Bee’s Story
“he was 10 lbs and almost 11 ounces… and it was perfect.”’
Bee had a 2-hour active labour, with 11 minutes of breathing her baby out into the world, minimal pain and pelvic floor damage, and without ever needing to push.
But those outcomes aren’t the most incredible part. What stays with me most is the confidence and trust she was able to cultivate in herself to reclaim her birthing space.
Watch the full video:
I’m still in awe of Bee*. She has a beautiful story, and I feel honoured to have worked closely with her and her husband as they prepared for the birth of their second child.
*Name has been changed upon request for privacy.
When I first sat down with Bee and her husband to chat about HypnoBirthing, it was clear that they had mixed feelings about their first birth experience and wanted to prepare differently this time. Bee shared that during her first birth, she felt like she wasn’t given enough information, or the space, to make her own informed decisions.
~ The first birth
After a straightforward and uncomplicated pregnancy, her membranes ruptured naturally at 37 weeks before labour began. At the hospital, an induction process was started, which escalated quickly, and the contractions became more than her body could tolerate. Other interventions then unfolded with too little explanation, leaving Bee feeling as though she had lost both information and agency in the process. By the end of it, her and her husband both felt lost, overwhelmed, and as though the whole experience had unfolded faster than they could fully process. Understandably, they carried some worry and distrust into the second pregnancy.
“I feel like in my first birth, birth happened to me.”
~ the second pregnancy
Unlike her first uncomplicated pregnancy, this one felt different almost from the beginning. Bee remembers her doctor being concerned early on about a few things - that her placenta might be low, which raised the possibility of a c-section if it didn’t rise, and that her baby was measuring larger than average.
"He was measuring big throughout the pregnancy," Bee shared, recalling all the extra ultrasounds to monitor his growth.
With all of that in the background, the fears started creeping in. After what had happened in her first birth, she really wanted to steer clear of multiple medical interventions this time.
So Bee and her husband decided on HypnoBirthing.
“We knew we wanted to know more. We wanted to be more prepared than the last time," she said.
With her heart set on a natural birth, Bee shared early on with her OB that she wanted to experience the full spectrum of labour.
"I have no idea what a natural contraction feels like and I really want my body to be able to do what it needs to do to have this baby."
And yet, even after naming both her hopes and her fears, the possibility of intervention still seemed to hover in the background. As the pregnancy went on, Bee found herself feeling increasingly frustrated.
“I felt like I wasn’t able to really enjoy it,” she said.
Conversations about induction and the baby’s size became a kind of backdrop to the pregnancy, pulling her away from the excitement of simply waiting to meet her little one.
~ labour starts
Despite her frustration, as the weeks went by in pregnancy, the strength, confidence, and trust Bee was fostering within herself really started to shine through. Even though this was her second baby, the sensations of natural labour were still elusive to her, and she wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
In the lead-up to birth, things were a bit of a rollercoaster, with lots of starts and stops. For weeks, she felt practice surges, which initially made her feel hopeful. But as time dragged on and the baby still hadn’t arrived, she couldn’t shake the nervousness about having more conversations with her OB about possible induction and c-section.
Just before hitting the 38-week mark - the date her OB had originally wanted to schedule an induction - she opted for a vaginal exam and found out her cervix was already 4 cm open. She recalls that helped to change the conversation about induction and showed that her body had been diligently preparing in the background.
Then the whole family got sick.
One morning, about a week into their illness, Bee began experiencing regular surges that were getting stronger and more frequent.
"I'd been having surges all morning, and they'd been getting progressively worse," she remembered. She describes having to turn on the relaxation recordings to get through while balancing the household chores.
With everyone still sick, and suspecting that labour was finally starting, they had to change their original plan for their daughter to stay at a friend’s house and instead call in a relative for help. That brought some complicated family dynamics with it, along with worry about bringing a baby into a household where everyone was ill.
