Around 3:30 in the morning on July 2nd I could no longer sleep through the pressure waves (contractions), so I moved to the couch with a heating pad and my headphones where I listened to my hypnosis tracks and drifted through the surges. Things slowed down mid-morning, so I prepared the house for the birth in between inconsistent waves. Around 11 o’clock I was hungry and really requiring a roast beef sandwich, so Mikel left for our favorite cafe, and within 30 minutes of his departure the waves started up again-stronger than before-consistently 3 minutes apart. (In retrospect, this is where I should have gotten serious about my self-hypnosis. It became harder to cultivate hypno-anesthesia as time progressed.)

Mikel returned and after we ate our sandwiches we decided to relax and watch a movie until things picked up...that lasted all of about 8 minutes. We turned off the movie and began playing the birthing day tracks on the speakers.

The next couple of hours were spent kneeling either on the pile of blankets on the living room floor or in the shower. Our midwife Carrie and her assistant came and checked me: 3 cm, 100% effaced. They left and we were to let them know when to return: that was about an hour later. This is where things get fuzzy for me.

When Carrie returned I was trying desperately to find a comfortable position...alternating from the toilet to the birthing stool to the floor. The waves were incredibly strong...”Power” became my silent mantra. I could make it through each one so long as I maintained focus and relaxed in between them, those moments of rest were crucial. I soon began to wonder how I would be able to cope if the waves got stronger though...this was honestly the most difficult part: expecting the waves to get worse. (They never did!) With this mindset I began to have fleeting “I can’t do this” thoughts...that’s when my body started pushing.

The waves changed from intense pressure in my lower abdomen, to unstoppable urge to attempt a bowel movement. (Pushing is so much easier than dilating!) I felt nauseous a time or two, but my roast beef sandwich never betrayed me!

I begged for the birthing tub: once, twice, three times. Why was no one making moves to set it up? “I’m not sure you’re going to make it to the tub.” Carrie told me. But after a brief check, she decided we had the time.

The water was fantastic. The weightlessness allowed me to relax so much easier.

There was brief concern over the baby’s heart rate, which was quickly quelled by a change in my position. There was a point where the “Pushing Baby Out”hypnosis track stopped briefly while the midwife rewound the track: in that moment, Mikel and I both realized just how much the Hypnobabies was helping us both! It was 3 seconds of utter distress until it started playing again! Soon I actually could feel her in the birth canal, and with each wave she came closer and closer. I felt the wrinkled top of her head while she was still between worlds.

I growled and roared and felt her push sharply against my pubic bone. Mikel said to me “Just a few more..” and I thought to myself No way, I’ve still got at least 10 waves to go. Still totally in denial about how quickly things were progressing. Mikel was right: 3 more waves and her head popped out, 2 seconds later her body followed. I was in shock as I looked down at her little body between my knees. Mikel and I scooped her up together. The intensity of all the waves vanished instantly. She was here, we did it. I did it. I could not quite believe it all. She was born at 6:52, after 7.5 hours of labor, which really felt more like 3 hours.

I loved how hands-off our birth team was, they really allowed Mikel and I the opportunity to birth our baby as independently as possible. Given the sacred nature of what it means to bring life into this world, to create and birth a piece of ourselves: I wouldn’t do it any other way.

To anyone considering unmedicated birth, I highly recommend the Hypnobabies course. It really helped train our subconscious minds to remain calm, at peace, and relaxed throughout the entire birth process. I truly believe that staying calm and relaxed throughout the entire birthing time helped me progress so quickly.

Opal Antoinette 🌷 7 pounds 19.5 inches