Tammy's Birth Story

I had just left Pomerado Hospital where I had been at fetal monitering because I was 6 days past due. I went home to have a quick lunch and go to my next client when I stood up at 2:30 at my table to bring my plate into the kitchen and my water broke! I was stunned, I thought I had possibly wet myself but soon realized what it really was as I soaked my pants all the way past my knees. :) I called my husband to come home and then walked around in a daze, I was stunned that this was it and had no idea what to do. So I did the obvoius important items like brush my teeth, change clothes, wash my face, drink a protein shake, pretty much everything but get ready to leave for the hospital. :)

When my husband got home I started to get it together and we packed the car to go. It was about 3:20 and I still had not started contractions so we decided to go for a walk around our neighborhood. My husband brought his stopwatch and out we went. About a block later I had my first contraction!
, mild and about 20 seconds. We kept walking and they continued to come about every 6-7 minutes and about 30 seconds each. Then they started to come every 4-5 minutes and that is when Brian decided we needed to head back home. I soaked through another pair of pants on the walk and needed to change. We left and got to the hospital around 5:00. I soaked through another pair of pants walking into the hospital. I had no idea how much fluid comes out!! After I got settled in my room, Brian brought up my physioball from the car and I started using it on my hands and knees to do cat/cow. I also continued to walk up and down the halls still able to just breathe through the contractions. By about 7:00 I was 6cm dilated and the contractions were taking much more of my attention. I liked cat/cow with and without the ball, Brian using the hand held massager on my low back, hip rotations sitting on the ball and standing to get through contractions. I also visualized "riding the wave" like I was body surfing. When I got to 7-8cm dilated those techniques were no longer working and so Brian would use the heating pad on my low back and push down on my sacrum during the contractions while I tried to keep my breathing steady. This worked pretty well but then the baby started getting overheated so we had to stop. At that point I got sick to my stomach and started shaking pretty badly. From 10:30pm to 12:00am I was pretty much a wreck. I was shaking, feeling really defeated, and not remembering about the tools I had learned. The nurse had said I was dehydrated and put an IV in so I couldn't get out of bed and do my stretches or use my ball. At 12am I was 10cm dilated and ready to push. I started in a squat position but my legs kept shaking so I laid back and had the nurse and Brian assist my knees back as far as they could go. The baby was so low that I only had to push 15-20 times and out he came! I had a mirror there so was able to see his head and that really motivated me to push with all I had to meet him. What a relief once his head came out and then his shoulders and rest of his body just followed. He was born at 12:38am. He was immediately placed on me, he didn't cry, just looked up at me with eyes wide open. So sweet! I held him and couldn't believe how smooth and clear his skin tone was and how wide and alert his eyes were. He only let out one little squeak while they weighed him and wiped him off. 7lbs 1 ounce, 20 inches.

I was fortunate and did not tear at all and have had a tremendous recovery. I was up and moving around right away. The entire experience was a positive one and I am a very happy, proud mom.

Thank you for all the tools your prenatal yoga class taught me. It was extremely beneficial.

Julie's VBAC Homebirth

Jordan Travis’s VBAC at Home
9-21-09 – my 2nd child
By Julie Yaeger

Coming to the decision to have a homebirth was a lengthy process filled with research, questions, and then isolation and fear. But finally, there was acceptance, excitement, and joy. I saw a doctor for concurrent care with the midwives so I could get ultrasounds, lab tests, etc. covered by my insurance.
I was induced and had a C-section with my first child, so I was running around asking everyone I knew, “How do you know when it’s labor?” Their answer? “You just do.” I will pass that valuable advice on to any expectant mother who is wondering, because it is true, you just do!

I didn’t realize it, but my early labor began in week 39 or so. I was having evenings every couple of days where I would start contractions around 8pm and they’d get closer, last through until about 3am, and then die off. This happened on at least three occasions, getting my hopes up, and then creating lots of frustration since I kept thinking it was labor. I only called Vickii, my midwife, once at about 4am and she talked me down. She told me to get some rest and call her in the morning. Somehow she knew it wasn’t the real deal.

At my 41 week prenatal, Vickii stripped my membranes at my request, after doing acupuncture at week 40. She checked me, also at my request, and I was shocked to find that I was already at 4cm. Apparently, my body was giving me “installments” and practice for what the big day would look and feel like. My body had already done the hard work of opening my cervix to 4cm, which usually takes people the longest (early labor). I had also taken 2 or 3 courses of caulophyllum and cimicifugus homeopathics to try to get things started. Baby J just wasn’t ripe yet and I had a lot more waiting to do.
Vickii left for a big trip to New Zealand, and now I was solely in the care of Darynee. We knew Vickii might miss the birth, but certainly didn’t expect to go 2 weeks postdates! This was the first birth she had ever missed, and she was so bummed! At my last OB visit, the doctor said, “Well, you know we only let you go to 42 weeks, so why don’t you schedule the C?” I was mortified, so this just made me anxious...

By 42 weeks exactly, I had a strange intuition that Jordan needed to be born. I was getting antsy worrying about another possible C-section, and just wanted to be sure he was ok. Darynee advised that I get a biophysical profile and NST done to make sure my placenta was still working well, there was enough amniotic fluid, etc. The appointment was for 3pm on Sept. 21st. I didn’t end up needing to go! Michelle Freund would be the assistant at the birth, and my doula, Kayti Ricker was the final member of my amazing birth team.

Before she left, Vickii advised that the best way to “naturally” induce labor would be to take castor oil. Since I had taken it with Camille and it did absolutely nothing, I didn’t have much hope for it that day. But, I was desperate and really wanted to get things moving. I made a grape castor oil smoothie with a whole 4oz. bottle of oil. It was tolerable, but kind of oily and disgusting. Within a couple of hours the effects kicked in and I was sitting on the toilet for the next couple of hours. The castor oil did exactly what it was supposed to! By the time my labor started, I was seriously depleted of water and food. I didn’t have time to replenish because when labor came, it didn’t let up at all until Jordan was born.

