HypnoBirthing® Babies

Gloria and Wellington

My husband and I took your class in March and I wanted to let you know that we had our twins in June.They cooked until 38 weeks and despite twin A being breech, I was able to deliver them both vaginally with no pain medication.
My water broke at 2:30 am and contractions started about an hour later. After 6 hours of labour at home, we went to the hospital. I was already 8 cm dilated and the OB on call was pretty determined to perform a c-section. My midwife advocated to let me try a breech delivery, and they agreed to give me an hour of pushing before they did the surgery.
They did all of the prep work for the c-section and then let me start pushing, 45 minutes later I had a little girl and 20 minutes after that a little boy followed. They were just under 5 lbs and just over 6 lbs when they were born.
Everyone was healthy and we only had to stay one night in the hospital. It was a relief to go home and be able to relax.
I really credit the HypnoBirthing practice for my ability to stay calm and focused. At no point in the labour did I feel fear or doubt in being able to deliver them. My husband was a great birth partner, knowing when to be quiet and when to give encouragement.
Thank you for a fun, informative and helpful birthing class. I recommend HypnoBirthing to anyone who is looking for a natural, empowered birth.

Jackson

My husband and I were in your HypnoBirthing class back around March. We were the ones having our second baby who were worried about not making it to the hospital on time. We did!

I was 5 days late and had an absolutely enormous baby. 10 lbs. 4 oz. There was meconium in the waters and we had a shoulder dystocia situation. Everything turned out fine! We stayed very calm during the labour/birth, and my contractions were much less painful than with my first. We both felt that HypnoBirthing helped us to remain calm and focused and it helped me to trust my body and believe in my own power during what could have been a risky birth.

After our son Jackson was born, the doctor showed us that there was also a true knot in the umbilical cord. Everyone is happy and healthy and I also found recovery much easier this time around.

Thank you again, I will be recommending you to other mamas - to - be!

Benjamin

I wanted to drop you a line to let you know we had a baby boy, Benjamin, 8 days ago. He's happy and healthy and back home, and was born 7lb 7oz.

I also wanted to thank you for your help and all the sessions to get us prepared for the labour. They were absolutely amazing and gave us tools we will use well into the future to help mom relax! The HypnoBirthing was exactly what we needed. Ava laboured for 12 hours and had an amazing experience. Between each wave for almost the entirety of labour she would just lean back and go to sleep.
Your help was invaluable and we really appreciate it!

Zac, Ava, and Ben

Nash

Nash was born on January 2nd and our birth is often referred to as the "unicorn birth" by my friends. It went so well. So smooth. And very fast! About 10 hours from my very first contraction to being home with Nash. By the time we got to the birth centre and I got in the tub, I was 9 3/4 cm dilated. We didn't have a lot of time to do the meditation that we had planned... But I feel that I owe my amazing birth all to my incredible midwives, and you and HypnoBirthing. So thank you! 

Baby Boy

We had a wonderful experience delivering our baby at Lucina. It happened very fast. I did not have time to visualize anything. The breathing really helped.

Duncan

We had a natural birth at the hospital. I did feel that HypnoBirthing was certainly worthwhile! It really helped me to overcome any fears. Instead of fearing labour pain and having anxiety, I just was able to focus and look forward to meeting my baby. I think this helped labour to progress quickly. The course also prepared my husband to be an excellent partner throughout the process.

Thanks again for facilitating this course. I will gladly recommend it in the future!

Sam

Rob and I are so happy to let you know that we had our baby boy Sam on March 27,  2016 at 03:22am, 7lbs 0.5 oz, 19 inches.
He is so beautiful and we are so in love.
Thank you so much for our prenatal sessions.  Rob and I were able to deliver at Lucina and had the perfect water birth!

Madeleine

Thank you for your email.  I meant to send you an update and somehow forgot as I've been adjusting now to being a mother of two.  I wanted to thank you.  Baby Madeleine Eileen arrived on February 3rd weighing 6pounds.  If you recall, I had expressed my dissatisfaction with continuing with my

obstetrician and had a lot of misgivings about my ability to avoid a second c section.  You and others encouraged me to apply for a midwife and even though it was late in the game I got in with Leesha at Lucina midwives.  Boy what a change in the approach to care! We planned to do a VBAC at the sturgeon.  

On February 2nd in the afternoon, my water broke.  I had no labour and so my father in law came to hang out and picked up my son to stay with grandma and grandpa just in case of an issue and because I didn't want to be worried about scaring him.  I waited and let my midwife know what time it broke and that was that but I was anxious about it all that night and doing kick counts because that's how things had happened with my first one, who went into distress before I ever got into labour...  At around 5:30 am on February 3 I called my midwife and asked if we could do some monitoring because I felt like I hadn't felt any movement for a while.  We met at the centre and monitoring confirmed baby was alright and had likely just gone to sleep.  We discussed timelines and options and I decided to get a sweep in hopes it would bring on labour.  Got home around 7:30 am, ate a pile of hard boiled eggs for breakfast and hit the sack for a nap as I was told to rest.  Woke up around 10:30 with no labour, just a slight cramp, so according to advice used my breast pump for about twenty minutes and then took a long hot shower.  Had my first contraction in the shower.  Texted back and forth with Leesha with Darren hanging out in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher and started to get enough contractions that I moved downstairs to ask Darren to time me, waiting for 411.  But then, stuff happened quick.  I barfed up everything I had eaten and even though we only timed things for about half an hour, in that time it sped up so fast I had a moment where I thought,  "this is awful, what was I thinking, I can't do this and I need drugs". My rational mind was like a bystander or passenger, I remember when I had that thought taking a moment to think, "no wait, I've read about this before..." I then called Leesha but dropped the phone having the worst contraction to date.  She answered to hear some distant screamingly until I recovered, yelling at Darren to grab my phone and he picked up and started talking with her.  They were talking about how far along I was and it was decided we were staying home and she would come to us because my labour had progressed so quickly.  I was getting the urge to push.  Darren got off the phone and I asked him for a bowl of ice, was burning up and threw my dress off while pacing our Lino floored hallway near our main floor washroom.  I basically had two more pushing urges/ contractions in there, howling from the pain in my back.  Meanwhile Darren had gone upstairs to get towels because this had not been planned as a home birth.  I yelled up to him that I thought the head was coming out and he should get over here to catch the baby and then had time to chuck my underwear and drop to my hands and knees in the hallway in time for one last big pushing contraction where baby basically shot out all at once.  Slippery as she was she hit my husbands hands and the floor at the same time.  With his PhD in chemistry my husband has been towing the line "it's ok, 'cause I'm a doctor "...  He was great because he was cool, calm and collected so did not freak out and bother me in my labour.  He also feels like a superstars because in all of that he managed to not get anything on his pants.

The midwives didn't have a chance to get to our house in time for the birth by the time we realized how fast everything was happening.  It was I think just after noon when I had texted her that we had started timing things but were not yet at 411 and I had the baby by about 1:30pm.  I grabbed my baby and lay on the floor with her, afraid to move too far in case I were to pull the chord and break the placenta or something.    Baby was alert and clear eyed and started nursing right away.  When the midwives arrived they did a preliminary check, cut the chord and delivered the placenta.  They then helped me get up and hobble as cleanly as possible up to our bedroom.  My placenta was chucked into an old mixing bowl I didn't care for to be examined  and an old tent fly was spread in my bed so I could be further checked.  Baby was fine, and the midwives helped me into the shower so I could scrub off.  While they were with me my husband mopped up the mess and that was that.  Leesha told me what to expect and left for another birth while we settled in to get acquainted with baby and come down from the rush.

It was the best birth I could have hoped for, and it was so great to not even leave my house - I didn't step out of home again for another week.  

I will say, with the intensity and rapid progression of my labour, a lot of the techniques from your class were sort of out the window.  But, that said, when I realized I was having the urge to push, even though it felt overwhelming and my body was taking over, at that third to last one before I started to feel like the baby might be crowning, I made an effort to try to slow things down, and take a deep breath and imagine myself opening.  I think that that was crucial because I prevented myself from straining against the pain.  I did not find the pushing out part painful, what I found painful was that the most intense spasms I felt were right in my sacrum, around where I had previously injured my back.  Reminding myself to not tense in fear of the back pain helped.  Darren was not able to help because I was basically pacing around like a wild animal and any attempts he made to touch me were quickly rebuffed.  He just didn't understand and I was not communicating - I felt like I needed the amount of counter pressure that a four hundred pound man might generate if standing on my sacrum, but I just walked around and when contracting would push one hand in my sacrum as hard as I could while clutching a countertop with the other.  I wound up with a case of hemmorrhoids that resolved well with treatment and two first degree tears only in the skin and which Leesha  stitched mainly for good form.  What a huge difference this was for me compared to my first birth experience of an emergency c section with no labour or contractions.  No hospital whatsoever.  It was great, and I believe it was perfect for or me to to manage nursing - my baby girl is exclusively breastfed.  We took another day to recover and then my son came home to meet his little sister and it's all been pretty good, though sometimes tiring and busy.  I think that the two crucial things I did that helped me make it happen this way were taking your class and getting a midwife. Even though I didn't use the HypnoBirthing techniques a lot during labour, I used it a lot for relaxation and to allow me to get to sleep and burn off anxiety and manage overall stress (including work stress).  Changing to midwifery care was the second key thing I did.  I would not have done that if I had not been encouraged to do so by you and by others in the class who told me I should try even if I thought I wouldn't get in and thought it was too late.  It worked out and it was the best medical care I have ever had.

I hope all is well with you, I would definitely like to offer this as a recommendation or testimonial to  others to take your class.

Deacon

Hi Tracy

I have been meaning to email you. But life has been busy!

So I wanted to let you know on October 13, 2015,  Alex and I welcomed a little baby boy into our lives. He was born at 8:37pm 8 lbs 5 oz and 19 inches long. Deacon.
The experience was very, very similar to when I had Quinn. Just way faster my water broke while I was home at 4:30 pm. No contractions prior. I called my parents to come out. By the time they got to our place at 6pm I was starting to get very restless with the feeling of needing to go. Although my contractions were only about 7-8 minutes apart. We got to the hospital by 7pm. By the time they got me checked in and checked me I was only 4 cm dilated but contractions were strong and close together. They had to put me in a wheel chair to get to my room upstairs. (With Quinn I was able to walk there) i went in the shower for a few minutes but then had the urge to push. They pulled me out and said they had to check me first as I was only 7 cm dilated before the shower. They checked me and it was go time. I think because everything progressed so fast they were getting a little nervous that they didn't call the doc soon enough. I had already pushed twice by the time he came in. And a total of pushing for 9 minutes our baby boy was born, drug free!!  4 hours from when my water broke
They discharged us at 3:30 am and and we were home by 5 am.
I just wanted to thank you for everything HypnoBirthing was an amazing experience for me and helped me have the deliveries I wanted.

Mason

We had our little guy on his due date of February 16^th. He weighed 7 lbs 11 oz and we named him Mason

The things we learned in your class were so helpful to us on the big day. My water broke at noon the day before he was born. I let my Midwife & Doula know and we carried on our evening as usual. I wasn’t having any contractions so we went for a walk. I started having mild Braxton hicks but then they petered out, so off we went to bed at 11pm. I had on and off mild contractions all night but managed to get in about 6 hours of sleep. At around 10am in the morning our doula arrived as things were then picking up and by 2pm in the afternoon I went into active labor. Our midwife made it just in time and Mason was born at 5pm in the birthing pool, in our living room.

We are so glad that we took your course, we learned SO much. I was able to get into my own little bubble and do my thing. We are sure to always highly recommend you to any of our expecting friends.

Thanks so much, 

A

Mia

Hi Tracy,

Everything is going great. We are both loving being parents.  We had a baby girl named Mia (mee-ah). 

