Natalie was born feb 10, 2009 @11:30am.  

I wish I could say everything went perfectly, but it was just about the opposite of perfect.  I went into the hospital for a stress test on the 9th to see if the baby could stay in another week, she passed with flying colors!  I on the other hand did not.  My blood pressure was through the roof and they wouldn't let me leave.  They induced me with oxytocin, hooked me to monitors and IV for induction.  They thought that my bp would drop as soon as the baby was born, it still hasn't even though im taking bp meds.anyway The nurses were trying to accommodate my hypnobabies method, and so gradually increased my dose of oxyT.  I listened to my tracks all night long, they helped a lot through the night, but when things weren't progressing they went from 10 to 18 in an hour so that I would have a nice strong birthing wave pattern by the time the doctor got there.  she got there at 8am and I had dilated from 3-10 in 2 hrs, I was in pain (no other word expresses the feeling).  Just when I didn't think I could tolerate any more, the hard part was over and 3 hrs of pushing produced a perfectly healthy baby.  Yes I had pain, but the nurses seemed amazed that I had made it through an induced birth, with no epidural.  Every person who came in to our room lead with 'So you didn't have an epidural?'  and the doctor said that my birth is one that should have been on tv,  she said it was perfect,  I think everyone was amazed when i was fully dilated because it happened so quickly  and quietly!  I know i couldn't have done it without your help and the hypnobabies program, thanks a lot sharon for everything!  It went as well as possible, considering the circumstances.  Natalie is so healthy and beautiful,what more could I want!  Sorry I took so long to let you know but I just got out of the hospital on thursday, and people have been calling and visiting ever since.  We're finally adjusting.  I would definitely use hypnobabies again, and again. Thanks again sharon.
-  Emily J

Chloe was born 4/14 at 11 pm.  It was a bit more complicated than we had hoped.  I wrote up a birth story but I'm also writing one up that will incorporate how we used hypnosis, but the long/short of it was I birthed for several hours and Chloe kept rotating into a posterior position.  We tried everything-belly lifting, hands and knees, squatting, tub, breaking water and Ruth tried to turn her and nothing could keep her in the right position.  My contractions continued at 2-3 min apart but weren't being productive and I stalled at 7 cm for five hours before Ruth encouraged us to go to the hospital for some pain relief and pitocin.  It was the last thing we wanted yet we really need to do it-I was exhausted.  The hypnosis worked fairly well until Chloe became posterior with her head stuck sideways.  At that point my body was saying "Uh, there's something wrong" and I was incredibly uncomfortable.  We went to the hospital, had to do the whole pitocin/epidural thing and even needed a vacuum at the very end (they told me it was 20 seconds total) and then the baby had to go to the NICU for observation for four hours-I didn't even get to hold her until way after the birth.  Thankfully, Jon went with her and held her almost the whole time she was in NICU. 
She was born 4/14 at 11 pm, one hour before her daddy's 4/15 birthday.  She is 7 lb, 11 oz and 19 inches long. 
Hypnosis helped us prepare for the birth and have a healthy pregnancy, helped me sleep well and deal with all the drama going on with our relatives.  It helped me during the transition from the birth center to UC Davis and helped us set limits with the hospital staff there when they tried to railroad us a few times.  Overall, the staff at UCD was great.  Ruth was amazing and we're so thankful we got to labor at the birth center as long as we did.  It kept us from having a c section.  Also, hypnosis helped me "put away" the few people that came into my hospital room and said "inadequate pelvis" and "C-section" and concentrate on the nurse, doctors, and Jon that believed we could get her out vaginally.  Thank you for all of your help!  Hypnobabies rock and I would definitely use it again.  I hope you can meet our baby!

Lola Jane was born Saturday, Feb 7th,2009 at 2:29 am.

6 lb 12 oz and 20 inches long.

The birth was quite traumatic and something that is going to take a long time for me to emotionally recover from.
 
I started having contractions Friday morning around 3:30 AM. They were approximately 6 - 8 minutes apart and 1 minute long. I used the early labor hypnobaby track and my anesthesia breathing techniques to breathe through each one. I really felt hypnobabies helped me during this time.
 
Josh and I had an appointment with Ruth at the Birth Center at 2 PM that same day. Because the contractions weren't very strong, we decided to just wait until the appointment instead of calling Ruth. When we went to the appointment, Ruth performed an internal exam and determined that I was 4 cm dilated. She was surprised that I wasn't in active labor yet and so Josh and I went home to eat dinner and relax. 
 
By 8 PM, the contractions were stronger and closer together.  I kept using the anesthesia breathing and listening to my hypnobabies tracks. Again, I felt like they really helped me. At 9:30 PM we returned to the Birth Center. Ruth checked me and  I was 8 cm! She was amazed as I was able to hold conversations easily.
 
I sat on the birth ball and within an hour my water broke. After the water broke, the contractions came closer together and were stronger. Josh kept giving me the peace cue and the release cue. Both were essential for me to stay focused.
 
