have attended HypnoBirthing classes with Kathryn McGlynn in Massachusetts and Connecticut since 1998.
Contact Kathryn : 877-217-3560 or 781-340-2146
Hi Kathryn,
Well, October 28th, little (newborn) was born at 2.15am.
What an incredible experience yet again.
guess how long this time...?
2 hours 15 mins.
I went to pick my mother up from the airport and was having braxton hicks as I have been since 6 months,
only this time they were very rythmical - so I decided to time them - 1 min,
7 mins, 3 mins 9 mins apart.
I have been hypnotising myself several times a day, sometimes to practice my breathing.
I didn't think I was in birthing mode. I was 40 weeks and
expecting delays as with (first child).
So we are all listening to Elvis Presley, singing in our best voices and having lots of laughs.
Picked up mummy from the airport at 7.15pm - Please bear in mind I am driving too.
Stopped off at the market on the way back to get supper and shopping, dropped off (spouse) at his office
so he could pick up his car (told him I would put on the emergency lights everytime
a surge came along!!),
got home, put (first child) to bed, decided to have a bath and continue to listen to Rainbow Relaxation.
At 11pm I got the shakes and (spouse) thought it best to call (midwife) who said to get to the hospital right away.
Poor thing, she really wanted to see the end of the Red Sox game 4!!!! We
got to the (hospital) at midnight
and I was still not feeling anything
more than pressure, and it wasn't until I was checked and told
I was 4cm dialated
and monitored that the realization hit me.
This time I listened to Rainbow Relaxation ALL the time along with (spouse) taking me so beautifully,
lovingly and calmly through the breathing and glove anethesia, etc. I came out of my focused state only to pee
and to tell (spouse) to stop giggling at one point, which
was when I felt my first "painful contraction",
obviously just me trying
to prove once again how amazing hypnobirthing really is, as on the
3 occasions I felt anything,
I was out of hypnosis.
(Midwife) was
right by my side all the time, rubbing my back, legs, arms, I remember
her telling me to let go,
and to let my body do the work. How right she was.
Every time I got to the end of the Rainbow Relaxation, I would say "(Spouse), rewind" and he would get the tape
back to the beginning. (Midwife) told me, as soon as I heard the 1st part of the tape, I would just go limp
and be completely relaxed.
Kathryn, this was again, another surreal, life changing, beautiful, breathtaking experience,
and to think that only a small population actually get to experience it is so so sad!
Once again the pressure of my waters not breaking was difficult for me and I asked (midwife) to break them for me.
I was 8cms at that time and as she broke them, I began dialating even more.
In my mind
and as a result of extreme- and I mean extreme- time distortion, I will
tell you that
I went from 8 - 10cms there and then, but apparently it actually took 11 minutes.
My whole body just took over and I told (midwife) that I had to push. She didn't even have time to prepare the bed!
It was like I woke up from the deepest sleep. Apparently I was holding on to (spouse's) entire body very very tightly.
I heard him say, " J-breathes, J-breaths"
and, in what seemed like 2 minutes, (baby) was born.
She scored 8/9 on her apgar score and was, and is, quite simply perfect.
Can you believe she was 8lbs 13 oz - I didn't think I could deliver a nearly 9lb baby but it was very, very, very easy.
No tearing, no
episiotomy, no pain.
My body was back to normal in just a few hours and
I was back in my size 4 clothes just a few days later.
My body has never, and I mean never, felt so good!
I was so much in control of my own body that I was actually completely out of control...what I mean
is that I didn't have to do a thing - my body just did it and this time I can say that
with more assertion than before.
I am the luckiest person on this earth. Not only do I have the
most amazing husband,
birthing companion and father to my
children, but this whole experience could not have happened
if it hadn't been for you, teaching and nurturing us in the beautiful
way that you do.
It couldn't have happened if it hadn't been for (midwife) who is, without a doubt, the most caring and wonderful,
attentive, loving
midwife to have ever walked this earth, and the staff at the (hospital),
who looked after me like I was a top filmstar in Hollywood, caring
for me, joking with me, laughing with me.
And of course, I have not just one amazing child (first child), but am blessed with (newborn),
my new daughter, who radiates the love that I feel inside.
All I can say is, Thank you Kathryn, as words really aren't enough!
