About Care . . .

A medical birth was the only option I thought there was. My naive perception was that you went into labor, checked into the hospital, got an epidural, felt nothing and got a baby out of the deal. Isn’t that what modern medicine promises us? No pain and cute little bundle at the end of the procedures? Compared to giving birth in the old days - I thought - this was a better way to give birth – with drugs…

My husband and I had been married for 14 years and had suffered six miscarriages.  Having a family turned out to be a lot harder than we thought and we had given up.  But a wonderful miracle blessed our lives and we were able to adopt a beautiful 5 year old little girl. Finally – we had the family we had always dreamed of. We never thought that having a baby of our own was a possibility and we had put away that dream. It came as a big surprise to find out that we were pregnant and that it was going to work this time.  I was elated and overjoyed – and then I thought – “Oh, no it has to come out!”

As I sat with our Perinatologist making plans for the birth of our new baby girl, she said it looked as if I was allergic to most of the drugs they routinely use at birth. I began to panic. I didn’t want to feel any pain and I was being told that I “needed to find an alternate pain management plan.” She suggested I take a Lamaze or Bradley class where I could learn breathing methods of coping with the pain. From all the negative media portrayals I had seen since I was young – panting “hee, hee, hee” patterns – just didn’t seem to bring any comfort and sent my blood pressure go through the roof! What was I going to do?

I began talking(or ranting might be a more accurate word) to everyone I knew. I needed help and fast. My nephew’s wife said she used HypnoBirthing® for her two kids and swore by it. I dismissed it at first, thinking there is no way I could talk myself out of pain through self-hypnosis – but something made me curious so I did some research.

That’s when I found a local HypnoBirthing educator. She explained to me that HypnoBirthing could really unlock my own abilities to birth without medication. She made me feel like I could do it and that I would actually enjoy my birth experience. That is something I had never heard anyone say before.

Our instructor taught my family privately in our home. Her classes were so informative and empowered me to birth my way and enjoy the whole experience. My husband was skeptical at first but soon became aware and convinced of the power of HypnoBirthing. We listened to our relaxation CD’s, practiced our scripts and bonded with our unborn child.  Our older daughter also participated in our classes and was excited to be at the birth. Our instructor also became our doula and her support was invaluable.

We decided to have our baby girl at Best Start Birth Center in San Diego. It was truly one of the best choices we could have made. The midwives were wonderfully supportive of our non-medicated birth and had a lot of experience with HypnoBirthing®. I did the majority of my labor at home with my family and then met our doula at the Birth Center a few hours before Finnley’s birth.

Our doula kept us at a relaxed place during our birth experience. She was our guide through this new adventure and experience. I felt very little discomfort and was able to labor in the water. Labor was an exhilarating time for me.  Make no mistake - HypnoBirthing does NOT promise pain free labor. But it does offer relaxation and coping techniques that allow your body to do what it was born to do. I put a lot of time and effort into this program and I got out of just what I put into it. I believed in what I was doing and trusted my body. I had caretakers around me that were completely on board with what I wanted and I felt safe. We welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Finnley Kate into the world in February of 2008.

My own experience in discovering HypnoBirthing®, and having a doula attend my child's birth, inspired me to become a doula myself and get certified to teach HypnoBirthing®. Sharing my own experience and love for this process has made me a better teacher and gentler human being.

HypnoBirthing® is truly the best kept secret in town. My vision is to help women get back to the knowledge that their bodies know how to give birth to their babies. The use of HypnoBirthing® is a transforming experience for all involved. HypnoBirthing® left me feeling empowered, stronger and made me a better mother.

I learned for myself and will be forever grateful that finally, there is a better way to give birth – HypnoBirthing®!