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Prenatal Yoga
Birthing Stories
Wendy Mathews - baby Jacob Lessard
I'm pretty sure that everyone thought I
was crazy when I told them that I was really looking forward to the labour
process, but it was true. Two of my closest friends had just given
birth via caesarean and I was nervous that this would end up happening to me
too; plus I was a week late and really wanted to avoid being induced. I
was excited to see what the birth process would be for me and was hoping that
my water would break right away – everyone I'd known who'd had their
water break right away had a quick labour.
I had a Dr's appointment Thursday Feb 22nd
and I was ecstatic when I was told that I was 2.5cm dilated and 90% effaced;
the Dr gave me a 50% chance of delivering before the end of the
weekend. She should have increased those odds as 4 hours later, at 6pm
my water broke.
We arrived at the hospital at 7pm and I
was admitted right away. The nurse told us to get comfortable as we
could be in for a long night; I was about 3cm dilated and she said that if
things took a long time then they would give me the oxytocin to get things
moving and I could deliver at some point the next afternoon. She told
us to try to get some sleep.
Apparently this wasn't necessary as by 9pm
the contractions were every minute and really strong; unfortunately the
baby's head was pressing on my spine and the contractions were really
intense. The nurses were impressed by how well I was breathing through
the contractions and every time one of them commented on it my husband said
"It was all that pre-natal yoga".
By 1am I was still only 3cm dilated despite
the contractions being on top of each other (sometimes they didn't even stop
before the next one started) so I took the epidural, 10 minutes after I
received it I was 5cm dilated, an hour later I was at 8cm and by 5am I was
10cm and ready to go.
Unfortunately I couldn't feel anything and
made them turn down the epidural and had to wait an hour before I started
pushing. I didn't have to push very long as at the first set of pushes
the head appeared and they made me wait an hour for the Dr to arrive.
As soon as she did, one push later and baby Jacob was placed on my
chest. I couldn't believe it, I was all gearing up to push some more
and there he was, staring at me with beautiful, alert eyes. He was born
at 6:59am Friday February 23rd, 2007.
They say that one of the miracles of child
birth is that we forget how awful it was, therefore enabling us to one day
have more children; however for me I don't need to forget, I loved every
minute of it and can't wait to do it again. And I would definitely make
pre-natal yoga part of my pregnancy again; it sure seemed to help me!
Stephanie Davis - baby Ruby Grace
Williams (Gracie)
Well, you don't necessarily want to look
at me for inspiration when it comes to going through labour in a Zen-like
yoga-ish way, but here's what happened:
Saturday, April 1st, 2006
8:45 am: I am peacefully
making myself some breakfast in the kitchen when all of a sudden I notice
that I have peed myself as well as the floor. Hmmmm… interesting since I just
used the washroom…
9:30 am: My husband and I
arrive at the hospital and I am admitted. By now I am experiencing some
contractions that feel sort of like period cramps – this is fun! I'm having
my baby today! I finally get to find out if it's a boy or a girl!
10:30 am: My doctor checks me
and decides that we might as well get things going faster by giving me some
pitocin so that I can give birth sooner rather than later. Some time later (I
am no longer able to judge time… OOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!): HOLY
^*^&%*^&%*^%! How do people do this without drugs ??!!! I struggle to
do some good yoga-ish breathing, but at this point it's just not happening.
It's the most I can do to keep from screaming. In fact, the best I can manage
is some very loud moaning. We try the whirlpool tub, squatting… nothing
really feels better. The back pain is killing me.
2:30 pm: Epidural!!!
Yeah!!!!!!! Thank God! I never thought I would be so excited to get a big
needle inserted into my spine! After this, life is good. I feel only the
pressure of the baby's head coming down, but none of the pain from
contractions.
5:35 pm: I start pushing,
which feels surprisingly good – nobody tells you that.
6:15 pm or so: they actually
make me slow down the pushing because the doctor isn't there yet!! AHHHH!
6:52 pm: I deliver the baby –
a girl – Ruby Grace. She weighs 8 lbs, 13 oz – I can't believe I only had
three stitches! We all agree that she is gorgeous. I cannot believe that she
was inside me just a minute ago and that now she is here! How amazing!
Now the real work begins!