And then, as soon as the relative showed up, labour stopped.
Bee quickly realized how sensitive the birthing body was to stress, and it reinforced her belief that she needed to trust the natural wisdom of her body and baby. It seemed like they had both decided it simply wasn’t the right moment yet.
Another week passed and labour was still on hold. As they recovered, the relative eventually left - and almost immediately after walking out the door, labour began again.
As Bee recounts this part of the story, she laughs. It’s such a striking illustration of how deeply the environment and mind can influence the flow of birth!
~ labour ramps up (again)
Bee was now approaching 41 weeks, which she had been told was the maximum amount of time her OB would wait before scheduling an induction, according to hospital policy in her province.
A day before that scheduled induction, she had a cervical check and found out she was now 6 cm dilated. Because of that, her OB suggested a membrane sweep to get things going.
"We did a sweep, and I walked out the office door, and my water broke right away," she recounted.
With the surges ramping up fast, Bee felt a mix of determination and anxiety as her husband hurried them to the hospital.
"I was like, okay, we can get through this. We've got time."
When they arrived at the hospital, they ended up quarantined in a private room because of their recent illness. Bee described it as feeling like they’d entered a space station. Even though it was an unfamiliar setting, she felt a strong sense of purpose and quickly found her position - on her knees at the foot of the bed - using her breath and affirmations to guide and ground her through the surges.
Even with all the hustle and bustle of the hospital staff, Bee kept her focus sharp. She knew her husband had her back and could handle any questions that came up, which allowed her to stay deeply in tune with what she wanted and needed during labour.
~ birthing phase
As her body moved into the Birthing Phase, things really began to shift.
“All of a sudden, I wasn’t in the same discomfort. I could feel my body pulling up and then really pushing down.”
The attending physician was an OB Bee hadn’t met before, and it quickly became clear to her that this doctor hadn’t read her birth vision. Amid the OB’s efforts to coach Bee on pushing, reminders about her big baby, offers of medication, and instructions about where she needed to be, Bee stayed grounded and didn’t let the fear in the room shake her.
She knew how to advocate for herself, and she was so connected to her body that she could feel her muscles moving the baby down. This was a true moment of resilience and healing for her.
At one point, she said to the insistent OB, “I’ll work with you, I’ll be on the bed. But I’m not going to be on my back… I’m not pushing because baby’s here.”
Just 11 minutes later, with one powerful, loud breath, baby arrived.
“I opened my mouth, and hollered, and he was there. And he was a really big baby. He was 10 pounds and almost 11 ounces. And it was perfect.”
~ recovery
From the sweep to birth, Bee’s entire labour was just 2 hours long. Remarkably, even with such a quick labour, she experienced minimal issues with her pelvic floor.
“I only had 1st degree tears. I don't feel like my pelvic floor was damaged. My pelvis felt so good after this delivery, felt so much better.”
“I am proud of myself. I feel 100% different about the second birth than I did about my first birth.”’
With good information and steady support at her side, Bee’s birth journey is a testament to the power of trusting one’s body and instincts. Everyone in the birthing room that day was blown away by what had happened.
With pride and excitement in her voice, she shared that the nurses all looked to her in disbelief after her son was born, exclaiming, “How did you do this, and with only 1st degree tears?”
“I felt so much more empowered this time.”
~ what made the difference
Afterwards, Bee shared her thoughts with me on the program, saying that with the right tools, education, and support, moms can make informed choices and move toward the kind of birth they want - even if that looks different from person to person. HypnoBirthing, she feels is really about connecting with what you want, finding your voice, and feeling more empowered in your choices.
Bee’s story is a shining example of what can become possible when you are informed about your body, able to advocate for yourself, and have relaxation techniques to lean on through the twists and turns of the birthing process.
By sharing Bee’s story, I hope to encourage you - if you’re preparing to give birth - to trust your strength, explore your options, and prepare thoughtfully for your own unique journey into motherhood.