Baby Linus

Thu, 02 May 2024 15:25:09 GMT

Our little one sure is keeping us busy!

Our son Linus Fredrik was born on November, 5th. It took us 14 hours. To me, it seemed more like 8, to Franz it seemed like 20. :)

We were able to have the natural birth we hoped for. Was it the most painful experience of my life? Yes! By far! Did hypnobirthing help me? Yes, absolutely! I managed to refuse an epidural and medication to "help things along". It was suggested several times, since to our midwives, my surges didn't seem so strong.

I also stayed very calm, didn't yell at Franz, didn't whine or cry. I constantly remembered my birthing affirmations and heard in my head "every surge brings your baby closer to you" as well as "turn your birthing over to your body and your baby". :)

After eleven hours, the doctor came in and advised us to open the bag of waters manually since my cervix had not opened any wider for more than three hours. I agreed and was relieved because afterwards I really felt the birth progressing.

When he was almost ready to come out, the midwife allowed me to start pushing. I did once but realized that wasn't helping at all. I remembered how you described "the ring of fire", and I knew it wasn't time yet. So when I finally felt it 20 minutes later (very accurate description!), it only took three surges to push/breathe him out.

After the umbilical cord stopped pulsating, Franz was allowed to cut it.

Linus did not scream or cry. He looked at me intensely and cuddled up in my arms. The midwife told us that it was a very relaxed birth and that we have a very relaxed baby. This ist still true two months later. Linus is very sweet, curious, observant and does not cry much. He loves the sound of his own voice and tries to communicate in large variety of noises. Our midwife, who comes every week for weighing and checking in, and answering questions, is always impressed by the range of syllables he already "speaks".

After the birth, the midwifes left us alone in the warm and dimly lit delivery room to get to know each other and for me to take a shower. Only two hours later, the pediatrician took a look at him and declared him healthy.

Three days later we left the hospital and started our new life as a small family. We are grateful every day for our healthy and happy little boy and to have experienced the birh like we planned.

Thank you so much Debi for preparing and teaching us! I have attached a photo of Linus (3 days old) wearing the little hat you gave him.

All the best and a great 2015 for you!

Annika, Franz and Linus

Baby Cecelia

Thu, 02 May 2024 15:23:57 GMT

Home Birth with HypnoBirthing®

I just wanted to let you know that Dom and I are proud parents to our daughter Cecelia June Ciaccio. She was 6lbs 12 ounces and 19 inches long. She was born peacefully at home Sunday November 25th with the help of my husband, midwife and doula as my support team. My labor was only 9 hours from the time my water broke to the time my daughter entered the world. It was such an incredible experience.

I used hypnobirthing as my main tool to get me through the intense times and wanted to thank you again for a great class. Apparently I was very quiet throughout my labor so no one knew how fast I was progressing. In fact, it went so fast that the birthing tub was not filled up in time for me to get in it! We had soft relaxing music playing the whole time. I kept telling myself and my baby that we could get through this very natural experience and we both knew what we were doing. I would repeat that every time things got tough along with using the hypnobirthing breathing techniques. I walked around and used the yoga techniques while having my surges. Thinking back on my birth story I have such love and my heart is so full I could cry! It was truly such a wonderful blessing and Dom and I are so grateful for all of it. I know that I would have not had such a great birthing experience if it weren't for your class.

Keeping myself focused on the fact that my body knew what to do played such an important role in deciding to have her at home. I owe it all to hypnobirthing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Love,

Stephanie, Domenick and Cecelia Ciaccio

Twin HypnoBirth Babies

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 10:32:50 GMT

Twin Hypnobirth: Double the bundle of joy!

How possible Twin HypnoBirthing?

In the enchanting journey of childbirth, twin pregnancies often bring double the joy, anticipation, and sometimes, double the concerns. Yet, amidst the complexities, there exists a serene path paved by the gentle art of HypnoBirthing. Twin HypnoBirthing is not merely a technique; it's a profound philosophy that empowers expectant mothers of multiples to harness their inner strength, trust their bodies, and welcome their little miracles into the world with calmness and grace.

In our latest blog post, we delve deep into the captivating world of twin HypnoBirthing. From debunking common myths surrounding multiple births to exploring the transformative power of hypnosis in labor, we unravel the mysteries and unveil the truths behind this holistic approach to childbirth.