Allison Whitworth - baby Anthony
Fredrick Baggott
Well, I finally have enough energy to let
you know that Anthony was born Monday September 25th, at 9:26 pm. It was
really funny actually, because last week I wanted to go to yoga but with my
asthma and stuff I just didn't have the energy to make it. But I swore tired
or not I would go the following week! (grin)
Monday morning I woke up with my boyfriend
and got our little one ready for school, but because we slept in we had to
drive him in, we missed the bus. No big deal, we all got into the car at
around 8:30 and before I could close my door this gush happened...my water
broke! I didn't get to experience that the first time around so it was weird,
especially because I was not in labour at all! So I got out of the car and
went inside while Daddy drove Calvin off to school. Now we were not ready at
all, Anthony wasn't due for another 2 weeks! So we ran around packing bags
for the three of us because Calvin went to my fathers, and well baby and
mommy need stuff. When we got to the hospital my doctor was there, he had
just finished with another baby. He took one look at me and said,"What
are you doing here?" (what a question) and I simply said, "Having a
baby, my water broke!"
So I tried, I breathed, I pictured my spot
that I would picture when we had our down time in yoga...and by 4:00 pm I
needed the epidural...They induced me at 11:30ish, and by 4:00 I just
couldn't handle it at all and I was discouraged because I had wanted to do it
all without, but the pain was in my back, and my belly so...I took it! (that
and I had had about 4 hours sleep max the night before.)
Well I started pushing at 7 pm, to very
little progress at 9 pm the doctor decided that forceps were the way to go,
which upset me because of all the stories you hear, and I pictured the
problems I would have after...(tearing etc) Well once the doctor actually
started it took all of 8 minutes for Anthony to come flying out, the cord was
wrapped around his neck 2 times and he was a little blue, but over all he was
a healthy baby! He cried almost right away which his brother didn't do, and
when I looked up at the clock I laughed. The nurse and doctor looked at me,
and I said,"He wanted to be like his big brother!" Calvin had been
born at 9:27pm , (Anthony at 9:26) .... So Anthony is already trying to be
like his big brother!
Anthony was born a healthy (but small for
me) 7.2 pounds. When it was all done I looked over at Tom and said, "I
guess I won't be going to Yoga this week!"
We are all fine, a little tired, still
trying to get used to being a mom of two, but its great daddy's home with us
for 5 weeks! My love to the girls and thank you very much for the time I was
able to spend with you guys.
 Dahlia Singh - baby Berlynn Rachel Rampersad
As you have probably guessed from my
absence at pre-natal class last week, I gave birth to a healthy baby girl last
Monday, March 26th at 4:30 a.m!!!
I had a pretty smooth labor. My
contractions started on Sunday night and we tried to stay home as long as
possible. By the time we got to the hospital I was 6cm's dilated. They rushed
the anesthesiologist in and I got my epidural (lifesaver!) My doctor arrived
and it was time to start pushing. I pushed for no longer than 25 minutes and
she was out! The nurses and hospital staff were freaking out at how fast it
was for a first birth. After hearing so many horror stories about 14
hour births, I was preparing myself for a long night. Thankfully it turned out
to be really quick! I would like to think that Yoga helped me dilate so
quickly!
Christina - baby Nicolas
I've been meaning to let you know that
I did indeed give birth to my son Nicolas, on Wednesday September 10th at
5:30pm. My last yoga course was on Monday September 8th and my water broke
that night at 3am! Not to worry, I was not in horrible labour until Wednesday
afternoon... on the contrary, nothing happened until 24 hours later when tiny
contractions began. This meant that my husband and I spent from noon on
Tuesday until morning Wednesday in the hospital twiddling our thumbs.
We even went out to dinner to pass the time. On Wednesday AM I was
induced to speed things up and had a reasonably OK labour and a delivery
that was much easier than I ever thought possible! The Yoga classes
(and having a mid-wife) really helped since I was relaxed and breathing
easily throughout. The fact that Nicolas was born a month early probably
helped things along as well- he was a nice 6 pounds 5 ounces!
Today everyone is healthy and happy...
Thank you for the lovely classes that kept me fit until the end of my pregnancy.
Julie Major - baby Tiago
Apart from two difficult months at the
beginning of my pregnancy due to "morning" sickness (how about "all-day"
sickness?) my pregnancy was ache-free, and I'm sure yoga helped. Already
3 weeks before my due date, I started to dilate, which gave me confidence
that my body was preparing for delivery. Labor started at 2:30 am the day
Tiago was born. Contractions were light throughout the morning. I had a
scheduled doctor's appointment at 11am, and I was at 5cm at that point.
My doctor said to go to the hospital right away, but I was not in pain
and wanted to avoid interventions as much as possible. So my doula said
I could wait it out at home, until labor became more intense. We watched
a movie, went for a little walk and had ice cream.