I cancelled the appointment for the biophysical profile when I realized I couldn’t be in the car away from a bathroom. By 3pm, the time when I was supposed to have gone to the appointment, my labor started, and it came with a bang! My contractions started around 3-4 minutes apart, but they were strong. I only was able to deal with a few before I jumped in the shower and needed the warm water to ease my back pain and help me relax. I began chanting “ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” and “maaaaaaaaaaaaaa maaaaaaaaaaaaaa” and just about anything I could think of. I remembered my yoga teacher recommended using vocal toning on consonant sounds (mama, vava, etc) so I tried until something worked. Later I realized that “Shhhhhhhh” worked really well, too for me. (Dan later asked me why I was asking for my “mama” which made me laugh.) It all felt so primal and I truly felt like a birth warrior! I was swaying and dancing and trying to move myself into a comfortable position in the shower. About 5-10 minutes into my shower, I yelled to Dan to call everyone. When he called our doula, she wanted to make sure I was really in labor after all of the false alarms. She told him to “hold the phone up” and could hear my primal moans. “That sounds great, I’ll be right over!” she said, and got in her car! I will never forget that hilarious part of the story.
Dan hopped in the shower at some point, helped rub my back, and just kept me calm as the contractions came in intense waves. At this point, there was definitely pain, but not like I have ever known. The contractions just took over my body and I surrendered to each one, while trying to keep myself comfortable by chanting, breathing, and still dancing around. In fact, even as I write this story, I can’t remember what the contractions felt like, exactly. It is strange how the mind works, and miraculous how you forget just how bad it was, so that you are willing to do it all over again. I guess I was in the shower for about 30 minutes or so, and then Darynee arrived and started preparing our bedroom for the birth. Dan and Darynee worked quickly to get the room ready, since we really weren’t prepared for everything to happen so fast. We had all of our birth supplies set up at week 36 and I got tired of looking at them, so they were all packed in a box next to my bed.

It was around 4:30pm, and Daryne`e suggested I get out of the shower and see how far I had progressed. My body had worked fast! I was already getting to transition and I was COMPLETE! I couldn’t believe it. Daryne`e didn’t seem that excited about it, since the baby was pretty far up, and she knew I’d have a while before he came down; about 5 hours or so. I spent the next hours contracting in labor land, moving my son down the birth canal. Dan and I got in the birthing pool for a while- I had hoped I could have a water birth, but it wasn’t meant to be. I was totally fine with that, but bummed that I only got an hour or less out of my $50 kiddie pool! I found myself getting into various positions in my room, leaning on different things and people. I was very hot and sweaty, and remember asking repeatedly for cold washcloths on my forehead. I was naked as the day I was born from the moment I stepped out of the shower, and it didn’t matter at all. My modesty went completely out the window.
It started to get dark, and it was only at that point that I realized how long I had been in intense labor with few breaks between contractions. Amazingly, I had the energy to make it through. The midwives and doula tried to get me to eat and drink between contractions so I could replenish myself, but it was difficult. It didn’t seem like I had many breaks.

I never once questioned my ability to birth the baby, nor did I question my body’s ability to do exactly what it needed to do. I continued to surrender to my uterus and the baby and received positive affirmations from my birth team as I did so.

When I finally began to feel the urge to push, it was around 8:30pm and that was the craziest thing I’ve ever felt. I literally felt I had to pass a bowling ball from my colon,

and grunted so loudly with each push that my throat actually felt sore for a couple of days afterwards! Everyone kept saying “Keep it low, Julie. Keep it in your bottom.” I really tried, but the shrieks and groans were what made it feel better. I remember that each time the midwives had me change position, I argued with them. When I found a position that was comfortable, it felt like nothing in the world could move me. At one point they had me sit on a birthing stool that had magically appeared in my bedroom. Daryne`e sat with my make-up mirror under me and watched the progression of the baby’s head. It was close, but then there was a lot of blood, and she wasn’t sure why. She had me move to the bed as quickly as I could and lay on my side with a leg up. When the bleeding stopped in that position, this eliminated the possibility of it being a uterine rupture, and she concluded that it was probably a laceration on the inside. After laboring in this position for a little while, I guess the midwives were a bit concerned that his head started to “turtle” back in, which is not a good sign. Michelle, who had been so soft-spoken and gentle the whole day, yelled “You need to get on all fours, NOW!” Of course, I summoned all energy and adrenaline, and moved as fast as I could!
The next hour was a blur- we could see his head, his ears were outside of my body, but he was not coming out. Daryne`e had to literally reach inside and manipulate his body because his shoulder was stuck under my pubic bone. I remember pushing so hard and he finally came out. I could feel burning, ripping, and all of the things that make childbirth the most painful experience in the world. I won’t soon forget those last moments of my son exiting my body, because it was nothing I could have imagined. When he came out, I didn’t hear any crying. I heard Kayti tell Dan to “Talk to your baby, he needs to hear your voice.” Someone placed the baby on my back, and Daryne`e said, “Be careful of the cord!” In moments, I heard something about him not breathing, saw Daryne`e give him a couple of resuscitative breaths, and I was just wondering why he wasn’t crying yet. I was later told that, due to the birth trauma, he was not breathing right away. At some point, their attention turned to me. I had lost a lot of blood and needed a stack of pillows under my legs to help with my blood pressure. Once everything was fine with Jordan, it was time to suture me. I had 2nd degree tearing and it took them 2.5 hours to stitch me up. The tearing was deep and jagged. He was born at 9:58pm on Monday, and they were still there at 5am on Tuesday. I was so exhausted, and felt like I had been hit by a truck. All of my muscles were tensed up but I felt exhilarated that I had done the unimaginable- a successful VBAC at home. No drugs, just a peaceful, wonderful but definitely painful experience. Jordan Travis was 8lbs, 3oz. and 21.75” long. He has been a great nurser, and is growing fast. I believe in the strength of the human body to do whatever is necessary to have a birth the way nature intended it, and Jordan’s birth was proof of that for me, and hopefully for women I can inspire in the future.