The birth was wonderful.I had her at home in the water bath.  I'm exactly sure when I went into active labour. But by 2am by contractions were strong enough to keep me awake. I called my midwife at 800 to come check me. She told me things were thinning very well but at this point contractions were lasting around 50sec. So once they got to avg 1min to call her again. She also gave me gravel to help me get some sleep before things picked up more. The gravel did help me sleep and slowed my contractions.

I finally called my midwife again around 730 pm. My contractions never were consistently around 1min. Some would be 30 sec then 1.5mins and so on. But I felt that things were strong enough that they should come. When the midwife came I was 9cm and had just finished transition. My water broke as she was checking my cervix, and my fluid had a little meconium in it. I choose not to go to the hospital as that is recommended in case baby has swallowed any. I then went into the pool which felt amazing. I was pushing for 3 hrs (my contractions were about 15mins apart, which was a blessing. It gave me lots of recovery time). Then my baby girl was born at 11:10pm. 

Perfectly healthy. No issues what so ever. I had no tearing just some scratching. 

I loved my birth, and I now look forward to having another baby and getting to do it all over again. Your class did help a lot with preparing us for this birth.

Vincent

Hi Tracy,

We had our baby, Vincent on September 16, weighing 7 lbs 2 oz. He decided to come at 38 weeks and both my husband and I are extremely happy with how his birth went.

My water broke and we waited for contractions to start and get stronger before going to hospital. I used the HypnoBirthing CD and audio to relax myself for contractions to start on their own. Naturally our physician wanted me to go to hospital right away even if I had no contractions(surges)  because I was strep B positive but we decided to hold off and wait. When I arrived at hospital I was 1.5 to 2 cm only. I labored for about 9 hours and used relaxation breathing and visualization between contractions. It helped me so much, I tried to focus and look forward to every break between surges and I really could feel myself almost falling asleep during the breaks. I tried my best to breath through every surge and relax my body.

My doula encouraged me to use the hot shower, tens machine and pressure points (my husband helped lots with this because he was strong enough to push against me during the most intense surges). Our doula was also familiar with HypnoBirthing techniques. With their help and encouragement I was able to cope without medication. Baby's heart rate was stable during the entire labor and I was able to push him out relatively quickly, with only a first degree tear.

We are really glad we took the HypnoBirthing course and highly recommend it to our friends and family. Practicing and listing to audio regularly before birth really did help me. Thank you so much!!

Elle

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for checking in. Things are going wonderful. The birth went fantastic, easy, no complications and labour was about 2 hours (no tearing!). And we got the best surprise finding out we had a little girl! Her name is Elle London. So far parenthood is great, we're just soaking up every moment with the little one as she's growing so fast!! Was 7lbs 10oz at birth and already about 16 lbs now at 4 1/2 months!

Ava

Hi Tracy, 

It's great to hear from you! We three are doing well. It certainly is a transition period getting use to having a baby in the house but we are settling in nicely.

Ava was born on February 13th at 10:27am. After 3 days of pre-labour I came into Lucina for some acupuncture and that really sped things up. I was up through the night as my contractions started increasing in intensity but weren't getting any closer together than 4.5/5minutes. By 4am Ryan and I were leaving for the Sturgeon and when Anna(midwife) checked me at the hospital at 5am I was already 9cm dilated! I was getting exhausted pushing and my cervix was starting to bleed so Anna consulted Dr. Tam and she agreed that we should get the baby out. Dr. Tam manually turned the baby in me (as she was 'sunny side up' and had her neck extended so she was presenting with her forehead) and hooked up the vacuum. She then guided Ava out with the vacuum as I was pushing with during the contractions.

I am so happy with how everything turned out. Although I didn't want an intervention (who does?) Dr. Tam did the least invasive intervention possible. Tearing was a big fear of mine and I did get a first degree tear, although this is quite a small tear considering the vacuum. The nurses were congratulating Dr. Tam on the minimal tear and I felt like saying "Um, excuse me. I think we had a lot to do this that too as we were prepping with perineal massage."

Paisley

I delivered our little baby girl on May 9, 2015 at the Lucina Centre with our amazing midwife Noreen. I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better labour and birth and I know a lot of that has to do with meeting Tracy and taking her HypnoBirthing class! Because my husband was working out of town, we decided to take private classes from Tracy which we both really enjoyed. I am a nurse so going into my pregnancy I had a bit of knowledge about what to expect, but because this is our first baby my husband had absolutely no idea. I really wanted to take a class that helped me learn to focus and relax, but would also provide information for my husband on what the whole process would likely be like. HypnoBirthing did just that! Each night we listened to the rainbow relaxation, birthing affirmations, and recordings that Tracy made and they always put us right to sleep.

The evening before my daughter was born my contractions started to pick up in strength and frequency. For the previous two days I had been having short and sporadic ones. I tried to go to sleep but was uncomfortable lying down so I went downstairs and walked around just relaxing and breathing. I honestly don’t really know what I did all night but I was so relaxed. I finally woke my husband up at 5am as the contractions were getting stronger and coming regularly and frequently. I had him make me some juice as I knew I wouldn’t want to eat as labour progressed. I had him phone Noreen at 6am as I thought my labour had stalled. Little did I know I had been timing my contractions wrong. I was only timing the intense part of the contraction so I thought they were 30 seconds long, when in fact they were 1 minute long and 2 minutes apart. I was still so relaxed and calm and very focused. Because I had told Noreen that my contractions were only 30 seconds long she wasn’t convinced that I was in active labour yet but said she was going to make her way to our house to check me. By the time she arrived, we figured out my mistake and were glad she was there. At 8am when she checked me I was already at 6cm! So we decided it was time to head over to the centre. My husband made a coffee and I very slowly (you were right Tracy!!) got myself organized. Tracy gave me some great tips on traveling while in labour that really helped me. I was comfortable and relaxed on our drive and excited we were going to meet our baby soon. At Lucina I got right into the water and put on some quiet music. My labour progressed and I was dilating about a centimeter per hour. During the first hour or so I was still talking between contractions and enjoying the relaxing environment. I’m not sure when, and was likely unaware of it, but at some point I just closed my eyes and stopped speaking. I don’t remember what I was thinking about but I know I was very relaxed and content. I do remember sitting up in the tub with my eyes closed and leaning to one side resting my weight on one arm and my arm kept buckling. I felt awake but it was similar to when you’re sitting upright and your head bobs forward because you’re falling asleep. At some point during the early afternoon, Noreen thought I should be ready to push any time, but I didn’t have any urge to whatsoever. My contractions were much stronger now and I really focused on my breathing which was turning into more of a long drawn out moan. It was so quiet and peaceful though. Exactly what I had planned for. My husband knew what to say and when not to say anything (thanks Tracy)! I was totally unaware of time and though the contractions had become quite intense I never once thought that I wasn’t going to be able to do it. After some help from Noreen, my water broke and she was able to help maneuver the baby’s head downwards. I had to push a couple times without the urge to which felt strange but soon enough my contractions were right on top of each other and I was ready to get that baby out! Things were pretty intense, but again I was so focused and ready. I was out
of the tub by this point as I found it easier to push. It was hard and intense but after 20 minutes of
pushing our little girl was placed into my arms at 2:18pm. What an incredible experience! She was so
alert and was lifting her head off of my chest within minutes. We were back home within 2 hours.  

Having taken Tracy’s HypnoBirthing course I am a firm believer that it was such an important part of my experience. So many people told me how painful and terrible labour was, and that I was crazy to try to do it without any pain medication but it was the best experience I could have hoped for! Yes it was painful, but there were so many things that Tracy taught us so that I was able to stay focused and not overwhelmed.

If you are at all interested in HypnoBirthing I strongly recommend it. Even my husband said he really liked the course and it really helped him feel as though he was needed and useful during my labour. 

Thank you again Tracy for all your help!

Ember 

We had a girl on June 16, 8 lbs 6 ounes. Her name is Ember.

I had a really good birthing experience and I think a HUGE part of it is because of the HypnoBirthing class! We attended the sessions offered, practiced the HypnoBirthing a few times a week and I listened to the rainbow relaxation and affirmations daily in the weeks leading up to the delivery. 

I started having surges in the morning on a Sunday... They weren't too intense so I kept about my daily activities but tried to do the breathing we were taught, walk lots and do stairs. That night I listened to the relaxation CD and the surges stopped, I was able to fall asleep and mostly sleep through the night. I woke up in the morning to find the surges getting more intense. I thought my water might be breaking but wasn't sure so I called health link and they said I should probably go into the hospital as I am 45 minutes away. I woke up my husband but was still very calm and relaxed at this point. I told him we should go to the hospital. Because I seemed so relaxed, he took his time getting ready, making coffee, having breakfast etc. Meanwhile, I was in the bathroom and the surges started to get much more intense, only a few minutes apart! We finally got in the truck and started the drive. I turned on the rainbow relaxation CD full blast and tried to relax. I didn't know it but apparently I was in the "transition" phase at this point. It was quite intense I had a hard time sitting still but was trying so hard to breath and focus on the rainbows. My water actually broke in the truck but luckily we had a garbage bag on the seat! 

When we finally arrived I basically had to almost crawl into the hospital. We made it to admitting and the lady was asking me questions about my address etc. as my water continued breaking making a puddle all over the floor that I was crawling in! Finally someone got me a wheelchair and they  brought me in for assessment. Turns out I was almost 9 cm dilated! They rushed me upstairs and got me onto a bed. We quickly gave them our birth plan and put on my relaxing music. Within minutes I was pushing and the doctor came running in!

I found in between pushes I was able to fully relax my body and regain strength. I think it was because I had practiced doing this so much ahead of time with the CD. The room was very quiet and peaceful with only the doctor, nurse and my husband. Everyone was quiet except when prompting me to push. The music played. Within 45 minutes she was out!!!! The whole process was only about 2 1/2 hours... the doctor said we were lucky we made it to the hospital!

I had very minor tearing, and no significant post labour issues.

My husband and I attribute my wonderful delivery to our ability to keep calm, stay focused and work with my body. All the prep work we did ahead of time actually paid off in the end! I also feel that doing pre-natal yoga and using an Epino (to prevent tearing) helped as well.

Thank-you so much again Tracy for all your knowledge and wisdom!!! It truly made our experience pre and post natal wonderful!! I would highly recommend HypnoBirthing to anyone and have to all my friends!!!!!

All the best

Ember

Ember came early 37 weeks and a day (that's what I get for saying I just needed her to stay in till 36 weeks).  The birth was good , no pre labour, my water broke and contractions started at 1.5 minutes long and one minute apart. We arrived at Lucina around 330am, and I was 6 cm, she was born at 7:41 am. I'm really happy we took the course, I catch Nick using the same techniques with Em when she is upset.

Thank you for your class !! I'm very glad we took it!  So glad I went the route I did.

 Norah

We had Norah at the end of October delivered safely at the centre with Melanie. Long labour - felt the first "cramp" like contraction at 0930 on my "due date" (23rd) and was in active labour 12 hours later. Spent the day trying to find my rhythm and psych myself up for the big show. Hubby didn't take me seriously until Melanie told him to blow up our birth tub at 2130 haha. We go to the centre at 2300 (worst car ride ever) and Mel broke my water at 0230, started pushing at 0330 and she was born at 0724. Long, long pushing stage because wee one had her hand up by her face as she was coming out (she pulled it back before I birthed her head thank god). 

I managed well, I was able to focus myself for my contractions and making low moos (no better way to describe it) really helped me from getting out of control. Chris was great. Managed to deliver a 8lb15.5oz lady without tearing woohoo.