Around midnight, Ruth checked me and I was dilated to 10 cm and ready to push. I went to lay on the delivery bed and instantly became nauseous. I started throwing up immediately. We then realized that I was going to be unable to deliver Lola while in the bed. I moved to the birth stool and pushed for almost an hour and half.  During this time, I felt uncomfortable, but was never in pain. Pushing actually provided me some relief.
 
At 2:00 AM, Ruth noted that Lola's heartrate was dropping. She asked me to go to my hands and knees to push. I followed her instructions. They placed oxygen on me and I would breathe deeply between each contraction to get Lola as much oxygen as possible. Lola's heatrate went from 150 (normal) to 60 (distress). Then, she couldn't find Lola's heartrate. The paramedics were called to transfer me to Mercy San Juan's OR. At some point, Lola's heartrate was found, but it was dangerously low.
 
All I can remember is Ruth telling me, "Delinda, you have to push your baby out. PUSH YOUR BABY OUT. This is your last chance. You have to do this." I knew if I didn't push her out on that contraction there would be terrible consequences.  I beared down as much as I could, and pushed with every ounce of strength in my body. She flew out.
 
When Lola first came out, she was silent and limp. She didn't wail. I thought she was dead. Ruth immediately began to resuscitate Lola. Her heartrate was checked (and was normal), but she couldn't breathe on her own. She was never without oxygen, as the placenta remained intact until it stopped pulsating 10 minutes after birth and Ruth's staff supplied additional oxygen to her as well, but Ruth had to resuscitate Lola for nearly 30 minutes.  Her color was good too, but her lack of muscle tone was attributed to the fact that her temperature dropped to 94 degrees while she was being resuscitated. Luckily, once she began to breathe independently, she warmed up, started breathing and finally, she cried.
 
Hearing her cry melted my heart. I was so thankful she was OK.  Her birth was the scariest, most traumatic experience of my entire life. I will never forget it. And, to be quite honest, I don't know if I will ever have another child ever again.
 
Why Lola went into distress while descending through the birth canal is unknown. Her cord wasn't wrapped around her neck and there were no interventions involved.  The theory that perhaps her cord somehow was cinched in half, like a garden hose.  Just a freak thing that could have happened anywhere to anyone.
 
If we had been in a hospital there is no doubt that I would have received an emergency c-section and she would have been sent NICU.  Ruth's staff has told me that if I had not pushed her out when I did, the consequence would have been dire. The act of me pushing her out on my own was faster and more effective than having the paramedics transfer me to Mercy San Juan. I thank God every day that I was able to get her out. I don't think I would have been able to live with myself if anything would have happened to her.
 
We left the Birth Center around 7 AM on Saturday morning and saw our pediatrician, Dr. Grant, that same day. He performed a complete physical on her and stated she was in perfect health. There were no signs of her respiratory distress.  Because she had oxygen the entire time, she shouldn't sustain any neurological damage, although of course I am paranoid just the same and we are watching her like a hawk. 
 
Ruth came by on Saturday afternoon and helped us get her to breastfeed.  On Sunday, Dr. Grant called to check on her and then on Monday, one of Ruth's staff nurses came by the house to check on me and Lola. We were found to be doing well.  We have another appointment with Dr. Grant tomorrow for her standard 1st week newborn appointment. 
 
So far, things are going good. My milk is in and she is doing a pretty good job nursing. She is pooping and crying and displaying all of the typical newborn reflexes. Despite her traumatic entrance into this world, she is in perfect health.  She really is a little miracle. 
 
Delinda

Jackson Joseph Geddes was born on January 12th, 2009 at 7:49 am.

He weighed 8lbs1oz, and is 20.5 inches long. And is gorgeous if I could brag a bit! I am so happy with our birth. My labor began at 7:00 pm Sunday night, with pressure waves that were consistently 2-3 minutes apart, but very gentle. Despite the frequency and regularity I wasn't convinced that this was true labor and went to bed, listening to my easy first phase script. I woke at 11:30 to my water breaking, and the pressure waves increased their intensity, and were still 2-3 minutes apart. Because I was having uncontrollable shakes (which concerned me that I might be closer to transformation) we headed to the hospital. I used my Hypnobabies scripts and bubble of peace in the car to stay focused and calm. At the hospital we found that I was 5 cm dilated and was admitted. After a few hours my pressure waves became uncontrollable, and the walking and birth ball made them all together unmanageable, and ended up opting to get an epidural. My hypnosis was a huge help during this time because I began my pregnancy really nervous about needing an epidural (one of the reasons I wanted to do Hypnobabies), but the calm and focus I was able to achieve during that procedure was so incredibly helpful.

Although this wasn't the way we had planned on our birth playing out I really couldn't be more pleased. Ultimately, what I wanted was to avoid an epidural that might stall out my labor and require more and more interventions. I think that practicing the hypnosis allowed me to progress to a point that I didn't need those interventions. I feel that I had a calm, supportive group (the hospital staff was wonderful- I really can't say enough about how great the nurses and doctors were, and of course Joe was my biggest support), and that Jackson entered our world in a stress-free and loving environment. So, to sum it up, I don't feel like I failed Hypnobabies, or that it failed me; I think it helped me get a healthy baby without fear and stress.

Joe and I thank you so much for guiding us on this journey. It has been and continues to be an amazing experience.
Jennifer