Home Births and VBACs in Connecticut with HypnoBirthing

A growing minority (over 4 dozen) of our couples have chosen home births, and nearly 3 dozen more have had VBACs (vaginal births after cesareans).  Some combined the two approaches and had HBACs – that’s home-births after cesareans.  Here are just a  few who longed to share their stories.

I have had two c-sections and I felt strongly that this did not medically necessitate a third. During my pregnancy I spoke to and met with as many people as I could, researching and educating myself to help my husband and I decide on our birth plan.  One of the first people I contacted was Cynthia after two friends of mine strongly recommended that I take her course.  I am so glad I did! Cynthia’s class helped me realize that I could play an active role in my healthcare rather than being a passive recipient of it.  It helped me find the support and encouragement I needed in order to feel confident that I really could have the birth I wanted, the birth I felt I had missed out on.  My labor ended up being so quick that despite the fact that we had planned on birthing at the hospital our daughter was born in the calm and quiet of our bedroom.  Luckily we had great labor support who was there with us and assisted with the birth.  I’m so proud to have had a VBA2C and to finally have felt what it was like to give birth. - Lynne Chesbro, Fairfield CT (HBA2C:  Home Birth After Two Cesareans)

Cynthia Overgard has a professional and very informative style and is passionate about the subject of HypnoBirthing. It was an absolute pleasure to attend her classes, which were well-managed, fascinating, inspiring, thought provoking and ultimately life changing – the 3 hour classes seemed to fly by every time. Post-Birth Update: Thank you Cynthia for your inspiration. This most major life event happening at home in water was all due to you and having taken your class. I’m sure you change many people’s lives with your class, and for changing mine I am very grateful. - Lydia Heilmann (Home-birth in Fairfield, CT with midwife Joni Stone)

During my second pregnancy, when I insisted on trying a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean), my doctor discouraged me with at least 10 different reasons why I would not be able to have a vaginal birth, and said I should save myself the hassle with a scheduled C-section. I however, had the miraculous opportunity to find you, Cynthia, when I was already 36 weeks pregnant. That first phone call with you changed the course of my birth and my life. It was the beginning of a wonderful journey for me. I immediately joined your HypnoBirthing classes, and applied all the tools you taught me. I followed your advice to consider leaving my unsupportive OB, even so late in pregnancy, in order to find a practitioner who was aligned with my dream for a vaginal birth. Just a few weeks later, in my home and under the expertise of two wonderful mid-wives, I birthed my baby vaginally, naturally and calmly. I had a HBAC (home birth after cesarean) and my baby weighed more than 8 lbs! Ina May Gaskin was right…My body is not a lemon! I hope many, many more women will have the courage to believe in themselves as I did, and feel the power of being a woman, and birth healthy, strong babies that are free of after-effects of “medical deliveries”. Cynthia, my journey was only possible because of you and it began when I first called you. I thank you, Cynthia, for changing my life! I am forever grateful for that first time we spoke and you made me believe this was possible for me. I will always remember you and my two wonderful mid-wives (Joni Stone and Gengi Proteau) and for the awesome experience of natural birthing at home! - Richa Gautam Menon,  Stamford CT (Home birth after cesarean in Stamford CT)

Cynthia, We had such an amazing birth experience thanks to the lessons we learned through your HypnoBirthing of CT class. As predicted, my labor went very fast. I started having small contractions around 2:00 on Friday the 2nd. It wasn’t until about 3:30 that I was convinced it was actually in labor and started calling my husband, midwife and doula. My surges got closer together and stronger quickly. By 5:00 they were a couple minutes apart and there was finally enough water to get in the birthing pool. It was amazing the difference in how the surges felt once I was in the water. They were so much more comfortable. My water broke around 6:15. That’s when Joni, the midwife arrived. At this point my surges were on top of each other and pushing was almost involuntary. After just a couple strong pushes, baby Quinn was born at 7:04.  The most valuable lesson I took from the class was the knowledge that this was a natural process my body was made to do this. I remained calm throughout the process and at no point was anxious or afraid. It was truly one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you so much for preparing us to have the home birth we wanted. - Lisa Bauerle (Home Birth in Stamford)

