Here is a lovely hypnobirthing story from clients H & T who
welcomed little Leo into the world recently. I think it’s so important to share
real, positive birth stories so thank you to H&T for sharing this with us x
(For more information on HypnoBirthing, visit Hope & Honey)
H writes “On Sunday I just wasn't feeling very well...that evening I
woke to cramps at 3am coming pretty consistently every 9mins lasting about a
minute. I kept trying to sleep listening to affirmations until 7am when T woke
up...by now they were 5mins apart and I was doing my surge breathes.
We continued the surge breathing and I tried to listen to my
affirmations etc this continued until 12pm and we were umming and ahhing about
whether to go into the birth centre or not...the 'pressure' was so bad, I felt
I wanted to go in as I needed a bit of reassurance..so we did.
We kept going for an hour or so after our arrival and then I wanted
a VE (vaginal examination) to see where I was at. I wanted the bath so bad for
relief...unfortunately I was only 2cms. This was disheartening for me as I was
struggling with the pain.
The midwives knew my plan and we're very supportive. They offered me
morphine with finergin to take the edge off and I was happy to try. Five minutes
later my waters broke and it had thick green meconium. T and the midwife stayed
very calm but we all immediately knew I had to be transferred to King Edwards.
Off we went and they explained that if I didn't dilate to at least
4cm by next exam them I would need Pitocin (artificial induction). They also
advised that this would increase the pain significantly.
I was ready for an epidural anyway by this stage. So that's what we
did. Immediately I felt huge relief and was able to get some much-needed sleep.
With my body now relaxed at my next VE I was 6cm (avoiding induction..yay!),
then not long 9cm, then it was time.
I was able walk around with no catheter and I wanted to squat as I
breathed the baby down. We kept going for 1.5hr and then baby got a bit distressed.
They called the doctor in. At this point I was like right...I'm gonna get this
baby out...all I could think of was forceps for some reason! Unfortunately by now the epi numbed me just a little too much down
my thighs and I couldn't use my legs the way I wanted to. Onto the table and we discussed everything with the doc...delayed
clamping and physiological placenta delivery...
I was helped on the type of pushing we needed, he was coming but the
doctor said she could see my perineum looking to tear in a not ideal place and
so she asked to snip..and just small snip and he was out!!! Skin to
skin...delayed cord clamping...i did start bleeding a bit, so after about
10mins they injected me to get placenta out. Leo weighed 8.1lb /3.66kg and was
51cm long.
All in all...our 'plan' changed a lot....but I have absolutely no
regrets what so ever and if anything, I feel really proud of myself and T with
how we handled everything. Toby was totally my rock. Holding it
together...doing everything right, despite me pushing him away sometimes and me
telling him to push my knee up harder right at the end...bless him...he was my
outlet. I felt comfortable yelling at him vs anyone else. He handled me so
well. I love him to bits.
Overall, we felt really informed, confident to speak up and just
went with what felt right for us.
T and I are so grateful for your hypnobirthing sessions as it was so
pivotal to our birthing day and beyond. Thank you!"
Karenna from Hope and Honey says – “I love this birth story as it
shows how plans can change but you can still feel happy with how the birth went. Much of this is to do with being informed and confident about all your
choices and about your important involvement in all decisions throughout the birth. HypnoBirthing and
antenatal classes are invaluable in preparing you for birth, helping you be
confident together, know about your options and to have a voice. Thank you so
much for sharing your story H&T and for our lovely fun classes together!”