Around 7 pm I decided to go to the hospital, even though the pain
was not really any worse. The contractions had been at the magic interval
of 5 min, and lasting for 50 sec for several hours. Once at the hospital,
they examined me and I was already at 8cm! My doctor sat in front of me
with a hook to rupture my membranes….and I asked her if we could wait.
She said "sure" and left. Another 2 hours went by without any change,
at which point I started getting bored walking down the hall. But then
contractions picked up in intensity, and after 1 hour of those, my water
broke. Then I was fully dilated and the nurse said I could start pushing,
which I did even though I can't say I felt an urge to do so. One hour later,
just before 11pm, Tiago was born! I was delighted that my experience went
exactly the way I wanted it to….even though I was prepared to see anything
happen. Our son is healthy and strong.
Cathy Duvallet - bébé Charlotte
Je tiens tout d'abord à souligner
l'importance de profiter des dernières semaines de grossesse pour sentir
son bébé dans son ventre, le préparer à sa venue au monde (c'est un choc
pour lui!) et surtout se reposer avant le marathon (accouchement plus
la suite, surtout si on allaite)...
Bien profiter aussi des derniers cours de yoga. Pour ma part, ca m'a beaucoup
aider à me détendre avant le jour j'ai même pratiquer la veille!
J'ai été induite, je connaissais donc à l'avance la date
et ai pu me préparer (me détendre tant bien que mal).
Je suis arrivée à 8h15 le matin à Lakeshore, on m'a
percé la poche des eaux à 8h30 et le début de
l'induction à commencé à 8h45. Les sages femmes
ont mis du temps à trouver le bon dosage. J'ai
eu des contractions toute la matinée, mais pas
suffisamment fortes pour ouvrir le col (je suis
restée dilatée à 2cm de la 36eme semaine jusqu'
au jour j 15h!)
Charlotte était très haute, vraiment pas prête à
sortir!
Le vrai travail a commencé vers 15h30, de belles
contractions qui ont ouvert le col à 3cm (donc à 15h30).
Jusque là j'ai pu gérer les contractions sans trop de problèmes, la douleur était supportable, surtout en respirant bien profondément et évacuant la douleur à chaque expiration.
Mon accompagnante (doula) est arrivée vers 15h, et m'a fait tester diverses positions pour soulager cette première douleur de la phase active (ballon, massage...).
J'ai aussi passé beaucoup de temps dans le bain chaud, ca m'a pas mal soulagé, surtout quand les vraies douleurs sont arrivées. La aussi ma doula m'a très bien "managée" et m'a permis de tenir le coup sans péridurale (qui de toute manière n'aurait pas été possible lorsque je me sentais a bout, car trop tard pour qu'elle fasse effet..). Elle m'a bien guidée sur la manière d'apprivoiser la douleur, l'accepter et l'accompagner, en visualisant la descente du bébé. Je pense qu'il est important de visualiser ce travail du bébé, ne pas retenir la douleur, et permettre au col de se dilater plus vite. Elle m'a aussi aidé à faire passer cette douleur en faisant "vibrer “ma cage thoracique... un peu comme si en expirant je chantait "Om" du yoga (plutôt que d'exprimer la douleur par la gorge seulement).
Je suis restée dans le bain de 15h30 a presque 19h, ou là la sage femme est venu me cherchée et s'est aperçu que la travail avait très vite évolué. J’etais dilatée à 9+... Tout le monde s'est donc agité, on m'a ramené dans la chambre en fauteuil roulant pour la fin du travail.
L'equipe n'étais pas vraiment prête, le médecin encore moins... si bien qu'il a fallu que j'attende avant de pousser... un certain temps, jusqu'a ce que je ne puisse plus me retenir!
La aussi la doula m'a aider à me relâcher, choisir la position qui me convenait et pousser vraiment dans le bas du ventre, car au début j'avais tendance a ne pas pousser comme il fallait, de peur de la douleur. C'est finalement aller assez vite (je pense une vingtaine de minutes). Charlotte avait le cordon autour du coup, il a donc fallu pousser fort, même en dehors des contractions...
Sa naissance a été un peu rude et stressante, je ne l'ai eu que quelques secondes sur moi. Moment très intense et émouvant, puis les sages femmes l'ont récupérer car elle manquait d'oxygène. Tout est revenu dans l'ordre rapidement, mais elle a tout de même était amenée pour d'autres soins avant que je ne puisse lui donner la première tétée. La aussi, ca a été un moment inoubliable, d'avoir ce petit bout sur soi, qui cherche, reconnait le sein et se nourrit... Des instants de plenitude et d'excitation à la fois, même si je me sentais faible physiquement.