My favorite quote of Cynthia’s: “Hear everyone; Listen to yourself.” I appreciate that Cynthia’s opinions are based in obvious and extensive research. I highly value her confidence and conviction in the subject matter—ultimately I found that her overall demeanor has given me more strength to have conviction in what I want and what I believe. For us, Hypnobirthing has been excellent mental preparation for our journey through the rest of this pregnancy, the beginning of our baby’s life and our roles as parenting partners. We have learned and regularly practice techniques to get to a deeply calming place, and we feel that this will benefit us tremendously during labor and in life in general. I have found incredible strength within myself as I’ve ventured through this class, and I feel so well informed. Now that I understand what really happens in birth, I’m really looking forward to experiencing our birth into a family, rather than having it just happen to us. Post-Birth Update: Cynthia, On November 19, at 5:05 a.m., our daughter, Penelope Kate, arrived in our home with the incredible assistance of Joni Stone. She weighed a hearty 9 pounds and 13 ounces and was 21 inches long. We truly had the birth of our dreams, and I am so grateful for all of the preparation that your class provided for us. I’m just so grateful that landing in your class led to so many wonderful things for us! – Lindsay Hurty (Home-Birthed her 9 lb. 13 oz. baby in Darien CT with midwife Joni Stone. She left her OB at 34 weeks when he suggested a scheduled C-section)

Elijah River was born on October 11th at 3:14am in the comfort of my bedroom. This was also my birthday and his arrival was the greatest gift I could have imagined as his birth was a VBAC and a dream come true.  I labored peacefully for 25 hours at home with the support of my midwives, doula and incredible husband Joe. Though it was a long labor, I wouldn’t change a thing. There wasn’t a moment of doubt in the room that I would be able to do it. Through Cynthia’s teaching I felt so prepared and therefore confident in my abilities to birth naturally.  I’d learned the tools to help stay grounded in my body and leave my mind behind. I trusted that my body and my baby would work harmoniously to bring him into the world. I felt so supported the entire time. It was a birth without incident or complication, but there was a profound awareness after all was said and done that had I been anywhere but in my home, I surely would have had a repeat C-section. I am absolutely overflowing with gratitude for my experience and the amazing people in my life who guided and supported me through this incredible journey. – Rachel Beninati, Stamford CT (Home Birth After Cesarean in Stamford, CT)

Mike and I just wanted to write and tell you about our wonderful birth! Mike and I had our little boy Owen Michael on March 20th. He was 9 lbs. 10 oz. Our labor was great, and I think the HypnoBirthing helped me to relax and let my body gradually and gently open up so that I could have the easiest, best birth possible. We delivered when I was 41 weeks, 2 days. My membranes released at midnight and the surges started right away. By the time we got to the hospital just after 1:00 am, I was checked in and I was 9 cm dilated, and at 10 cm about 20 minutes after that. Owen was born at exactly 2:00 am for a total of 2 hours of birth from start to finish (and no drugs either). I couldn’t have imagined doing it any other way. It was so wonderful to finally have the all natural, empowering birth that I always knew I could have. – Lauren Specht, Yorktown NY (Natural VBAC, Hudson Valley Hospital, NY)

