HypnoBirthing® UK

[Kesmai]

Hi

I had my hypnobirth planned before I even got pregnant - well we were trying for a year before that second line finally appeared on the stick!! So my ideas of what my birth was going to be like were quite clear in my mind!! A hypnobirth in the midwife led unit possibly in the birthing pool.

I contacted Marian my hypnobirth instructor when I was 6 weeks pregnant!! Yes I was desparate to start!! From that firts phone call I ws comfortable with Marian; she was a midwife and so assured me that if I had any questions I could call her day or night and she would do her best to reassure me.

She helped calm me down when I had bleeds at 6,7,and 9 weeks. She definately calmed me down when I was told I would be consultancy led not midwife led due to the fact I am over weight (14 stone pre pregnancy) when I thought my wonderful birth idea was totally out the window!! All this was before our first session - Marian definately had her hands full with me!!!!

Our sessions finally started at twenty something weeks. Both DH and I thought they were well done and we learned alot about each others ideas of what life was going to be like.

At our thirty week scan our baby was seen to have PCD of the kidneys - dialation of one of the tubes so any thoughts of arguing my way into midwife led care were gone. Marian helped us accept this and move on.

On session 4 I mentioned to Marion trhat my hands and arms had been itching for 2 weeks; my own midwife hadn't been to concerned but Marion convinced me to get it checked out with the hospital just incase it was Obstetric Choleostasis (OC) - I have probably spelled that wrong! The hospital did tests and they came back negative and diagnosed allergies so gave me piriton to take.

After 3 weeks of taking the tablets I was still itching all over my body so when I went back to the hospital for a breast feeding class I asked about it again. They repeated the test and I was told to wait until the next day for the results. At this point I was 33 weeks 4 days pregnant.

So next morning I went in to work; waited until 9:30 then called the MAU for the blood test results. The midwife who answered the phone said no problem she could get the results on the phone whilst I waited. I heard keys on a PC being tapped then there was silence before she asked me if I would mind being put on hold. I knew in my gut that something was wrong then while I waited for her to get back to me. When she did it was to ask a few questions; how far along was I, was I tested because I was itching, where was I itching then she put me back on hold. I was on hold for 5 mins - I remember timing it on the clock in work!! When she got back to me she said "we think you have Obstetric cholestasis you need to come in now for more tests"

(I have since talked to the midwife I was on the phone to and the huge wait was because my blood test was so high that noone believed it was correct; they thought the decimal point had been forgotten so they called the lab to check the result)

I promptly called DH and burst into tears; he went into headless chicken mode once he got off the phone to me but whilst I was on the phone he was calm and reassuring. He organised for me to pick up his mum so I wouldn't go to the hospital on my own. I then called my parents to let them know what was happening and then told work I had to go.

The hours drive between work and the hospital was horrible. I got stuck behind every slow moving vehicle possible!! I knew Morgan was ok as he was doing all his usual kicks and wriggles but having read the internet sites about Obstetric cholestasis I was worried that time wasn't exactly on our side.

Once I finally got the the MAU I was immediately pounced on by the resident vampire!! Well thats what it felt like anyway. The veins in one arm refused to come to the surface and they had to take more and more blood from the same vein in my right arm. Trouble was that they would take a load; stick a plaster on me then realise they needed more and stab me again!! By the time I was finally admitted I had 4 holes in my arm!!

They sent me to a ward where I was next to a pregnant lady who was waiting for her methodone and another who kept leaving to have a cigarette. That had to be my lowest moment. All I could think of was that I had ate healthily, I don't drink, smoke or do drugs but I was still at risk of harming my baby just because my body had suddenly gone haywire - it just wasn't fair. It took DH finally arriving and talking me through some relaxation techniques to snap me out of this mood and I was fine from that point on.

My parents also arrived at this point and brought food (I hadn't eaten all day and by now it was 4pm). The midwives came and gave me a steroid injection and it was then that I realised that I would definitely be meeting Morgan sooner than we expected!! I actually got given the second one only 10 hours after the first - the midwife told me that they normally wait 24 hours but they wanted to give Morgan as much chance to mature his lungs as possible.

I have lost track of the amount of tests they did on me. I know Morgan was monitored very hour and a half which was nice as it gave me a chance to listen to his heart beat. I had so many blood tests taken that my arms began to look like a drug addict!!

Every test they did seemed to be causing another problem. By 6pm they told me that my blood sugar was sky high so they were suspecting gestational diabetes, my blood pressure was high so they suspected pre eclampsia, my kidneys were failing to produce urine they had no idea why and my liver was also failing to operate properly so they thought I had Obstetric cholestasis. Trouble was they didn't want to believe I had so many different things wrong so were looking for one disease that had all those symptoms!! The head consultant actually said he was going to have to look at his text books!!

I was moved from ward to ward as they thought my condition deteriorated and I needed more and more monitoring by doctors. Strangely though for a person who had such bad test results I looked fine and the only reason I wasn't up and about was because they had attached me to a drip and a catheter to try and persuade my kidneys to work!! Several doctors and midwives commented on this fact and said I should have looked like I was at deaths door if these results were right - the lab must have been getting annoyed by this point as so many people phoned to query my results!!

