories, and with such grace!

  2. Such a wonderful story! I have been doing your prenatal pilates workouts and I am hoping and praying that my delivery will be easier because I have been keeping up with my exercises. Thanks for writing out your story!

  3. I loved reading your birth story! I think it’s so empowering to read birth stories like this. I love how respectful you are of other women’s choices and how strong you are in yours. Our birthing philosophies and methods are so similar! Hypnosis for childbirth can be so powerful. I just had my third baby epidural-free like my first two, but I ended up having to be induced with this one, which was really hard for me to wrap my head around and pitocin contractions were much harder than I expected but it ended up OK in the end. Your sweet Kincade is so cute and tiny! Love to you and your family and thank you for the great workouts and tips. Love following you!

  4. Oh man I want to have another baby so I can try this!! Haha you have so inspired me. And I love how you got to hold him for an hour! I hated when they took my girls almost immediately. And when the nurse was in every few minutes to check vitals and all I wanted was for her to go away… Love your story!

  5. Thank you so much for sharing! A good friend of mine delivered her daughter back in April in a very similar way. The only difference was she had a water birth, but still had quite a similar experience with relaxation techniques. I’m a little ways away from having children myself, but I like to keep these stories in mind for when I do decide to have my own babies 🙂

  6. Thank you so much for sharing your story ! For someone who hasn’t had kids yet can I say “wow”!this helped to show the mental capabilities we have when we put our minds to it !
    Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this incredible journey with you !!hes too cute ! Hope you are feeling good and thank you again for your inspiration and amazing ness !!Hod bless your family and you !

  7. This is such great news! 32 years ago I had my baby boy on my own terms too. At that time, it was rather frowned upon to deliver without drugs much less in a room without white walls and bright lights. I labored calmly and comfortably in a rocking chair in my hospital room for 5 hours and then had a wonderful drug free experience delivering a beautiful 6lb 8 oz. baby boy. I have no regrets and so pleased that I had the training of relaxation and focus. I am so happy for your personal win and the gift of your little son. To wonderful years ahead for you and your new little family.

  8. I had a hypnobabies guided water birth in sept 8- a boy as well!! It was peaceful, easy, and absolutely amazing!! He is #8, and such a blessing. Congratulations to you on baby boy!!

  9. We just had our first baby in August and reading the story of your first birth was part of the reason I researched hypnosis for my own delivery. I ended up using Hypnobabies and LOVED it. It made me feel so positive, calm, and excited about giving birth. The relaxation worked so well…a little too well in fact. I was feeling so good at home that we waited too long to go to the hospital. I was in transition in the car and 10 cm when we got there!! Despite the chaos of that, I felt so empowered and so thankful I had the skills of relaxation from hypnosis to help me along. I’m sure your Pilates workouts helped me too! Thanks so much for sharing! I just love reading positive stories about birth!

  10. Did you use a specific birth plan template or would you recommend one? I am wanting to do a hypnobirthing birth if at all possible and appreciate hearing such a great testimony to it!

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