Jillian's Birth Story

On a Tuesday afternoon in February, more than three weeks before her due date, my daughter was born. My labor started when I woke up around one a.m. to go to the bathroom. As I climbed up out of bed a substantial amount of fluid came out and ran down my legs. I had no contractions, no back pain, just lots of clear fluid leaking out of me. I was surprised how the fluid kept coming. I always thought it would come out in one big gush, and then stop. Not with me.

After waking my husband, and convincing him that it was really time for the baby to come, I called the “midwife on-call” for advice. Since I hadn’t had even the hint of a contraction, I wasn’t sure when I should go in to the birthing center. I was fortunate that the midwife, Jasmine, who had been following me my entire pregnancy happened to be on call this night. When I described the fluid amount and type, she started recalling my due date. I was really nervous because I was told from the beginning that you couldn’t deliver at the birthing center unless you are at least 37 weeks along and I did NOT want to go to the labor and delivery unit. We both knew that I was only 36 + 5. But my midwife offered to “re-calculate my dates” and came up with 37 +1. Lucky me!!!

Jasmine the midwife told me that because I was GBS positive I would need to come in, even if my contractions hadn’t started, so that I could get the proper doses of IV antibiotics before my daughter comes.

So then my husband and I started to pack our bags. I also took a shower to relax. In the shower, my contractions started. They were very far apart, and easily manageable. “This isn’t so bad,” I thought as I finished packing. My husband loaded the car, and placed lots of towels on the front passenger seat (I was still leaking, leaking, leaking).

Driving to the hospital, I was anxious and excited. We arrived at the UCSD birthing center at around 2:30 am. My midwife greeted me and an RN started an IV line. Since the contractions were not yet that bad, the staff urged me to try to rest (sleep) but I was too anxious. Instead I sat in the wooden rocking chair while my husband set up my IPOD and helped the staff get the room ready.

The nurses put out birthing balls, a bean bag chair, stools, and they got the tub ready. They brought in an incubator for the baby, and made sure I was comfortable and warm. The contractions started to get worse, but I was still doing well. I played solitaire on my laptop, pausing for the contractions. I sometimes rocked in the chair, and sometimes I would sit on a stool or stand and walk around. As the contractions intensified, I started to use positions and breathing techniques that I learned in Shelley’s yoga class. I had to really focus and practice my breathing to keep control. I used cat-cow a lot, I squatted a little bit, and I did a lot of rocking in the chair and meditating. I’d say about 85% of the time I was able to control myself and only let out a sigh or moan or purposeful “ohhhm” or “ahhh.” About 15% of the time I could not keep control and yelled a bit (typical “OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD I AM GOING TO DIE”) like you see on TV. I managed not to cuss or use a swear word even once (a personal goal of mine). I can definitely say that if weren’t for the yoga practice, I would have been doing a lot more screaming. My husband was also a huge help during this period. We had discussed at length ahead of time that he was not to let me “give in” and get an epidural or take pain medications. He went to one couples yoga class with me and knew about some breathing techniques. Sometimes he would help by breathing with me, or rubbing my back. But mostly he was helpful by reassuring me that I could do this, and reminding me of what I wanted. This was very hard for him, because my husband works in anesthesia and puts in epidurals for a living. In fact we had fought MANY TIMES about me using the birthing center vs. a traditional hospital and doctor. In the end though, my husband was true to his word and supported me in my wish for a natural birth.

My husband wasn’t the only one to help. At around 7 am my midwife Jasmine had to leave, and the next midwife, Beth, took over my care, along with a new set of nurses and aides. At this point, Beth was wondering if I was in transition yet, and I described my contractions and pain, and I asked (begged) her if I could please start to labor in the tub. Beth explained that I had to be at least 4 cm dilated to get into the tub, since the warm, soothing water might slow down labor. She asked me if I wanted to “be checked” (i.e. was I ready for a vaginal exam). I responded by vomiting all over the floor in front of her. I guess this lovely donation to Beth was an indication to her that I was further along than she thought. Beth checked me and I was about 5 cm. She gave me the okay to get into the tub! Hooray!

Also at this point the volunteer doula arrived. She was very young and had no children of her own, and at first I was nervous that because of her lack of personal experience she wouldn’t be of much help. But she WAS helpful, because she gave my poor, tired husband a break, and gave me great leg and back massages, and helped me move around and get more comfortable, all while bending over the rim of the tub. Her back must have really hurt the next day…

Sweet, lovely Tub Goddess I love you I love you I love you! That is what I was thinking when I was floating in the water. I cannot tell the reader how much I LOVED THAT TUB. I had more control, less pain, and more rest in the tub than any position outside the tub. The best relief was when I would get on my hands and knees inside the tub. But after about an hour and a half, I was in severe pain. My contractions, if I had to describe them, felt light a rod of lightening was shooting through my body. I also felt the urge to push, and at my request, Beth checked me again (she actually reached down and checked me while I was in the tub). I was already 10 cm and I could reach up myself and feel the baby’s head. She was not crowning yet, but I only needed about an inch of my finger inside me before I ran into her head. Beth said I could go ahead and push with the contractions. For the next few hours I pushed through my contractions while floating in the tub.