Isla

 Isla arrived February 26 after 30 hours of labour.  She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces.  I laboured at home for the first 23 hours using breathing and focus techniques from your class.  After that we went to Lucina where I used the same techniques (just not as focused as the intensity grew lol) and I laboured there for another 4 hours before my midwife asked to break my water.  I was very exhausted and agreed.  There was meconium present so my husband and I decided to make the transfer to the Sturgeon hospital.  We arrived around 6am and Isla arrived at 7:50 am.  I was pretty focused up until transition.  I never could have anticipated that intensity and the feeling to push.  But I managed through it and other than having my water broken it was a natural and medication free birth!!  I felt very empowered that I was able to get through it all...even when I didn't think I could.

I hope all the other couples in the class had a good experience as well.

Baby Boy

Dads' testimonial - Mom-to-be was cramming all of the lessons and recordings in from our HypnoBirthing classes right up to and throughout early labour. She was shockingly calm throughout the process to the point where our midwives were surprised to find she was fully dilated and about to give birth. They remarked that the way she was behaving seemed like early labour. As a male counterpart to this process, the experience was very natural and relaxed in contrast to what I imagined it could have been. Thanks for the knowledge that enabled Mom and Baby to start their next chapter happy, safe and sound. 

Mom's testimonial -  The birth went pretty much as well as it could have I think (minus a bit of hemorrhaging and some residual pelvic floor issues). I am so glad I heard of HypnoBirthing, I would recommend it to any pregnant lady. 

Benoit

We really enjoyed our class with you and had such a wonderful birth experience. We're happy to share that with the world! We had a wonderful water birth at the centre and have a healthy and beautiful baby boy named Benoît. I actually listened to the HypnoBirthing cd for my entire labour and it really kept me focused and helped me stay calm.

Elliot

The birth was a very positive experience for me and I think the HypnoBirthing was absolutely part of the reason things went so well. Leo and I felt very connected throughout the experience and I felt pretty relaxed (until the end hah). I dilated pretty quickly but then spent close to four hours doing some serious pushing to get that head out at the end. Elliot was just fine though. 

Thanks for giving us some excellent tools to make it through.

Evera

Things are going really well with our now 5 month old (wow!) daughter. Her birth at the birth centre went SO well. Really I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I am so happy I took your course. The downloads from our classes were invaluable. We listened to them together in the evenings leading up to her birth, and I often listened to the birthing affirmations while walking to work and mowing the lawn. When we drove to the birth centre I listened to the birth affirmations, and actually had to pull myself out of the headspace because she was talking about the baby birthing so easily and I found I was almost pushing in the car! I was ready to push when we arrived (two contractions from the parking lot to the door of Lucina). 

Melanie was our primary midwife during the birth and she said that you were outside asking if the woman in the room was one of yours... I was! I didn't have the 'quiet' birth the book talked about, but I felt good about my birth and really felt like my baby and I were working together, even as I was chanting OUT OUT OUT! 

Our daughter Evera (Ev-Air-Ah) was born in the water at 8lbs 11 oz, Sept. 18.

People often say 'what a big baby, but really I felt like she was the right size for my body. She is a content, smiley baby, and I often find myself telling her while I'm changing her diaper or putting her down that we work together (from the affirmations).

You were a great leader for this class. I appreciated your candour, humour and the calm you brought to the group in an instant. Really, I am so glad you operate out of Lucina.

Everly

My birth was amazing. I was in early labor for 16 hours, active labor for 6 hours, my body then gave me a 15 minute break. Then I only pushed for 18 minutes, and didn't even tear. I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Everly, in the water. That was hands down the most amazing experience of my life and I thank you for the tools of HypnoBirthing that kept me calm and relatively fearless during the whole thing. What an incredible moment that was in my life.

Baby girl is 9 weeks old now and the absolute love of my life.

I will definitely be referring women to your class.

Aksel

We had a baby boy on March 18, Aksel, he is 6 months old already!  Time flies.  Labour and delivery was really good. I had an unplanned home birth. I was further along than I thought and ended up calling the midwife, Sabrina, really late!  She arrived at my house at 5am and Aksel was born at 5:20!  Delivery was fast and both of us were happy and healthy.  I'm positive that hypnobirthing played a huge part, I'm so glad I took your class!  :)
Hope all is well with you and your little one.
Andrea and Adam

Slyvie

Hi Tracy!

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Our birth went very well. I had to be induced at 41+6 at the sturgeon but it is a nice hospital and everyone was very nice and respectful of my birth plan. I was able to avoid getting an epidural which I was happy about and I listened to my hypno birthing for hours! Nik had to tell me this as i was In a bit of a "zone" and didn't realize how long it had been. Our daughter Sylvie was born June 16 at 5:53pm.
Thanks for everything! I recommend HypnoBirthing any opportunity I get! It really helped me.

Jenny, Nik and Sylvie

Baby 1 and 2

Rebecca L

I did Tracy's HypnoBirthing course during my first pregnancy. I was super nervous and worried my anxiety would take over during labour so the course was recommended to me by girls in my midwife group. I was skeptical at first, but Tracy was so knowledgeable and personable, I relaxed quickly. My husband and doula took the private classes with me and we practiced regularly. When I went into labour, my husband followed me around engaging the techniques we'd learned and I was extremely calm. To this day, I don't really remember much pain throughout the labour or the birth. I was "in the zone" the entire time and my midwife said that she could not even tell when I was having contractions because I was calm and focused. I remember feeling like it was only me and my baby in all the world and we worked together to bring about his birth. It was truly a beautiful experience!
When I got pregnant with my second child, we took a refresher course. I focused this time on breathing and relaxation during the pushing phase of the birth. As a result, when the time came, thanks to all the practice, I didn't have to push for long and I had no trauma or tearing at all. Another amazing birth!
Tracy does a great job and her course made a huge difference in the births of my two children. I think this practice even helped me control the days when both of my children were born. I focused on specific dates throughout my pregnancies and both kids were born within a day of my goal day (my son was 5 days early, coming a day earlier than my focus date, and my daughter was 4 days early, missing my goal day by a mere 17 minutes)!
I only did HypnoBirthing as a prenatal course (and we were reimbursed by my husband's benefits plan for it as a prenatal course) and I don't think anyone needs any other course in addition to it. It covers everything you need to know!
The techniques of HypnoBirthing are universal. We practiced lots and I still use her techniques in any anxiety-inducing situations I encounter today. I highly recommend it!!

Matt

We had a healthy baby boy, Matt, on April 27th, arriving 11 days before my "due date". I was convinced it was false labor!

Our labor and delivery went exactly as planned. It was very peaceful and calm thanks to all the practice with hypnobirthing. We arrived at the center just after midnight and Matt arrived at 7:34am. Both our midwives were amazing. I absolutely loved the whole experience and would definitely birth again at the centre. 

Thank you again for the classes, I was so glad I had all those techniques handy to keep me grounded and focused within.

 Flynn

As a Clinical Hypnotherapist, I have always had a deep belief in the benefits of using hypnosis. I feel that for me to be the best Hypnotherapist for my clients I need to experience everything that I preach and teach.

However I had never had a baby; that is until Saturday May 3, 2014, when my son Flynn was born.

Minutes after birth

I waited a really long time to get pregnant, even though I teach HypnoBirthing, and am so excited for everybody when they become pregnant, I just didn't know if it was something I wanted to do. I really wanted to make sure I was ready, emotional, mentally and financially before having a baby, and that took until I was in my late thirties.

I was able to get pregnant easily and it was going smooth and easy, life was good. That is until January 11, 2014, when my mother had a heart attack in front of me. We were alone when she collapsed, which was terrifying to deal with. Later that day at the hospital my mothers heart ruptured suddenly, which is very rare and fatal. My sister Nicole and I were both with her in those final moments and even though she had a breathing tube in she was awake and aware, so we were able to tell her we loved her.

Flynn Francis

This was one of the most stressful situations a person can go through but to be 5 months pregnant was not ideal. I was very concerned about the amount of stress I was under and how that might effect my baby and his birth.

So this is when I needed to walk the talk! I needed to use as much of those relaxation techniques that I teach, and do a ton of self hypnosis, to reduce my stress levels.

The rest of my pregnancy was fine and the grief process became a bit easier with each passing week and month.

My birth was very quick and intense, I went to bed around 11pm on the Friday, having lots of practice labour, which was mild and I fell asleep. I woke up a couple hours later having a really strong surge, which I needed to sit up for and breath very slowly and deeply. Then I just laid back down and went to sleep again. I had one of these every 30 mins or so but just kept sleeping when I wasn't having one.

I got up around 4am and ran a bath, to help me relax a bit more, I had a few more of the stronger surges but again fell asleep while in the tub. I got out of the tub around 5am, and woke up my husband.

He wanted to know if he should call the midwife, but I said no I wasn't sure I was in labour yet.

So I got on the bed on all fours and rode out the surges breathing, breathing and more breathing. I timed them and said call Carly(midwife). She arrived around 6am and my surges where 2-3 mins apart and lasting for over a minute. My husband got the birthing tub ready and by 7am I was in it. At 8:30am I was doing involuntary pushing, so Carly checked me and I was fully dilated. I was very excited because I wouldn't let Carly check me when she arrived, cause I just didn't want to get caught up in the numbers game. I remember looking at my husband and saying high five!!!!!!!

I stayed in the tub for about another hour pushing and nothing was happening so we moved me to the bedroom.

Flynn 3 weeks old

Carly checked and my membranes  (water) had not broken yet and was bulging ahead of the baby, so we ruptured the sac. It felt good when that happened, but there was meconium, in the fluid. The midwives decided to call an ambulance was called as baby just in case there was any concerns with the meconium. Normally we would just get in the car and drive to the hospital but baby was on his way out. I continued to push, while the EMTs were present and the decision was made to transfer me to the hospital because my baby's heart rate was low. Before we even left the house I managed to push him all the way down into my vaginal space and Carly could see the top of his, head. We arrived at the hospital and within minutes he was pulled out of my with forceps. This was not my ideal situation but his health was the most important thing. Besides I ended up having a 99% home birth and 1% hospital birth.

Some people have referred to my birth as tramatic because of the forceps, but I don't view it that way at all. I look at my birth as a wonderful experience, we just had 15 minutes at the very end that weren't fantastic.

My little boy was  born at 11:31am, safe and healthy. We named him Flynn Francis, the Francis is after my Mother Frances (Fran).

I missed my mother immensely during my birthing and since as well, in those moments when you need your mom.

The love I have for my son is the so deep and intense it is almost scary. I know now that if my mother loved me half as much as I love my son, then I was truly loved by my mother. It is sad that I had to learn this just months after my she died.

Vincent

I couldn't be any happier with our baby boy and I am sure you feel the same! Honestly holding that baby in your arms the first time is the most amazing feeling that only gets better. 

I love being a mom and nurturing him, parenting is great, you are constantly challenged and learning.

When I was in labour I just needed peace and to be left alone really. I've been thinking about it and I think I often go into self hypnosis as we spoke about in class. I just didn't realize it was that often.

In delivery I just needed quiet and it’s the only way I could focus, relax and really listen to my body. My labour was fast so when we got to the centre I was 8.5 cm dilated. Until she checked me our midwife didn’t seem too convinced I was in labour. That was 10:30 and Vincent was born at 1:38. I pushed for 30 minutes. 

I use my HypnoBirthing now when I work out it helps with the strenuous training sessions I do on and off. I don't get angry anymore when I am struggling with heavy weights. Also birthing breathing makes a difference when you do it while getting your legs waxed too. It helps the pain! I held my breath the first I had mine done after Vince was born and it hurt like hell. Second time I breathed and I noticed a huge difference.

Baby "T"

Birthing our son took quite long (19 hrs from 4cm to birth) as he was coming into my pelvis with his eyes facing one of my hips. Since it was longer birth we used your hypnosis recordings extensively during our labour.

