Before I ever became pregnant, I was sure of one thing: I wanted to have a natural birth. Being a prenatal yoga teacher, I knew of all of the pros of having a non-medicated birth in which the woman is active throughout her labor, but calm and in tune with her instincts. I did not have any fears of going into labor and was ready to go into it with my own knowledge and intuition. However, when I was already six and a half months pregnant I met an old friend of mine at the supermarket. She told me that I had to take the HypnoBirthing classes. It had helped her through 24 hours of non-medicated labor. She told me to go into the HypnoBirthing Miami website and give one of the practitioners a call. As soon as I entered the website, I was immediately drawn to Maggie Horn so I gave her a call and began the private classes with her. The rest is history!!!!
 
We met Maggie and she was everything I expected and more. She is sweet, understanding, patient, and very knowledgeable. Being a lesbian couple, she never made my partner, Tania, or myself feel uncomfortable at any time. Instead, we felt embraced by her warmth and loving nature. She was very thorough in her explanations and was great at answering our questions not only in class but also whenever we called her. We felt such a connection with her that we knew we wanted her as our doula.
 
As a doula, she was readily available at all times. She was always interested on how each one of my doctor’s appointments went. We visited her three days before giving birth. I was 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I had just come from my doctor’s appointment who said that I was 1 cm dilated and 90% effaced. He had just told me that, due to my gestational diabetes, he would induce me the following week if I did not go into labor on my own by then. Maggie asked me how I was feeling and I told her I felt as if I was “in another dimension”, sort of spacey, but more relaxed than I had ever been before. She almost guaranteed I would go into labor, very, very soon. Sure enough the following evening I began having surges every 10-15 minutes. Then at 4:30 in the morning, my water broke in bed. Tania immediately called Maggie who spoke to us soothingly and reassuringly. She wanted to meet us at our house, but given the fact that my surges were now coming every 4 minutes, Tania and I decided to meet her at the hospital.
 
Soon after we arrived at the hospital, Maggie got there with Yoly Leal Castellanos, another HypnoBirthing practitioner and doula that I had previously met in one of Maggie’s classes and whom I had also wanted to be present at the time of my birth. For 11 ½ hours I went through intense back labor. However, Maggie and Yoly made sure that both Tania and I stay focused and calm at all times. It was such a safe feeling to know that we had them there for support. They reminded me of the HypnoBirthing affirmations, suggested different laboring positions, helped Tania massage my back and attend to my needs, and answered any questions Tania had throughout the whole process.
 
As for the surges, they were very intense, but exquisite. Definitely not the scary pain that comes out in movies or in anxious women‘s birth stories. It is a feeling that is hard to describe. I was able to get into such a deep state of relaxation that it felt almost as if I was drugged. I felt so intimately connected with our baby throughout my entire labor. Although, due to the baby’s position of the head and a prolapsed cord, I ended up with a cesarean birth, I would not have had my labor in any other way. It was so beautiful and gentle. Our baby, Nicholas, was born so calm and alert that the nurses and each of our family members had to point it out.
 
The day after I gave birth, Maggie had called me to see how I was doing. I told her I needed help with breastfeeding and she immediately came over. Although I had taken a private breastfeeding class with her prior to giving birth, I still needed some guidance. She immediately came over and helped me. However, one week later, due to sore nipples, I asked her to come over for a private lactation consulting visit. After a thorough examination of how I was breastfeeding the baby and even weighing the baby after he ate from each breast to see how much he was eating, she realized I just needed to adjust the baby’s latch-on once again. From that day on, it was happy breastfeeding for Nicholas and I!
 
There are no words that can express how thankful I feel towards Maggie for all of her help before, during and after labor. I wish I could go up to every pregnant woman and tell her how amazing HypnoBirthing is and how empowered it makes you feel. I wish I could tell each one of them how awesome a person Maggie is and that I highly recommend her to everyone wanting a loving, caring person by their side each step of the way. I am glad I can say that she is not only my teacher and doula, but also my friend. 

Nicole