Much earlier all the staff told me that while I may push in the tub, I may not deliver the baby in the tub. They told me that I would have to stand up or get out for that part, because the UCSD birthing center is not licensed for water births. This was very disappointing indeed, and I stayed in the tub until what I thought was the last minute. My husband was begging me to come out of there, and I could tell by the looks of all the staff members that they also would prefer if I would come out. So very, very reluctantly and with much persuasion I climbed out.

At this point the baby was supposedly almost out. The midwife Beth, the nurse, and my husband all told me they could see a lot of the baby’s head and that I was only a few pushes away. They were not lying, but later it turned out my babies hands were by her head…this impeded her from coming out “with just a few more pushes.” Instead, I PUSHED AND PUSHED for a few more hours outside he tub. The last 45 minutes were the worst. She was stuck like you wouldn’t believe. I tried EVERYTHING. I got on the bed and squatted, holding the bed posts. I sat on a “birthing stool” (a supported squat basically). I tried it on my hands and knees, I tried it on my back, I tried it on my side, I even tried sitting on the toilet. She would not come out. After a long time, the midwife had to notify the resident (doctor). The baby’s heart beat was fine, and I was fine, but they were worried because she had been stuck so long with most of her head just sitting right on the verge of delivery. Then they even called the director of the midwifery program at UCSD. She came in the room, and I had about 6 people looking at me now, and all of them kept telling me just to “push harder” and “she’ll be out with the next push for sure.” At this point I was SOOO super frustrated. All along I had been pushing with all my might. I was giving it my all, and I was exhausted. I cried and said, “you all have been telling me that for the last hour she’ll be out in another push!” But my husband reassured me that it really did look like that for the past hour. He has seen lots of deliveries and said that even he thought she would pop out any minute. I trusted my husband, so I pushed on…

But after some point I started to give up inside. I begged for an episiotomy. I even said the F word (no, not that reader, I mean Forceps…), I was so upset I was asking them to “cut her out of me, anything to stop the pain.” My perineum was on fire, and it was the “ring of fire” that some women tell you about. It was awful. The nurses were putting warm cloths on my perineum, and the midwife Beth was massaging me and trying to support me. Meanwhile, my contractions had faded to barely anything… they were not the once forceful uterine waves that were helping to expel my baby. I could barely feel them. I told Beth that I couldn’t feel any more contractions. She then told me that I was just going to have to push on my own every 5 minutes.

This went on a bit more, I pushed and pushed. I was in tears, and on the verge of an episiotomy. Beth and the midwife director agreed it needed to come to that. Beth was drawing up the lidocaine to numb me before she cut, even injected it. Then, my husband’s cell phone rang. It was my own mother. I heard her talking to my husband. She said she just arrived at the airport (she flew in from Nebraska) and wanted to know how to get to the hospital. I was angry and frustrated and yelled at my husband to get off the phone and “TELL HER TO TAKE A TAXI”. And with those words, backed with anger, frustration, fear, and pure exasperation, I gave it one more shot, and I pushed my baby out! Beth the midwife caught my baby girl and placed her wet, warm body on my belly. We both began to cry. She was the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life, and it was and is the best moment in my life. My husband cried and kissed me, and we were all glowing with love and bliss. Later my mom arrived and I told her how she inspired me to push my baby out. My husband, new daughter and I spent one that night in the birthing center all in the same big bed, exhausted but grateful and happy. We treated the staff to take-out dinner and celebrated the birth of our first child. Later that night, I could here screaming and moaning from the room next door. I smiled to myself, and sent the woman positive thoughts, and kissed my daughter on her head good night.

Jillian's stats: Born 2:35 pm on Tuesday, February 17th. 7 lbs 7 oz, 21 inches. Unmedicated vag delivery.

Olive's Birth Story....A Homebirth VBAC

Sharon's Birth experience is truly inspiring, empowering and amazing! The amount of will and determination is absolutely insurmountable! If Sharon can labor for 86 hours (that's not a typo) and naturally birth her baby, all the while dealing with cevical lip....anyone can do it!!!! Sharon, you really do have a "Proven Pelvis" and are a Powerful Birth Warrior!

As I sit down to write out my birth story, I feel like I’m embarking on the task of writing the never-ending story, as many times during my birth I wondered if there would ever be an end. It has been a little over 3 weeks, and I’m finally sitting down to write this out because I am already forgetting the details. I think this is Mother Nature’s way of ensuring that our species proliferates…only by forgetting the nitty gritty details of challenging labors can women ever think about birthing again. In fact, in the midst of labor I told Phil we would never have another child; yet within days of Olive’s birth, I decided that I would definitely do this again. After all, it would have to be easier and shorter next time, right?