Cynthia, I wanted to *finally* send you our birth story! After your class this summer, we were determined to have the home birth that was our dream. We finally found Stacey Rees in Brooklyn, and we knew we had the right midwife. Then came the wait…I was 10 days overdue when I finally went into labor. By early afternoon the next day, things began to intensify. The midwife checked my cervix and I was dilated to 3cm. Gary set up the birth tub and I got into the warm water. As soon as I was immersed, I felt as though I’d left the planet. My mind was completely consumed with the feelings in my body and I focused on imagining the ribbons unfurling, the cervix dilating. At 8:58pm of October 22nd, our gorgeous son, Adrien Fox Faulkner, was born into the water. It was the most dramatic and life-changing moment in my life. I turned over from my hands and knees to hold him in my arms while my husband cried beside me. Our dreams had all come true. As you may remember, my mother passed away during this pregnancy—but she was so definitely with me during the birth and I felt that she was protecting us and keeping us safe. Everything went without a hitch—I had an easy, quick recovery and was able to focus all my attention on my new little life during the post-partum period. I would never have wanted to give birth in any other way. My most delicious memory is of those very first few hours after Fox’s birth, in the quiet of our home after the midwives had departed, just the three of us getting to know each other. Thank you so very much for your support and your class. Our experience at HypnoBirthing of CT was absolutely essential to this pregnancy. We were truly enveloped in a supportive birth community through you. Thank you, thank you! Please let me know if I can ever be involved or support anyone else who is interested in talking about home birth and its incredible benefits and experience. – Moya Meckel (Home Birth in NYC)

Cynthia, I couldn’t have had a home birth VBAC without your HypnoBirthing of CT class. I’ve been wanting to send you a long overdue email regarding my home birth — It was awesome!!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! My entire family thanks you!  I couldn’t have done it without HBCT. I still have to remind myself that a VBAC is a big deal in this day and age because it really didn’t feel like a big deal when I had Olivier. I hope that doesn’t come out the wrong way but it was really easy for me to have a home birth.  Cynthia, I’m glad that you’re still going strong teaching HypnoBirthing. Women should be lining up your door! – Rocio Stasi, Stamford CT (Home Birth VBAC in Stamford CT with midwife Martha Roth)

Cynthia, I wanted to let you know that baby James arrived on March 12. After much investigating and stress over changing care providers and hospitals through January, we decided to have him at Danbury Hospital attended by the midwives from the childbirth center. This turned out to be completely the right choice for us – you’ll be pleased to hear that I got my VBAC and had a natural drug-free labor and delivery. The midwives were wonderful and the experience was incredible. If you would like more details about the birth, especially for other VBAC moms, I’d be happy to with share them. Thanks again for your support and kindness throughout the course. I definitely credit HypnoBirthing with opening my eyes to the options as well as giving me some good coping tools for the lead up to the labor and the labor itself. I would not have changed a thing about the whole experience, and we have a gorgeous little boy to show for it all. - Lisl Dunlop, Rye NY (Natural VBAC at Danbury Hospital, CT)

The class with HBCT was excellent. The instructor was even better. I would recommend Cynthia Overgard to anybody. I have certainly been given the tools, now it’s just a matter of implementing them. My husband was very unsure of coming to class at first, but after the very first one will now probably be its biggest spokesperson. Through the information and techniques garnered in class, we were able to feel safe in choosing a home-birth, the place where we really envision bringing our child into the world with the most love and support. Cynthia is organized, passionate, and truly cares about all of her students. She always took the time to give meaningful responses to questions and concerns, both in class, before, and after class. My husband and I even invited her to attend our birth!! – Rhei C. Gordon (Home Birth in New Milford, CT)