Finally at 9am on Saturday a consultant came to me and said that he had finally diagnosed Obstetric cholestasis and the beinings of pre-eclampsia. The sugars being high were from the steroid injection so they were discounting that and the kidney problem was a result of the pre eclampsia. They wanted to do one more blood test for the Obstetric cholestasis and if it was still rising then they would schedule me for a c-section. I asked what my previous score was and was told it was 559 - normal range is between 6 and 30. (My midwife has since told me that the highest anyone had seen in the hospital was 100 and as that person was so ill thats why people refused to believe my results) DH and I looked at each other - I realised he was pretty shocked by that and that I had expected it.

I sent DH home to give him a break and to sort out some stuff at home - it was 10:40. The Consultant came back in at 11am and said "Your test results are back you have risen to over 600; you will be having your c-section in an hour." I remember just nodding and as soon as he left I called DH and asked him if he was ready to be a daddy as I was having my c-section in an hour and he should get back to the hospital! I also called my parents; they were having a special day for their 47th wedding anniversary which was on the Tuesday but they had planned everything for the Saturday. Once I said I was having the c-section that day they cancelled everything and came to the hospital. My best friend also turned up and refused to leave me too.

The c-section was actually delayed by 2 hours so there was alot of sitting around. The consultant from NICU came down to talk to DH and I about all the things that could go wrong with Morgan if he was born at 33+6. This guy was all doom and gloom - he made a 90% chance of everything being OK sound so bad that DH was almost in tears!! The only thing we ended up asking him was when DH said "how long will he look like a christmas tree- with all the wires?" !!!!!

The anaesthesiologist came and chatted to us and he was a great laugh; he really made me feel confident that it would all be ok.

When they finally took us down to the operating theater I insisted on walking!! It made me feel like I had some control over what happened and that I wasn't just being wheeled off with no choice. DH in blue scrubs is an image I will keep with me always - he looked so funny!! They tried to use the port in my hand that had been set up for the drip but as it had been in for so long the medication refused to flow through it and they had to put a second one in. They couldn't find a vein in the back of my hand so it ended up going in my wrist. That hurt more than the spinal block to be honest!!

There was a delay between me being preped and numb and the surgeons turning up. DH and I chatted about random things. I don't really remember what and the first I knew of the surgeons was when they started cleaning my stomach before they started the operation. You really do only feel weird sensations of rummaging. I thought they were still putting the iodine on but they had already cut me open and DH was doing his best to stop me from noticing the pool of blood on the floor - at one point he physically turned my head away from it!!

We carried on chatting about random things when both of us heard a hiccup then a cry - our son had been born. We looked at each other in amazement. Apparently just as he cried the fire alarms went off; I can honestly say I don't remember that but DH does and my parents got evacuated from the hospital for a few minutes too.

Strangely enough someone then came and told me that my placenta was perfect!! All I wanted to know about was Morgan so I have no idea why they told me that!!

Finally they brought my little boy over to see me for a few seconds before taking him back to the crib for some more checks. DH went and got a picture before they took Morgan to the NICU. DH stayed with me until we were taken to a recovery ward when I sent him off to get more pics of Morgan. When he came back I was vomiting alot and carried on until the next morning when they moved me to the maternity ward.

They put me in a room with another lady who's baby was in NICU so I didn't have to see lots of women with their babies. They finally came and took the drip and catheter out at about 10am on Sunday and DH turned up at 11am - he helped me wash and then took me up to see my little boy.

Since then Morgan has been going from strength to strength. I am hoping that he comes home soon but they will not say when. I was discharged from hospital less than 48 hours after having my C-Section.

My birth experience wasn't what I had planned but all through they did talk to me and make sure I understood what was going on. There were not many choices I could make but the ones I had I felt I did take control over. It was the simple things like walking to the operating theater, being able to express milk on the Sunday morning and things like that that made the birth move from what could have been quite scary and traumatic to something that I just coped with.

I hopte this helps anyone who ends up with special circumstances. Hypnobirthing definately helped even if it wasn't in the way I planned. Even though I was aware of the possibility of things not going to plan I really didn't think it would happen to me!!

Love

Kath and Morgan
xxxx

[Caz81]

Wow, I'm glad you are both OK, it must have been worrying!

It's nice to know that hypnobirthing techniques are still useful in those kind of circumstances, I guess the relaxation techniques kept you pretty calm.

Hope you have a speedy recovery from the C section

[Kesmai]

Hi

I think I was the only calm one there!! My family were panicing, the doctors were worried and so was my DH!!

Noone thought I was taking it seriously as I was so calm throughout!! I really only had 2 moments of panic the one where I was being admitted but DH calmed me down then and when they had to put a drip into my wrist as they ran out of other places as I was in the operating theater and I just held DH hand then and breathed throuh it until it was done!!

I am fine after the c-section thank goodness - just had my 6 week check up and they seemed happy about it.

Little one is doing amazingly well - he just hit 6lb 3oz so is putting on loads of weight.

I am just glad I did the hypnobirthing or I would have been a complete basket case with worry!! Even though I didn't complete the course what we did do was enough.

Love

Kath
xxx