So, on Friday night around 9pm, I started to notice my contractions were coming on moderately strong and were consistently 10 minutes apart. I had been having contractions on and off that entire weekend (and milder ones for about a month prior) but this time they didn’t go away. I tried to go to bed with Phil around 11pm but the contractions kept waking me up. So, I spent most of the night snuggled with Buttercup on the couch, getting up every 10 minutes to breathe through my contractions. At 2am, I called my mom to start the drive down from LA. I figured we were definitely having our baby soon and wanted to make sure she got here in time to help care for Annika (my two year old daughter) during labor. It took her 4 hours to get here in the pouring rain! In the morning, I called Vickii (my midwife) and told her what I was experiencing. I chose to have homebirth with a midwife this time around. She offered to have Daryne’e (her apprentice) come over and check me out. Later that morning, Daryne’e came over and determined that I was 3cm dilated. I was a bit disappointed that it was only 3, but happy to realize that it was already more than I had ever dilated with Annika. Phil told her that I seemed to be having back labor, since I had been asking him to push into my lower back, applying counter-pressure, during many of my contractions. During the exam she confirmed that Olive was posterior and had me lay in several positions to help move her. I lay on my side with my knee hiked up as high as I could get it, and had to remain in that position for 20 minutes, then the same on the other side. She also suggested climbing stairs two at a time which I did later that day. Most of the day my contractions were relatively minor and coming about every 8-12 minutes. By evening, they started ramping up again, both in frequency and intensity. I could not get to sleep Monday night because the contractions were coming on strong, and they eventually got to 2-3 minutes apart for hours. Sometime during the night, I had Phil set up the pool and I spent several hours laboring in it, which felt wonderful. The back pain I was experiencing was growing painfully worse, but it seemed to help when Phil would apply counter-pressure. I frequently had to wake him in the night so that he could help me get through a contraction. After strong, close contractions for hours, we decided to call Vickii as I was sure we were getting close.

Vickii and Daryne’e arrived early Tuesday morning. Daryne’e’s car broke down on her way, so her brother had to pick her up and bring her over. The rain was coming down hard, so Phil invited him to wait it out in our house. Annika was quite surprised to wake up in the morning and see all these guests in her home! When Vickii had been on her way, Phil and I had discussed how far dilated I must be and how close we were to having our baby. We were discussing dates and decided that day, December 16, would be a fine day to have a baby. I told Phil that my biggest fear was that I’d only be 5 cm dilated and told him I would cry if it were true. Sure enough, I was checked and turned out to be 4.5 cm dilated! Oy, 15 hours had passed since my last check and I had only progressed by 1.5 cm! I was so devastated, as I was already so exhausted and had experienced such strong contractions, I couldn’t imagine it getting much worse but knew it had to being that I was only halfway there. The midwives hung around for a little while, then I asked if they planned to stay until the baby came. They said it was up to me, that they would do whatever I felt most comfortable with. Knowing that I was not even halfway to pushing time, I sadly told them they could go. Phil was a great motivator and worked so tirelessly to keep me thinking positively. The good news was that I was progressing, however slowly. But the better news was that the baby had moved into an occipital position, out of the posterior one…though unfortunately the back labor did not go away. The midwives had encouraged us to get out of the house and walk around so we took my mom and Annika and headed out to the mall (indoor mall, since it was still storming). Annika and her Safta enjoyed running around and playing, while Phil and I slowly walked around. I was back to slowed down, less strong contractions. When I felt one coming on, I moved to stand by a store window and breathed through it so as not to stand out and look strange to the nearby shoppers. Later that evening, the contractions started intensifying again. I spent many hours of the night alternating between the pool, hot showers and bouncing on the birth ball. Phil was up with me most of the night, preparing food for me and rubbing/pushing my back. Thankfully Daryne’e had shown him how to use one of Annika’s rubber bouncy balls to apply pressure to my back so that his hands had a bit of a break (I wanted him to push so hard that he was losing feeling in his hands!). At one point, I remember we went and sat in the living room with the French doors open so I could hear/smell the rain pouring down. I was on the birth ball and Phil was behind me, pushing into my back. Phil was such a great cheerleader. There were moments during labor that I felt hopeless and ready to throw in the towel. He kept reminding me of the reasons we chose this path, telling me how well my body was working and how close we were getting, and what a good job I was doing. I am so lucky to have this man in my life! Later he admitted that he had experienced his own moments of weakness and doubt, but thankfully he never revealed them to me during the labor. At one point, I had even asked him if we could just go to the hospital for a few hours, so that I could get an epidural and feel some relief. I promised that I just needed a few hours and then we could go home. I had also made some mentions of how easy it might be to drive to the hospital and get this baby cut out of me and have this labor business be over with! Thankfully he never let me get too caught up in these fantasies and got me back on track.

