Elsa’s Empowered Epidural Story

This is the incredible, empowering birth story of Elsa who went from being scared of the pain of labour and doubting her own abilities, to being totally confident. Using The Hypnobirthing Tool Kit, she learned essential relaxation techniques and was able to make empowered, informed decisions about her birth, proving that Hypnobirthing is for EVERYBODY!

May 13 , 12am contractions started I was never able to go back to sleep 

6am headed to the hospital to get NST and see if I was dilated but only 2cm so decided to see my OB at 9:20am for a membrane sweep. 

I was still having contractions at the OB office and I got the membrane sweep and was about 2cm dilated. I went home and laboured all day until I couldn’t anymore and at around 5pm the contractions got more intense and closer together I told my Fiancé we need to head to the hospital. Around 7:30pm we headed there and he rolled me in a wheelchair as I found it impossible to walk with the contractions.

The nurse at triage was so nice! She saw I was in labor and got me checked dilation right away and I was only 2.5cm but in active labor so she hooked me up to the NST monitors. I was so afraid to go back home as my contractions were so intense. I never really got a break.

Jennifer the triage nurse said I would be getting admitted so I labored for another hour waiting for my room. The nurse who took me to my room wanted me to walk and Jennifer vouched for me to stay in the wheelchair.  I asked for the epidural and a nursing student put my IV in she did an excellent job and got it on the first try.

The anesthesiologist came in and my nurse helped me and they put the epidural right before I had a very intense contraction so they waited for it to pass. Everyone was very patient. At 11:30pm there was a shift change and I got nurse Victoria who I met last  week at the hospital when I went in for false labor. 

She was really caring and explained a lot for me and told me she has five kids of her own! She also taught me how to push and the best position for me to push in. 

After I was settled around 3am Dr. Hall came in and I was leaking amniotic fluid so they broke my water. She came back a bit later and I was already 8cm dilated. The contractions were stalled so they asked me if I wanted a little oxytocin to speed it up and I agreed. They also used a folley ballon to help me dilate further. 

I was able to sleep until around 4:30am. They closed all the lights. Baby is doing great on the monitors and Dr said her head was super low.

Around 5:30am they checked me again and I was already 10cm dilated! They told me to wake up my Fiancé who slept next to me all night. 

Around 5:50am it was time to push and I was so excited to meet my girl. 

I used the Hypnobirthing Tool Kit…

I can birth my baby

Every contraction is one step closer to meeting my baby

My body was built for this

I used these positive affirmations throughout my entire labor and delivery. 

It took me about thirty minutes to push, I was excited calm and not stressed at all and I felt the urge to push after I felt every contraction. I pushed when I felt I needed to push. 

6:23am May 14 my baby girl was born! She came flying out and I had a one degree tear. My Fiancé said the Doctor caught her surprised! I only had two nurses and the Doctor in the room and the Doctor kept saying such positive affirmations: You’re amazing, You can do this! What a positive experience.

The moment I held my daughter was magical and so surreal all those hard months and all those sacrifices so worth everything for her. I held her skin to skin for an hour before they took us to the room in a wheelchair. All the staff at the hospital kept saying “Congratulations” as they wheeled me into my room.

I really thank the Hypnobirthing Tool Kit for viewing birth as a positive thing and not something to be fearful about. My labor was very long but my third stage of labor was around four hours of very painful contractions. I used the imagery of riding the wave. When I labored at home I had no distractions all day, no phone, no texting, turned off social media and just listened to calming music, did things that would boost my oxytocin. I was not afraid,  I was just one step closer to meeting my daughter.