Cynthia – here is my story, which I feel like shouting from the rooftops to let all women know they can do it too! Our home birth was amazing – it was exactly what I hoped and prepared for and I’m still just beaming over the whole experience! I started feeling some surges at 11 PM on Wednesday, but I’d had the same thing a week earlier which fizzled out so this time I wasn’t completely sure I was really in it. But by 12:30 the surges were 5 minutes apart and strong so I contacted Joni. By 2 AM the surges were about 3 minutes apart and when Joni got here they were fast and furious. I was at 8 CM when she checked me and I just kept progressing but I have no sense of how time went after that. At some point though it was clearly time to start pushing and that was a big relief – definitely the part I liked better! All that time I was using breathing techniques, visualizations, affirmations, and general tips (one that really helped was remembering that once a surge was done it was done and I would never have that one again. Another was welcoming each surge because it brought me closer to the birth of my baby. This last one really kept me from fearing or dreading surges and was very important). Chris did the counting during surges which was huge for me but I wasn’t using it with breathing – just as a count. It gave me an external focus and a light at the end of the tunnel. The last few minutes were the most challenging for me. I’d been awake just over 24 hours and I was starting to feel really tired. Lucienne’s head was crowning and just felt enormous but I couldn’t get her out without a few more surges and the time between them was hard to take and felt very long. Joni’s help in guiding me through that was just amazing and she kept me from really getting scared. She kept me focused, confident, determined, and able to find that last burst of energy that I needed. She also kept me from tearing! In that last push Lucienne emerged and Joni put her right on me. It was just spectacular! After a few minutes Joni and the assisting midwife left the 3 of us together for about an hour, during which time we kept Lucienne’s cord attached. Now she’s sleeping for up to 3 hours at a time, nursing beautifully, and is taking in her world. Chris and I are just thrilled and couldn’t be happier! I really want everyone to know how possible this is! I feel like Lucienne, Chris and I were all given such a gift with this experience and if it helps anyone feel more confident and prepared then all the better. Thank you so much for being part of my beautiful birth experience – it couldn’t have gone the way it did if I hadn’t been so well prepared by your class! I can’t wait for us to all get together! - Danielle Daure (Home Birth in Stamford CT with midwife Joni Stone)

I attended Cynthia’s class in October 2010 and had a wonderful home birth in January. The information Cynthia provided and the techniques she teaches really helped me to focus and have the best birth possible. Cynthia is a caring instructor and was always available for any questions or concerns I had. Our daughter was born on January 22, at 8:05 pm. I was really happy with the way things turned out, have great memories of the event and a precious little girl – I couldn’t ask for more! – Ashlee Anderson, Weston CT (Home Birth with Joni Stone)

Cynthia, we wanted to let you know we had our baby girl Ruby Stowe on October 10th! She was born at 3:13 in the morning and weighed in at 8 pounds 4 ounces, measuring 20 inches. We had a beautiful homebirth with Joni; it was such an amazing experience. The birth was everything I always wanted it to be and am thankful to have taken your class in order to prepare for such a tremendous life experience. We are all doing great and enjoying being a new little family. Cynthia, because of you I was able to have the birth experience I wanted. I can’t thank you enough. – Rachel and Jason Stowe (Home-birthed in Greenwich CT with midwife Joni Stone)

Cynthia, I’ve been wanting to write since my daughter was born! I know you’d be pleased to hear that I got my natural VBAC birth! I was extremely anxious during my 40th week anticipating the scheduled C-section at the 41-week mark, and on Thursday, April 7^th, I was in labor! I felt super relaxed and excited through the surges from 7pm – 12am. At that point, the surges were 3-4 minutes apart, so I felt that we should go to the hospital. I was only 2cm, so we went back home.  I labored in bed and slept in between surges until 6am. When we got to the hospital around 7am, I was 5 cm. Things got really intense, and I was no longer able to relax. I went from 5cm to 10 between 7 – 9am, and Jane Margaret was born at 9:28. I was so proud to have had a natural VBAC birth – especially on the morning I was scheduled to have a repeat C-section. Thank you so much for all of your support and good advice. I am so appreciative!  - Emily Dolan, New Milford CT (Natural VBAC in Danbury Hospital)

I valued how Cynthia listened as I explained my feelings and the instruction she provided that helped me relax my fears and give me confidence in trusting in myself and what I wanted for my baby’s birth. As a person and as an instructor, Cynthia was supportive, accepting and sincere. – Tavy Davenport, Stamford CT (Home-birthed in Stamford CT with midwife Anne Margolis)