Malgré la fatigue, il a été dur de dormir, je ne pouvais m'empêcher de contempler ce beau petit bébé!
Dans les jours suivant, l'épisode de l'accouchement est repassé dans ma tête comme un film. Je pense que c'est un événement assez traumatisant, mais que l'on oublie vite, remplacer par le bonheur de prendre notre bébé dans les bras.
Les tétées se sont bien passées dès le début. La doula et les sages femmes à la maternité nous ont permis de bien débuter l'allaitement, et Charlotte avait repris son poids dès le 4eme jour! Elle continue de grandir et grossir, tout va bien. Il faut tout de même s'accrocher pour l'allaitement. Le premier mois est épuisant, le soutien du conjoint est très important pour ne pas baisser les bras. Il faut aussi se faire confiance! On passe par des phase ou tout va bien puis ou tout va de travers, mais chaque jour le bébé évolue et il faut en profiter!
Pour résumer, je pense qu'il est important de bien se reposer avant l'accouchement, de bien penser à sa respiration, visualisation de la descente du bébé, et vocalisation de la douleur, ne pas la retenir, pour aider le travail à avancer. Au moment de la poussée, bien penser que c'est notre bébé que l'on fait sortir, et qu'on ne veut pas lui faire endurer un passage trop long!
Encore après l'accouchement, il faut vraiment essayer de se reposer au maximum pour tenir le marathon de l'allaitement, s'oxygéner dehors de temps en temps et garder le moral!
Maintenant, je profite de plus en plus de ballade en poussette avec Charlotte.
J'ai de la chance d'avoir de si belles journées de printemps!
Colleen O'Shaughnessy - baby Aiden
I was a few centimetres dilated for a couple of weeks, and on April 9, I started to have contractions around 11:30am. My husband and I took the dog for a walk, I had a bit of lunch, and by 3:00, I decided it was time to head to the hospital. By then, I was already 8cm dilated and was immediately ushered into a birthing room. The baby arrived at 4:55pm - too quick for the doctor! He was delivered by 2 wonderful nurses, both of whom worked with me to minimize the pain through breathing and movement.
My plan was always to deliver without an epidural or other pain relief,
and I was very lucky to be able to work with that plan.
I found for myself that standing was much more comfortable
than lying down, and I did a lot of swaying through the pain! Yoga certainly helped me focus my thoughts and get through the contractions -
as well as slow and steady breathing of course! Aidan was born at 4:55pm,
only 90 minutes after arriving at the hospital.
Marlina Pietracupa - baby Marcus Xavier
I went into labour a little earlier than expected! 5 weeks to be exact.
It was quite an adventure to say the least. Our little bundle of joy arrived May 19th at 7:15 AM. It was an incredibly easy delivery. Everything happened in under 2 hours!
I woke up at 5:30 AM to grab a quick snack when I realized my water broke. Although I had no contractions my husband and I decided to get ready to go to the hospital just in case. As we were getting ready I started having contractions, by the time we were driving to St-Mary's I was timing them at 3 minutes a part. Needless to say I was a little worried by the frequency of the contractions.
At 6:15 I arrived at the hospital and was taken in and examined by the nurse, who confirmed that not only had my water broken but that I was fully dilated and she could see the baby's head!! They sent me to the delivery room immediately, no time for an epidural. Before I knew it they were asking me to push, the doctor barely had time to arrive. After 15 minutes our precious little Marcus-Xavier was born, weighing 5 pounds 3 ounces. Because of his small birth weight we had to stay in the hospital for 1 week. We've been home since the 26th of May enjoying the new addition to our family.
Although it was a quick labour I have to say the breathing exercises helped
greatly and I wouldn't be surprised if the yoga contributed to the ease of the
birth. :)
Kelley Rotari - baby Seraphina
My one worry about childbirth was never the pain, the epidural or the recovery...it was always the fear that my husband
would be travelling for business when I went into labor. My husband does extensive overseas travel but we agreed that
he would stop all travel once I hit my 36th week of pregnancy on Friday February 5th, 2010.
Filled with excitement that this would be my last week of work and our last week apart, I woke up on Monday February 1st,
got out of bed and my water broke. The fear of not having my husband by my side during a premature labour was stressful
to say the least. I needed to stay calm and was able to do so thanks to the techniques I learned in my pre-natal yoga
classes.
I started pre-natal yoga in my 16th week of pregnancy, and attended class twice a week, until the end of my pregnancy.
I had heard from many friends that pre-natal yoga was great not only for keeping in shape during pregnancy but it was
also good for the mind. They were right! Every week, I looked forward to my classes, to de-stress and do something
good for me, as well as the baby.