I think all of the training we did with you and even the (minimal) amount of practicing we did at home really, really helped get me into a constant mindset of calm leading up to the birth and through it. Besides the physical endurance, I most definitely would not have had the mental endurance to labour and go through the process of our midwife trying to manually turn him for a couple hours without YOU on repeat!

Furthermore, the calm of mind, heart and breath I learned in your classes I have continued to use. I still listen to meditation music before bed to help calm my mind and give me a better sleep. A couple times since our son was born I've had particularly frustrating days and my husband has lead a little meditation for us.

So basically your class was super worth it, not only for the birth itself but also for the vital life skill I learned that's applicable to everyday! We were also really impressed with how much technical knowledge about the birth process we learned from your class. We also took a doula-lead prenatal class and found the couple days on birth redundant because we had already learned it in your class!

Oliver

Well we went to 42 weeks and they induced me because they were concerned for the baby. He was in no rush to come out and my body just wasn't ready. So I had my pool and used my HypnoBirthing. I made it 28 hours and I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. My body still wasn't progressing and I just needed a time out. But the HypnoBirthing and my pool did help me keep my cool! 

I heard women screaming all around me and I was just bouncing on the ball and in the pool and whatever I could, I felt like I was managing well.

I  was  concerned for my body not being done with active labour and still the most intense part was to come. So around midnight hour 28 they put me on the drip , and eight hours later I had my sweet angel. 

We had a boy! 

How amazing it was! How amazing it is I am a mom!

I still recommend your class and HypnoBirthing to anyone that will listen. Your class prepared us for many things. Best birth class!

I was talking to other new moms and they had crappy prenatal classes and I am just so grateful we took yours!

Linden

Hi Tracy!

The birth went awesome thanks! We absolutely LOVE being parents! 

Our birth story was pretty great. I started getting mild contractions about 5pm the day before they were going to give me the verbena cocktail. About 11pm it started getting more intense so I took some Tylenol and we were able to sleep between contractions until about 3:30 when we called and went into the centre. Unfortunately during the hard labour I lost all that we had practiced, swearing like a pirate.... Heehee until Tracey (the student midwife) was able to help me with the breathing. Linden was born at 8am the next morning 9.3 lbs and healthy as can be! He is truly the best thing in  our lives and he is an amazing baby. Perfect!  

Rosemary(Rosie)

Hi Tracy,

Things are going really well!! Little Rosemary is adorable and at the moment she tends to sleep 6-8 hours at night!

Our birth story was fairly involved but I don't think I'd change anything about it!

I has several evenings of labour where it would start but then peter out. I was induced twice naturally at Lucina. On the fourth day I went into labour in earnest and had 12-14 hours of back labour. When those first couple of back contractions hit I starting "drowning" and did not do well. On the third back contraction I went really quiet and Tyson thought "Well, that's it. She's had a stroke, going to lose her and the baby."  But eventually I opened my eyes and said something like "I've figured it out!"

With the help of all of our hypno birthing training I had come up with a visualization to get me through each contraction. 

For each contraction I'd picture a little burning sun that would start to rise on the left, pass across my back in an arc, and set on the right. It was intense but I knew that if I "made it mad" it would become huge and engulf me (do you play Nintendo? Kind of like those desert/pyramid levels in Mario where the sun gets mad and chases you!) So I needed to be very still, calm, quiet and relaxed (and everyone else needed to be silent too!) Either Tyson or one of my doulas would give me back counter pressure each contraction. After a few of these visualizations, the Beatles song Here Comes The Sun popped into my head. I would sing it in my head while I "watched" each sun contractions pass by. The words were perfect ("Here comes the sun, and I say... It's alright). This is what I did in my head for the next 12-14 hours. 

I laboured at Lucina, still very controlled and peaceful. Near the end I got in the tub which took away my back labour, it felt amazing. No more sun visualization, no more silence. I started making these beautiful, controlled full-bodied operatic sung intervals (I'm a singer but this was bigger and more womanly than I ever sing). I thought I was near the end, my baby was coming to me, I was so proud of myself!

Then Carly checked me and I wasn't progressing properly. My baby's head hadn't really descended like it should. She said that she thought the baby was trying to tell us something, and she recommended going to the Sturgeon for induction +\- epidural, possibly C-section. This is when I lost my shit a little. Some choice expletives started to flow and I had some bad contractions. But I decided to go. Puked on the Lucina porch on the way out. Did the transfer to Sturgeon on all fours in the back of my car, no seat belt, Renee giving back counter pressure. At this point I was a little frozen in despair and my body slowed down labour a bit. In fact, I used my knowledge of mind over body to TRY and slow things down, to protect myself (I was thinking to myself "We are in a different situation now, look how different everything is" because I know how changing to a new situation can sometimes cause the body to slow down, not feel as comfortable, slow labour). 

Got the epidural right away at the hospital because after so many hours of back labour (no matter how controlled it was) I was not up for now feeling those contractions increased by the Pitocin I would be receiving. So epidural, induction. The doctor came in, said I still wasn't progressing like I should and the baby's readings were worrisome. He gave us some time to see if the baby's activity improved (Tyson & I sang to the baby in my belly, Carly & Renee were in tears and they took an iPhone video of it). Still not enough, doctor suggested C-section and I agreed. I had worked really hard but it was time to get the baby out safely. 

Rosemary Harlow Kerr was born on Saturday November 9 @ 12:32pm via C-section, weight 8 lb 1 oz, length 21. 

Although my labour ended in a C-section I would not have changed a thing about my experience. I can look back at those hours of back labour and think to myself "I did that. And I kicked. Fucking. Ass." I am sooo grateful for the skills that we learned in Hypobirthing, we felt so prepared and Tyson got to have such an important, active role. He was phenomenal, my rock. I would have absolutely drowned in those contractions if we hadn't done so much wonderful preparation. 

So that's it! Rosemary is a wonderful baby and we're crazy about her. I still get together with my midwife group girls and I'm getting very decent sleep! Rosie has never been a perfect latcher so we're still using a nipple shield (although likely changing to just nipple soon) and she had a tongue tie & upper lip tie clipped. Both sets of grandparents are very involved and we've already left Rosemary with them at various times to get out of the house on dates. :)

Thank you for all of the wisdom, practical skills and information that you gave us. It made so much difference in our birthing process. 

Cheers,

Shannon (& Tyson)

 
Oliver

Our birth went really well (it feels like forever ago!) and we had the natural birth we wanted at Lucina. We

arrived at the birth center after a night of deep breathing, listening to my HypnoBirthing playlist while in the tub, and letting my husband sleep. I finally woke him up in the morning around 6 and we headed to Lucina by 10 after speaking to our midwife. We checked in at 5cm, yay! We even got some pictures of me smiling on the birth ball.
Things really kicked into gear during transition as I had intense back labor. That was certainly a curveball we weren't really expecting. I tried to do as much deep breathing as possible but did find it more difficult than I thought it would be. As well, the tub didn't offer the relief I was hoping for. Still, I credit the HypnoBirthing to being able to work through the back labor to have our natural birth. I did hit a wall where I didn't think I could do it any longer and wanted to give up but my midwife and Sean reminded me of our plan and helped me calm with the breathing techniques.
By evening I was pushing and ended up delivering squatting beside the bed with my husband helping me push from behind me and my mom watching from the floor (and loving every minute haha). It really was amazing and perfect despite not having the water birth we planned.
Our baby boy was born at 6:33pm on February 22nd at 7lbs 13 oz 19 inches long. Oliver Leo arrived!
I'm not sure if you remember but my mom is a retired nurse who wasn't totally on board with our birth plan or location. After being at Oliver's birth she has said many times to many people how differently she views birth now and how she couldn't believe how well I did with no epidural. :) She is certainly a believer in hypnobirthing now! 

I just want to say THANK YOU again for your amazing classes and support in planning our birth. I tell anyone who will listen about hypnobirthing and to take classes with you if they want the best birth preparation. We are very grateful!

Hope all is well with you too Tracy!

Nate

Things are going well! I can't believe Nate is almost 2 months. Time flies when you're not sleeping :)

Birth went really well! We stayed at home until I was 7cm, got in the car (which took a while getting out of the house!) and by the time we got to the centre I was ready to push and 1.5 hours later the little man was here! It was perfect. I had him in the bathtub which was great. 

Our baby is also perfect except he would rather be awake than asleep! He's hungry all the time and he's grown soooo much. But that's to be expected considering the size of his dad!

Brooklyn

Our birth went very smoothly. Our daughter Brooklyn came a week early and she came FAST.

I was in active labour from about 3am and then she was born at 7:45. Since I had only gotten an hour and a half of sleep I was falling asleep in between contractions.

I did however use the meditation//relaxation methods to help get to sleep faster the couple of weeks after she was born. Oh! And I found the most helpful tip for during labour was to relax in between contractions.

Hannah 

Our birth story:
At my 40 week check up I was already 3cm dilated, but was only having occasional braxton-hicks contractions.  Two days later I started having strong, regular contractions around 11pm.  The contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart, so we left for the hospital right away.  Trevor did a good job of helping me to relax and focus on my slow breathing.  When we got to the hospital around midnight I was 6cm dilated and our nurse said that I was coping well.  Both of my parents and Trevor stayed with me and were wonderful coaches.  I ended up having terrible back labour and doubling contractions which left me rocking on my yoga ball for hours.  I continued using the breathing techniques and visualizations to cope, but around 7am I started to become physically exhausted and had a hard time maintaining mental focus.  At that time I was 8cm dilated.  I tried to use the laughing gas, but it wasn't helpful, so I asked for an epidural.  The epidural ended up being a really good decision in our situation because Hannah was sunny-side-up and had to be turned so that she could descend into the birth canal.  The OB told me I probably would have needed a c-section if I didn't have an epidural.  After the epidural was inserted I rested for about an hour and by then she had descended and I was ready to push.  She was born after 30 minutes of pushing.  We requested delayed cord clamping and Trevor cut the cord.  Hannah was 7 pounds 2 ounces and 19.5 inches long. 

Overall, I was happy with how things went.  I hadn't been planning on having an epidural, but I had said all along that the most important thing was a healthy baby, so I would keep my options open.  I was so grateful that we had learned the Hypnobirthing techniques.  I thought it was really helpful and did keep me calm and focused during labour, but also was calming and relaxing when we were practicing together during my pregnancy.  I think if Hannah hadn't been sunny-side-up I would have been able to deliver without any interventions. I would definitely use Hypnobirthing again for future babies and I have already recommended it to my friends.  

Thank you for your part in bringing Hannah here safely and happily! 

Allison

Hey Tracy!

Things went really well. I started having contractions at midnight, Ryan  called our midwife at 5am because they were coming stronger and pretty consistent. She said to call again when they were about 4 mins apart or we wanted to go to the hospital. We weren't sure what to do and they were getting more inconsistent so Marie came over at 9 to check me and see what was up. She said we needed to leave then! Allison was born just after 10 :) When I got to the hospital I went right in the shower until I felt the need to push. I mostly just laid in bed at home whining and made Ryan do the breathing with me which really helped! We're having lots of fun hanging out with our cute new baby!