Baby London's QUICK Birth!

October 17th, 2009

This day began as any normal Saturday would contemplating where we should go to eat. We wanted to stay close as being SUPER pregnant doesn’t allow for much comfort anywhere, especially walking around a lot. So we called Benihana since it is about 3 minutes from our house but they were completely booked for the night. So all of a sudden I had a great idea, how about a Brazilian Steakhouse, downtown!!! For those of you who know me you are thinking that I am lying and that Wes was actually the one who came up with that stupid idea, because 1) I HARDLY eat meat and 2) If I am eating meat I surely do NOT want to drive 45 minutes from home to do it….but yep it was me and off we went. We got to dinner and we had a great meal and great conversation. Then, as if this idea weren’t silly enough I decided I wanted to eat dessert somewhere else….somewhere where you have to stand in line outside to get your dessert…SO not me. We get to the front of the line and order our DELICIOUSLY beautiful desserts and my mouth is watering…..I even took pictures of other people’s dessert I was so excited and then all of a sudden I peed all over myself….so I thought. Then a lightbulb went off – was this my water breaking?? On comes the panic and I mumble as fast as I can to Wes that I think my water may have broke, I shove through the line of people behind us and luckily the bathroom was free as I went inside to determine if it was pee or my water. I am franticly turning my iphone into an encyclopedia of information for me to determine if I am peeing or if it is my water….then I realize I am quite silly because now both legs of my jeans are soaked and I am continuing to “pee” in gushes of water. I go outside and manage to tell Wes we need to go. Lucky for me he was smart and got our desserts to go.

We call our Birthing Center and get the midwife on call. We explain that we are pretty sure the water broke but also pretty sure we aren’t in labor because it feels like nothing is going on in the uterus except silence and sleeping. They tell us to come in about an hour and they will check me out. (this is where I will explain why the downtown visit to the meatery is important) LUCKY for us we are downtown because that is where our Birthing Center is!! I am positive that my 6th sense of womanly intuition drug me there happily to be in the right spot at the right time. Also lucky for us we had asked our friends Kevin and Ore if we could crash their home in case of just such an event. I called them and somehow they had chosen to stay home on a Saturday night and their home was 2 minutes from my Niagara Falls. We arrive around 830pm at their place and I am in dire need of a change of clothes. Funny enough one of the guys had a pair of maternity pants he used for yoga….no this is not a joke, and he let me borrow them!! I am not sure why I thought I would be able to keep a pair of new pants dry because by the time I left their place I was in another man’s maternity pants, his flip flops and one of his towels wrapped around me like a makeshift adult diaper. It was not my best or prettiest moment.


930pm – Birthing Center Visit

We arrive at the center and after examination get the Good and Bad news. Good news = the water had broke and in the next 24 hrs we would have a baby, Bad news = 1cm dilation and basically 0 effacement and still not in any form of labor to speak of. They suggested we go home, get some sleep (hahahahahahaha) and when we go into labor call them and probably in the next 15 – 24 hours we would be in labor. We went home and packed our bag up with everything we would need for labor….olive oil to help not have to tear or be cut, extra panties and clothes, incense, cds and other calming items, Crossword puzzles for when we would be waiting in between contractions at the center, charger for the camera, etc…..

Wes passes out and sleeps like a baby and I wake up every 30 minutes to an hour to check and see if I am in labor. (I know most moms are laughing now, because there is no “checking” for labor) Around 3am I am still in no labor but when I go to the bathroom I see faint remnants of blood and I am sent into another panic. A quick check on my husband and yep, still SOUND asleep. I panic, call the midwive on call and she tells me it is normal, something called a “bloody show” and that I will probably go into the early stages of labor soon. 4am, 5am, 6am……..9am I am up and still nothing at all that is anything remotely like labor is happening. I call the midwife again and she suggests that I try using some castor oil. A quick google search of this and I know I want nothing to do with the “loose bowel movements” that entails post castor oil use so I decide that I will do a few more lighter tactics prior to listening to my midwife. So Wes and I suit up for a little walk around the block. We go for a walk and I am desperately wanting to feel some contractions because I am getting nervous that we will end up at the hospital instead of the natural birth at the birthing center. So I keep having some braxton hicks that I have had many times of the last several weeks with zero pain whatsoever. I am patiently waiting for the contractions that are at least 5 minutes apart, 1 minute long for an hour. This is the basis for when you go into the center/hospital so you dont go to early and possibly get sent home. An hour after our walk we come home and still nothing. I look at the bottle of castor oil and decide that I will instead lay on the couch and nap for just 15 minutes and then I would use the castor oil.

1045am – 2nd Water Breaks

All of a sudden I feel like I am punched from the inside and I jolt off the couch. I am scared that something inside me has broken and my baby is in danger and I am freaking out. Wes is sitting on the couch watching tv, calm, collected….sigh…I get up and call the midwife AGAIN and she tells me that we actually have 2 waters and the second one has probably broken and that I will probably start early signs of labor soon, I should go ahead and listen to her now and use the castor oil and to expect to be coming to the center in the early evening and to call when we are at the 5 minutes etc mark. So I hang up again and look at the castor oil and decide that I will still wait another few minutes before I decide to use it.