My labor was sudden and was filled with many unknowns - would my husband make it from the UK, would the baby be OK,
what was causing this to happen. Thanks to my zen state of mind and breathing techniques, which I attribute all to
yoga, I was able to remain calm as the doctors decided if it was safe to deliver - which they finally decided 8 hours
after arriving at the hospital, just in time for my husband's arrival.
They started to induce me with something to soften the cervix. My contractions started and progressed overnight.
In the early morning, I was given a drip to help induction and managed with my contractions until they were 1 minute
apart. The breathing techniques I learned in yoga helped me cope all night long until early morning. I was then given
an epidural, and within a few hours I was ready to push. I had not taken birthing classes, but the yoga helped, as I
understood the pelvic region and knew how to push. At this point I had been awake for over 24 hours, but when it came
time to push I was full of energy, hence keeping in shape really helped my endurance. My daughter Seraphina was born at
10:01 a.m. Feb 2nd, weighing 4 lbs 13 ounces, perfectly healthy but just a little tiny. At 11:00 a.m. I was up, in the
shower and walking with minimal pain.
My labor lasted 28 hours and although that may make some expectant mums cringe, the experience was amazing. Yoga, gave
me a calm state of mind to deal with all the unknowns, as well as the endurance for the pre and post birth. Sue-Anne is
a fantastic teacher, as she creates a welcoming atmosphere in her classes and makes sure we are well trained for the big
day! She takes great interest in your pregnancy and organizes get togethers afterward to meet all the babies.
I really liked her personalized approach and to this day, I still miss my pre-natal yoga classes with Sue-Anne -
I only hope to be lucky again one day to attend them again!
Donna Morris - baby Téa
I thought I might make it to one more yoga class but I went into labour Sunday at 9 pm. So I was 5 days late.
I really loved your class, and am going to miss it. I hope to maybe catch a few of your morning ones by the water.
So all I have to say is that you class taught me so much and helped so much.
It taught me to stay in the moment and to be in the moment, to commit myself to the moment.
With each contraction I stayed calm breathing the deep abdominal breathing, and I also stayed with at as long as my body needed me to. Then in between contraction I practiced relaxation, through shoulder relaxation exercises and mountain posture.
I made it to 3.5 cm before the epidural, then my body made it to the 10 cm with full effacement by itself over the next 7 hours. No artificial hormones.
When the contractions were one on top of the other, even with the epidural I still felt pain and pressure of contractions, the breathing and commitment got me to the end. It was a textbook delivery and I found it very manageable.
The only time I found it tough was when I panicked and forgot to breathe and commit myself to the demands of my body, and that was because the doctor wasn't coming but I knew the baby was. They got there just in the nick of time!
Your class ultimately taught me to stay calm and to give into the demands upon me; to commit myself fully to what is being demanded of my body. I loved it.
You know we never discuss post-labour, but the breathing helps me a lot with the post-labour cramping that can come on hard and strong with breastfeeding. When the baby feeds to causes the uterus to contract. This can be pretty painful. So I breathe through it helps me stay calm and focused for the baby.
Anyhow, I hope to have more kids and if and when I do I will be back in your class.
Martine Dubois - baby Riley
My son, Riley, was born via C-Section on Aug 1st. It was not the way we planned it, but it was a good birth...
I started my contractions on Saturday, July 31st at around 11:30 am and after beathing through them until about 1 pm, we made our way to the hospital and they said I was already dliated 3 cm when we got there and the doctor broke my water pretty much at that time when I confirmed that I would eventually take an epidural. I tried to focus and breathe through the pain as long as I could, even took a nice long bath. When I came back to the room, I was dilated at over 6 cm! Riley was on his way and quickly!!! I never felt panicked, I kept breathing and focused on his well being.
This was the time I asked for the epidural, and it helped a lot! But it slowed the contractions down, :( So they gave me some medication to "help the contractions along". At around 2 am, I was pretty much fully dilated and started to push, which lasted for over an hour until the doctor came and saw that Riley was not in fact in a rush to show and had not descended enough, so at past 3 am I was send to the operating room for a cesarean section. Riley was born at 4:11am Aug 1st.
Although I was not planning a c-section, I have no regrets at all, the hospital staff at the LakeShore were amazing, all of them! I believe that all my yoga classes and gym workouts have helped with the recovery: I hardly needed pain killers, I was able to start walking around quickly after the surgery, I have already lost the pregnancy weight, and Riley is a happy and beautiful baby.
So now a new adventure begins....
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