I love you
(Mother)
xxooxx
==============================================
Baby Born Into Mom's Pajama Bottoms
I had taken your class when I was pregnant with my first son. So it's been a while... I thought I would tell you my birth
experience with my second son! It was QUITE the experience.
I had listened to my tapes & CD & practiced the HypnoBirthing on my own for #2. A week before the due date,
driving home from work, I got a contraction – but I thought the baby was just unhappy with the position of sitting in the car.
Went to my friend’s house to watch TV. So as the show is on & I'm trying to keep my son entertained, I was getting
more contractions. They weren't bad though, just crampy. We timed them & I was 7 minutes apart.
I said, "I'd better get my son home & finish packing my bag & take a shower." So that's what I did. My son and
my husband both slept as I packed & showered.
11pm : contractions are less than 5 minutes apart, so I call the Dr. He says, “You don't seem to be in too much pain
or anything, you can of course come in... but I think you might have some time.”
I figure I'll wait it out a bit.... I'll take a bath. So I do. Then I get out... and things get going. It took some time to collect
myself but I finally did & I got to my husband and said, “Get up, we're going NOW (midnight).”
I called the Dr. & said “We're coming in.” I called my dad & said, “Meet me at the hospital to pick up my son.”
FINALLY the 10-15 minute ride was over & we walked to the entrance, our son in my husband’s arms. We get to
the door. LOCKED. I forgot the entrance is locked at night.. you have to go to the ER entrance.
So I said “You go around & let me in.” He said, “NO... get back to the car.” So he heads back to the car with our son
and I am trying my best to get back there... but the kid’s head is definitely sticking out a bit. Very hard to walk with
a head popping out. I get to the end of the side walk, look at the open car door and say “I can't get in the car.”
“Get in the car.'' "I can't!!!"
After a few stern rounds of trying to persuade me in & me telling him no way in hell, I reach down & say, “The baby's
head is OUT. “
Then, with a contraction, I yell, "Catch the baby!"
And sure enough... my husband caught the baby in my pajama bottoms and handed him to me. I got in the car.
We drove to the ER. My Dad walks up to the car & I say “LOOK!” He says “What the!?" ... then the ER people
come & have to clamp & cut the cord. They take the baby away. I get wheel chaired in. The Dr. is laughing, he says,
“WOW... serve me up some humble pie!!! “
My mom is a nurse in the hospital & had just called down to maternity to see if I had showed up and maternity
had said, ”No sign of her, but we hear someone had a baby in the car.”
Everyone was sooo excited & amazed & chatty. Our baby son was with the nurses being checked & bundled
& I was delivering the placenta... one of the nurses kept saying, “Get this woman her BABY!” While we weren't
apart for too long, it was longer than I'd have liked, in hind-sight.
But WOW what an exciting night!!! Our first son was there the whole time. My husband is on the birth record
as 'attendee'. And we have an excellent story to always tell. All my friends were amazed & have told everyone
they know, too. We were the talk of the hospital for quite a while. The nurses attending us were all laughing
& saying “What do you need us for? You did it all on your own!'
So, that's our second son’s story! Another beautiful healthy boy!
Hi Kathryn!
I've been wanting to email you since the birth of my son but it's been just so hectic!
If you recall, in my first pregnancy my water broke at the end of your seminar, and I had
a successful hypnobirth experience the following day (Thanks again!)
Well, as the "guess date" for my second child drew ever closer, I dusted off those
HypnoBirthing materials in hopes that I could enjoy another relaxed and uplifting
birth experience. But somehow things don't always go the way you plan.
Not that my second son's birth wasn't easy. Oh, no. My thoughts are that perhaps
HypnoBirthing sometimes works too well. Because my little guy, determined as he was,
decided he wasn't going to mess around with some long drawn out birthing process.
He decided he wanted to be born at home, after only an hour of noticeable labor. Now
a homebirth can be a wonderfully intimate and fulfilling experience, to be sure, provided
you had some indication that it was going to occur and some preparation for the event.
I woke up at 4am to ruptured membranes and three contractions, three minutes apart,
followed immediately by the breathing down and out phase. I never really got the chance
to do all that breathing I'd been practicing!