1100am – Labor

So I sit on the couch and feel the first contraction of my labor. WOW – no amount of classes can prepare you for this kind of pain. It was worse than any gut wrenching 2-a-days we did in high school; worse than the time I pulled 4 teeth that werent loose as a kid to get more money from the tooth fairy; worse even than hitting a softball while your finger is broken…and many other painful things you might have personally encountered. It was B-A-D. It lasted a full minute of pain while I writhed around trying to find a semi-comfortable position. When it was finally over I tried to thumb through the rolodex of techniques to use during labor to relieve the tension and not focus on the pain. Wes and I also quickly discussed when we should call the Doula to come over and assist with the labor. We knew that we would probably not have the baby until the evening so we called her and told her we had begun labor and that we would want her to come closer to 10 minutes between contractions. She said ok and we went back to sitting on the couch. Then literally less than 3 minutes later another contraction straight from Hades came on again. Another minute of writhing, digging my hands into the cushions of the couch and Wes now trying to figure out how the hip compressions were supposed to work because it was impossible to talk to him through it. Then another break. We still thought nothing of it because we had learned that the first contractions could be erratic (1 minute apart, 10 minutes apart, 7 minutes etc.) So we then decided that maybe we would watch a movie. Then 2 minutes later another gut wrenching contraction. HOW could this be. Where was the lead up to crazy contractions we learned about in class?

1130am – This is serious

We have now spent the last 30 minutes having contractions every 3 to 4 minutes for a minute to minute and a half in length and it is IMPOSSIBLE to speak to anyone and I have writhed in pain all over the couch, against the wall, on the tile and on the bed and I am finding it very difficult to remember why I made such a STUPID decision to have a baby naturally when there were perfectly wonderful drugs to make me feel so wonderful instead of awful. So Wes decides he needs to call the midwife this time. He tells her that I am having contractions and we might need to come in. Now, she is remembering that we talked 30 minutes ago and I was walking around the back yard not in any labor, so she is assuming we are new parents freaking out for no reason.
So she tells Wes that she wants to talk to me through a contraction to assess where we really are with things. So he hands me the phone and I am crying to this woman and on comes the fury and I throw the phone on the ground as I dig my nails into my wooden dresser and wonder if it is possible to pass out and just not be aware of the labor pains and if so how do I do it. So Wes picks up the phone and the midwife thinks that it is possible that we need to get there…NOW. So we rush to the car and I get in the back seat and Wes begins driving. After the first contraction in the car, digging into the back of the seat, kicking the opposite door and feeling as though I may pass out Wes decides that the current speed limit just will not cut it and he drives as carefully as he can pushing the pedal as deep into the floor mat as possible. I am peering out during my measly 60 break at the buildings to decide how close we are to the birthing center where I will hopefully find some relief. I am also screaming for any kind of pain relief and throwing our entire birth plan out the window. This is when having a supportive and sane husband is key. He spent the drive reminding me of all the wonderful reasons that having a natural birth will be the best thing for our impending bean and that I can do it because I am a strong woman…..so sweet and thank God for him through this whole thing.

1228pm – I make my first push – IN THE CAR!!!!

Seriously – are we going to have to call 911 and have a fireman deliver my baby on the side of the road downtown in front of the homeless guy laying in front of the building we are at?

1230pm – Arrival at Best Start Birthing Center

I am wearing a tank top, swim shorts and barefoot. I am drenched in sweat, can hardly focus enough to see the door and am looking at the stairs I now have to climb to the birth room. And on comes another contraction mid flight of stairs. I hear voices talking to me but I am unable to focus on anything other than staying alive because I am now convinced that if I do not have a baby soon I am going to literally die and Wes will be a single dad. I make it to the bed and am trying to listen to the voices because they might know what to say to help the pain but it is impossible.

1235pm – Checkup

I manage to lay on my back long enough for the midwife to check to see how dilated I am and she gasps and tells the other midwife that she can see the head and that I probably will need to push. She asks me if we were planning a water birth, which we were absolutely not, but I remembered reading that water helps with pain so I tell her to fill ‘er up and I imagine myself swan diving into pain free waters like a mermaid…and on came another…BUT this time someone was telling me to push. I was scared to death to push because I knew it must be 500 times worse than labor but NO, it was fabulous. I was actually getting relief from the pushing and I wanted to push more. I was feeling a new burst of energy now. So I pushed and was able to gain some relief from the contraction. I pushed one more time through another contraction and the tub was ready.

1245pm – Tub Time

For those of you who know me, I do not like to be naked around anyone, much less strangers. Even wearing skirts sometimes freak me out from all the leg showing. But for all you moms out there, you will understand, I was more than eager to peel anything off that would lend itself to more comfort, if that word even existed anymore. And in the tub I went. This time the voices were a little clearer and I could try and adjust my position to what they were telling me. I tried to focus on my husbands arms while he held me and coached me to breath, it was so nice to have someone there supporting, not freaking out and sending out love like I have never felt before. It was truly a falling in love again moment throughout the process. I pushed 3 more times and little London was out. This entire moment was a blur but I remember the moment I held the little guy in my arms. Wes was a champ and cut the umbilical cord and we all smiled. The doula unfortunately only made it for the end of the birth but her teaching to Wes was invaluable because he remembered every word and did a perfect job.

1:06pm – Time of birth

I know most moms may say that they were so happy and in love the first moment but I wasn’t. I wasn’t NOT in love but it was such a taxing 2 hours that it was impossible for me to feel anything but tired and relieved that I wasn’t going to have another contraction. He was beautiful but my first love moment came after I had dried off and laid in bed with the Bean. I handed him off to Wes as I got out of the tub and I went to the bedroom to get my checkup. Luckily I hadn’t torn anything too valuable and I only needed one stitch on the inside to a small baby tear which I never really felt. Wes and I laid with our baby for another couple of hours before we were both antsy to go home. We went and got the midwife and had her do the baby’s APGAR and whatever other weighing and measuring they do. He came in at a 9/10 his first go round of the APGAR and weighed 7lbs 10 oz and was 21 inches long. He didn’t cry and he just cuddled with us, everything we had dreamed of.