Discover how twin HypnoBirthing transcends conventional birthing practices, offering mothers a pathway to navigate the unique challenges of birthing multiples with confidence and tranquility. Through relaxation techniques, visualization exercises, and mindful breathing, mothers embark on a journey of self-discovery, connecting with their babies in profound ways and fostering a sense of harmony throughout the birthing experience.

My Twin HypnoBirth

The twins were born on Monday, May 4, 2015 and my life was doubly blessed with two more

boys – George Gregory and Christian Peter. I am nursing Christian as I begin this entry. These

two little lives were given to me by God to hug and to hold and love more than I could have

imagined.

Where do I begin to tell the story? I’ll break it down like this.

 The “high risk” pregnancy

 Getting past 32 weeks

 Naturally stimulating labor

 The birthing day!

 Postscript

The “High Risk” Pregnancy

At my 10 week appointment, we were excited to see our newest addition. I was nervous and

excited, and I remember wanting to feel reassured that everything was okay. Gary, Michael and

I arrived at the midwives’ office. We were meeting with the technician for the 1 st sonogram of

my 2nd pregnancy. The technician put the wand on my belly. Before my eyes, I saw two flashes

on the screen very quickly. I didn’t think anything of it. During my 1 st pregnancy with Michael,

thoughts of having two in there went through my head, but not this time. Then, the technician

asked, “Did you conceive naturally?” My naïve self thought, of course, we didn’t use protection.

I had a moment there. Of course, Gary right away caught on. The announcement came, you are

having twins! I smiled and cried and smiled again. I had an overwhelming feeling of emotions

going through my whole body. Michael laid next to me on the bed, and we enjoyed this moment

– all 5 of us. Wow, the first time we knew we were a family of 5.

A man in a tracksuit entered the room. I had no clue at first who he was, but later to find out he

was the doctor affiliated with the midwives. He came in acting as if he had terrible news. He

looked at us, and said, “There is a large chance you have monochorionic twins.” I went from the

joys of “wow I am carrying twins!” to “is there something wrong with that?” He explained how

there can be many complications, etc. Afterwards, I met with a midwife. She was very excited

for us, however, she explained if we have monochorionic twins, we would not be able to

continue seeing the midwives.

We left there feeling overjoyed about the double news! We had six plus hours to talk about it as

we were on our way to meet our new nephew Shane and see his big sister, Fiona. Our family

was growing and we couldn’t wait to share all this news.

Getting past 32 weeks

I knew we wanted to get past 32 weeks and, hopefully, 36 weeks. What I didn’t expect was that,

after 36 weeks, the high risk obstetrician would insist on an induction at one point saying, “We

won’t let you go past 37 weeks.” Knowing that it wasn’t for her to “let me” or not, I determined

I’d be solely guided by what was the best long-term outcome for me and the twins. Nonetheless,

I felt the pressure.

My obstetrician had initially recommended that induction be considered at 39 weeks. The high

risk obstetrician, though, decided on 38 weeks and, it seemed, overruled the obstetrician.

We asked the high risk obstetrician for a description of what the risks were for waiting for me to

go into labor naturally versus getting an induction. The high risk obstetrician gave us no real

reason.

Since the high risk obstetrician did not provide a reason, just noting that she “hadn’t read the

literature” on the subject in a while and, therefore, wasn’t in a position to give us the information

on the spot, Gary reviewed the literature on outcomes of monochorionic pregnancies from the

37 th week of gestation on. He wrote a summary of the literature and sent it to the obstetricians to

ask for their recommendation in light of the literature. They dropped their insistence on 38 weeks

without an explanation. Since the literature did, in our reading, show an overall worse outcome

from weeks 39 on, we were comfortable with week 39 as a date that we’d begin to consider

medical interventions.

It was getting close, though, in the days leading up to the birth of the twins, and I decided I’d try

every natural means to encourage them to arrive!

Naturally Stimulating Labor

Early on Sunday, May 3 rd we went hiking to the beach, Michael in his backpack on his daddy’s

shoulders, which he loves. We ran into several neighbors, with whom we joked that I could go

into labor any minute. Gary took Michael off of the pack when we were near home again. He

felt so relieved taking off the heavy combined weight of Michael and the framed backpack and

joked about it since it was far less than I was carrying 24/7!