Hope all is well with you :)

Ruby

So I was 41+1 and went for a prenatal appt. I had started to dilate and was 2cm when my midwife swept my membranes to try to get thins going. She also have me the verbena cocktail to take to induce labor. So the next day (41 weeks+2 days) I took the verbena at 3am and again at 9am. By 11:30am I started having some cramping with my Braxton hicks and by 1:30pm I knew I was starting labor. They started off the gate at 2min long and approx 4 min apart. My husband called the midwife to tell her that my labor had started. She came over a little later around 5pm and checked me and I had dilated to 3cm. I continued to labor with the help of self meditation and reciting affirmations to myself through the surges.  Always made sure I was breathing through the surges too. Breathing deep and long really helped with the discomfort. Hopped into the shower for about an hour or so and at 9pm got checked again and I was 4cm. Unfortunately that is where I stayed for the remainder of the evening. Managed to get a little sleep through the night because I was so relaxed and in a very calm state that I would wake for the surge and them fall back asleep when it was done. At 10am the next day (41+3) midwife broke my water with the hopes that it would help things progress since I was still 4cm dilated. Nothing- all day- so by 5pm, with some convincing we decided to transfer to the hospital. We arrived there by 7pm and by 8:30pm they had me hooked up to oxytocin to help increase the intensity of my surges. I immediately got into the shower and sat in it for 3 hrs breathing through my surges with the help of my husband reciting to me that if was going deeper and deeper into relaxation. I had to come out of the shower so the doctor could check me at 11pm and I was only 5cm. I continued to labor naturally- even though they kept offering me pain control such as an epidural- till 3am (41+4) then I finally could start pushing. The whole time I was having back labor and my husband and daughter were taking turns pressing on my hips to helps relieve the pain. After I pushed for 3 hrs the baby was still having a hard time crowning. I became so exhausted but knew I had to get my baby out so we decided to go with forceps. The doctor made the arrangements and after 25 min of forceps and another 15 min of pushing once she had crowned out little Ruby was born at 7:22am after 42+ hrs of labor. I know most women wouldn't labor as long as I did but I was determined to be natural and without major intervention as long as I could and only agreed to the forceps because I was unable to continue and had been up for 25 hrs at that point. I don't regret anything and am grateful that I had the hypnobirthing techniques and breathing at my disposal. My husband was by side the entire 4.5 hrs pushing coaching my on my "J" breathing and it would always work. 

We are happy and in love with our little girl.

Luca

Our birth went really well my water broke on August 2nd at 3:30am we then headed to the birth centre at 9:00am and meet Chantel. My contractions started at 11:00am which then lead to me pushing around 4:00pm in the water. Luca was born at 5:35pm and was and still is beautiful. Raoul and I  are very happy and feel so blessed to have Luca in our lives!!! :)

Hope you are doing well and thanks for your support

Arden

Jason and  I are thrilled to have welcomed Arden Simone on August 21 (at Lucina).  Things went very well, so I'm very relieved that we were able to have our ideal birth scenario.  I think I HypnoBirthed so "well" in the early stages that I sort of didn't realize how far along in labour I was...I was quite shocked that Arden showed up so quickly (we arrived at Lucina at 8 p.m. and birth time was 10:45 p.m.). 

Our birth was amazing and I'm so glad that things went so well!

Mason

Our birth did not go as we initially planned! But that is ok!

 It is a very long story but I will give you the "Coles notes" version  On Feb 1st  we went for our 41 week ultrasound scheduled by Heidi from HOPE midwives. During the ultrasound, we found out that there was no amniotic fluid surrounding the baby. So we had to intervene to get baby moving naturally, with very little luck. On Saturday February 2 any contractions that I was having had stopped and there was very little movement from baby so we had to then be induced. I was firm with my decision that I was going to give birth naturally  so I proceeded with our Doula Pam and with Heidi  at the Royal Alex and laboured in the pool for 13 hours. After being in full blown labour, on pitocin for 13 hours ( 7 of those I thought I was in transition- which is why I kept going ha ha)  my body gave up and I could not continue without an epidural. Once the epidural was given, HEIDI consulted the OB at the Royal Alex who confirmed that I was not progressing and then after 14 hours of labouring they decided to c-section me.I cried! A lot! But knew that it was best for baby at that point to give in. So on Sunday February 3 at 1:07am Mason was born weighing 7lbs 13 oz and 21 inches long. It did not, however, end there - Mason was born with a congenital Heart Defect which we were unaware of, so he was rushed to the Stollery with Garret and while I recovered at the Royal Alex. At four days old, Mason underwent open heart surgery to repair his heart. We were advised that we should be prepared to stay for at least a month - Mason had other plans - on February 14  we got to bring Mason home with us. He is doing amazing! I have attached a picture of him when he was in the hospital and one we took a few days ago! 

Even though we were unable to have Mason naturally and without medical intervention, the hypnobirthing techniques you taught me, helped me stay calm when I didn't think I could go anymore. There is no doubt in my mind that next baby will be born using the hypnobirthing method and it will be a breeze!!!

I decided to share Krista's birth of Mason so people can see, how plans can change with birth, and how unexpected special circumstance sometimes happen. Krista and her husband did great in dealing with a difficult birth, she was trooper, transitional labour for over 7 hours is impressive! Also please note how Krista was still able to use those techniques taught to her, even though her birth didn't go as she had hoped.

Oliver

Hi Tracy,

Thank you for the follow up email.  Josh and I are happy to announce the birth of our son Oliver.  He was born on July 8 at the Sturgeon Hospital.  We had to go there as a prevention because I had light meconium in my water.  But the birth went very well, and I was so glad I had the tools you provided us.  The breathing helped tremendously and I was in a trance pretty much throughout my labour.  I thus had a very calm and  quiet labour and birth.  The midwives were fantastic.
Once again, thank you so much for the information you have provided us...it made our birth experience so much easier!

Vera, Josh and Oliver

Zoe

 Dear Tracy, 

THANK YOU for everything you did to help us bring Zoe into the world! We started as skeptics but are now true believers in all you did to help us. Not only did you help us leading up to the birth , we were able to have peaceful unmedicated, induction. We will be telling everyone we know about you!

Big Hugs Ferd, Sara and Zoe

Landon

Hi Tracy,

We ended up having what you would refer to as a "baby's choice" delivery. My water broke 15 minutes after I left work on January 3rd, 5.5 weeks ahead of my due date. Needless to say I did not have any of my belongings, our CDs, or a CD player. Because he was so early I was unable to deliver at the birth centre with a water birth as planned, but I was able to still have a natural birth. 

Going through your class really helped Neil and I connect and prepare for the birth of our son Landon. Although we were unable to use the visualization techniques (as I was immediately in active labour) we used the breathing techniques the entire time. I was 3 cm dilated when I arrived at the hospital at 5 PM, but Landon did not arrived until 5:08 AM. It was a long labour with over 2 hours of pushing, but it went quite well I think. I also had back labour so Neil's support in helping me remember to breathe made all of the difference. Labour was long and hard, but having no interventions made recovery go very well. Landon is a happy little boy :)

Thank you for all of your help :)

Addalyn

We had a baby girl, Addalyn Julia born Feb 8th. 

My water broke at 7AM, I was at the hospital by 10AM, in active labor at about 12:30PM and I had her at 3! It all went very fast. 

Unfortunately the hospital was so busy (11 births the night before/6 emergency c-sections), I did not get into an actual room until 2PM. It was pretty crazy! 

Because it all happened so quick, we did not get to use much of the hypnobirthing. However, I did use lots of the breathing techniques to get through the "surges" (aka - painful contractions!) 

Thanks again for working with us. 

Krista and Darin

Pierce 

Our baby, Pierce Hendrix Harper, was born on March 11, 2013 at 8 pounds, 4 ounces. All is well. It didn't go quite as planned... okay, it didn't go at all as planned, but everything turned out well.

I did go into get induced as I was quite a bit past my due date, and, although I was slightly disappointed that it wasn't the completely natural birth I had wanted, it turns out that it was good that I did.

I went in for a Cervidil induction. After being given the Cervidil, I was started having contractions almost immediately. HypnoBirthing was working well and, although the contractions were already moderate, I was calm and pain-free. After about an hour on Cervidil, the baby's heart rate dropped to about 60. After turning me on both sides, they decided to pull the Cervidil and baby's heart rate went back to normal.

After a decision that I should not try Cervidil again, they decided that, as contractions were still happening but not frequently enough or as strongly, they would put me on Oxytocin. Half an hour after the Oxytocin started and contractions were occurring (again, despite a worrying situation, I was calm, collected and continuing with HynoBirthing), baby's heart rate dropped again. They decided to stop the Oxytocin.

After discussion with my doctor, we decided to break my waters and see if the contractions would continue and I could allow labour to happen naturally. After breaking my waters, things seemed fine. When I got back from a bathroom break, however, baby's heart rate had dropped again. There wasn't anything that we seemed able to do to get it to completely come back up fully, but baby's heart rate seemed to be connected to my contractions.

Quickly, the doctors made the decision that, as they weren't completely certain of what was happening and there was clear risk to the baby, they would have to do a Cesarian section. In fact, they bumped the other, scheduled c-section to get me immediately delivering my baby. Although this was a situation that should have been quite worrying, I was very, very calm. I attribute this to HynoBirthing and the calm state I was already in. From the moment they made this decision, it was only about twenty minutes before Pierce was born.

It turns out that his cord was tightly wrapped around his chest. With each contraction, his air supply was being greatly depleted. Had normal contractions been allowed to continue, there may have been some very serious consequences. In the end, it was a blessing that I was being monitored with the induction medications to be able to see this early, and it had nothing to do with the medication.

Happily, the operation went well. I'm well under way into recovery, and we have a very healthy, very strong, and very blonde baby boy.

It was funny, the doctor told Connor, "Your wife is a very calm woman," and both of us laughed (despite the circumstances). Usually, calm is NOT an adjective that describes me. Clearly, HypnoBirthing was worth every penny for that level of calm in the hospital.

Also, I apparently have about a 75% chance of having a vaginal birth in future, so maybe next time! :)

Again, thank you for a wonderful class and all your help!

Jennifer

Lily

We had a beautiful baby girl on January 1st at 22:41(8lbs9oz). I had a water birth and used my hypno birthing to its max - although I wasn't a quiet serene hypno mum in the end but I did manage a mere 3 hours of active labour, no tears or stitches and baby and I are doing great.

This is the full and detailed account of the whole birthing process:
Looking back the first signs of labour approaching were present from Christmas eve onwards - nothing major just an ongoing backache that only hot (very) showers and a maxed out heat pad could soothe.

On the 27th I had an acupuncturist appointment (my 3rd) and Danielle definitely used the prenatal spots as I was nearing my due date (January 10th) - that evening my mucous plug started to pass. The next few days more mucous plug passed, and each morning I would get really strong Braxton Hicks contractions - but they would stop when I got up, showered, moved around etc.  

On New Years Eve we all stayed up to celebrate the new year - even had a tiny sip of Champagne!!

The next morning our dogs woke us up at 5:30 and decided they needed their first walk of 2013 - Peter and I got bundled up and walked them in the snow and moonlight. When we got back in I had to take a hot shower and it was after I got out that I knew this was the real thing (as annoying as it is you do just know so I can't explain how I knew).  I went back to bed, I let Peter know but told him it was nothing to worry about and we went back to sleep.

I got up for real at around 10:00 and let my Mum and stepdad (Sel) know that I was in labour At this point everyone else pretty much wanted to go to the birth centre!!  I told them the contractions were still 15 minutes apart and not to panic - so they put on their coats and watched me like a hawk!!  I was not worried or panicked and knew that there was no need to leave for who knew how long.  So I had breakfast, and lunch a little later.  We watched comedy on TV, all the while I was relaxing through the contractions and everyone else was asking how far apart are they and have you called the midwife.  I was timing the contractions and when they were around 5-6 minutes apart I gave Leesha a call (midwife) - we discussed how I felt - which was great and we decided I would call again when they were 4 minutes apart.

About an hour later - after having a nap while listening to my hypnobirthing affirmations - (4:30pm) they were approx 4 minutes apart and I knew we needed to get moving. I called Leesha back and we decided that it was time to head to the birth centre.  We bundled ourselves and the bags we had packed and the car seat and some towels just in case into the car!!

At this point I couldn't really talk during the contractions anymore so let Peter, my Mum and Sel know that I was plugging myself into my iPod!  I thought I would listen to my hypnobirthing recordings but as it turned out they were ingrained enough and it was Adele that I listened to for the hour and some journey into Edmonton.