7pm – Time to go home!

Yes, believe it or not, when you do not get hooked up to an IV or get an epidural there is very little to “recover” from in the hospital or birthing center and you are pretty much ready to go home. We loaded up our little Bean into the car and went home to live happily ever after!

Well…this is our birth day story and I can hear the little guy grunting for mom in the bedroom as I type this so I will fill in the details of the last 7 weeks as the next several weeks, months…years?? go on and hopefully our beautiful story will provide some smiles to those who read it.

Planting My Placenta, Planting My Dreams

I finally did it! I lovingly planted my placenta after storing it in the freezer for almost exactly 4 years! The timing proved to be just right, as only in this time in my life would I be able to fully appreciate the symbolism that imbued this experience.

While I was pregnant with Miran in the summer of 2005, I planted a baby Magnolia tree for him in our side yard. I contemplated the cyclic beauty of nourishing the earth with a tree, just as my own body was providing for the nourishment of my baby. For me, it was small way to give back to Mother Earth and to serve as a reminder of my sacred connection to the her.

Miran's birth was as natural and graceful as the nourishing Magnolia tree growing in my yard. I birthed the life-giving placenta, and once the cord was no longer pulsing, it was cut by my midwife and put in a safe place for me to take home and eventually give back to the earth. Little did I know it would remain encased in a styrofoam cup for four years in the back of my freezer.

January 10, 2010 I felt a calling to finally plant my placenta! The new year was so full of promising new hope for me, for my family and for the planet, I knew this would be a beautiful right of passage for the coming year. For the past five months I've been volunteering my time working on some green initiatives for the school district where my daughter attends school, here in Poway. One of the goals I have been working on is to eliminate the use of styrofoam trays in the elementary school lunchrooms. Currently, Poway Unified Students consume 8,000 styrofoam trays per day. Over the course of one school year, that amounts to 1,550,00 styrofoam trays! I have helped set change in motion and my goal is to get the district to switch to 100% recycled paper trays which can be composted or recycled in return. Great strides have been made, but there is a lot of red-tape to cut and awareness raising to do!

So, when I took my placenta from the freezer and realized it has been, ironically, encased in styrofoam all these years, I instantly thought of my campaign! As I pealed away the styrofoam I couldn't help but feel that it was sucking the life from the placenta. I could almost feel the placenta breathe as I freed it from it's captivity. Broken pieces of styrofoam, tossed into the garbage, never to be decomposed, or even baled (compressed)revealing this super-human membrane that was an integral part of the creation of life. To me, this moment foreshadowed the the passing of the old, destructive practices of our school district, and represents the birth of my dreams for a sustainable school district, and for a generation of children that will not allow their food to be served on a styrofoam tray.
I dug the hole under the tree and tossed some home-grown compost into it. I could almost feel the anticipation of the Magnolia tree roots as I placed the rich dark compost, overflowing with worms and grubs into it's foundation. I laid the placenta down with a prayer of gratitude and hope. As I covered up the cord with compost, I felt it was still connected to my body. Somehow, I know that this dream of environmental freedom is now deeply rooted and supported by the very thing that nourished and sustained us all as fetuses in our mother's womb. The cycle continues, the healing has begun, change is inevitable!

Baby Timmy's Birth

Beth was my student for at least six months of her pregnancy. She also took classes with Liza at the hospital, she was as stong as a birthing woman could possibly be! She labored beautifully and was a true BIRTH WARRIOR!

So on Friday, November 13th, I started feeling contractions but they
were only about 6-8 minutes apart at around 6am. I didn't really
think anything of it so I just kept my mind off, made breakfast for
Tim, cleaned the kitchen, and made some coconut macaroons for the
hopstial staff (just in case today was the day). About 1pm I noticed
the contractions were getting to be more like 5 min apart, so I
started keeping track more consistently and by 1:30 they were getting
to be about 3-5 min. Tim gets home and we head off to the hospital.
On the way there, I seriously didn't know what was happening as the
contractions were getting stronger and stronger, I yelled at him
because he was only going 65 mph, um he's never obeyed the speed limit
so why NOW? Hospital was only 15 min away, but it felt like an hour.
So we got admitted about 3:15pm and I was in the delivery room, in my
gown by 3:30pm when they did my first check and I was already at 5-6
cm. I was like FAB that's what I was planning on...because my goal
was to have a natural birth! By 4:30 it seemed I was getting
contractions about every 2 min, so they checked again and I was still
at 5-6 cm. I asked the nurse to give me an estimated timeframe and she
said I would think you can have this baby delivered in another 4
hours. But then the next hour was INSANE, I kept having contractions
one on top of each other, and I felt like I was in this out of body
experience...I'm not going to lie, but the pain was unbearable and I
thought how can I go on like this for another 3 hours? So that's when
I looked at Tim and told him "I'm sorry, but I'm going to ask for the
epidural, I don't think I can take this". He and my mother in law
being the wonderful people they are, told me there was nothing to be
sorry about and the most important thing is for me to deliver a
healthy baby.

