April 2, 2011 at 3:28 a.m.

I finally had a moment to myself to reflect on my baby girls’ Natural Hypnobabies birth and wanted to share my moment of empowerment and love.

On March 16 at 6:20 a.m.

I woke up from a deep sleep to a familiar popping sound. I jumped off my bed and ran to the bathroom. I was positive my water broke. (I should have elaborated here that I heard and experienced the exact same thing with Jag.) Jon knocks wanting to know if I’m Okay.

I tell him my water broke.He doesn’t believe me and asks if I’m sure because our bed and floor isn’t wet.

When my water broke with Jag and it was a huge gush that got everywhere–it was a river! I assured him it did and told him to call our doula to give her a heads up.

I showered, changed and put on a depends –that’s right I said depends–so I could walk around my house without making a mess. While in the shower Jag wakes up and decides it’s time to start our day. Jon calls out of work and tells them its baby day for us. I decide to lay down for a bit but can’t because I’m excited. I’d be meeting my girl by the end of the night. I was sure of it.

I got up went to the living room. Jon decided to make us breakfast. It was sooo good. He made eggs, bacon, potatoes and chiliqules. YUM! After breakfast I bust out my birth ball and roll on it for a bit and do a deepening hypnosis session, which made me sleepy so I got off my ball and took a short cat nap while Jon and Jag shower.

10:00 a.m.-ish rolls along and our doula arrives.

My pressure waves are coming along great so I go and put myself in hypnosis using my hypnobabies techniques. I decide to go and lie down with my sleepy Jag, who is nursing and its causing waves to come stronger and closer together, just what I hoped would happen.

Noonish comes. Jon goes and gets us food, I’m not hungry at this point but I eat fries and water with a coke on the side (awesome energy food, right?)

2:30 p.m. – My bestie shows up to take care of Jag.

We hang out for a bit. She gets to see me labor at home. We chit chat and have a good time all the while my waves are getting closer and stronger, letting my body do what its meant to do without interference. It was awesome! My body then slowed down for a bit because I was too relaxed chatting so I had to do some belly lifts.

3: 00 p.m. comes along and I am ready to walk to the hospital (yes, I said walk). 

My entire pregnancy I worked for this moment; I walked it several times a week to prepare for it. I remember every tree and crossing point.

It was a 3 mi walk but during my pregnancy it felt like 3 wide blocks away. In labor it was the longest “3 blocks” of my life. We stopped every 10min (I’d put myself back in hypnosis to pass the waves and back to center to wake myself back up), I loved it! Funny moment while doing this 3mi walk, our pastor drove by us and waved! When he came to visit the following day after her birth he said he could not tell I was in labor. I decided to walk because doing so would help me progress fast, so we load our doula’s car and she follows closely while Jon and I took it nice and easy. (With Jag 1 I was wasn’t allowed to move, I was threatened to be catheterized since I needed to use the restroom so much this was one reason I decided to walk. I knew doing so would help me progress, I could feel it in my bones.)

4:15 p.m. – We arrive at the hospital. They check us in.

I’m waiting for my triage nurse. She finally comes to “check” me in and she is surprised by my calmness. I share my birth plan with her to make sure we’re paired with a nurse on the same page. WE ARE!

My plan: NO DRUGS, IV’s or wires.

I will do a hep-lock for in case situations. We had the sweetest nurse. Her name was Inga and she was from Switzerland. I remember her being excited to serve a natural birth because she said it was not a common f

or her to experience since being in the states, and that back home most women have natural births.

4:40 p.m. – She asks to do a cervix check.

I give her the OK. I was 4cm and 95% effaced. No Biggie. With my oldest that number was such a discouragement! Off to my room. I get settled in do some walking in there, listen to my affirmations CD. I’m good.

7:45 p.m. – I continue laboring, using my hypnobabies and give the ok to a cervix check.

I’m 8cm and 95 effaced +1 station. Funny moment happens: I decided to stand up and walk.

As soon as I get up, boom Jillian drops!

Not out of me but I feel her drop inside me. The nurse throws pillows on the ground and I didn’t even say anything she knew something was up. Oh my, this was a hilarious moment. I can still remember the look on Inga’s face. She looked me right in the eye from across the bed and tossed the pillows under me. I’m pretty sure that my face looked surprised since I wasn’t expecting the sudden drop. I get back on my bed with the squatbar attached. Breathed my girl down for a bit and by golly I feel the urge to push. Let’s get this party started.

My funniest memory is when I ripped of my gown off, like a crazy woman.

Now I know why natural birthing videos mama’s are always naked–YOU GET FREAKING HOT! SO SO HOT. 

I no longer want to squat and have them put the bed up all the way so I’m more in a semi reclined position rather than flat on my back. I’ve lost sense of time. Push. Push. I feel, touch and see my baby girls crowing head. Push. Push. I feel and see her shoulders come out. Last big push! She’s here and placed on my chest immediately. Eight and a half months, 14 hours of labor and five pushes later, we met our baby girl at 8:02 p.m. on March 16.

Jag was brought in to meet and nurse with his sister.

He’s the first family member to greet her and it was beautiful. My eyes got misty reading this. This was so important to me too! He wasn’t very sure of her when he arrived, but he knew she was nursing on “his” mama. Jon placed him on the bed and he crawled in next to me and nursed, while nursing he was petting his sisters little hand who was also nursing.

I’ll never forget that moment. 

Awwww all those precious memories just flooded me again. It plays like a film and I hit restart and see it play over as I read this. My little billy goat I love you!

P.S. I Can’t wait to share Jag 1 and 3’s as well as baby P’s birth stories with you this summer!

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Originally published by Doula with a Sling.