We arrived at 6:15pm and met Leesha - she examined me and let me know my cervix was fully thinned but did not let me know how dilated I was (which I was glad as I would have been obsessed with the numbers  - if I had to guess I knew it was around 4-5cm and later when I got my copy of the birth report it confirmed my guess - 4cm dilated!!)

I got into the tub with Peter and headed into active labour, not long after getting in the tub I heard a pop and felt my membranes releasee. I would love to be able to say that I had a serene and quiet hypnobirth but when it came to it I had to make noise to connect with the process that was running through me.  I didn't know any times when we were in there, just that I was part of something that was much bigger than me.

Peter was awesome - I couldn't have done it without him!  Mum and Sel kept the midwives supplied with cups of tea!

There was a brief spell out of the tub on the bed, and then I remember them asking if a water birth was what we wanted - I was beyond talking and the thought of moving was overwhelming but I knew it was really
what we wanted so somehow I made it back to the tub - Peter stayed out this time as the midwives knew the time was getting close - I was in the pushing stage.

In what seemed like a long time but also felt like no time at all the baby was crowning - and yes that is the most intense moment - but it was over quickly and our baby was placed on my chest - we were all so
overcome with emotion no one thought to see whether we had a boy or a girl!! I looked and there she was - a perfect baby girl - so perfect that her heart rate never changed during labour and she scored 3 10s on the
APGAR scale :)

The rest of the evening is a little blurred - Mum and Sel came to meet her, we had breakfast (awesome waffles!!) and headed home with our beautiful baby girl :)

 I am so glad that I attended the Hypnobirthing classes - they took all fear away from the pregnancy and birth process and also that we were able to have a midwife instead of a doctor and could use the amazing
birth centre.  All of these factors combined meant that I had a mere 3 hours of active labour, no drugs, a water birth and had no tears or stitches myself and have a wonderful baby girl :)

Rachel, Peter and Lily

 

Tennessee

Hi Tracy
Just wanted to update you on our early arrival. You know how you say that we should only do the opening and thinning hypnosis when we're ready to go into labour?  Well the day after we had our last class with you we were laughing on the way to the hospital saying that you definitely wield some power with your gift. Our daughter Tennessee Reid Schneider was born one month early at 10:50 pm. She was quick and unexpected (we didn't head out to the hospital until 7:45 or so because I just felt uncomfortable). I wish I had some extra time with the material for sure but will be using it next time as it did help me have a clearer head than what I know if I hadn't gone through the classes. I do still use material during breast feeding too. Thanks so muchfor all your help. I fully expect we will connect with you again for our next pregnancy.

Quinn

Hello Tracy!

How are you? Alex and I are doing great. We now have a 2 weeks old baby girl! Quinn.  She was born Dec 3 @ 12:21 am. 8 lbs 3 oz 20 inches long.

The labor and delivery was crazy fast and drug free!!
Dec 2 4:30 pm my water broke at a friends house. I went home told Alex so he slowly got ready. I made some pasta for dinner. We left the house about 8:30 with contractions about 5-6 minutes apart. They got me up, checked in, and checked me about 10 pm I was about 4 cm. Contractions were getting so strong with no breaking in between. I tried the ball I tried the shower. They were so strong they were dropping me. At around 11:30 I was in the shower and had the urge to push. So they got me out of the shower started pushing at 11:40pm she was born at 12:21 am we were home by 7 pm on the 3 rd.

Having gone to your classes made me very relaxed even when my water broke. I feel like I was very prepared for the whole thing.  Alex said it was a great experience and that he would recommend it for sure. I loved not having to have any IV's and being able to move around and shower shortly after Quinn was born. 

Your classes helped me so much with being able to stay calm and not stress! She is a very calm and happy baby.

Merry Christmas to you and your family!!

Ella 

Thanks for following up!
We are pleased to announce that little Ella arrived on Tuesday at the Lucina Centre. The birth itself was amazing! I started going into labour at about noon and by the time we got to the centre I was fully dilated and I got into my "spa" and less then an hour later, Ella was here. The classes really helped that's for sure!  Other than a tear in the perineum everything was so amazing! Thanks for your help and advise and classes!

Fletcher

Hi Tracy,

Just thought I would drop you a quick line and let you know our little boy arrived at 3:45am on Saturday November 24th. We named him Fletcher. 

Fletcher weighed in at 6lbs 15oz and was 19.5" long. He was 9 days overdue and I ended up being induced.
The birth wasn't exactly as planned (whenever does it go to plan). I had ideas of staying at home and resting up as long as possible and walking the hospital hallways, bouncing on the fit ball and utilizing the shower for pain relief and relaxation. Instead it was intense and very fast! I was induced at 5:45pm on Friday 23rd and was told it would likely be a long process for me as my cervix was still thick and I wasn't dilated at all. I had the cervadil implanted (very unpleasant process) and waited 2 hours at the hospital at which time I was told everything looked good and come back in 24 hours (just had to call in to the nurses every 4 hours to report how I was doing). We ventured home around 8pm and I started having contractions in  the car on the way home, this was nothing unusual as I had been having light contractions a few evenings in a row previously but everything stopped when I would go to bed. We stopped to pick up some supper on the way and came home to settle in for the night. By 9pm just an hour later the contractions were coming pretty frequently 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds apart and lasting from 20 seconds to 1 minute 40, they were also getting more intense but manageable. We called the hospital and they said not to come in yet unless I wanted pain relief and that things should settle down soon. I decided to take a bath to relax and thought perhaps this would calm things down a little. While in the bath my contractions continue to progress and I was getting little break between them and at around 11:10pm we decided we should probably think about getting ready to head back to the hospital, also if I didnt get out of the bath then and there I probably was going to have to stay there for the whole process. I had just got myself sorted and sat down to put my socks and shoes on and my water broke at 11:30pm so it was straight off the hospital we went.
We arrived at the hospital at midnight and I was told I was 2cm dilated, by this stage my contractions were moving one into the other so I was getting no breaks at all. It was very difficult for me to find my centre and collect my thoughts, but I just tried to focus on my breathing and I had Steve to rub my back and talk me through it. He used his calm, level hypnobirthing voice and continued to talk me through it. I was pretty much in my own little world, just trying to stay focused. I unfortunately succumbed to some pain relief and had a shot of morphine and gravol, which helped me to relax a little but it was exhausting going from one contraction to another. By around 1:30am I was 5-6cm dilated and the nursing staff were worried about the baby as his heart rate kept dropping dramatically. I was hooked up to the monitors constantly and given oxygen and an IV, but there was no way I was able to get off that bed anyway, my body was shaking uncontrollably like I had extreme muscle fatigue and the contractions were too intense that even rolling from side to side was torture.
I was worried at this point that they would take me in for a caesarian as they were getting increasingly concerned about baby's heart rate and his oxygen supply. However things were progressing fast and by 3:15 am I was feeling the urge to push. The nurses checked and I was 10cm and ready to go. They told me I had to push good and hard and get this baby out fast, so I pushed for twenty minutes and with the help of the vacumn Fletcher arrived into the world, bright eyed and extremely alert. 

 When they placed him on my chest I remember he picked his head up right away and looked around the room, it was the craziest thing!
The hypnobirthing techniques definitely helped, for me the time went by so quickly, every hour really did seem like 5 minutes and Steve was a fantastic coach. I feel very blessed to have someone so calm and in control that I can trust completely because I was in no shape to be discussing anything with the medical staff, Steve took care of all that and made sure I was looked after.

The recovery process has been a breeze and all the fears and concerns I had didn't matter and even though I did end up with a couple of stitches I really didn't care in the end, so I think the fear release really helped. I hope I never have to be induced again, although it wasn't horrific as some people had described it certainly would have been nice to ease into it a little slower.

We are all doing well, Fletcher is a happy and healthy baby who is growing so fast! I can't believe he is 3 weeks old already. The concept of sleep is a distant memory, but I know it won't be the case forever and truth be told he isn't too bad during the night, wakes up at 3am and again at around 5am to be fed so we are getting a few hours in between.

Thank you so much for all the advice and information you gave us, I would definitely recommend your classes to anyone I know who is pregnant. I felt very calm and in control in the lead up to our birthing day.

Thanks Again Tracy,
Kind Regards
Steve, Courtney and Fletcher

Tayden

Tayden has born at home on August 13.  He is perfect and happy!  I started having contractions on the 12th at noon.  My midwife and doula came over at 2:30 am on the 13th.  I was at 4cm but stretchy to 8.  I had no pain until I was about 9cm, and it was back pain.  After labouring in the pool at 9.5cm for hours I had my water broken.  I pushed for 1.5 hrs as Tayden was a bit crooked coming out (hence the water not breaking).  It was awesome and I wouldn't change a thing.  Thanks for everything you do.  Our class helped during the birth but also helped my sleep prior and was a great birthing preparation class for my husband (who only likes to read about sports and stocks!).  Hope you are well!

 
Julia Jane

Had my home birth all went smooth and nicely. That book alone I read was too awesome . Helped me to learn all about births from long to now a days. I'm already a high anxiety person so I knew I'd have trouble. And I laboured quite fast. Started first contraction at 7pm then had her at 2:30am. Joanna made it to my house only at 1:50am. Only cause I called her late. I was 8cm when she checked me at 2:10. Right before I got in the tub. Had to push right away as soon as I dipped into that warm water. Voila my beautiful baby girl. Her name is Julia Jane. Thanks nice to hear from you. 

 Solange

Yes, our little miracle was born on Sept 7...I was visiting with my cousin when the contractions started...I thought it was just practice labour again. It was only when I felt a push downwards that I thought, "Uh oh. Here we go!"

At about 2:30, I called Doug to tell him that it was time. My mother-in-law came over to take over with Océanne, whom I left rampaging the Captain Crunch cereal...something she took FULL advantage of because those types of cereal make it into our house twice a year...so she thought she hit the jackpot!

Doug drove us to Lucina while I listened to the birth prep recording you had sent me all the way there. The contractions, which had been already five or so minutes apart, had just started to get serious just before the car ride...so, the recording came in handy. We got to the birth centre at about 3:30. Mary was waiting for us with another midwife. I hopped in the shower and continued the self-meditating with the hot water on my belly...Doug was there to put pressure on my hips. Marie was there to guide the whole thing...but my mom and Doug did most of the heavy lifting in terms of helping me cope. By the time I hopped in the tub, I was in full transition and I was very surprised at the strong pushing action! Solange Féralia Macaulay was born at 5:50 pm - I think with only three contractions to breath her down (it was so quick). Marie grabbed her as soon as her head was out and slid the rest of her body out at which point I grabbed her. That was it! We since then have settled in our new routine. She sleeps her 8-to-10 hours at night...so that helps with the fatigue. Although she feeds non-stop during the day.

Mélanie & Doug

Samuel

I've been meaning to email you about our birth for ages and I keep forgetting!  I think about it at night when I'm using the relaxation techniques to fall asleep, and then it slips my mind during the day.  

Anyway, Samuel James was born on August 24th at the birth centre.  The birth was SO good. 

 Labour was so much faster and better than when our older son Alex was born - I put it down to a combination of it being our second time, more relaxed prenatal care (thank you midwives), and just being in a better frame of mind (thank YOU!).

Labour was pretty fast, and Sam was born less than an hour after we got to Lucina.

I had been having contractions all day on Friday but was able to continue with my regular day. By the time I was coming home from my mom’s around 4:30 pm I was definitely feeling the contractions but still didn’t think anything would happen soon.  Chris got home at 5:30 and I went and had a bath, and things sped up from there.  I finally started timing contractions and they went from 30 seconds long at 6:00 to 50-60 seconds long at 6:45.  Chris called my mom and asked her to come stay with Alex, and we called the midwives to let them know I was in labour. I still wasn’t convinced that I had progressed far enough to actually leave home, so I told the midwife we’d call back after my mom arrived and decide then if it was time to go to the birth centre. By the time my mom arrived contractions were coming faster and stronger and it was definitely time to hit the road. We left home around 7:30 and Chris drove 140 on the Henday most of the way. He said when I swore really badly on the second speed bump on the way out of our street, he knew he was going to have to hurry.