So the anestetheologist comes in at 5:30 and starts performing the
lowest dosage. I was having contractions while he was performing the
epidural and keeping still was not an easy thing. As soon as it was
performed they checked me and I was already at 10cm!!!!!!!!!! That's
when I got pissed and said OMG if I would have known I was at 10 I
wouldn't have asked for the epidural! So I had to just get over it
and concentrate on what my OB was telling me. She said for me to
start pushing but they had to tell me when, because I couldn't feel
any of the contractions at that time because of the epidural. By the
way my OB wasn't even on call that day, but she made it my delivery
after seeing all her patients...she even had dinner plans with her
husband...so I told her "Dr. Gunnarson, I really appreciate you being
here and I will not make you late for your dinner reservation at 8pm".
I started pushing about 5:30pm and at 6:14pm, Timothy Michael
Gosselin II arrived!!! 7lb 6 oz 19inches. I was so surprised at his
weight but so grateful because I thought I was going to deliver a 10lb
baby because of the gestational diabetes. I am also grateful that this
baby granted my wish and labored naturally because I didn't want to be
induced. They had scheduled me to go in on the evening of the 15th to
be induced since he was a GD baby and was 1 week late.

Anyways, baby is doing well, he's so cute...he looks like his daddy
and I can't wait for all of you to meet him. I also want to give a
shout out to my yoga instructors Liza and Shelley and also to our
birthing instructor, Dianne...thank you so much for your guidance!

And to my girlfriends, thank you for all your love and support!

Love,
Beth, Tim and Baby Timmy

Prenatal Yoga Helps with a Cesarean Birth

Here is Ting's story of the birth of baby Addy. She knew she was having a ceserean from the moment she conceived. Ting came to Prenatal Yoga with me every week starting at about 10 weeks pregnant. Althought she didn't need to use the postures to help with labor pains, yoga taught her how to use her breath to relax her mind and body before and during the surgery. Her body was so strong from all the yoga that she healed and recovered amazingly fast!

Enjoy reading Ting's Testimony:

I recovered really quickly with my c-section with Addy compared to Jack's. With Jack, I was in labor for 22 hours then ended up having a c-section so I have to recover from both labor and surgery. With Addy's scheduled c-section, I was rested and as my doctor said, the muscles and tissues were fresh. By the time I got out of the hospital I was up and about. I also attributed the speedy recovery to pre-natal yoga! I was a lot stronger physically the second time around.

The day of surgery, I did a lot of yogic breathing while I was at pre-op. My blood pressure was high because I was very nervous! To help calm my nerves, I did yogic breaths and chanting ohms. On the operating table and recovery room, I felt nauseous but I kept doing yogic breaths to keep nausea at bay. It worked like a charm. Even though I didn't get to use yoga poses like cat-cow, I got to use other yoga principles.

Thanks Shelly! I miss going to your yoga classes. I am going to continue my yoga practice - it's the only "me" time I get for the week.

Baby Anella's Birth Story

Anella's Birth Story is filled with wisdom and grace! Amanda used Hypnobirthing and Yoga to birh her baby without the use of medication!


Mommy's side of the story:

I'll begin at the beginning. We went to our 38 week appointment on August 7th and I asked Dr Biter to check my dilation as I had been feeling some shooting pains in my cervix area. He checked and let me know that I was 2-3cm dilated and almost completely effaced. I must admit although I knew labor could still be weeks the excitement built immediately. I lost my mucus plug on Saturday the 8th and yet again I just knew it could be any day. The night of August 10th, I went to bed at 10pm and started feeling light surges, immediately figured "this was it!" I laid in bed aware of each surge, at about Midnight I woke Wayne up to get him to time the surges, they were between 7-5 minutes apart and lasting 20seconds-1minute. We were up all night and decided we wanted to wait until Dr. Biter's office opened to get checked there rather than go straight to the hospital. When we arrived, the cervical check showed that I was 3.5cm dilated and the baby's head was low "very low." At this point we figure labor is imminent. At our next weekly appointment August 14th I didn't have a cervical check but I did mention that I had been having a light leaking and found my underwear to be wet on a constant basis. Dr Cap let me know that there was a chance that I had a pinhole leak in my water bag and that it would continue to leak. Yet again the excitement and anticipation was overwhelming. I just couldn't wait to meet my baby. Sunday August 16th I woke up at 2am to my bloody show, it was much more blood than I had anticipated and we immediately called Dr Biter's office. Dr Cap called us back and let us know that I would most likely go into labor in the next 24 hours so try to get some rest and call back when my surges were 5-1-1. I attempted to go back to sleep but was too excited, I turned on my relaxation CD and was asleep within 30 minutes. When I awoke at 8am I figured that once I got up and moving around the surges would start. No such luck, at 10am I called Dr. Biter's office again and Dr Cap had me come into the office to check my cervix. Wayne & I had a wedding to attend at 1pm, Wayne was a Groomsman so it was important to know if we should go to the wedding or not.

When we got to the office Dr Cap immediately did an ultrasound and everything looked
great there was still enough amniotic fluid and baby's heartbeat was perfect. He proceeded to check my cervix and let me know that I was 3-3.5cm and more effaced. He told us to go ahead and go to the wedding I'd most likely go into labor that evening or in the next day. So we went and danced the night away. At the wedding I had some surges but nothing that made think that I was in active labor. I was hoping we'd get home from the wedding and once I got in bed things would kick into gear. No such luck.

