Thread: ~*~Anna's (AnnaRO) Birth Lodge~*~

Let it all out honey. This is your lodge to say what you will and we're all here to listen.

Originally Posted by beccasweet

The key part of Hypno for me wasn't self hypnotizing myself, it was staying relaxed and breathing.

Ditto this!! You most definitely do not have to follow the course to the letter to succeed. Heck, you don't need to study anything in order to succeed. All the things natural mamas do to prepare are just things that help. Its YOU that's going to get you through this. I have so much faith in you, Anna. Besides, no woman has ever failed during labor. Things may or may not go to plan but you'll never fail. Having misgivings about your ability to go natural are perfectly normal and I'd venture to say that 100% of women have them. Just don't let yourself get hung up on those thoughts. Instead, read as many positive birth stories as you can. You have plenty of time left to prepare. Try to spend some time every day practicing your relaxation. It'll benefit you in so many ways.

What else is going on in baby land? How is Kole treating you these days?

Yeah, as Erin asked, how is the little prince doing in there?!

You will do great! I'm thinking we all have enough faith in you to carry you through

Hey Anna! I just wanted to echo the thought that while Hypno anything is great and works for a lot of women, it is not necessary for a natural or even a mostly pain-free birth. So don't get caught up in that. Do what you can, and use what you will... you have every capability to have a natural birth without it...and like momW said- we all believe in you!!!

Totally agree with what Beccasweet said in that it wasn't so much they hypnotizing, but rather the breathing and relaxation I gained from listening to my program that really helped. I must have said 'peace' a million times during labor because that was the phrase I took from listening that really got me to relax. Honestly I never used a finger drop or light switch during the actual labor cause that wasn't what did it for me. Just find the things, hypno or not, that help you to relax and let go.

You are going to do great! Do you have any books right now with good NCB stories in them? Totally read a few of those each day. They will get you excited and empowered for your birth as well.

How are you feeling these days? Its getting sooooo hard for me to carry Odin around, especially up and down the stairs, and I swear he wants to be held so much all of a sudden. Are you finding it hard to carry Lyla at this point? Let us know the appointment goes tomorrow.

Originally Posted by TiggersMommy

What else is going on in baby land? How is Kole treating you these days?

He's doing good. He doesn't move as much as Lyla did, but has moments in the evenings where he gets really active. The pregnancy is something I can't really complain about at all. I didn't get m/s really and the only big symptom I've had has been fatigue and some acne. Now I'm getting really big and it's harder getting around and bending and all that, so I'm just really uncomfortable all the time.

Originally Posted by jolly11sd

How are you feeling these days? Its getting sooooo hard for me to carry Odin around, especially up and down the stairs, and I swear he wants to be held so much all of a sudden. Are you finding it hard to carry Lyla at this point? Let us know the appointment goes tomorrow.

We are lucky to not have stairs, but my aunts house had a basement playroom this past week and that was rough going up and down carrying her. I still pick her up quite a bit, but it makes my back and lower stomach feel really sore and tired. It quickly wears me out. I'm getting to where I'm ready for my body to be some form of it's normal self, but at the same time I don't know if I'm ready for a newborn and an 18month old.

So I had my appointment this morning. It was a very boring appointment. Gained 2 pounds since the last one, BP was 127/72, and Kole's heartrate was good and strong. I did mention my dad and he offered condolences but didn't raise any concerns as far as the pregnancy was concerned at all, so I guess he's not worried about it. And from what I've found in my research high stress is a greater concern in early pregnancy, so hopefully my kid won't have mental issues from the stress hormones.

I have been getting some random cramping. I'll compare it to the 'gotta go to the bathroom' feeling you get after eating a lot of greasy mexican or chinese food (or I guess not everyone gets that, but hopefully you know the feeling anyway). But I don't actually have to go. I've had nothing regular or repetitive at all, but my OB thought it was still a good sign that my body is starting to get ready. Maybe I'll rearrange some furniture or something to try to encourage things to move along. . . or maybe I'll just sit down on the couch with my laptop and avoid. I have everything ready for Kole, except my hospital bag is not packed. There's a lot of cleaning I could still do too, so maybe I'll focus on that. I guess I'll stop now, since I'm rambling and my 17 months old is getting cranky.

