Hypnobirth video

My lovely free windows media maker is not cooperating with me, so I used smilebox to create my video for the blog. Here is the video of my 3rd Hypnobirth experience. Oh and yes I look absolutely stunning in my hospital gowns at 41 weeks. Yikes!

Happy Birthday Jacob!

Our wonderful Jacob turned 5 years old just 9 days after Alyssa was born. I have to say that his birthday came really fast! He came home from church last week with a treat and a toy and said that they sang "Happy Birthday" to him in primary. I was like "Is it your birthday this week?" Sheesh! That's how good of a mother I am. Anyhow, we did have a quiet little celebration with presents, cake and ice-cream, grandparents, an aunt, a cousin and some friends.The cake was NOT fancy at all. I didn't have the energy to do it the way he wanted (with either general grievous from Star Wars or Darth Vader) I just stuck some Star wars toys on top. Luckily it tasted really yummy though.

We gave him a card telling him he could go pick out a bike because we hadn't found one yet. I will post pictures of him when he gets it home to try it out.

Happy birthday to our awesome five year old! Jacob is such a wonderful part of our family. He is my snugly, cuddly boy. He walks around the house, or anywhere for that matter, singing or humming all the time. He loves playing PBS kids on the computer, playing x-box with his brother and I catch him building (mostly weapons) with his blocks all the time. I love this boy so much!

More Alyssa pictures

We can't get enough of this little girl at our house.
This is her coming home.

Uncle Ben came to visit two days after we brought her home.

Alyssa’s story

On Wednesday February 22, I went into the hospital at 41 weeks along to be induced for labor. We got checked in around 9 AM. When we arrived, my midwife checked me and she said I was dilated at a 3 and 50% effaced. (The day before I was at a 2 and the baby was pretty high still.) Luckily for me, the baby had moved down further than she was the day before so we decided we would like to have my water broken in the hopes that doing so would cause labor and I wouldn’t have to be put on Pitocin.

When my water was broken, we learned that there was meconium in there as well. My midwife said it was a concern, but that as far as the color, it was “the best color that we could have in this situation.” I decided, once they had monitored the baby and we filled out all the paperwork that I would walk around to try to get the labor going. Randy and I walked around the hospital for about an hour and during that time, my contractions got stronger and closer together. We had fun talking and hanging out together and Randy making fun of me every time I was surprised as I felt another gush of amniotic fluid coming out. Every once in a while, Randy pulled out the camera and took video of me laboring.

We got back to my room and they put me back on the monitors so they could check on the baby. We continued to labor and the contractions were getting stronger, so I had to actually concentrate on relaxing through each one. I sat on the birthing ball at the edge of the bed and Randy rubbed my lower back or performed effleurage for me while I listened to my hypnobirthing CD. My midwife came back around 1:30PM and checked me to see if I had progressed or if we needed to start a dose of Pitocin. I was crossing my fingers that I wouldn’t need the Pitocin as I wanted a completely un-medicated birth. She said that I was dilated at a 5 and 90% effaced. I was progressing enough that she said I was fine to keep going the way I had been.

Randy and I hung out while the contractions got stronger and closer together. I decided that they were getting pretty strong and I felt a lot of back labor, so I asked Randy if I could get in the Jacuzzi. The reason I asked him, is because for the last two babies I delivered, I nearly had both of them inside the Jacuzzi. We joked that I shouldn’t get in the Jacuzzi this time because it goes so fast once I get in. We decided to have the nurse check my progress and if I was at a 6 or 7 then, I could get in the bath, if I was an 8 or more, I should probably stay out this time around. When the nurse checked me she said I was dilated around a seven, so they filled the Jacuzzi and I got in. When you are in labor, it feels amazing to get in the Jacuzzi. I had the jets flowing right on my lower back and was able to relax a little more easily. Randy made me promise that I wouldn’t stay in there too long and that I would tell him when the contractions got really strong so I could get out in time to actually birth the baby. The nurses came in at some point with the Doppler to check the baby’s heart rate, but I honestly don’t remember even seeing them, I knew they were there, but I was too focused on relaxing. While I was in there, Randy had the nurses prep the room for delivery (we hadn’t ever had time before) and even got a wheelchair just in case I needed it to get from the tub to the bed.