Thank you for the wonderful class. Henry and I found it so informative and truly eye-opening. We are so lucky to have stumbled upon you! I always said that my C-section just wasn’t “right”, but I couldn’t put it into words. Now Im able to pinpoint exactly what I was feeling and why. It validated all my thoughts and feelings and helped me close the book on that chapter of my life and look forward with happiness to our next birth. Please know how much you have touched our lives even more so than most family and friends have. I am just so impressed with every-thing you shared with us, and the vibrant energy you bring to all you do. It’s no wonder you love what you do…it is such important work! – Carrie Lugo, Stratford CT (Danbury Hospital VBAC) 

Cynthia’s classes at HypnoBirthing of CT taught me that when it comes to giving birth, I’m in charge. She was thorough, knowledgeable, kind, giving of her time outside of class.  A pleasure!  Cynthia even went out of her way to help us to find local childcare for our son so we could attend her classes 90 minutes away from our home.  Cynthia, you’re passionate about the issue, and it shows. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn about HypnoBirthing through you. – Monica & Pete Waugh (Natural VBAC in Central NJ Hospital, followed by another natural VBAC two years after that!)

Cynthia, I wanted to share some wonderful news with you…..Monday, April 20 at 10:34 p.m Dominic Quentin was born!!! It was a bit of a surprise since I was exactly 37 weeks and was expecting at least another week or two The labor and birth far exceeded our expectations!  My water broke Monday morning at about 5:30 a.m. I had no surges from that point till noon, so my midwife recommended that I go and get acupuncture to help stimulate surges. At around 5:30 p.m I was feeling some irregular cramping, but nothing intense. At around 7:30 p.m my surges became more regular, but mild. We went about our usual evening routine, ate dinner, watched t.v….and then very suddenly, like a light switch at almost 9 p.m my surges became closer together and much more intense. Angelo called our midwife to update her and she said that she would be leaving in about 15 minutes (she comes from New Haven). Within five minutes of Angelo hanging up the phone I was ready to push!!!  He called her and told her to hurry and get here as fast as she could and I was told to do my breathing on my bed, because all I wanted to do was sit on my toilet! Angelo had to fill our actual bath tub, because the birthing tub hadn’t been delivered yet and he had a feeling that we would not have time to fill up our midwife’s back up tub that she was bringing. Thank goodness he did because our midwife arrived at almost 10 p.m and I literally got in our bathtub and started pushing, and within 30 minutes Dominic arrived!!! It was the most amazing experience of our lives and completely fulfilled my dream of having a peaceful, natural and empowering at-home water birth! Throughout the very short labor and delivery I definitely utilized many of the hypnobirthing techniques, I even had the affirmations CD playing in the background   Thank you so much Cynthia for all that you taught us!  - Eva and Angelo Rizio, Old Greenwich CT (Home Birth with Joni Stone)

My wife Sandy and I took Cynthia’s class earlier this year prior to the birth of our first child, Emma. I was a little skeptical of Hypnobirthing at first, but after spending 2 weekends with Cynthia and the other couples, and experiencing the natural birth of our daughter Emma at home in August, I am a believer. Up until about 28 weeks into our pregnancy, we were planning on a “normal” birth with an OB in the hospital, and were following whatever direction the doctors gave us. Through Cynthia’s class, we learned we had options – many of them (who knew!?) – and also learned how natural birthing can be – how what we consider “normal” in the US really isn’t normal or natural at all. We shifted gears entirely, found a wonderful midwife (courtesy of Cynthia!), dropped our OB/GYN practice, and ended up having a drug-free, natural water-birth in the comfort of our own home. As a husband and father, I can tell you that it was the most amazing experience, and both my wife and I would do it again in a heartbeat. The birthing process definitely required work (mostly for my wife), but I felt so well educated and prepared that I was there to help her every step of the way. And following the techniques learned in class, my wife made labor and birth look easy. Three days after giving birth, she was already talking about having a second! My recommendation to any couple pregnant right now – get educated, get empowered, take Cynthia’s class and learn about child birth from a whole different perspective. It will definitely open your eyes and change your thinking. Thanks Cynthia for helping us to make our daughter Emma’s birth such a beautiful and personal experience for both me and Sandy!  – Mark Beyerly, Fairfield CT (Home Birth / Waterbirth in Fairfield CT)