My sister passed away suddenly last November when I was 30 weeks pregnant. The only concern my MW had was about me not getting sleep and premature labor. I do think that the stress from that might have caused calcification on the placenta and my baby to be so small, but that was 8 weeks before I gave birth and in a crucial growing period for the baby. I am sorry you have had such a hard few weeks with loosing your dad. I am sure your dad will see your little boy into this world even if he didn't get to see him before he passed. Wouldn't surprise me if their spirits are talking to each other right now.

As for the hypnosis, yeah I slept through mine EVERY time. I loved listing to the birth affirmations track though, especially in the last week of pregnancy! Just like all the PP have said, it's really the breathing techniques that really get you through it. Between my two hypnobirthing births I actually think my second, my third baby, hypnobirth was by far the easiest and best and I practiced FAR less then I did with my first hypnobirth, second birth. Crazy thing is is my third baby was posterior so it should have been more difficult to stay in control, but I seriously never lost control once but I did with my second through transition and he was born normal!

You can do this! Dealing with lose is hard and even harder when hugely pregnant, if you can make it through that with out a complete meltdown you can make it through labor.

Simply Give Birth by Heather Cushmann-Dowdee

This book is so inspiring and so ... simple. I LOVE it!! You should see if you can get a copy.

Yay for a boring appointment! Are you on weekly appointments now? How quickly I forget how all that works Might the cramping you're describing be BH contractions? Are you having those? No worries if you are or aren't. It just might be nice to know what's going on.

What's on your hospital bag list? How far a drive is it to the hospital? My plan was to wait as long as possible (water breaking kinda messed that up) and I was dreading the ride to the birth center in active labor. I had DH make up a little birthy nest in the back seat so I could try and get comfy. I also had my iPOD ready with birth music and a sleep mask to use for the car ride. I did actually end up using the sleep mask because I wanted to do my very best to stay calm.

Originally Posted by TiggersMommy

Yay for a boring appointment! Are you on weekly appointments now? How quickly I forget how all that works Might the cramping you're describing be BH contractions? Are you having those? No worries if you are or aren't. It just might be nice to know what's going on.

What's on your hospital bag list? How far a drive is it to the hospital? My plan was to wait as long as possible (water breaking kinda messed that up) and I was dreading the ride to the birth center in active labor. I had DH make up a little birthy nest in the back seat so I could try and get comfy. I also had my iPOD ready with birth music and a sleep mask to use for the car ride. I did actually end up using the sleep mask because I wanted to do my very best to stay calm.

Yup, weekly appointments now. And I'm sure the cramping I've been having is just BH. There's no consistency or regularity to them at all, no pain either, just annoying.

I don't actually have a 'list'. I've been going over, in my head, what I used/needed last time, which wasn't very much. I did pack some things this afternoon like nursing tanks, a robe, granny panties. We have a travel toiletry bag that we always keep, that way if we go anywhere overnight we never have to worry about packing soap/toothpaste/toothbrushes etc., it just stays packed. It's also been recently restocked due to circumstances. I hadn't thought about a sleep mask but I do keep one in my toiletry bag, so I may try that during labor to keep focused and calm if I feel like I'm faltering.

The drive to the hospital is about 10-15 minutes depending on traffic. It's about 2 miles from my house, so not far at all. My plan has been (and really kind of is) to wait as long as I can before going in. However, I asked my OB today what his recommendation is for when I should come in, and he said that due to me being a VBAC, he wants me to come in immediately upon going into labor and they will do what they can to create a home-like environment for me to labor in. Unfortunately, DH was there and he's nervous about VBAC risks, so now I guess I'll stay home as long as I can keep DH from being aware that I'm actually in labor. . . that could get interesting.