On Wednesday morning, we decided to send Annika out for the day with her Safta and to get ourselves out of the house as well. We went to a nice local restaurant that we had been wanting to try for a long time. On our way in, I told Phil I was nervous about experiencing contractions while in a restaurant. I told him that we should ask for a secluded table away from other diners. At this point, my contractions had again slowed, but they still required my concentrated breathing and relaxation and they were coming about every 10 minutes. As we walked in, I was relieved to see that the restaurant was practically empty, except for one table of women. Though the owner was walking us to the opposite, very empty side of the restaurant, Phil decided to say ‘Can we please sit away from other diners? My wife is in labor’. The owner gave a very petrified glance and me and begged, “Please don’t have it here.” Thankfully we had a very quirky waitress that didn’t even notice my ‘strange’ behavior. I ate a hearty steak for lunch, Phil thought it would give me good protein energy for my endless labor. After lunch we headed to the mall again. We walked around quite a bit and even bought a cute pair of shoes for Annika. The mall was crowded with holiday shoppers, but no one really seemed to notice me. At one point, I was leaning over a banister and asked Phil if it would look inappropriate to have him push against my lower back for a contraction, as they were coming on hard again. He did it and I lost interest in whether we would look strange. Things were intensifying, so I asked if we could head home. Late in the evening, my contractions were strong and close together. I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, not sure I could survive another night of intense labor to only watch the sun rise the following day, still pregnant and in pain. I finally decided that we had to call the midwives again, knowing that I needed their support and had to make something happen soon. I really wasn’t sure how much longer I could do this, as I hadn’t slept in days and my body was exhausted. That evening my dad was over, which was strange because my mom was here too. They were cordial, thankfully, and my dad pitched in by massaging me and pushing my back. In fact, I had trained everyone in the house (Phil, mom, dad, midwives) on how I needed the counter-pressure applied, so that as soon as a contraction came on, I assumed a leaning forward position and demanded that someone ‘push my back!’. Daryne’e came over late in the evening with her partner midwife, Sara. I recognized Sara from a ‘meet the midwives’ event that ICAN (The International Cesarean Awareness Network) had held over a year ago. I remember that I had liked her when I met her at that time. Daryne’e and Sara took action, ordering my dad and Annat to leave and my mom to go to bed. They wanted me to get focused and relaxed. Over the course of the night, they alternately massaged and coached me. I was only 5-6 cm dilated when they arrived, which was horribly disappointing. They promised me that my body was doing its work and encouraged me to work through the contractions lying on my side, which was incredibly painful. They said that the more painful contractions were doing the most work, and tried to get me to relax and give in to them.

At around 2am, I was on my knees leaning on the bed with Daryne’e applying my back pressure and Phil talking to me from the bed. During my contraction, my water broke and when I looked up, Vickii hopped on to the bed. I was so relieved to see her there and to feel my water breaking. I figured finally things would get moving. A few hours later I was checked and was 7-8 cm dilated. I remember questioning them on the 7-8…am I 7 or 8? Am I really closer to 7 but you don’t want to make me feel bad so you say 7-8? I was so worn down and really couldn’t imagine why my body was working so slowly. However, during the entire time the midwives and Phil reminded me that my body was working and my baby was coming. I told myself that this had to end sometime, I couldn’t be pregnant and in labor forever. In the wee hours of the morning I started feeling overwhelming urges to push and started doing so for a while. Vickii checked me and said I was around 8-9 cm dilated but that I had a cervical lip and that my cervix and the baby’s head were swelling due to my pushing. She wanted me to lie down on alternating sides for 30 minutes each and stop pushing. That was the longest hour of my life and I swore they were not watching the time carefully. It was so hard to lay there while my body felt like it was being torn apart and to not push when that’s all I wanted to do. Most of the night the midwives were placing drops of herbs and homeopathic tablets under my tongue. At one point while lying on the bed, I had the tens unit (electrodes) on my lower back, acupuncture needles throughout my body, and 2 midwives and Phil massaging me and encouraging me. Sara talked to me about imagining my cervix opening and wanted me to chant ‘ooooopen’ during my contractions. Phil believes this meditation was a real turning point in my labor and says that he finally saw me physically relaxing and giving in to the birth. It was so hard, I am almost in tears remembering these moments. Vickii even had Phil pour me a shot of rum to help me relax. Towards the end, I shouted that I wanted to push so badly and Vickii notified me that I already was pushing. Apparently I didn’t realize that even as I tried to fight it, I was still pushing. I just couldn’t control it. I had been shouting other things throughout this endeavor, some obscenities and some announcements about how much pain I was in. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t woken Annika. Finally, a chance at some relief, Vickii offered me something to take the edge off my back pain. She wanted me to be able to focus my energy more on dilating and less on fighting the back labor. She said she could give me 4 injections of sterile water in my lower back. Vickii said that different women have different reactions to this, some find the pain goes away while others feel no difference. Her warning was that with each injection I would feel intense burning for 30-45 seconds. I figured nothing could hurt more than my contractions and I had nothing to lose but some pain. The shots certainly burned, but nothing compared to the other back pain and shortly thereafter I felt some relief from the torture and was able to put more of my energy towards opening up. After lying down for a while, I went out to the living room to rock on the birth ball and have Vickii pushing on my back. The midwives had sent Phil to go eat, shower and sleep. My mom was sleeping on the couch when I got to the living room. I was so jealous of the sleepers! At various times in the night, I saw midwives, Phil and my mom sleeping all over the house. I remember thinking how lucky they were to have still bodies, I couldn’t imagine feeling nothing in my body and I wanted to so badly. After the birth ball, Vickii said I should take a shower and then she wanted me to get outside and walk around in the back yard (I believe it was early morning). In the shower, the urge to push got the best of me. I ended up on my hands and knees pushing, and it hurt but felt so relieving at the same time. I got out of the shower and kept getting down and pushing with every contraction. At this point, I think Vickii realized that the plans of delaying my pushing wouldn’t work much longer and that I was really worn down. She asked me if I was ready to do some hard work and I said ‘bring it on’. She said we were going to do something unconventional, some ‘assisted pushing’. Basically, I still had a cervical lip and she wanted to help me push past it. I squatted on the floor with Sara behind me, supporting me. Vickii was in front of me and had her fingers inside me, feeling through my contractions. She said that I was moving the baby well while I pushed and that I could probably get her past the lip. She was using her fingers to guide my pushing so that I pushed effectively in the right direction to get her moving down. Daryne’e was next to us, wiping my face and giving me drinks of water and snacks. At some point, Vickii asked if she could make a call and get an energy circle started. Again, I said ‘bring it on’. When she left the room for a moment, I turned to Daryne’e and admitted that I had no idea what an energy circle was, but that I was open to anything they thought might help. I later learned that an energy circle consists of people calling each other like a phone tree, and sending positive energy and thoughts my way. Shortly after the circle got started, I was on the bed, pushing on my own and Olive began to crown. I couldn’t believe I was finally here, about to meet my baby. I think all the midwives were surprised at how quickly things were moving, as Daryne’e suddenly went running out to wake Phil. Poor guy, woken out of a deep sleep and told that it was ‘go time’ he figured we were about to start pushing and that he’d be back on counter-pressure duty. Instead, he walked into the room, still rubbing his eyes and found me there with the baby starting to come out! I was given a mirror to look down and see her and suddenly it was all so real and so close. I asked if I could move on to my hands and knees (I had been on my side with Sara supporting my leg). It was amazing how my body took over and I just pushed instinctually. I reached down and felt her several times and knew she was almost here. Suddenly I had renewed energy and knew I could do anything. Once I pushed her head out, they had me slow down and push gently to get the rest of her body out. I immediately flipped onto my back and my sweet and beautiful baby Olive was placed on my stomach. She was working to release the fluid out of her throat, and in a few minutes was wailing. It was a glorious moment. I did it! My body rocks. 86 hours of labor and I vaginally delivered my baby! Later, while being sutured, I asked if my cesarean would be considered for future pregnancies even though I had just successfully VBACed. Sara assured me that I had a ‘proven pelvis’ now. Vickii also said I had a ‘perineum of steel’. I need to get these things printed on bumper stickers for my car!