The midwife checked me when we got to the birth centre and when she told me I was 8 cm I was SO excited.  When I was labouring with Alex I only made it to six before getting the epidural so I was proud of myself for getting to eight!  She made me go pee before getting in the tub, and my water broke at the same time.  I didn’t experience that with Alex’s birth, so it was another milestone that was kind of exciting! Also possibly the weirdest feeling ever.  I got in the tub and only had a few contractions before starting to push.  I think they told me later that the pushing stage lasted about 20 minutes – it felt way longer and way shorter at the same time.  Samuel was born at 8:39 pm, about 45 minutes after we arrived at the birth centre. 

I absolutely never thought I would be one of those women that had a three hour labour.  I honestly think that reading and hearing about several women who had really positive (and short) labour experiences helped make it possible for me. I really wanted this birth to be so many things to help me heal from my first experience, and it turned out to be exactly what I wanted and then some.  I went into labour on my own, I laboured at home for as long as possible, I was allowed and encouraged to do what felt right at my own pace and without intervention. I used a lot of the simple relaxation techniques and they really helped.  

It was the best experience I could have asked for.

Megan and Chris

 Louis 
Tracy, please feel free to share the following story and attached picture on your website:

We had a baby boy on May 28, 2012 at 12:21am. Louis (pronounced Louie) Lliam Martin-LeBlanc was born naturally, weighing 8 lbs 8 oz and 21 3/4 inches long! Since he was born at 41 weeks and 4 days, he has lots of hair, long fingernails, and some cute chubby cheeks! :)

When my water broke Saturday night, there was meconium in the fluid so we decided to go to the hospital for the birth instead of staying at home. I did a natural induction with a lemon verbena cocktail on Sunday (a midwife specialty!). I took the cocktail at 12:30pm, went to bed and listened to some hypnobirthing sessions (thank you for the recordings!). I woke up to some cramping at 3:15pm, the contractions were about 2-3 minutes apart by 3:45pm, and Louis was born 9 hours later! Overall, the experience was very surreal and amazing. I got to use the birth pool quite a bit, but ended up giving birth on "land" (the hospital bed). And I ended up with only one stitch! Amazing. :)

Thank you for all the tools and techniques you provided us to make the labour and birth the best experience possible - I believe that the visualizations and positive affirmations truly had positive effect on the outcome. And, like you mentioned in class, practicing the hypno sessions with my husband brought us even closer together in preparation for the labour and birth. I will recommend your class to my friends and family! Thank you!

Amy, Mathieu, Louis

 
Gweneth

 Hello Tracy,

Just wanted to thank you for the amazing classes and all the help and support.  Meg and I had a beautiful girl on Aug.2 at 4:56am. Her name is Gweneth Diane Ryan and she was 8 pds 9 oz.  Meg says that she found the teachings from HypnoBirthing very helpful throughout the process.  Unfortunately we were unable to have Gwen at home and ended up at the Sturgeon hospital.   Regardless it was an amazing experience and we're extremely happy with the whole process.  Thanks again for everything.
Love
Tyler, Meagan, and Gwen

Kyle

 
Hey Tracy!!
Got your message...Kyle was born July 1st at 1:42am. 7lbs, 130z, 18inches.
Hypnobirthing was soooooo helpfull!!!
Thanks,
Kim and Wayne and Kyle

Naveed

 Hi Tracy,

We had our little boy on May 17. Yes, he did come a little early but he is healthy and energetic.

Our birthing experience wasn't what we expected it to be! It was incredibly short (2-3 hrs) and the surges didn't feel like they were of a physical nature. They were more like a focal point for my breath and for my body. I only knew that I was having them because my breath would suddenly deepen and my focus would be internal.

I have to admit that crowning did not feel good! Each time I felt the urge to push, I pushed a little bit and he came rushing out. It felt like he moved at least a couple of inches with each push! According to my midwife, that would not be an exaggeration! According to her, I was an excellent pusher!

I'd like to thank you for helping us have a beautiful birthing experience! It was one of the most memorable moments of my life.

I will never forget how curious he looked when he first came out. He was looking around at everybody and everything! He was so alert and he immediately started to snort when they put him on my belly. Then he gave me a big smile. It was so precious.

I've attached a couple of Naveed's pictures to this e-mail. I hope you enjoy them!

Thanks again,

Cathy, Ali and Naveed

Tayla

Mom had a natural birth at Lucina Birthing Centre, and the midwife said she wished she could have videoed the birth. Mom did amazing and had so much control even the midwife was impressed.!!

Avery Lorelei 

Hi Tracy

I am very glad to have taken the class, and glad I was able to practice with the CDs.  Patrick didn't really practice with me as much as I had hoped but I still found it to be effective on the day. Perhaps not for pain relief so much as for fear release.  I was pretty calm through it all and that alone made for a good experience.  I know the doctor watched me at one point while I was going through a lot of shivering and shaking and commented on how calm and relaxed I looked.
I will be sure to recommend you to any of my preggo friends!  I'd come back if I ever was crazy enough to do this again.Ha!
Included is a picture of our little girls. Avery is on top and weighed 6lbs1oz and Lorelei weighed 5lbs15oz   Very healthy sizes for twins.
Thank you so much for the kindness you showed me through our HypnoBirthing journey!

Kindest regards, Lisa

Dylan

Hi Tracy,

I'm happy to announce the birth of my sweet baby Dylan who was born on April 9 at 10:05 PM.

I'm very thankful for taking the HypnoBirthing classes (so a huge thanks to you).  I must admit I wasn't completely in the zone to make the surges feel painless but I wasn't off to a bad start when I had cramps at 8:30 AM.  The previous night I had 16 people (10 adults, 6 kids) over for an Easter turkey.  When I woke up the next morning with cramps, I was worried that I had given everyone food poisoning.  Everyone was fine but then I wondered if I was the only one who ate the white meat.  (According to my obgyn, I wasn't expecting for quite a while.  That Thursday my cervix wasn't even close to being ready so I really had it in my head that he wasn't coming for at least another week).  By noon, my surges were 30-45 seconds long every minute or two.  Again, I was confused by that since I was expecting surges to be further apart in the beginning.  I phoned the Misericordia and the nurse told me I was just experiencing labour cramps and that I'm not even in labour. That freaked me out thinking if this feeling is for just cramps - what are the real surges going to be like??  After 11 hours of thinking I'm just having labour cramps, I realized it was the real deal at 8:30 PM (I could feel transition occurring).  We were at the hospital by 9 and an hour later Dylan arrived. 

The doctor said I did a fantastic job and asked if I did anything to prepare for the birthing.  I mentioned your name and that I took hypnobirthing classes with you.  He said he'll be sure to recommend that to all his patients.
Once again, thanks for helping me to achieve a drug free birthing process!!!!!

 

Aayah

Another 100% natural birthing experience!

Zane

Lawrence and I had engaged Tracy for private HypnoBirthing classes toward the last trimester. Under Tracy's tutelage, we practiced the HypnoBirthing scripts and affirmations daily for the last couple months before our 'birth-day.' At 4am, Jan 19, it was finally go-time, and we excitedly headed to the Sturgeon. Tracy was right. Throughout the 27 hours of labor, no pain was experienced, just pressure. Because of the HypnoBirthing education, I felt confident to decline the epidural. Our birthing room was set up with calming spa music, alternating with Marie Mongan's birthing affirmations. (This helped greatly, as the pressure became more intense!). Even the nurse’s enjoyed coming into our room, as it was always quiet, calming. (It was dubbed the spa room! It was so different from what they were used to.) So grateful that we took the course together, because Lawrence was totally in tune with all that was going on. Drawing on our daily practice of the HypnoBirthing scripts and breathing, he performed hypnosis on me, reading the affirmations, and gently encouraging me between the nutritional shakes and healthy energy drinks he fed me. The night progressed on in quiet meditation, breathing, and little walks. Finally, the next morning on Jan 20, our little Zane was born.

I think it's important to point out that HypnoBirthing is not only for mom and baby, it's for dad, just as much as it's for mom. We are so grateful to Tracy and HypnoBirthing, as we got to experience the very birth that we envisioned."

Avery

The first half of the birth - which was at the birth centre - went really well and was wonderful. I loved the hypnobirthing and it definitely helped a lot (between the hypnobirthing & meditation techniques, I was already 5 cm when we arrived at the centre and was still smiling and everything!). You can ask Jenn about the second half of the birth if she didn't already mention it - I had to get transferred to the Mis. In any case, we are all doing really well now and very happy. Thanks again for teaching us! We enjoyed working with you.
Shelley & Jason

Heath

Heath born Feb 11th, at 18:53.  8 pounds 15 ounces. No drugs or medical interventions used.  Great birth and we can't thank you enough for your help.


Mark and Teri

Henry

Mom feels great after having a short and natural birth.

Alexander

So, my birthing story...

On January 21st, Alexander was born at 4:06am at 9lbs 1oz. 

For a few days prior to the 21st I was having random mild contractions and they started to pick up in intensity around 4:00pm on January 20th. My mom came over just in case and we started to time them. They were coming in every 5 minutes and lasting for about one minute with varied intensity. It never really got that uncomfortable but when they came I would take a moment and breathe through them. I called my midwife and she told me to get in the tub and if they were not real they would go away. I had a bath and after I got out the were still happening, just less frequently and when they came they were really intense. I decided to lay down and get some rest (it was 9:00pm this time). I tried to relax and breathe through the contractions but they were so intense the only thing I could do was rock through them. I had rented a tens machine so at this point I put it on. Through the rest of the evening my contractions increased to 1 minute apart lasting for 30 seconds so we called the midwife (around 1:30am) and we both decided it would be best to go to the hospital. My husband and I got to the hospital and into the room around 3:00am when the midwife checked me and told me the baby wasn't far as I was 8cm dilated. For the last hour I was on my knees on the bed rocking and breathing and trying to relax but it was REALLY difficult - I think due to back labour. When baby was descending I wanted to be on my side then on my back. Although I could not relax and get into the zone, I did not fear my labor and what was happening even though it was damn hard. I was thinking positive thoughts about bringing this baby into the world and "opening" for it. I also listened to my body and was telling others what I needed rather than having them tell me. After the baby was born it had felt like it was a team effort - we did it!

Thank you for the coaching and sessions. Although I wasn't able to get into the 'zone' this birth was all that I could have asked for and was a positive experience.

Sincerely,
Kelly

Marigold

Hi Tracy,

Des here.  I have been meaning to mail you for a long time!  I just wanted to give you the low down on our labor and delivery.

It started on Monday the 26th of September at 1230 am... I have to say that I wasn't sure if it was the real deal so I waited it out without telling Dylan for  about an hour and a half.  But as I was tracking them on my iPhone app I could see that they were lasting longer and getting closer, so I knew it was really happening!

I tried to sleep in between but they got pretty intense fast... just like I hoped... so I jumped into the tub and it was nice, but I felt best on all fours.   That was pretty much the only way I could manage as I later realized that this was called back labor!  Hahahaha.. it actually wasn't that bad.  I can't believe that it wasn't that bad.... anyway, we decided to go to the hospital at 7 am.  I was buckled in the the passenger seat, but after a few blocks, I decided to get in the back into my fave position for the remainder of the trip to St. Albert.

