my friend sheridan (you have seen her photos here and here) has started a new business.

http://www.enjoybirth.com/

enjoy birth?? you are asking increduously? yes. she is living proof. after a horrid first birth experience she learned hypnosis techniques to get through her next two labors. she is super woman.

this is an excerpt from her website.

My name is Sheridan Ripley.  I have always loved all things pregnancy, birth and babies.  (I used to ditch high-school, go to the library and read pregnancy books)   I am a DONA trained doula (labor assistant).  I am excited to be a Hypnobabies Instructor.  I am happy to have found something to help me share my passion for childbirth with others! 

I know hypnosis can benefit mom’s during their pregnancy and their birth… as well as after, from personal experience and from hearing others experiences too.  I am a mom to 3 boys!   Devon, my first was a preemie, born by an emergency c-section.  Carson was a VBAC using a different hypnosis method and Bryson was a VBAC using Hypnobabies. (click on their names to read their birth stories) 

I know first hand that it is possible to have a pain free un-medicated birth using Hypnobabies. 

No, I don’t have a high pain tolerance.  No, I am not someone lucky enough to have easy labors.  Once I was a mom yelling at the dad begging for an epidural due to pain during one of my births….

With the right tools, information and practice anyone can benefit from hypnosis for childbirth! 

I completed Doula training through DONA.  It was interesting watching the Natural Childbirth videos.  Then I asked to share  the video of Bryson’s birth.  It was a VERY different feeling, peaceful and calm and enjoyable.  Natural Childbirth does not have to be painful!  What a wonderful revelation.  No drugs for baby and no pain for mommy!

Click here to see a brief clip of my birth video.  (It is G rated)  Here I am having a pressure wave (contraction) at 9cm dilated.  I am holding onto my headphones listening to my Birth Guide CD.  Rob is using the relaxation cue (hand on my shoulder) and saying additional deepening things to me.   I was feeling a lot of pressure, but no pain at all!

if you are pregnant and in the orange county area, or know of someone that is, i highly recommend you check her out.

i am so proud of you sheridan, for going for it and doing something you believe in.

the best points for me were:
getting lost on the way up-WITH GPS-so not truly lost, but when i plugged the address in it gave me three routes to choose from. i picked the one with the least amount of miles, but it was the third least popular option. it was 1am and we were somewhere really dark on a two lane road. exactly the type of place a dude with a hockey mask and a chain saw would hang out.

we got there about 2am and crashed pretty fast.

friday we slept in and met up with everyone for a free loaded lunch. we went to hambly studios and met allison kreft the designer.

we hung at the pool for a bit, then went to santana row-this super cool spot in san jose-shopping, etc. emily got some kick ass jeans from anthropologie-i begged her to get them even though they were spendy.

we ate at blowfish, a sushi place with many hot people hanging out. emily and i whispered about how cute the guys were and wished we were single for about five seconds until grace brought us back to reality. just kidding babe, i love you!!!!!

we went home after and i went to ali and cathy’s classes to hang out and talk to people. met some great women and had a good time checking out what everyone was doing.

woke up saturday (late again) got ready, went down for another free loader lunch. then me and emily, grace and elsie went back to santana row in the daytime. for more shopping. the parking garage had drabby puke 70s green brick walls. i was all over them like white on rice. elsie took a bunch of pics of us against them.

we went to the container store and dropped a load. or at least i did. oh and my best friend from high school, jalayne, met up with us and walked around. it was hot! we found a little japanese stationary store (mai do) and had fun in urban outfitters too.

this is where shannon montez showed up, and we went out to dinner at maggiano’s.
dinner was cathy, dan, me, shannon, grace, elsie, carrie, ana cabrera (associate editor of scrapbook answers and friend to emily), emily, ali, and dona (friend to ali).

three bottles of wine and family style italian eating. SO FREAKING GOOD. good conversation. lots of laughing and baudy-ness. my favorite kinda time.

back to hotel. up late talking.
saying goodbye. 

sunday morning more goodbyes. after cathy left i had a little sob in the bathroom. its always so hard to say goodbye to her. at least emily was there with me still.

THEN we drove to meet jalayne (HS BF) and drove into berkeley. hung out on telegraph ave for a bit.

had lunch at the grateful cafe where our waitress was either IMPERIALISTICALLY high on X or really really stoopid. we had to order our meals like this "i am joyous" "i am ravishing" etc. cool in theory, but a little silly. it was a raw place. organic, etc. i was so out of my element. but two of our dishes were amazing. (one tasted like rotten garbage.)

at one point the waitress floats over to us and asks, glassy eyed "i want to give you guys your space but would you mind if i asked you our question of the day?" sure we say. "what do you want to be remembered for?" i look at emily. ummmm i say. ummmmm. and emily perfectly responds "we need some more time to think." as glassy eyes walks away emily says to me " i want to be remembered for punching the irritating waitress." and i say " i want to be remembered for taking my kids to mcdonalds everyday." i so wanted to tell her i had mcdonalds for breakfast. lol

the best part of all was when the people at the next table ordered. the woman ordered "i am insightful……." and our waitress says, breathy and high, "ohhh good choice for you. you are SO insightful."

jalayne and i collapsed into a ball of giggles at that one.

so then we were going to go to the city (sf) and shop at h&m, but it was 5pm and we had a long drive so we went home to drop jalayne off. but of course had to hit up target and mcdonalds just once more to balance out the trip.

and i just have to say that this girl: 

i love. i am so lucky. she is wonderful to me, and for me. she makes me happy. and she makes me feel young. and special. and she will eat raw vegan with me for one meal, and then cow down on mickey d’s later on. she makes me feel good about myself, she tells me to embrace my womanly body, and she most of all accepts me. all of me. no questions asked.

i love you emily. thank you for a GREAT weekend.