It was amazing to have my sweet, new tiny baby laying on my chest. She was so amazingly beautiful and perfect. She started nursing within about half an hour and did so like a champ. We quickly called my mom and told her to come home. Apparently she and Annika had just bought ice cream which my mom literally dropped when she got the call. Annika seemed a bit shocked and overwhelmed by what she saw when she came home (imagine going out for ice cream, and coming home to find a bunch of people in your parents’ room and this new bloody/slimy creature on your mom’s chest!). However, by evening she was holding her baby sister and admiring her tiny parts. Annika has turned out to be an incredible big sister who loves to hold Olive and help with her (she helps change her diapers, brings her blankets and picks out clothes for her). Annika has been very gentle and loving with Olive, it is so sweet. She has also grown and matured so much recently. She is getting better at entertaining herself and seems more understanding when her needs cannot be immediately met because mommy is tending to Olive.

I am so blessed and so lucky to have had this incredible experience. And I can’t wait to do it again!!

Olive Page Trom
12/18/08
11:11am
7lbs 9 oz
21 inches

Sofia's birth

For months my husband and I had been preparing for the arrival of our first child, we planned for a natural unmedicated childbirth as long as it was safe for her. We decided to take hypnobirthing classess with Jennifer and learned a great deal during the process. We practiced the breathing techniques and hypnosis almost every night and visualized the natural, healthy birth of our little girl until the day I went into labor.

On Jan 23rd at 4:00 am, three days after my due date, i woke up feeling really crampy. I soon realized that I was in labor, my contractions were lasting about a minute and they were betwen 8-10 minutes apart until about 8:00 am when they started getting stronger, longer and closer. I told my husband at about 7:30 am that I was having contractions, he planned on going to work for a few hours but five minutes after he left the house (around 8:30 am) my water broke. I called him and he turned around and we went to the hospital, I was admitted immediately. I was 3 cm dilated and my contractions were ~4 minutes apart. I was hooked up to the i.v. and the fetal monitor and was told that as soon as an acceptable baby heart pattern was establish I would be able to get up and walk around as I had requested in our birth plan. The nurse kept telling me that my contractions had a good pattern but the baby's heart rate was "flat" it was not going up and down with the contractions as they liked to see it. I was told that I couldn't get up until an acceptable heart pattern was established... hours passed and the contractions kept getting stronger and closer, I listened to the CD that we got in the hypnobirthing class and with my husbands coaching kept breathing through every contraction. I dilated up to 6 cm's but the baby's heart rate never reached the pattern that they wanted to see so I was not able to walk around. Once I reached 6 cm's I stayed there for about 3 hrs, at that time the Dr. advised that we get the epidural and pitocin as the baby's heart rate had started dropping after each contraction. We asked for some time to think about it and after much thought and about 12 hours of labor we agreed to the epidural and pitocin however the baby's heart rate started dropping even more once I got the medications, at that time the Dr. recommended a C section as I had only dilated one more cm since getting the medication and the Dr. was concerned about the dropping heart rate. They believed she had the chord wrapped around somewhere but were unable to tell where... after discussing our options we agreed to having the C section. Sofia was born at 7:49 pm, weighed 8 lbs 5 oz and was 21 in long. She had the chord wrapped around her neck and that's why her heart rate kept dropping.

