Jana’s Story

This was my first pregnancy and it was very important to me to have an unmedicated and natural birth. I wanted to be able to feel and experience everything while I was birthing my baby. After the course was over, we listened to the Jessica Porter CD every night. Covey would guide me through several guided imagery sessions, and we practiced the breathing techniques together.

Throughout the night I experienced surges on and off through an on and off sleep. At 5:30 AM my membranes released and I woke Covey up to tell him. My surges were 2 – 3 minutes apart and in the car on the ride to the hospital I called Jessica, our doula.  We picked her up on the way to Mt Sinai and when we arrived she and I went straight to the labor and delivery floor. Once we were admitted to a room everything went very fast from there.

I remember Covey hooking up our ipod and he played the Jessica Porter CD and a CD he had bought that had nature sounds. I remember Jessica and Covey coaching me through the breathing techniques. The surges really were not painful – except when I stopped utilizing the proper breathing. I had “Jessica Porter in the background and Jessica, my doula, in the foreground.”

All of a sudden the surges stopped and I felt the urge to push. Our nurse, Agnes, told us she had memorized our birth plan (she, by the way, not once asked if I wanted pain medication). She told Jessica she was going to get the doctor. She told me to follow the doctor’s instructions and whatever she said I was to do. After 35 minutes (I have to admit of non-painful pushing) at 11:43 AM Ryann was born.

Covey told me, “it’s a girl!” and he cut the cord. She was placed right on my breast and Jessica helped me with the first feeding. I was told my perineum was intact so I was not going to require any stitches.
Agnes had memorized our birth plan – and the Vitamin K and the eye gel were not administered until much later. I felt ready to leave the hospital after I gave birth – I felt so invigorated and was so full of
energy.

I had the most positive and wonderful birth experience.  I will never forget the birth of my daughter; I am still in awe how lucky I am that I had an intact perineum. I experienced no pain after the birth and was able to enjoy my daughter and being a mother without having to nurse my own wounds. I am so glad that I took the HypnoBirthing course and
practiced diligently.