Dear Cynthia, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the things we have learned and you have done for us. I am so blessed to know you and so happy that our paths crossed in the summer of 2008. You were telling me about your beautiful birth of your son so passionately that I knew right then, that was the only way for me when I got pregnant. I never liked hospitals and didn’t know there was a birth center in CT. I hated the idea of medication and wanted to deliver in water. Here I was, after three years, calling you in 2011 with my pregnancy news and you were so happy for me. I couldn’t wait to take your classes and to learn about everything I could. You are truly amazing at what you do and on top of it you have a very kind and warm personality. To my surprise my husband loved your classes too and we could hardly wait to go each time. HypnoBirthing is a wonderful method and I recommend it to everyone. When we took your class you asked everybody how we’d like our birthing to go and I said that I want the laboring and birthing to be the best experience of my life. Well my wish came true and I am so happy that it became even more beautiful and peaceful then I expected. Thank you for your encouragement to look into home birthing even when I had made my choice to deliver at the birth center. Thank you for recommending my wonderful midwife whom I love dearly. Changing my mind last minute was one of the best decisions of my life. Having a wonderful experience means so much to me, and therefore I am so grateful for you and I will always be. With lots of Love, Mariann & Steven Balogh, Stamford CT (Home Birth with Joni Stone)

Hi Cynthia – I was in your class in White Plains in late November, and on the 26th of December we had a baby boy!  And, it was a natural VBAC!!!!  I started having contractions on Christmas night then had him on the 26th at 4:00 pm in Danbury Hospital!  It all worked out beautifully and we are so happy that he is healthy! He was big—8 pounds 15 ounces!  And I did it with no meds, too! Troy was so impressed with how I handled the surges.  Honestly, I never felt any “pain” nor did I even think about needing any medicine. I kept focused and breathing and calm the whole time.  Thank you for everything!  - Melanie Millard, White Plains NY (VBAC in Danbury Hospital)

Dear Cynthia, Thank you so much for the loving way you deliver your class material. You are a wealth of knowledge and both my husband and I have gained invaluable information that we will take with us through our birth journey. As first-time parents-to-be, you’ve enabled us to make informed decisions and have given us the confidence to deal with any situation that may arise during the birth. Each and every time we entered your home and were greeted by your warm and loving presence (and delicious snacks!), we felt comfortable and able to ask questions or speak our minds whenever necessary. It is clear that you have a true passion and respect for hypnobirthing and for the birthing woman in general and that infectious quality comes through you and seeps into the people sitting in your class. We’d make the hour plus drive again in a heartbeat and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything! With Love, - Alicia and Gary Comitto, Ossining, NY (Home Birth)

Cynthia has a wealth of knowledge about birth, HypnoBirthing and health.  The information was presented and taught so that it was easily understood and in a relaxed environment.  I wish I had known about these classes for my previous births.  Cynthia and HypnoBirthing have empowered me in ways that I realize every day.  I am thrilled and so excited to welcome this new little baby into our lives in this life-changing and peaceful way.  Thank you so much!  Thank you for all your love, support, wisdom, and positivity! It was instrumental in our success.  Kind regards, Leanne O’Connell, Shelton CT (VBAC in Bridgeport Hospital)