Even though we could not have the natural birth we had hoped for, we are grateful that our daughter was delivered safely and healthy. I was able to use all of the techniques that I learned in our prenatal yoga class with Shelley and in Jennifer's hypnobirthing class while I was in labor, during the surgery and continue using the breathing techniques now when Sofia is being fussy. It helps me stay calm and calm her down too :)

Thank you Shelley for your guidance during the classes and for recommending Jennifer, we look forward to hearing more about the postpartum and baby and me classes.

Sahana's Birth Story

Sometimes a c-section is necessary, even with the most conscientious birthing mothers. Sri and Hari were well prepared to deliver Sahana naturally and vaginally, but baby Sahana wanted it differently! It is very touching and inspiring the way Sri and Hari, with tremendous wisdom and grace, rolled with the punches, and very consciously and lovingly birthed their baby into the world.


When I was pregnant I had many people tell me that I should be ready to accept any situation I am faced with during labor and true to their advice I ended up having to accept the unexpected. My labor started early morning on 9/12 with surges every 5-6 minutes lasting about a minute each. The intensity increased about every 3-4 hours and the intervals and duration remained the same, however they were manageable and I was able to go about my daily routine, take a walk and even several naps. At around 1.30 AM on 9/13 the surges were pretty intense and 3 minutes apart so we decided to go to the hospital.

At the triage room they gave us the much dreaded news that I was only 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, which was exactly what I was a week earlier. Of course I was disappointed but remained calm. I was hooked onto the baby monitor for routine monitoring and was told that I will be asked to walk for 2 hours following the monitoring and will be checked again, and might be asked to go home if things had not progressed yet. But within a few minutes I had 3 nurses in the room, the baby's heart rate had dropped to 60 beats per minutes and had remained there for about 4 minutes, so they were watching me closely, and it dropped again in another 2 minutes. So the doctor was called in immediately and I was told that I might need a C-section as the baby was under stress. The doctor rushed in within 5 minutes and the heart beat had dropped twice in the meantime. The doctor said we did not have a choice but to go for a C-section. We asked for a few minutes to discuss and the doctor agreed, but she rushed back into the room within a minute saying the heart rate had dropped again and the situation was getting pretty serious. By now, we were convinced that the reason for the C-section was genuine and consented.

Sahana was bought into the world at 3.57 PM and she had ingested quite a bit of the meconium. But after suctioning all her vitals returned to normal. We also found out after a pathology test that 15% of my placenta was compromised. So, it was either the ingested meconium or the compromised placenta that had caused her to not tolerate labor. We are very thankful to God for having sent us to the hospital at the right time. I was indeed disappointed that things turned out this way after having an absolutely normal pregnancy and after having prepared so much for a natural delivery, but I am now convinced that it is the end result that matters and am very happy that we have a healthy baby in our hands now.

While I was pregnant I made it a point to attend Shelley's prenatal yoga classes every week. I loved her classes because it gave me lot of confidence along with a sense of well being and made me cherish my pregnancy. All the 'asanas' that we did in class took off most of the usual pregnancy pains and made me relax and connect with my baby. I used to look forward to hearing her assuring and comforting words especially during the 'savasana'. In addition I also attended Carol Yeh Garner's hypnobirthing classes which also came in very handy especially during the last few weeks when sleep evaded me. The relaxation CD that she gave me helped me go into deep slumber whenever I listened to it. In addition I used a lot of the hypnobirthing breathing techniques during my 15 hour labor and I was even able to take a couple of naps while listening to the CD. I also used the CD on our way to the hospital when the surges were pretty intense. Finally, I will never forget this one hypnobirthing affirmation that helped me immensely, when things changed drastically at the hospital...'I am prepared to calmly meet whatever turn my birthing takes.'

Thank you very much Shelley, for all your support and guidance during my pregnancy and for the labor vibes that the class and you had sent me on 9/13. I am looking forward to your postpartum classes that you plan to start soon.

Birth Story for Naveen

Naveen - 7 months:

Many of you have probably heard the quote that a woman will spend more time researching what car to buy than how she will give birth. I think the reason for that is partly because in most instances, women have been taught to fear labor and why spend an extraordinary amount of time confronting your fears when it might make you uncomfortable or require extra work? I know I at one time feared labor and birth. I did not have positive stories or experiences to draw from. My mother had difficult labors and all around me, people seemed to think that because of my very petite frame, I would have a difficult labor or one that ended in a c-section. But I knew I wanted to try for a natural birth. After a few close friends of mine (including Mylinh) pursued natural, drug free births and succeeded, I thought, why shouldn't I afford myself and my baby the opportunity to empower ourselves and to birth with awareness?

I started practicing yoga more than a year before becoming pregnant and loved it. Deciding to practice prenatal yoga was, therefore, the next logical step. I first learned about Shelley's prenatal yoga class from my friend Mylinh and decided to give it a try. I was not disappointed. During class, I felt that I was not only keeping my body strong and in shape, I was making time for me and my baby to bond. And from Shelley, I learned that if I worked hard toward preparing for a natural birth, my mind and body would be ready. The rest I would leave up to fate because of course, in any birth, you cannot completely control the outcome.

