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| Eager to greet the world. |
To celebrate Nikita's turning 10 (!) this month, I am reposting his birth story from my old, defunct blog.
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Contractions started sometime between 2 and 3 am. They felt like mild menstrual cramps. Although an internal exam the day before showed that I was 1-2 cm dilated, 90% effaced, and that the baby's head was engaged, I didn't think the contractions were real because I was three weeks before my due date. Still, I was pretty exhausted in the morning and decided to put in a half-day at work in order to tie up some loose ends (because you never know!) and to keep me distracted.
Contractions started to become regular when Igor and I sat down for dinner at 7:30. Each time I felt one come on, I had to stop what I was doing, close my eyes, and concentrate on breathing deeply. After dinner, I laid down on the couch and tried out my selective anesthesia technique to see if it would help. The technique allowed me to breathe more comfortably with each contraction, without closing my eyes. So, I was able to relax with Igor in the living room, watching one of Igor's favorite Russian programs (no, I still don't speak Russian) while he prepared music to take to the hospital. I also made some calls during this time, including one from a friend who was organizing my baby shower, which was scheduled for the next day. We decided that I'd get back to her in the morning about whether to cancel the party.
My hypnotherapist called me at about 8:30, by which time the contractions had been lasting 45 seconds, 4-6 minutes apart - not the 1 minute duration, 4 minutes apart that the books say - for about an hour. She said, "I think you should call your doula, and I think that you shoudl call your doctor because I think you might be in labor and I don't want you to give birth on the way to the hospital." I calmly replied, "Oh, okay," and did what I was told. The nurse at the OB office advised me to come to the hospital to get checked. My doula and I planned to meet at the hospital.
These phone calls were done by about 9 pm. Neither Igor nor his mom thought I was in labor, and tried to persuade me to not go to the hospital because they were sure I was going to be sent home. Igor even tried timing my contractions to see for himself, and was not content because the contractions were still lasting under a minute. I calmly argued, "My OB office says to go to the hospital; my doula says to go to the hospital." We eventually left.
The drive to the hospital was one of the most uncomfortable events of that night. The contractions by this time were coming about every 3 minutes, and it seemed that I could feel every single bump and crack in the road. Igor wanted to stop by an ATM to pick up some money becuase he didn't want to risk paying a fee at the hospital ATM. Somehow, I won the argument, and we arrived at the hospital at about 10:15.
At OB triage, I was hooked up to an external monitor for what seemed like an eternity. When the doctor finally arrived at 11:30, an internal exam showed that I was 6 cm dilated. This apparently surprised the doctor and my doula (who had never been to a hypnobirth before) because I wasn't kicking and screaming for an epidural.
By midnight, we were in the L&D room, where I continued to breath deeply with my contractions. I rocked on the birthing ball, listened to Brazilian lullabies, and was kept well hydrated by my doula. I even called my parents to let them know that I was in the hospital, but had no idea of how long it would take for me to give birth. I'd call them in the morning to let them know if it was worth coming up to Boston (they were planning to attend my shower).
Things were going smoothly until my doctor became concerned with the amount of blood I was shedding. The external monitor showed that the baby's heartbeat went down with each contraction, and didn't come back up sufficiently. Suddenly, I found myself hooked up to an IV and EFM. Plus, an internal monitor was placed on the baby's head. I thought to myself, "This is NOT the birth I was expecting." I was told that if things didn't progress more quickly (i.e., start pushing soon), I would need a C-section. This freaked me out (and Igor, too, who had been calm up until this point), but I still went on with my breathing.
I was pretty annoyed with having the external monitor as it restricted my movements, and started to have difficulty keeping on top of my contractions. The doctor said that if I didn't push effectively when the time came, she would have to use a vacuum. Still, she suggested that I lie on my back. Amazingly enough, I was able to breath even more comfortably and the baby was no longer stressed with each contraction. Apparently, the baby wanted me in the worst position for pushing: flat on my back, parallel to the floor!
At around 2 am, I was 8 cm dilated, and my water broke. My legs were shivering uncontrollably, but I started pushing soon afterwards. Pushing was difficult only because I couldn't figure out exactly WHERE to push. All I could feel was an intense desire to have a bowel movement, making my rectum explode. The other thing that was strange about pushing was that in between the contractions, I found myself calmly reviewing my labor, asking myself questions like whether I would go through this again. My hypnotherapist things this was my version of women screaming bloody murder to their husbands during pushing, cursing them for their pain.
Aside from my exploding rectum (which made me scream, but not strongly enough to alarm Igor), I was pretty comfortable during pushing. I didn't even feel the sensation of crowning (my doctor massaged my perineum, possibly with a topical anesthetic?). Igor thinks I only pushed for an hour or so. It certainly didn't feel that long, and at 3:48 am, Nikita amazingly came out! No drugs, no episiotomy. Just a few stitches for a small tear.
Nikita entered the world heartily crying, but quicly calmed down - his big eyes alert and slowly taking in his new surroundings. Igor wondered how he could be so calm, since his parents aren't particularly calm. Little did we know about the curveballs he would throw us later in the day!
Final analysis: hypnobirthing rocks. The process of learning hypnobirthing gave me the calm frame of mind that was necessary for labor. I was so calm and focused that I rarely had to turn "on" my relaxation techniques, and didn't rely on my support group too much! Even Igor (who was sure I would scream for an epidural) thinks the technique worked - so well that he thinks that we didn't need a doula (I disagree). The key things that made the technique work for me: being trained by a certified hypnotherapist (who helped me work out my fears about childbirth and customized relaxation techniques for me, drawing upon both hypnobirthing and hypnobabies) and religiously practicing the breathing and relaxation techniques. I am also grateful for an OB who didn't immediately jump to medical interventions and helped me avoid them by directing position changes. The only thing I would change is to listen to a tape (available on the hypnobabies site) to tell the baby to stay in until I'm ready!