Dear Cynthia, I’ve been wanting to write you since I gave birth last Wednesday, as I was so excited to tell you my birth story of my second child, Eva Victoria Black. First of all I feel fortunate to have attended the refresher gathering you held at your home just a few weeks before I gave birth. I felt as if I was right back in your …class from a couple years ago, and it all came back to me. The group settling lead by you was powerful and helped me to be fully engaged. So guess what – I had an unassisted home birth, just me and my husband, John, Wednesday morning July 13th – in our bathroom. I woke early on Wednesday July 13th at 4am not being able to get comfortable. I noticed I was having some surges lasting pretty long, but I didn’t bother timing them. I decided to tell my husband at 4:15am that he shouldn’t plan of going to work today. By 4:30am I had my iPod playing Rainbow Relaxation and the affirmations, and all I remember was “Trust in your body”, etc. I was sitting on a yoga ball, leaning over a pillow on the bed and breathing through my surges. I thought to myself, “These seem kinda close.” But I just kept my focus. My poor husband was trying to get me to talk to him but I just didn’t have the words to speak, I was totally in the moment. He was trying to figure out if he should time the surges, call my doula, call the midwife, get the car ready, etc. I was in a cool bath by 5:30am, again breathing thru my surges. At this point I realized, “I don’t think I can go anywhere.” I didn’t want to move to get in a car and these surges were coming pretty fast. I got out of the tub by 6am with the help of John, and managed to tell him to call the neighbor to watch our 2 year old son. Around 6:15am I stood briefly, my water broke, and decided my hands and knees was the best position. I leaned against our bathroom vanity rocking a bit and could tell this was it. Now at 6:28am my husband asked if we were going to Hudson valley, as planned. I shook my head no, then he asked, “Are we going to Greenwich hospital?” I shook my head even more, and said, “”I’m having the baby, now!” With 2 more surges I could feel my baby just work herself down and out, I was remembering the unassisted-home-birth story you told in class, also in a bathroom, as we were. I trusted in my body. And at 6:32am my husband guided our daughter out and told me it was a girl. The placenta followed and I lay back on the bathroom floor, baby against me, covered in a towel, with placenta attached and level with the baby so it could pulse (my husband had the midwife on the phone now, giving simple instructions.) I rubbed the her little back and she let out a little cry. I could hear my son downstairs say ‘baby’. I was the most peaceful, gentle, amazing experience. Our doula came 20 minutes after the baby was born, she was on the way to the hospital to meet us until my husband called back to let her know we just had a baby girl. She met us at the house, helped me and the baby into the back of our SUV, back seats folded down, pillows, me, baby, placenta and her with John driving – I’m sure it was a sight if any of our neighbors saw. We proceed to Hudson Valley where my OB/GYN and pediatrician were located. A popular question was why not just call 911, and I reply it wasn’t a medical emergency. I just had a baby, that’s all. We arrived at Hudson Valley hospital, my midwife met us there. They were all very supportive and respectful and we were both examined in the room, spent the night and left the next day. She weighed 7lbs 8.5 oz 19” long. I feel I truly experienced HypnoBirthing, and it is by far the most amazing powerful tool that every pregnant woman should experience. It’s empowering! I always wanted a home birth in the back of my mind – I guess I got it! Much love and gratitude, Cynthia, to a wonderful teacher and guide. – Lee Black, Greenwich CT (Unassisted Home Birth)

Hi Cynthia, We wanted to send you our news! Ava Rose was born at home on July 6, 2011 at 10:36am. She was born at 6lbs, a little peanut, but is already 8 and a half. The labor was about 11 hours, and we were able to implement hypnobirthing into the process. There was nothing more special than to be able to do it at home. There were times where labor would slow just a tad, and Melina would go back to the CD and get right back in the zone. Although at first Melina wasn’t 100% all about the home birth, she was a rock star and says there is no way she would have done it any differently. We want to thank you so much for having a contribution to our beautiful birth. Please feel free to use our story or use us as a resource if anyone has questions about a home birth. I am so glad to see you continue to touch so many people’s lives with your class and can have such a positive impact on the most beautiful times in people’s lives.  — Keith and Melina Mirante (Home Birth in Meriden, CT)