Since we had put Michael down for a late nap, Gary suggested we let him sleep through the night

without waking him. I should have known better since Michael loves to eat and wouldn’t stay

asleep through morning. We were on the phone with our doula and the time just flew. By the

end of the call, it was well past when we’d normally awaken him.

That night I had pizza with eggplant and hot sauce. I never eat hot sauce! I wanted to try all

natural ways to bring on labor. In addition, I tried acupuncture, going for long walks, drinking

freshly picked raspberry leaf tea that Gary picked for me from our property, eating spicy food

and having sex. I was hopeful the babies would come soon on their own. I did an extra

HypnoBirthing session and talked to the babies telling them it was time. I knew they knew when

to come. They were still growing beautifully inside of me. I was thrilled to feel their

movements especially at night time. Gary and I would watch my belly and see knees, hands, feet

pressing out – saying “hi.”

The Birthing Day

My sons’ birthday is Monday, May 4, 2014. It all started at around 3 am when Gary heard me

fussing in my bed more than I already had been over the past month. It had become normal for

me to be up a lot to use the bathroom since baby A was leaning on my bladder. Baby A is

George whom I am nursing now. I had the urge to go to the bathroom, but couldn’t. The urge to go would come on stronger and stronger.

It was time for the twins to make their presence to the world. After the surges were coming

closer and closer together (Gary was timing them), Gary felt it was time to make a move. He

called our neighbors, Lindsay and Ryan, and finally got in touch with Ryan. Lindsay was super

nice, and came over around 4-4:30 am. I thought there was a sign of my uterine seal. This was

all happening now. I wanted to make sure I had everything, but at the same time I needed to stay

relaxed and let my birthing body do what it needed to do. Gary packed the car, and I put clothes

on. Lindsay arrived. I wanted to wait for the most recent surge to pass before I went downstairs.

I said “hi” and she hugged me and wished me luck.

It was pitch black outside. Gary had the car ready to go. Because of where we live, there are

many turns and curves on the way to the hospital and I tried to manage this all. Gary had the

HypnoBirthing CD on and stopped to get me water from the back seat. At the hospital, I got out of the car and Gary quickly parked the car as a security guard took me inside in a wheelchair. I couldn’t exactly sit through a surge. I got up, and the security guard came back to tell me I could sit. Ha! He must not have had any females in his life go into labor. Or did I seem too calm for him to think I was in labor, just like with my first son when the front desk told me I wasn’t in labor and I was actually 5 cm dilated?

The last thing I wanted to do was sit. I was wheeled over to the front desk in ER and asked

questions such as, “Do you feel the urge to push?” I didn’t answer certainly, but I was in active

labor. Question after question . . . I was ready to be admitted so that I could enjoy my labor in

peace. With Gary by my side, they wheeled me to the elevators. Gary took me into the Labor

and Delivery area. They sent me to a room that was nothing like the room we had gone to two

days ago for a “dress rehearsal.” As I still felt the urge to go to the bathroom, I went directly into

the bathroom of this small room. Gary went straight to the nurses’ station and asked if we could

have the room we had on Saturday. They were more than obliging. Since I was delivering

twins, they had assumed that I would be having a C-section (a dreaded word for me this

pregnancy) and had incorrectly put me in the room for C-sections. (I was comfortable having a

C-section only in the rare event it was necessary for my babies’ health.) When Gary came back

to bring me to the bigger room he couldn’t find me at first! And so quickly I was moved into the same room as Saturday. We asked for the relaxing music to be played. Mary, my doula, showed up. Everything was ready for me to labor now. The nurses externally monitored the babies’ hearts as I was quite used to from my weekly appointments. My blood pressure was checked periodically. The hep lock needed to be in place to administer precautionary intravenous antibiotics, since Michael had sepsis when he was born from me having Strep B. I was prepared for and had agreed to that. Not exactly for the nurse to keep missing my veins!

After three times, she had another nurse try. It went better. I tried my best to relax my body and get through each surge. Each wave meant my babies were coming closer and closer to me. The nurses checked on me. And then Dr. Goldman walked in and introduced himself. He was the only negative vibe of my whole birthing experience. He told me he would not have delivered me vaginally and that I was taking a big risk for myself and my babies. (Studies on the subject do not support his statement.) My babies and my body must have sensed the negative aura and waited moments until doctors changed shifts. Luckily, he was leaving soon.