I was in the Jacuzzi and the contractions were pretty intense. The first time my body started to push a little bit and I felt pressure, I decided to tell Randy I needed to get out. Unfortunately, Randy was outside with the nurses and I was alone. I knew that I could pull the cord right by the tub, but I didn’t want or need a bunch of people running in, so I decided to wait till he came back. I had another really strong contraction with another surge pushing my baby down. Luckily, Randy came in right then and I told him I needed to get out of the tub. He helped me out, toweled me off and put on my gown. I had another contraction and I leaned on him in the high school dance pose and asked him “can I do this?” he assured me that I could. He told me that I was doing great and that I had done it before and that I could do it again. I was reassured and I walked from the tub to the bed. I looked at the bed and decided to lay on my left side because I thought lying on my back would be too much with the back labor. I put my arms around Randy’s neck and waited for my body to push the baby down. I should probably have Randy write what happened from here on out, because I am in my own zone during transition and into delivery. But here is what I remember. My body started to push and I remember feeling like I needed to "bear down". In hypnobirthing, they teach you to breathe your baby down and not to push or force the baby because it can cause stress for you, your body, and the baby. Anyway, I kind of held my breath and pushed and Randy said “just breathe the baby down” so I took a breath. I also remember my nurse saying sweetly, “don’t force it, and slow down.” I tried my best to listen to both of them and breathe, and not actively push, but to let my body do the work on its own. I felt the baby crowning and I felt my body push her out. Usually, that is all I feel. In past births, I just feel the crowning and the head being pushed out and then that I am done. With this baby, however, I felt the head and then for some reason that I couldn’t figure out, I wasn’t done. I felt someone down there manipulating me or twisting the baby or something and I said to my midwife kind of in frustration, “what are you doing?” like it was her fault that the baby wasn’t out yet. She told me to give her a big push! I didn’t really understand why, but I did as I was told and pushed as best I could. Finally, after what seemed I like a long time, but I’m sure was not, Alyssa was born. They immediately put her on my stomach, but they took her away pretty fast because the NICU nurses were there to check her lungs because of the meconium we discovered earlier.

I then delivered the placenta and my midwife told me I did a good job. She explained to me that when the baby was coming out, she started out posterior (like all my other babies) but had turned at the last minute and was kind of sideways. Her head had come out, but her shoulder got stuck and my midwife had a bit of a struggle getting Alyssa unstuck. Lucky for us, Alyssa was unharmed and I didn’t tear at all in her struggle to get out.

I finally got to hold her after they assessed her and found her to be doing just fine. She was born at 3:04 PM and was 9lbs 5 oz. and 20 inches long. I got to hold her for quite a while and I tried to nurse her. She didn’t want to latch on right away and was too busy screaming. I got her to latch on and she nursed for a few minutes. She is beautiful! Randy and I were so excited to finally meet her. She has a full head of dark hair and little tiny dimples on her chubby cheeks. We are so very blessed to have her join our family.

Alyssa Pictures

Some of my favorite pictures so far...

Her first bathBaby and Daddy

Jacob and Alyssa

FOUR kids! I can't believe it.

Sweet Angel baby

love this one

So sweet

Four hours of sleep and I'm still smiling.

That is all the energy I have for the evening... So I'll post later if I get a spare minute and decide to blog over sleep.

Announcing...

Alyssa Marie Bremner
born on 2/22/12
@ 3:04 PM
9lbs 5 oz 20 inches long

We had another successful hypnobirth! Mommy and baby are both doing great. More details to come.

Long overdue

Well, I guess I'm only 5 days past my "due date" today, but it sure feels a lot longer than that. It is my fault that it feels that way. I suppose because the baby was always measuring 2 weeks ahead of her due date and the fact that my midwife told me she wouldn't let me go past the 8th of February before she would induce me, caused me to think her birthday would be well before the 20th of February! obviously this is not the case.

In this day and age of scheduled babies, people seem to think it is really strange that I have actually put off being induced to this point. But, I'm still a firm believer that babies come when they are ready and that trying to make them come earlier than they are ready can cause a negative chain reaction for you and the baby. I understand that she may be very large at this point and that it could cause some special circumstances come delivery time, but I also feel very strongly that she is the right size for me and my body. I have always gone into labor on my own, so I'm not worried that it won't happen. That being said, I have a tentative appointment for induction on Wednesday. My midwife told me that if I am still pregnant tomorrow (when I have an appointment with her) and I feel very strongly against induction still, we can discuss going to the weekend. But she also told me that is as far past my due date as she is comfortable letting me go. So, I am hoping and praying that my little baby girl comes on her own in the next day or so. If not, I suppose that I will have to have my hypnobirth with some pitocin thrown in the mix. But at least I will know I did everything in my power to let her come on her own time.

I am so thankful to have such a supportive midwife. She listens to me and is more than willing to do everything in her power to help me have the birth experience I want. I asked her if she was still concerned with my baby's size and she said "Are you concerned about her size?" When I said no, she said "Well, you know your body and you know your baby better than I do. If you aren't concerned, than neither am I." I know from past experiences with my OBGYN's that they would never have treated me this way and given me the option to continue this pregnancy as long as I have. She is a wonderful midwife.

I have also been thinking about how her not being here yet may have been a blessing in disguise. Our family has been pretty sick with the flu for the past 3 weeks. We have staggered the vomiting pretty well as none of us have been sick at the same time. I'm so glad that she hasn't been here while we were dealing with all the sickness going around. She is much safer where she is at. Lily was the last to become sick and she is doing much better now. It is hard to remember, especially when you are so big and pregnant, that we are on God's time and that sometimes we don't know that he is blessing us and when he is testing us. In this case, maybe they were done simultaneously?
Anyway, we are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little girl. I will answer the questions EVERYONE keeps asking me.

