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Cindy’s Birth Story – Baby Talor, born February 9, 2004
For Cindy the breathing technique of ‘vocal toning’ was immensely helpful in her intense labour and joyful birth, as was her husband Rick who coached her every breath!

Yogaspace - Pregnancy Yoga - Birth Stories     Baby Talor was born at 10:28am on Monday, February 9th, 2004, weighing in at 8lbs and 7oz, and 20.5 inches long. My first words were "ohmigod she's huge" and if there wasn't an umbilical cord still attached to each of us, I am sure that I wouldn't have believed that she was mine. I really thought I was carrying smaller than that!

     I wanted you to know that the vocalizing we practiced was a huge help for me. I also have a wonderful partner who would gently hold both sides of my face and tell me we were all alone and then he would vocalize with me through each contraction, when he wasn't massaging my lower back.

     Our birth experience was wonderful. Although it was very intense, I wouldn't give up a second of it. Unfortunately, I didn't get the drug-free experience I was hoping for. We stayed at home for much of the labor, drinking herbal tea and practicing yoga positions by candlelight, trying to find calm and relaxation in between the contractions. We went into the hospital for just the last couple of hours, but when we got there, they had me lay on my back (the most painful position) for a half an hour for fetal monitoring and exams and questions and stuff, and I lost my relaxed, calm demeanor and became panicked.

     The next time they checked me, I was less dilated, or the resident misread me - I am not sure. Either way, I collapsed at that point, thinking that I was going to have to go so much farther, after 8 hours of hard labor already and no sleep for 27 hours. So I took the epidural. Moments later then they checked me again and I was almost fully dilated. But no regrets! The experience was still perfect! Especially since I had a great doctor for perineal massage, who stretched me so much I only had a tiny little tear after pushing for an hour straight to get this big, beautiful baby out!

     The doctor said I have an amazing pelvis and the baby kept going all the way back in between contractions, which she has apparently never seen before (sort of like the baby was bungee-ing into the world!). I told her that I was sure it was all the squatting from yoga.

     I wanted you (and the women you are facilitating in yoga) to know how much I feel that my yoga practice helped my birth experience; I truly believe that it helped my focus, my physical condition and my emotional state. And I think even the baby's. She hardly cried after coming out, and latched on right away. She just seemed to fit right away. We checked ourselves out of the hospital soon after delivering.

     Please pass on my good wishes, and vocalizing experience with the women in the Monday morning class.

     Thank you again, for your support and for the opportunity to be in such an amazing class for the past five months.

     Take care, Cindy and Talor.


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