July 24, 2002

RE:  Anat's Birth

Dear Kay,
I promised I'll let you know all the details of Anat's
birth, and you may publish them on your website too....

And now - the story:

When I was pregnant with my first child, the most
important word in my vocabulary was "epidural". When I
reached the hospital and they told me it's too late to
have it, I thought I would die. People who might have died in the
hospital that night still owe their lives to my
screaming...
When I became pregnant with my second child I decided
to make the birth a healing experience, and it was -
thanks to you, preparing my mind, and to the epi-no
balloon, preparing my body (www.epi-no.com).
When I first came to you I wasn't sure a rational
control freak like myself could be hypnotized. My
husband was even more skeptical, and said I'm wasting
my time and our money.
After the first session I felt so great - being
hypnotized was not at all what I thought. In fact,
it's very similar to what I do best - sleep (hypnos in
classical Greek means "sleep"). Leaving your office I
felt so refreshed and high spirited, I thought it was
worth it even if I end up not using it during birth.
Having read the hypnosis book and practiced three
times a day, I developed a different attitude and
didn't even think of not succeeding. Practicing in the
morning and in the middle of the day gave me more
energy and efficiency to work, and practicing at night
let me sleep a whole lot better. I needed less hours
of sleep, because they were ALL sleep, without the 2
hours of FALLING asleep that I needed before.
Anat's birth was all but what I'd imagined. I did get
to the hospital very late, as I did on the first time.
I was so relaxed when it was time to leave home, even
though I wasn't in COMPLETE relaxation, that my
husband didn't realize how urgent it was to go. During
the ride to the hospital I tried to listen to a
relaxation tape, but my walkman batteries died and I
was not in a condition to reach to my bag and change
them, so I just put classical music and told myself
with your voice, your intonation and your accent "you
will feel the pressure but you will not feel any
pain". And although I couldn't reach complete
relaxation of the body (the surges came every 2
minutes for more than a minute. I can't relax in 30
seconds), I only felt pressure. Immense pressure, but
not the unbearable pain I felt the first time. In
fact, I was so calm that only when we reached DC and
the head began descending to the birth canal, making
me change my legs' position every few seconds, my
husband realized I was uncomfortable (compare that
with my constantly screaming at him on the first
time). When we reached the hospital I didn't want him
to desert me in the ER, so we walked together a block
and a half from the parking to the ER. From there I
refused a wheelchair and walked to labor and delivery.
On the way there I felt that I have to pee, and that's
what I asked when we got to labor and delivery. I
guess I was so calm compared to other women who come
there in the condition I was, that they didn't realize
how close I was. They sent my husband downstairs for
paperwork, promising him he wouldn't miss anything
(how they apologized later...) and let me pee before
the internal exam. They asked me to do it into a cup.
But it didn't come out. Instead, I felt I had to push.
It was almost involuntary. One push and she was
crowning (then I called the nurse for the first time),
and a second later there she was in the toilet bowl. I
slowed her fall down with my hand and she didn't get
hurt in any way, but I couldn't catch her before,
because she was so slippery with vernix. I took her in
my hands out of the toilet bowl and walked out,
calling the nurse (it was 1 or 2 seconds, but I
remember it in slow motion). Immediately the room was
packed with about 10 people who have never seen
anything like that.
When my husband reached the admitting cubicle
downstairs they told him mazal tov and go up, you have
a baby girl.
Anat is wonderful, much calmer than her brother was,
maybe because she didn't hear screams on her way out
and maybe because she has a more relaxed mother (with
an intact perinneum).
I really think learning self hypnosis is an asset for
life. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

About my being a control freak--I realized being self-hypnotized during childbrith, is having the most control one can possibly have over birthing! ___________________

TG.- Israeli Embassy