I
was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis 4 months into my pregnancy. My
whole left leg was one huge life-threatening blood clot that left me
wheelchair bound. I
received two needles a day of blood thinners directly into my abdomen.
I was then told at 7 months, due to the nature and severity of the blood
clot, I would no longer be able to receive an epidural, due to fear of
bleeding in my spine. I was also told that a C-section was to be an a
absolute last resort.
This
information was all very hard to hear and process. My husband, Chris,
and I were scared and felt absolutely powerless…until we stumbled
across HypnoBirthing.
We
decided it wouldn't hurt to try it out. After our first class with Lara,
we felt empowered. We started to look at the birth with excitement,
instead of unbounded fear.
With
every class we became stronger and more focused. We both felt like we
were now in control of how our son would be welcomed into this
world.
I woke up May
4th around 7am to find that my water had released. We called Lara, who
was also our doula. I was able to labour in the comfort of my home until almost 11pm that
night. I enjoyed long walks with Chris and
Lara. We dined on a wonderful Thai "last meal".
Around
10:30pm we proceed to the hospital. The hospital was amazing and all
the staff were buzzing with excitement to witness HypnoBirthing first
hand.
I was in labour
for 38 hours. During this time I enjoyed the presence of my Husband,
Mom, Best friend, two Doulas and an incredible nursing staff.
We
were calm, laughing, dancing, walking and bathing. During those 38
hours, to my nurses amazement…my and Owen's heart rates remained strong
and calm. The nurses were blown away with both my husband and I. We
were a team. Chris was so much a part of the whole process, which
meant so much to him and I.
After 20 minutes of simple pushing without pain, my beautiful calm baby boy was born. There was no tearing or trauma.
I
held my beautiful son for the first time and felt a stillness that took
my breath away. Owen, being born so calmly, was able to start
breastfeeding right away.
I look back at those two days and I remember no pain or fear. Yes, it was uncomfortable at times, but totally manageable.
I felt like the most powerful woman in the world.
I remember those 38 hours as some of the best hours of my life.