At about 8 am I was assessed and I was already 4 cm!  We were so surprised!  Dylan made a joke about having a baby by lunch ( as our "work day baby" plan) and the nurse was so negative!  She said "oh no no no! Don't think that's going to happen... this is your first... blah blah".  I knew in the back of my mind it was very possible and I was excited. '

Now I'm not sure how much time passed untill I was in the labor tub or how long l was in there either- which was also cool..sticking close to our practice that I wouldn't be able to tell.  The surges were getting pretty strong and I could tell Pam was sorta surprised or confused by these long/doubled up surges...but then I started to have the "transition panic".  I didn't know that thats what it was though.  All it consisted was of a tear or two and I said shaking my head a few times " I don't know... I don't know" . Pam reassured me that I could do this and that this is what my body was made to do.  The next thing I knew- there was a head in my crotch! hahahaha...That's that only way I can describe it, but the baby was coming!

So they put me on the bed ( again on all fours ) and then my water broke, which felt great- I might add!  The nurse check me and I was 9 cm but had a "lip" on my cervix.  Pam was right on it- she asked her which side it was on and then they turned me on that side to get it to open evenly.  Those surges were nasty!  Only three of them passed and I was ready to push. 

So back into the all fours... I could hear this young intern asking " is she ok like that???" He sounded sorta freaked out!  The Doc told him "what ever she feels good in- is fine for us".  I have to admit that at that point the hypno birthing wore off... I did a bit a screaming... I couldnt help it!  The ring of fire is just that! No way around that one... At one point Pam asked me if I wanted to reach down and I shouted at her " are you F'ing crazy?!!!"  I guess every one who wasn't in labor had a good laugh!

After only 18 mins of pushing ( 11:58 am- just in time for lunch!!! hahaha) our little baby Marigold was born!!! It was amazing! And it was honestly not that bad. I could do it again no prob!  I am So glad that we took your course.  I think it helped  more that I know.

Dylan was great- it was like once it was all really happening, he dropped the eww gross attitude and cut the cord even.  I was so happy that he was able to do it all with me.

So, add this mega success to your list!

Thank you,

Des and Dylan and Marigold

P.S. My biggest fear of tearing didn't come true either! Yay

Roick

Hey Tracy!!
I want to let you know I had my baby. His name is Roick (RO-ick comes from the word heroic) He was born October 13th at 5:34 pm he was 9 pounds. He is a wonderful little guy with dark hair and his eyes are still trying to decide what color they want to be. The birthing process was only 2 1/2 hours and very gentle. My surges were still the crampies and I did find them very distracting but the hypnobirthing really helped me be confident and calm. I was able to breath Roick out (with no tearing). I got in the tub and was in there for maybe 30 min (Justin tells me this because the time distortion worked well for the surge part of our birth) and then my water broke and with 2 or 3 breaths Roick was born into my arms. I did it all by myself too just like I wanted. Justin was with Kaeb, and Barb was doing something somewhere in the house lol I'm not sure what she was up too, but i called Justin told him to get Barb when my water broke and by the time she got to the room Roick was already out. Barb says it was only a minute between my water breaking and him being born. It was amazing and I am so proud of myself and him. It truly was a beautiful birth. Also Barb was amazing for the whole birthing process, I was really impressed with her and everything she did for us. Time has gone by so fast he is almost 3 weeks old already. Thank you for everything!!!! I loved my Hypnobirth!!
Big Hugs
Tania

Ella 

We had Ella at 11:48 last night. She is 6 pounds 4 ounces. 

My surges started at around 8:00 pm and we got to the hospital around 9ish.  It was fast. I was not induced, my labour started naturally! 


The hypnobirthing was very helpful.  I was able to stay focused during most of the surges and was listening to the rainbow cd for the entire duration. I did not need any pain medication or epidural. Also I only have a first degree tear, with my first baby it was a second degree tear.  When Ella came out she was calm and was able to start nursing right away.  It was just at the end with the pushing that I could not focus anymore and just wanted to push as hard as possible to get her out.
The classes really helped, I was able to breath and visualize through surges, and went into labour all on my own.


Thanks very much,
Roni

Emily 

Emily joined us July 29th at 6:04 am.  We weren't able to get the exact birth we were hoping for but the important parts were there, such as Scott being present.  He flew home on the last day of his shift and I picked him up and we went right to the hospital as the day before I had a tiny amount of fluid discharge and we needed to check and see if it was that my water was broken, as I ended up testing positive for group B strep.  It turns out that it was a really small slow leak and since it was over 24 hours since it had started they wanted to induce the labour.  Scott and I talked about it and decided that even though it would make things harder we wanted to make sure that Emily was safe so we went ahead with it and also received the necessary antibiotics to protect her from contracting the bacteria.  In the end labour was 3 hours and 10 minutes.  No epidural or other pain medications, yay!!  As a result she is a very alert and happy baby.So thank you very much for your part in our being able to achieve this.

 

Rylan

The Classes- We absolutely loved the class and you!! We feel so empowered and excited for the birth; we definitely left wanting more and would have liked to even have another few sessions (not that we didn't feel everything was covered, just had such a great time with the hypnosis and learning).

We will definitely send you updates and a picture of our little angel once he arrives earthside.

The Birth - 1.5 years waiting to be picked by an angel, 41.5 weeks for him to grow, & on Tuesday, July 26th our son Rylan  took his first breath. Our hearts will forever walk outside our bodies now, we're so in love!!
Laboured all weekend with help of just Ryan & hypnobirthing (62hours to be exact) then on the Monday evening, went into the hospital, had a much needed rest after an epidural, had a few scares with baby, 2.5hours of pushing, and then we became the proud parents of such a gorgeous little man.while up with our champion eater, lol).
As Ryan only has 5 days now with Rylan, we're going to spend as much time as possible getting to know our little angel.
Here's a few photos of our little man, only 22 hours old, on his way home:)

 

Grayson

So, the birth was great. I went into labour at about 11:30 in the morning on April 11th. Things progressed fairly slowly until about 4:00 or so, then hard labour until 10:30 p.m. I stayed home with our doula until about 9 - and we barely made it into St. Albert in time to get me upstairs. I was so lucky that my doctor happened to be there finishing up another birth! The only bad part was transitioning in the car (I could have done without this). Anyway, I pushed for about 20 minutes and Grayson was born! What was so special about his birth, was that my grandfather was with me from about 1:00 p.m. on. Then my grandmother joined, then my mother. I thought it would be too many people, but there ended up being a ton to do, so it worked out. My grandfather took notes the whole time and wrote a little birth story for Grayson! Something special to put in his baby box to be read when he's older. The support of my family felt really good; I felt unstoppable.


As far as the hypnobirthing side of things, the benefits were great for me. I had a hard time keeping focus, and couldn't stand the noise of anyone speaking, so mostly it was just me on all fours vocalizing for hours upon end. What I believe hypnobirthing did for me was got rid of the fear entirely. Grayson was 9 days early, and I had just been told that he'd turned posterior - this would have normally sent me for an over-the-top freak out! Instead, I spoke to the baby, and was filled with trust that absolutely everything was going to be okay. I never once went into fear despite the pain - incredible! 

Thank you so much for your support and time through the weeks as we learned about the hypnobirthing process. You made us feel like no question was stupid, and gave us the confidence to delve into it. 

 Breanna

We were blessed with a baby girl, Breanna Mar. 29th 11pm 8lbs 8oz. Home water birth and it was everything that I had hoped it would be. The hypnobirthing helped a ton, listened to the recorded cd and was able to nap through contractions for 1 1/2 hrs in the afternoon. Had the other Cd going during the breathing my baby down, the midwives were very impressed as well as an MD who was there just observing the water birth as she wants to get a tub into the Rimbey hospital. I would listen to the cds every night and sometimes during the day if I needed to relax.  I read the whole book as well. Will definitely be recommending your course to all my pregnant patients,thanks again Tracy.

Alexander

Hi Tracy,

As you know, Alexander was born on Oct 15, 2010 at 17:17hrs.  Labour was very quick and rather scary especially since this was our first child.  We had a difficult time convincing the staff at the hospital that Yolanda was, in fact, in labour since she was very relaxed, relying on her deep breathing exercises to manage each surge.  Apparently, if you don't swear and shout at the top of your lungs, you're not taken seriously.

Yolanda and I are firmly convinced that the hypnobirthing techniques you taught us helped both mum and dad stay focused and calm despite the difficult delivery. The situation would have been far worse if mum and dad were distressed. It could have easily escalated to a Cesarean delivery if either one of us were not focused on the situation. Most impressively, Yolanda was able to deliver Alex without any medication.  The first medication she received was when she was being stitched up after they had cut her, used forceps and delivered the baby! She was amazing and I'm so very proud of her.  Incidentally, our nurse was rather excited to have a hypnobirthing couple and intended to brag that Yolanda delivered our baby without the use of any medication.

The hypnobirthing enabled me to coach Yolanda by getting her to focus, relax, release fears and stay calm. Combined with our deep trust, we were armed to deal with a complicated birth. Hypnobirthing helped us both to be prepared.

Alexander had a very difficult birth, yet he recovered quickly and was alert and responsive by the time he reached dad's arms for the first time.  Safe to say that we credit that with the drug-free birth.

Thanks so much for your help.  We'll carry these lessons forward as we enter the scary and exciting world of parenthood.

Adam, Yolanda & Alexander.

Jaxon

"You already had the opportunity to hear the birth story, but I just wanted to reiterate how great of an experience it was. All of the suggestions we had "installed" really did work when labor began (I sound surprised here for some reason ha!). Even though Evan did not put me under, I used my surge breathing and visualizations in a way that seemed to be almost subconscious.
We will definitely use hypnobirthing again in the future! And for next time I will know for sure when I am in labour! You have been a great instructor, thank you!!
."

Raygen

"Another 100% natural birth, with total labour lasting only 6 hours, three of those at the hospital. Mom is convinced that the labour went quickly and smoothly because she was so relaxed and focused."

Jackson

(no photo available)

"Just writing to let you know our little boy Jackson arrived 3 1/2 weeks early on Sept. 22, at 7 lbs 3 oz!  He's a gorgeous, quiet little guy.

Regarding the labour: I did visualize blue ribbons and flowers opening!  And tried to relax and let my body do its thing despite the pain and fatigue.  I dilated from 1 to 10 cm in about 6 hours and once at 10, he was out in about 20 minutes with no tearing (yay!  I was worried about that!).  So I think the relaxation helped with the speed and ease of delivery. 

I know you wanted an update, so there you go!  Thanks for your help and guidance, I really think it helped make things go as well as they did and hopefully for baby number 2 I can use more of the techniques."

Massimo  

"Tracy thanks for everything.  I have nothing but rave reviews about you and your class."

 









Eleanor 

Mom had a  100% natural unmedicated birth

"The HypnoBirthing was a great way to structure the relaxation techniques and preparation for labour and delivery.  The psychological

preparation is excellent, and she laboured well with the techniques and with doula support.  The Slow/Surge Breathing really helped during early and active labour.  She didn't really even realize that she was having surges initially...it was more of a cramping sensation.  She was so relaxed. Anyway, we are big advocates of the HypnoBirthing techniques, and will tell everyone we know about it.  Hopefully we can help spread the word."

 
Liam 

"Thanks so much for all of your good work with us during the Hypnobirthing course. We really got a lot out of the course. We would love to pass on your name to our pregnant friends. Thanks again!"

Anna 

"Regarding the birth - The birth was not as ideal as I had pictured it to be, but I was calm through out the labour and birth.  Transition did last about 3 hours. We were told that we were the loveliest couple,... and very easy going of all the couples on the floor.  There were 26 women in labour that day.

Most important, baby remained calm through the 34 hour labour and was born with no cord wrapped around her little neck (This was a fear).In February, an ultrasound showed that the cord was wrapped twice around her neck and when I asked if it would unwind, my OB-GYN told me no.I attribute her calmness and the change in the cord to our sessions with you. 

Thank you so much for all you did for us!"