Mary, my doula, told Gary and I to let go of his comments and keep doing what we were doing. And so I continued to relax and let my body embrace each surge. Some felt stronger or longer than others, but there was a short break between each. As another precautionary measure, I had agreed to have a catheter set up in my back so that an anesthetic could be quickly administered in the rare event that I would need an emergency C-section. Facing each surge and trying to stay still while the anesthesiologist put the catheter in my back was another challenge in itself. Gary and Mary stepped back. The nurse gave me a lot of comfort and I held on to her as each wave hit harder and I had to control my body to stay still while he was setting this contraption in my back. Throughout the birthing process, unlike last time when Gary and I were alone for hours, there wasn’t much time that I was on my own with just Gary and the doula.

Moments later, Dr. Schneider walked into the room dressed in her office clothes (no scrubs, just

as I see her weekly for an office visit). It was a breath of fresh air. Somebody who knows our

birthing wishes and is here for us now, I thought to myself with relief. She checked how much I

was dilated. 7 cm – and my membranes released instantly. I felt the urge right away to breathe

the baby down. Dr. Schneider and nurses called out not to push yet. Their plan was to bring me

into the Operating Room, something we had agreed as a precaution in case an emergency

intervention was required. She needed to change into her scrubs, too. The staff was getting

ready. Gary and the doula wore scrubs and a mask. It was a sterile environment in an operating

Room and these were precautions we had agreed to.

The time was really here. The moments Gary and I had prepared for. We were ready to bring

two more lives into this world. Will we be meeting George and Christian (or the two girl names

we keep secret just in case)? We would find out in no time. I was wheeled in from the labor and

delivery room just a few hundred feet into an operating room (I had visualized this as well as

seeing everyone in scrubs during HypnoBirthing so that I would not be distressed at the sight).

The nurses were by my side and the room was quite small. They switched me over to the

operating table. It was hard and unpleasant. Honestly, at this moment, it did not matter. It was

show time. I felt the urge to push and so I breathed my babies down. I let my body do the work

and kept my mind clear. The babies were in position as they have been for a few weeks now.

Early in pregnancy, they were head to feet. At one point, months prior, I did a HypnoBirthing

session with Gary where he talked me through allowing the babies to turn to head down position.

And now the first head was peaking. Gary watched intently. He recalls it being the best

experience of his life to date. He was the most amazing birthing partner I could imagine. He

kept me calm, cool and collected during the hardest of moments. It was all happening right now.

George was born into Gary’s loving hands. He cut the umbilical cord and placed him on my

chest. He announced it was a boy! I didn’t exactly hear, but I heard others exclaim boy after he

had. I remember saying to Gary was this George or Christian, and so we decided together on the

spot – this was George. George latched on, and nursed right away. He stayed on my chest and

was perfect. It was a wonderful moment.

I actually felt so content that I forgot I had to go again so soon. Dr. Schneider said if you feel like you have to push you can. I didn’t exactly feel the surge come back right away, but I tried to breathe baby B down. Within, 8 minutes, while George was still nursing, my 3 rd boy was born – Christian. What a moment. I held Christian and kept him warm on my chest. I was so overwhelmed with joy, happiness and God’s greatest blessings – Children. Twins!

Everything was done right in the Operating Room as far as the Apgar scoring, and other initial

testing that needed to be done. Gary and I never were out of sight of our babies. If I wasn’t

holding them, he was with them. The staff was very respectful of our wishes.

Postscript

Back in November, we took Michael to Amish country in Pennsylvania. A very nice Amish

woman was our waitress at a restaurant, and we told her we were expecting twins. She said she

always wanted twins and her sister had twins. She always thought God knew her sister could

handle twins and blessed her with them, and then this woman also had twins and knew God

knew she could handle them, too! It really is such a special, extraordinary gift from God. I have

two babies at one time to love and to hold. My love has expanded from when I found out I was

pregnant, to finding out there were two babies at 10 weeks, and even more when I held my

George and Christian.

debi-tracy

Baby Linus

﻿

Baby Cecelia

Home Birth with HypnoBirthing®

Twin HypnoBirth Babies

Twin Hypnobirth: Double the bundle of joy!