Cynthia, I can’t say enough about everything you have done for us. Prior to signing up for your Hypnobirthing class, I thought it would be a basic birthing class – but it was so much more. Cynthia, you truly care about your students. Your passion for creating a positive birth experience for your couples is so inspiring. We were devastated when the doctors decided, on our due date, that Kate had too much fluid and that our baby was too big, and that Kate would need a C-section even though the baby and Kate were both healthy. You were the first person we called after finding out that news.  And you dropped everything for us, and took time out of your day to calm us down and help us understand our options. Thanks to you, Cynthia, we were properly educated about birth and we knew that we had choices. You then put us in touch with Nancy Wainer, which was such an honor.  We met with Nancy, and suddenly Kate was immediately interested in a home birth with Nancy, but I was still hesitant.  Again, when we called you, you made the time to talk to us. You were so supportive and knowledgeable about both homebirth and C-sections, and you were  able to help us weigh the options, which led us to making our own decision, and one we were finally at peace with.  We were already past our baby’s due date when we changed our birth plan to a home birth.  You really set my mind at ease. Our healthy baby boy Cole was delivered at home 15 days after Kate’s “due date”.  Before meeting you, Cynthia, I was scared of birth and figured the only place to have a baby would be the hospital. I thought that anyone who had an out-of-hospital birth would be putting themselves and their child in grave danger. You taught me so much about what birth truly is and gave me the confidence to consider Kate’s wish for a homebirth when the medical community was recommending a C-section. Our birth would not have been the same had we never met you. You are the reason Kate did not end up with an unnecessary C-section. Cynthia, you went above and beyond what most other people would do in the same situation.  Meeting you has really changed our lives and we are so grateful for everything that you have done for us. We can’t thank you enough.  -Ryan Andrew, Norwalk CT (Home Birth with Nancy Wainer)

From the moment I first called Cynthia Overgard, her warmth, personality, compassion and interest made me feel so comforted and cared for. Cynthia has a genuine spirit and a love for what she teaches to her expectant parents. My husband and… I agreed that taking Cynthia’s course was the best thing we could have done during our pregnancy. Cynthia opened our eyes to a world we never knew even existed when it came to the birthing process. They say that “ignorance is bliss”. Before we met Cynthia we were blindly walking into this process of “having a baby”. We never knew we had so many options and so much power over our individual situation. Cynthia helped us to quickly realize that we could take control and have the birth of our dreams. The HypnoBirthing techniques aided my husband and me in coming into total relaxation every night before bed. We’ve never slept better! We talked openly with each other about our hopes and dreams for our daughter’s birthing day and grew excited every time we thought about how she could be born under the circumstances we really wanted. I am an educator. I always tell my students that the best stress reducer is preparedness. Well, I finally took some of my own advice and, with Cynthia’s knowledge and guidance, Mark and I felt very prepared for our daughter’s birthing day. And you know what?  It was completely stress free! If you are thinking about HypnoBirthing I would say keep an open mind and trust in your own mind and your own body. It really worked for us and I can’t wait to do it all over again! What an amazing journey.  Emma Frances Beyerly was born at 3:18 am on Tuesday, August 16, 2011 in the peace and tranquility of our home.  She was 19.5 inches long and weighed in at 6 lbs. 4 oz. Our dogs, Molly and Cosmo, lay peacefully outside in the hallway during the entire delivery. Mark, Emma and I relaxed on the bed as a newly expanded family as Joni and Gengi checked on us and began their post-partum care for me. We were so relaxed and happy just hanging out in our room. I could breathe deeply and feel all the love and gratitude fill my heart. Thank you, God, for this beautiful birth with this beautiful little healthy girl. We couldn’t be more blessed. – Sandy Beyerly, Fairfield CT (Home Birth in Fairfield)