Ella’s Pregnancy Story in NEW YORK

Dear Gowri,

It’s been 3 months now since the birth of our daughter, Dalia Grey Suris, and I’ve thought of you often and find myself talking about you all the time. But I’m only now getting a chance to write to you.

I want to thank you deeply for the method that brought me through a beautiful pregnancy and an incredible birth. I followed your method as closely as I could—drinking the teas, daily yoga, a lot of reflexology in the third trimester, all the supplements, the epi-no, and the oils.

Most importantly for me, the self-hypnosis recordings, which I listened to a few times a week at first and then nightly throughout my third trimester. To the point that all I had to do was think of your voice, and I felt centered and calm. My favorite recordings were continuous visualization and endorphins applied to birth, which I listened to a lot during my labor.

I was not afraid going into the birth. I felt super connected to my body and to my baby, and I knew we were going to be doing something together, and I trusted her to lead me. Above all else, the hypnosis gave me an ability to be present, which I think is the greatest gift for a birth. Because, as you taught me, birth is not about continuous pain; it is about waves of intensity that you can synchronize with. Going through it moment to moment resulted in a deep sense of connection to my body and presence in time. It was honestly like nothing I have ever experienced… truly spiritual.

And physically, I was truly not in pain for the majority of my labor. I was on the yoga ball doing circles and visualizing, and my doctor would check me every now and then. I remember her surprise when she realized I was at 5 cm... like she couldn’t believe I was okay. I was walking around and chatting. The contractions became intense at 7 cm-10 cm, and I thought I might lose my ability to be present, but that was when my Douala asked if I wanted to use the shower. The water was so incredible and so healing because the endorphins felt like they were pulsing everywhere in my body at this point. Your recordings had also created a deep connection with water—from the ocean to this magical shower! And I can’t wait to take my daughter to the beach next week and put her in the ocean for the first time!

At 5:15 PM, I was 10 cm and started pushing, and at 5:45 PM, my daughter was born. The doctor called in the residents to watch because they very rarely see natural births at this hospital. I had nurses thanking me afterward for letting them be a part of my experience… sort of surreal, really. But the thing I loved the most was when one of them came to me later and said: "You were silent while pushing, I’ve never seen that before."

I think this all comes down to you and the method I’m so glad I followed. By the time it came to push, I was so inside my own body and present with my baby that we were just quietly communicating together. I didn’t need the doctors to tell me when to push, and I had no need to shout through what had become such a calm and magical experience.

THANK YOU!!!

Ella