On Wednesday August 19th, I woke up and when I stood up I had a gush and assumed this was my water breaking. Yet again we were on our way back to Dr Biter's office to get checked since again surges hadn't started. Dr Cap checked my cervix again only to be told it was the same as Sunday. We left the office disappointed and discouraged again. That night we went to bed at 10:30pm I awoke at 12:15am for one of my first of many bathroom trips, once I lied down back in the bed I immediately had a big gush and felt a slight pop and woke Wayne up and told him my water broke, I was able to make it to the shower to have the rest pour out of me. Wayne called Dr Biter's office and Dr Cap called back and said "Try to get some rest, call us back when our surges were 5-1-1 or if we were going to head to the hospital." I did my very best to get back to sleep but immediately the surges kicked in and honestly the anticipation and excitement was consuming and I was just so excited to finally meet my baby. Wayne was able to go back to sleep, I woke him up at about 1:25am I had been timing my surges and I was ready for him to take over the timing. We got up and both got in the shower to labor some, I made Wayne shave my legs and we both just did our best to relax and prepare for what was in store. We were in the shower for about 1/2 an hour, and I found that the surges I had while in the shower were more manageable. As I got out of the shower and started to get dressed the intensity in my surges picked up and as each one approached I would stop and get myself completely relaxed. After we got dressed we headed down the stairs, our birth plan had us doing the majority of our laboring at home seeing that we are less than 5 minutes from Scripps Encinitas. I got downstairs and was having Wayne time the surges at one point I asked him if there was any pattern and he said "not really, they're between 4-2 minutes apart, lasting between 30seconds-2 minutes." I am not sure what made me say this but I told him I thought we needed to go to the hospital. I really struggled with this decision because it was completely opposite of our birth plan and I didn't want to do the majority of my laboring at the hospital, but something just made me need to go.

We arrived at the hospital at 3am, they took us back to our room, I got in my gown, they attached the baby monitor and the nurse checked me. She told me I was 3.5cm and 90% effaced. I felt defeated, I didn't say anything to Wayne and he didn't say anything to me but later we both spoke about it and we were both really disappointed we both pictured spending hours at the hospital. While lying in the bed on the monitor I must admit I felt completely out of control, I felt as though the surges were in control of me and I had no power over them. I was so frustrated by this because this is not how envisioned my labor, I had visions of being in control the entire time. I was able to breath through my surges and I kept repeating the following affirmation in my head "My body and my baby know how to work together in complete harmony." I didn't realize at the time but Wayne was video taping this part of my labor, and looking at the video I look as though I'm in full control and am working through the surges efficiently. Seeing it from that perspective gave me a different point of view and made me realize that the out of control feeling was something that stemmed from this not being in my 'vision' of my "perfect labor."
After monitoring the nurse let me know she spoke to Dr Biter and he wants me to walk around to progress labor. It's now 4am and I get up out of the bed, I asked for a birthing ball and I sat on it against the bed for all of 2 seconds it wasn't the best position for me, which I found quite interesting because when I pictured laboring I pictured using the birthing ball. Then I was slow dancing leaning against the end of the bed, as I was doing this I felt another gush and it felt like yet again my water broke. I asked the nurse if my water could have broken again and she said that there's a chance earlier that it only 1/2 broke or I had a fore bag and that is what broke earlier. I told Wayne that I wanted to get in the shower. He changed into his trunks and we slow danced in the shower. While in the shower my surges continued to intensify I had moments where I was unable to find my focus, Wayne would put his face to mine and do the slow breathing techniques we learned from Hypnobirthing and he would immediately bring back my focus. A few times in the shower I questioned my goal and was starting to lose hope that I would have a natural unmedicated delivery. I had started to get quite panicked and disappointed in myself. All my life I had imagined my labor and delivery without medications, I never understood why people would need drugs for the most natural experience on earth. I felt as if I was failing, as if I wasn't good enough. I of course kept this all to myself, at one point I said to Wayne "I just don't think I can do this," he pulled me close and told me what a great job I was doing and that I could do it. At about 4:30am I got out of the shower and was just trying to find a position where I could not only be comfortable but relax and I was finding it very difficult. I had been drinking water all night and decided to sit down to see if I could empty my bladder, as I sat on the toilet I leaned back against the wall and found the perfect position. I was finally able to bring myself into complete relaxation for close to 5 minutes even during all the surges I was having, I was so relaxed I don't even remember how many surges I had, I do know that at this point in my labor my surges were very close together and I had very little time between them. Then all of a sudden I had a surge that made me need Wayne's assistance as sitting was not comfortable, I stood up and we yet again slow danced, him holding the majority of my weight. During this surge I yet again questioned my ability to do this unmedicated, I couldn't help but think how good it would feel to just get rid of all the pain, the thought brought me to tears, I so badly wanted to experience every sensation of birth and delivery. I was so angry at myself for even considering it. Once that surge passed I found myself in need of squatting through the next few surges, during one of these I said to Wayne with panic in my voice "I can't do this, I really don't think I can do this." He told me yet again what a great job I was doing and kissed my forehead. With just these simple words and kiss on my forehead he had given me more strength to get through the next few surges, I decided I didn't have to make any decisions one way or another at this point I would let things happen naturally. I decided to sit back down on the toilet. As I was sitting there I noticed I had A LOT of pressure. I mentioned to Wayne that there was a lot of pressure. He immediately pulled the emergency cord next to the toilet and the nurse was there within seconds. I told her I was having a lot of pressure and she asked me to get back on the bed so she could check me.
I lay back down on the bed (the last place in the world I wanted to be) and as I laid down Wayne said "There's blood" I immediately got a little excited by his announcement but nothing prepared me for what the nurse said next, she checked my cervix and said "We're going to have a baby." The words whirled around my head, how could we be ready to have a baby it had only been 1 1/2 hours since I got there and I started at 3.5cm, how is it I'm already 10?????
I hear her call out over their intercom system that she needed immediate assistance in my labor room, to page Dr Biter immediately and to let the Dr on call know that he may have a delivery. I said "I'm waiting for Dr. Biter." I laid in the bed feeling like I was in a dream, how was it that I had only been at the hospital for 1 1/2 hours and now I'm about to deliver my baby? The nurse let me know to breath through the pressure, and Wayne was standing at my side giving me light touch massage and helping me with my breathing. At this point all of the pain I had been feeling was completely gone the only feeling I had was pressure, intense pressure but there was no pain, I kept breathing through the pressure and just knowing that my baby would be in my arms within the hour was enough to get me through.
Within minutes Dr Biter was walking through the door, I have never been so happy to hear his voice in my entire life. He sat down at the end of the bed and said "That was fast, are you ready to have your baby?" I said "YES!"
Dr Biter had me do different methods of pushing we started on my back, then we moved to my left side, my right side, he had a nurse hold one end of a towel and I held the other. Dr Biter used perineal massage to help during delivery, I must say that pushing is nothing what I expected. I had no pain, no burning. When my baby's head started to crown Dr Biter asked me to reach down and feel the head, all I could feel was a full head of hair. After 45 minutes of pushing my baby was ready to be born, Dr Biter asked Wayne & I to reach down, and the three of us delivered our baby onto my chest. I had never in my life felt so accomplished and so much love. I asked Wayne if it was a boy or girl? He looked down, and said "It's a baby GIRL!" We both immediately started crying.