How do I feel?
-I feel tired of everyone asking me that! I am ginormous and get extremely tired from taking a shower or going to get the mail. It is getting extremely difficult to move around. I have never felt this big and awkward before.

Do I have a name picked out?
-No, we still are unsure of her name. We still love the names Juliet, Alyssa and Katherine (Kate). I sure hope that we know what her name is when we see her.

Why don't you just get induced already?
I know it is a strange concept, but I want a natural un-medicated birth. I'm not crazy! I've done it before and there is nothing like it. It is a wonderful spiritual experience and I don't want to deprive myself of that if possible.

I think those are the top three questions other than strangers asking me "OH my! when are you due?!!" and I say "last week." oh, and also, please do not touch my belly. It is weird and awkward and I just might touch yours back.

Nope, no baby yet

We thought for sure that since this baby was bigger and measuring two weeks ahead all through the pregnancy that she would either be born a little early on her own, or that I would be induced early because of her size. But as you can tell, that hasn't been the case.

I really did/do not want to be induced and want to have her when she and my body are ready. So thanks to a supportive midwife, we are waiting (somewhat impatiently) for that to happen. My midwife says that if I'm not worried about her size then she isn't either.

This little baby of mine is still giving me a rough time though. She has tricked me into thinking I was in labor multiple times now and yesterday we headed to the hospital (although I knew I wasn't in labor) because I though I may be leaking amniotic fluid. That wasn't the case though, so we headed back home. I was actually really glad too, because I had been vomiting on Saturday night and was not feeling at all well on Sunday. Not well enough to have the energy to deliver a baby that's for sure. Thanks mom and dad for taking the rest of the crew while we were at the hospital!

Anyway, so we are still playing the waiting game with this little one. My due date is this Wednesday the 15th. But if Tyler gets his wish, she will be here tomorrow on Valentines day. How fun would that be? As of Friday, I am measuring down another centimeter or so at 36 where a couple of weeks ago I was at 39 plus! So she is still dropping down a little at a time. I also lost 2 lbs this week and am dilated at a 2. I'm hoping that means she is on her way. I have another appointment with my midwife scheduled for Friday morning, but She thinks (and I hope) that we will see each other at the hospital before then. Here's hoping!

Tricky Baby

So, I was having a lot of contractions on Thursday night and started timing them. They were about 2 minutes apart while I walked and 5 minutes apart while I was resting. They were 5 minutes apart for about 3 hours but weren't getting any stronger. I thought for sure that she had decided to come, but around 11:30 PM I fell asleep, waking only occasionally with a strong contraction. Then, the next thing I know it is morning and there are no more contractions. Bummer...

I had an appointment with my midwife on Friday morning and was excited to see if anything had changed at all. Well, I was disappointed to learn that not much had changed since last week. Other than the fact that she has dropped down further. I can breathe again and I no longer have horrible heartburn all the time. YAY! It was funny because last week I measured at 39 centimeters and this week she said she might be able to barely get 38.

I talked to her about an induction that she wanted to have on Wednesday, but we decided that I could wait a little while longer for her to come on her own. My midwife said that if I go past my due date then she will want to talk to me about induction again. Hopefully it won't come to that. Wish me luck!

Getting Excited!

I'm getting excited for our baby to come soon. I am 38 weeks today! She is measuring at 40 weeks though so I feel gigantic! Anyways, I have her room ready, her clothes clean and folded, my bag ready just in case and a bag for the kids as well. I told her she can come whenever she is ready, but I also asked her to try to come before next Wednesday when they would likely want to consider inducing labor (measuring at 41 weeks). I guess we will wait and see what she decides.

I have been practicing my hypnosis and listening to my affirmations everyday in preparation for her birthday. Today I watched my hypnobirth videos from Jacob and Lily's births. I love watching them. It is such a fun day when your baby decides to be born.

It may only entertain me, but I'll put them up anyway. I can't wait to show the next video of our newest birth in a week or so. wish me luck!

I had to be in the bed more often than I would have liked with Lily's birth and I am glad that my group B strep test came back negative this time around so I don't have to have an IV and I'll only have to have minimal monitoring. I am hoping that my midwife actually makes it for the birth this time around too. I guess when you hypnobirth, the nurses don't think that you are as far along as you really are. For example, I asked the nurse to check me with Lily because I felt a lot of pressure and she said "Oh, I just checked you and you were at a 6. I will check you in a 1/2 or so." But I persisted and when she checked me I was an 8+ and had the baby about 10 minutes later. For both of the last births, they had to pull a doctor from the hallway to "catch the baby" because it caught them by surprise. Crazy.