My husband and I decided to enroll in a specialized childbirth class and had heard many good things about the Birthing From Within (BFW) program from Shelley. But because my husband and I had decided to birth our baby in a hospital, I knew childbirth classes alone wouldn't be enough for me to prepare for natural birth. Until my 20 week ultrasound, I was a patient in a very large medical group that I just didn't feel right about. I knew I was receiving excellent medical care and I knew my baby was healthy. But the doctors never really talked to me; or asked me how I was doing; how was I eating; how I was feeling about labor and birth…It seemed so detached and empty. After speaking with several doulas, friends, and midwives in the community, they encouraged me to consider a home or midwife birth. When I indicated I still planned to birth at a hospital, they referred me to an obstetrician that birthed babies at Scripps Memorial in Encinitas, a "baby friendly" hospital as designated by the WHO. At 22 weeks, I decided to meet with this doctor. After that appointment, I knew he would look after me and my baby. I decided to transfer my medical files to his practice. My doctor was not only completely supportive of natural birthing, he was very knowledgeable and very experienced. Sure, I was a little uneasy to switch doctors half way through my pregnancy. But my doctor reassured me, encouraged me, and supported the decision my husband and I had made about natural birth. And I knew I had done the right thing by refusing to birth with doctors that up until that point did not spend very much time with me at any given appointment or support natural birthing.

During my last trimester, my BFW course began and my husband and I started to meet with my mentor once a week for the next month. During BFW, I dug down deep into my heart and mind and learned to let go the fears I associated with labor. We also practiced labor coping techniques and educated ourselves about birthing in hospitals including how to avoid medical interventions, and explored birth through art and reflection.

Before I knew it, my due date of March 5th was quickly approaching. About 3 weeks before the due date, I started on acupuncture treatments to prepare my body for labor and birth on the advice of a friend. Then on the evening of March 4th, I met with Shelley for a very gentle yoga session. The entire class all I could think about was how tired I was of being pregnant. At the end of class, during savasana, I said to my baby in silence "It's ok, you can come out now." Well, about two hours later around 8pm, the first signs of labor began. I called my doctor and I could hear the excitement in his voice. I was excited too! But contractions had not started so all my husband and I could do was wait. I went to bed early and I remember going to bed with my little dog at my feet and my husband reading his book by my side knowing this was the beginning of a new era in my life. I went to sleep but it was a restless sleep because the contractions had started. But they were not so strong that I couldn't rest in between them. And Shelley had told me to try and sleep and rest in between the contractions, and so I did.

My husband later told me as I rested, he could feel my stomach tightening as the contractions got stronger. Around 2:00 a.m., I could not lie down comfortably and knew that I had to remain upright to allow my baby to make his way down. I got into the shower and let the warm water run down my back as I swayed my hips back and forth to help my baby continue on his journey. The hot water was very soothing and eased the discomfort brought on by the contractions. I must have gone in and out of the shower for about two hours because by 4:00 a.m., I told my husband I was going to rest in our family room. He and my little dog came with me. I could tell my little dog was sensing that birth was near. She was so calm and remained close to us. Her little animal spirit knew birth was near and she was not afraid. I was not afraid either.

I rested on the couch and started using the coping techniques I learned in BFW and also, the vocal toning techniques Shelley taught us in yoga class to get through the contractions. Around 7:00 am, my husband called my doctor and I called my doula. I decided to labor at home for a while longer as I was feeling good, coping well, and could feel my baby moving. I talked to my doula a few more times that morning. She reminded me to drink fluids and stay hydrated but it was becoming harder to drink. My husband busied himself by making breakfast and baking cookies for the labor nurses at the hospital. I remember walking around the kitchen and sometimes, going back to the shower. Around 10:00 am, I told my doula to come to my house and labor with me but she believed that I was still in the early stages of labor. So, I continued to walk when I could, but now had to lean on my husband during contractions, and use vocal toning and the yoga chants from Shelley's class to keep my voice low and get through the contractions. I remained calm and open. I was not irritable or mad and I knew I had to remain relaxed and patient. I recall my husband noticing and telling me that the contractions seemed stronger with fewer breaks in between. I had noticed it too.

Around 11:15 am, I went to the bathroom and noticed some bleeding. It scared me at first because I didn't know if that was normal or not. I told my husband it might be time to go to the hospital. He called the doctor to tell him what was happening. Then, my doula walked through the front door carrying groceries and other provisions to nourish me during labor. I saw her and I immediately leaned up against her during a very strong contraction. I could hardly stand. She held me up and soothed my back. I told her I was scared and that it was time to go to the hospital. She remained calm and reassured me. My husband and my doula led me to the car, stopping at times to let a contraction pass. As I walked into the garage, my little dog tried to sneak by me and get into the car. But sadly, I had to leave her home. How I wished she could come with me to the hospital. I settled myself into the car and off we went with my doula following in her car behind us.

I think driving to the hospital was the hardest part of my labor because I had to sit down. And believe me, sitting and lying down on my back was by far the most uncomfortable way to labor. How could anyone ask a woman to labor that way is beyond me! The discomfort became very strong and I told my husband that I had changed my mind and wanted medicine once we got to the hospital. He didn't respond because he knew what I wanted. He was my rock and he remained strong for me and drove in great earnest.