My water broke at 12:20am and at 6:01am I had delivered my beautiful daughter 8lbs 4.7 oz, 20 1/4 inches of perfection. I NEVER expected my labor to progress so perfectly.
After allowing her cord to stop pulsing Wayne cut the cord and the nurses took Anella to be weighed. As they were weighing her I asked the nurse if I could get up to go to the bathroom, she paused and said "did you have an epidural," I said "no" and she said "Yes we can walk to the bathroom if you feel up to it," I said "Of course I do, I feel great." She walked with me to the bathroom and spent the entire time commenting on what an amazing labor this was for her to see and how impressed she was by not only the speed of it, but my control and ability to labor and deliver without a single drug or intervention. I felt accomplished, successful, empowered and more than anything that I had the PERFECT labor for me

Wayne and I spoke about my labor many times since that day and we both agree that without Hypnobirthing there is NO WAY that our labor would have gone so smoothly. He was so much more comfortable having learned not only the breathing techniques but the signs that things were happening. Had we not taken Hypnobirthing I can say that there would have been a very good chance that I either delivered at home, in the ambulance or on the toilet at the hospital. Hypnobirthing gave both of us the confidence that my body knew exactly what it was doing and that we needed to trust the signs it was giving us.

I cannot thank you enough for giving us the tools we needed to have our dream labor and delivery. Anella Paige Green was born into a calm, relaxed and loved atmosphere.


Daddy's side of the story:

Carol, let me begin by thanking you so much for your wonderful teachings and support. As Amanda wrote, I can truly say that without Hypnobirthing, there is no way our labor would have happened as it did.


The most important things I took from your classes were knowing how to trust Amanda's body and instincts, the ability to help Amanda focus on breathing, and knowing the signs of progression. This last point is one I thank you for...knowing when to call the nurse prevented us from having a baby in the bathroom.


We had quite a few false impressions of when the labor was starting. Over the course of two weeks Amanda and I were going through ups and downs of thinking we were ready and finding out we weren't. It is hard to know what is real when you've never had the sensations before. Needless to say, when Amanda's water broke at midnight, I was not very hopeful as we had been through this before. She had me call the doctor's and Dr. Cap called and said to call back when we were ready to go to the hospital. I fell asleep and Amanda woke me later to time the surges. I had a cool app on my phone that you had talked about that timed these surges and showed a cool little graph. Well, this for us was useless. Amanda's surges were not consistent and I had no idea if she was 511 or 211 or what. After a shower we were downstairs in the kitchen. I stared cleaning up the dishes, started the dishwasher and took the trash out. Then Amanda said we needed to leave. I immediately trusted her to know her own body even though our surges were not yet 511. Amanda has always been very in tune with her body and baby this pregnancy so I trusted her.


I filmed her laboring in the garage and was in shock that this was my life. We got in the car and started to the hospital with little fan fare....no speeding or going through red lights like in the movies. We were almost to the hospital when I remembered we were supposed to have called. Oh well. We arrived at Scripps Encinitas and at 3am had great parking close to the entrance. I picked up the phone and were were let into the birthing pavilion. I have to say here that we were expecting to have our baby at Dr. Biter's new birth center, but throughout our experience at the hospital we both agree that it is an amazing place. The staff are awesome!


During the next two hours Amanda was laboring. I had the cheat sheet you gave me but honestly it made no sense to me. I just followed my own way and gave Amanda light touch and whatever she needed. After the monitoring I could see she was overwhelmed by her surges and offered her what I could. She was so into her body that she could not answer my questions and I had no idea if I was helping or making it worse. When she had good surges, I reminded her to focus on her breathing. When we were in the bathroom she was getting panicked and I got close to her face and breathed loudly, this caused her to follow my breathing. I believe this was your suggestion Carol? After a while she said she had a lot of pressure. I remember from your birth story that pressure was a sign of imminent birth, so I pulled the emergency cord. The nurse was there soon and after checking she said the crazy words...."we're having a baby!" WAIT! WHERE'S DR. BITER????


Our love for our OB is strong as he has seen us through a miscarriage and has been such a great friend during the pregnancy (as has Dr. Cap). We could not envision having birth without him. Luckily he showed soon and got right to business. He told Amanda to start pushing, and even though purple pushing was against what we head learned, it was what was working for Amanda. Again, trust your body and know that whatever works for you is right.


I had Amanda's left leg and she pushed against me and after some time I could see some hair. Our baby was coming. She still pushed and the baby was crowning. I remember thinking how small the baby's head was (the size of a tangerine). Then she pushed more and the head came out (wow, a lot bigger!) My baby had a full head of dark hair...where did that come from? After some more pushes, Dr. Biter asked Amanda to take her baby.


Throughout all of this I had no idea if I was of any use. I tried my best to help. After it was done, Amanda told me that I helped a lot. That my words and actions helped her deliver naturally.