I say this is "kind of" a HypnoBirthing experience because in truth, given the circumstances,
it was pretty near impossible achieve the relaxed state that was needed. I'm pretty confident
however, despite what my doctor was saying at the time, that my body had been working
on effacing and dilating in the days preceding the birth. There was little for my body to do
on the actual birth day because much of the work was already done. Surely all the
meditations and breathing exercises, in the weeks preceding my son’s birth, enabled
this process to work that much more effortlessly.
I also credit HypnoBirthing for giving me the confidence and clarity to identify my body's cues.
In both of my births, no one around me believed for a second how far along my labor was
until, surprise! Showtime! In this birth, the paramedics were trying to convince me to walk
downstairs and get on a stretcher while I was crowning! I recognized when my baby was
passing through the birth canal as I had been there before, sans medication.
Fortunately, my son was perfect and was born with no complications whatsoever. Good thing
he planned it that way. The paramedics that I mentioned were two girls, about 19 years old,
who had never seen a birth before. They were literally knocking into one another in a panic.
A medic was not dispatched. Why would they need a medic for that hypochondriac lady who
had only been in labor for an hour? Fortunately the police officer that arrived knew enough
about what the process should look like that he gave the paramedics direction. In the last
seconds before I pushed my son out into this world, it was he that responded to my cry,
"Does anyone here have any idea what to do???" by stepping up and delivering my guy.
I don't seem to do anything the conventional way. Perhaps that was my attraction to HypnoBirthing.
Certainly next time I find myself wishing for something to be easy, I'll be careful what I wish for!
(Baby) was born May 4, 2005, at 4:58 am (it was thoughtful of that police officer to look at my clock radio!).
I can't wait to see what plans he's got for his time here. He sure was in a hurry to get started.
Thanks again for your help!
(Mother)
Dear Kathryn,
I hope that you will share my story with others. Hypnobirthing is a true miracle.
We prepared faithfully with the tapes, scripts, polar bear position, massage and Hemi-Sync
music. Well, here it is...
My guess date was May 6th. I went to the doctor's on May 11th and he said that he wanted
to induce me the next day because of my high blood pressure. He knew the baby was okay
at that time due to a sonagram and non stress test, but he didn't want to take any chances
due to possible effects on the placenta. I was 4 centimeters at the time. That night we tried
many methods to get things moving along. I visualized many times a little construction man
climbing down a ladder trying to get out the obstruction. He used some tools to break my water.
I was hoping this would happen overnight, but it didn't.
We arrived at the hospital the next morning at 7:00 am. My doctor said that he understood
my wanting of a natural birth. He was willing to try breaking my water instead of giving me anything.
My water broke at 8:45 am. I felt some minor cramping for most of the day. I walked around when
we weren't being monitored. My husband didn't want to leave me side while walking because he said
I looked like I was drugged.
When surges came on, I would simply stop walking, talking or whatever else
I was doing and close my eyes. I visualized and breathed waves rolling in and out at the beach.
I would then resume activities
as if nothing happened. I was checked at 7:00 pm but didn't want to know
how far along I was.
At around 8:00 pm I told my husband to get the nurse because I need to be checked. He said that
I was only 6 centimeters at 7:00. I told him this was different, the baby was ready. The nurse checked
me and asked if I wanted to know. I said that I really didn't because I didn't want to be disappointed
and ruin my frame of mind. She said, well I'll just tell you that I have to call the doctor and tell him
to come quickly.
The doctor arrived in what seemed like moments and looked. He said he'd be right back because
he had to put his scrubs on. While he was gone it was very difficult for me to hold back. I felt like
my baby was going to be birthed right then and there. I pushed 2-3 times and my baby was born.
My initial plan was not to push but when the time came, I felt like I had to.
Throughout this whole process, I felt about one second of pain. When my son's head came out, I was
scared by the tearing sensation. After the doctor told me his head was out, I was okay. My boy was
born at 8:36 pm.
I did not practice time distortion, but the whole day was a blur. I can't believe that 12 hours had
passed. The doctor and nurses were truly amazed. My 8 pound baby boy is easy going. He is
a good sleeper and nurser, which I attribute to a calm, drug free birth.
The process of birthing is truly a natural process which occurs 99% in the mind.
Thank you, Kathryn, for a miracle to be treasured always.