We arrived at the hospital and I walked very slowly with my husband and my doula into the delivery ward. The nurses at the station handed me a form to sign. Being a lawyer, I took my time reading the form very carefully, stopping once or twice to let a contraction pass. (I know, I'm crazy.) I signed in at 12:15 p.m. and was immediately taken to a L&D room. Well, for some reason, after I changed into my gown I had to move to another room. To be honest, I don't really recall how I got from the first room to the second room. Once I settled into the second room, my labor nurse attached the fetal monitor to check the baby's heart rate and checked my progress. She said that I was at 7cm already and I remember her saying, this baby is coming.

The rest of my labor was a bit of a blur to me. I remember my doula giving me water and honey to keep up my strength. I remember my doctor walking into the room and calmly speaking to me and putting his hand on my forehead. I remember my doula getting me to lean on a birthing ball and helping me through what had become very strong contractions. I told her I didn't think I could do this (birth) and she said, "you don't have to do anything, let your body do everything." She was right! My body knew what to do. So I relaxed and I recall my water breaking shortly before it came time to push. When it came time to push, my doctor had me lie on my right side and I started pushing. After a few pushes, the doctor allowed me to rest. I worked through a few pushes all on my own with no instruction or direction. The doctor then had me lie on my left side and push some more.

I continued to push on my side with some direction from my doctor and everyone was sitting with me on the bed with me when suddenly, the bed fell down a few inches. All the weight must have made the bed give way. And then, I laughed! It is amazing how you laugh at the strangest times. My husband told me it lightened up the mood in the room a bit as things were becoming intense in the moments before my baby's dawn.

My doctor kept telling me he could see my baby and that he was almost here. After some guidance from my doctor, hand holding with my doula and husband, and determination, I felt a warm sensation leaving my body and my son was born at 2:47 p.m. (on his due date.) He cried out loud and the doctor placed him on my chest. I remember telling my husband that our son was a gift from my husband's father who sadly passed away years before. And my son is a gift; a miracle that came from a beautiful place that we can only imagine in our dreams.

Some people have said to me it was luck that I had an intervention free birth, luck that I didn't have a c-section, or that I have a high pain tolerance. Looking back on my son's birth now, I realize how wrong those people are --- it was because of the love and support of my husband, my BFW mentor, my doula, my friends, and of course Shelley -- that this birth was possible. I am a stronger person today because of this experience. I was blessed with a beautiful birth and a beautiful child. There was no overriding fear in this birth, no horrible pains, no scary doctors, no strange medicines….just birth, love, and life.

Welcome Yoga Babies!

Tanya's Baby Boy

"Bloopy" (Temporary name until naming ceremony)

Born two weeks early.

November 24th at 5:20 am, 5 lbs 12 oz

Julie's Baby Boy

Ryder

Born eight days early.

November 12th at 5:20 am, 8lbs 7oz, 20"

Lauren's Baby Boy

Sean
Unmedicated, vaginal birth!

November 15th at 5:38am,

11lbs 4oz, 23"

Laxshmi's Baby Girl

Vibha

October 19th

Sri's Baby Girl

Sahana

September 12th

Floor's Baby Girl

Arwen
Born two weeks late.

Vaginal, breech birth with epidural.

23 hours from first contraction to delivery,

first 13 hours spent at home.

September 6th at 2:37am, 8lbs 3oz

Mayra's Baby Girl

Valentina

August 28th, 8lbs 2oz, 20"

Anne's Baby Girl

Mona

July 27th, 6lbs 13 oz, 48cm

Letting Go

“Birth takes place in the midst of a profound ‘Letting Go.’”
--Janice Clairfield

Letting go in birth requires a tremendous amount of trust. Trust in your body, trust in your birth attendants, trust in your partner, trust in a divine force. This deep level of trust creates a sense of safety that will allow you surrender to the process. The more aware you are of your body and of your birthing choices, the better able you are to “let go” and let the natural process of childbirth unfold.

We live in a world where our minds dominate nearly all that we do. In the practice of yoga, the goal is to get the mind out of the way, and connect with our higher purpose. The way to do this is by focusing on the breath and staying deeply aware of how our body is receiving each pose. This is also true for childbirth. Connecting with our breath and trusting our body’s wisdom will help us manage the pain and remain present in the moment.

Labor is simply a series of contractions that ease open the mouth of your womb and push your baby out. Labor is not a time to engage the mind. Timing contractions and watching a clock or fetal monitor will interfere with the natural unfolding of childbirth. Once the mind takes over, we become preoccupied with doing it right, with what could happen in the near future rather than what is happening in the present. This is when fear settles in. Letting the mind go by focusing on the breath or vocal toning will empower you to listen to your body’s wisdom. “When you allow yourself to become immersed in labor, it is neither boring nor interesting. The very nature of labor dissolves ordinary boundaries of time and space. You and labor become one. Timing your labor requires remaining conscious-of-self rather than being-in-labor. Once your uterus knows it’s not being timed and watched, its performance anxiety will be relieved.” Pamela England, Birthing From Within

While in labor, let go of watching a clock, if you must time your contractions, let someone else do that job for you. Just ride the waves of each rush, one at a time, trusting that all is unfolding as it should. Practice “Letting Go” as you sit in meditation or hold a yoga pose. The more you consciously let your mind go during this time, the easier it will be for you when labor starts.

“In the end these things matter most:
How well did you love?
How fully did you love?
How deeply did you learn to let go?”
-The Buddha

Affirmation for Letting Go

I surrender to every rush and trust my body.