Here some wonderful families generously share stories from their births. 

Aimee was essential to the success of our natural childbirth with our son, Luke.  I texted her while I was in early labor, and she told me that she could come over at any time.  I went into labor at 1 am and she came over around 1 in the afternoon; so, I had already been in early labor for about 12 hours.  During that time, I used Hypnobabies relaxation techniques and lay in bed as much as possible in order to conserve my energy.  The Hynobabies CD’s were very helpful at keeping me calm & allowing me to gently ride the pressure waves.  I stayed like that for about 9 hours, then ate breakfast and hung out with my husband.  My pressure waves began to get more frequent and unmanageable.  I wanted Aimee to come over and do the double hip squeeze.

            When Aimee arrived, I was baking cookies for the nurses as my birthing day project.  While we were in the kitchen, I would put my finger in the air to show Aimee and my husband that I was beginning a pressure wave, and Aimee would come over and do the double hip squeeze on me.  She showed my husband how to do it, and they took turns.  It completely changed the way I felt during the pressure wave, making my discomfort manageable.  It was healing to be touched while in this vulnerable state. Aimee’s presence eased my anxiety, and we talked between pressure waves.  Aimee used the Hypnobabies word cues to help me relax and get into a peaceful mindset.

            Around 3 pm, I told Aimee that I felt like I was holding back, and the baby was going to come but I was scared to let myself go at home because I was worried the baby would be born right there.  Aimee asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, and I said, “Yes, let’s go.”  She helped us keep our heads clear while we were preparing to go to the hospital. 

            When we arrived at the hospital, I was 6 cm dilated, 100% effaced and the baby was at -2 station.  The baby was sitting really high.  I was feeling shaky and nauseous.  While at the hospital, I progressed slowly. During that time, Aimee provided ideas.  At one point, she suggested that my husband and I get into the shower in our birthing room.  We were in there for an hour and a half.  That was when I dilated from 6 cm to 9 cm.  It was hard for me, and very uncomfortable.  The hot water significantly eased my discomfort.  After I got out of the shower, I sat on the birth ball while singing and dancing a little.  Aimee suggested that I walk around the hallway to help the baby drop and bring myself to full dilation.  I trusted her suggestions, so I walked around the hospital hallway a few times.  It was intense, because the baby was pressing right down onto my cervix.  I stopped when pressure waves came and Aimee did the double hip squeeze.  I was grateful that her pressure was very hard and it countered all of the discomfort in my lower back and pelvis.  With Aimee’s help, I was able to continue with my natural birth in a calm and controlled manner.  Without her help, and my Hypnobabies training, it’s likely I would have asked for pain medicine or just been screaming and frantic.  The fact that she was able to provide me with relief during pressure waves was so important.

            After we finished walking around the hallway, I was examined again and I was still at 9 cm.  I had been at 9 cm for 3 hours.  The midwife offered to break my bag of waters, but I declined.  A half hour later, I consented with encouragement from my husband and Aimee.  Everyone (including me) was concerned that if I didn’t get to full dilation soon, I wouldn’t have the energy to push my baby out.

            Once my water broke, I quickly got to 10 cm but I did not have the urge to push.  Aimee suggested different positions, which was helpful.  At some points, she stepped back and my husband jumped in.  My birthing time was so long that it was really important for me to have both my husband and my doula there in order to switch off.  It would have been too much for either of them to be helping me on their own during such a long birthing time, even though the midwife and nurses were also involved.  At one point, my husband was even able to eat a little bit, since Aimee was taking care of me.  This was important because I needed him to be strong for me.

            In the end, little Luke was born at 2:01 am and we had been at the hospital for a total of 11 hours.  While we were there, Aimee’s presence eased my mind.  There were a few times that I asked her about her own birthing experience and how it compared to what I was going through.  She answered my questions, empathized with me, and made me feel so much better.  Also, she had creative suggestions that helped to change my state of mind and keep me going throughout the marathon of my childbirth. She provided a very stable and supportive presence for me and my husband in early labor, and later as things got more intense.  She knew when to step back and when to offer suggestions.  Aimee was like a gentle guiding hand throughout our birthing time. Thank you, Aimee.  Because of your help, we were successful in creating the drug-free, natural birth experience that we so wanted.

Kelli R.