Hi
I had my little girl, Ellie, 12 days ago and I just wanted to share my story of the labour and birth.
I decided to do hypnobirthing after reading about it and also as I had used hypnotherapy to get over the stress of my Dad's unexpected death a couple of years ago. My husband and I started the course at 24 weeks and did 5 2.5 hour sessions with Clare Cotton at Human Nuture. I did the affirmations almost daily and the Rainbow Relaxation and when I started maternity leave/annual leave at 34 weeks I did it religously, stepping it up to twice a day in the last couple of weeks. I also did perineal massage in the last 3 weeks every other day. I took evening primrose oil from 38 weeks as I heard that it helps ripen the cervix and I was so determined not to go overdue. I kept up my exercise routine and was at Body Attack on the Wednesday and in the gym on the Thursday before I gave birth on the Friday night/Saturday morning! I do believe that helped my pregnancy and labour and post birth.
On the Friday 30th September I was about to leave the house to go and get my hair done. My due date was the 7th October so I got a bit of a shock when my waters broke in the living room. I actually started laughing in disbelief. I called my husband to let him know and then Triage at my local hospital. I was advised to call back in an hour with a view to come in for a check up. I didn't call back - naughty naughty! By the time Steven got home it was almost lunchtime so he had a shower and got sent off to Subway for some lunch. I had some surges by now but nothing major and carried on as usual. AT this point I still didn't have my pram and carseat - some kind of delay with the shop so I had to phone them and say my waters had broke so I needed it that day. Luckily Mum was on hand to go and pick everything up that afternoon! I phoned Triage after lunch and they asked me to come in around 4pm to check everyhing was OK. We headed along and I had a monitor and the midwife took a swab. We were there for an hour or so and when we left the surges got stronger and regular. So much so that I stopped walking at each one and breathed through them. We got home about 6 ish and stuck a pizza on for dinner. I didn't manage to eat a lot of mine as the surges were very regular at this point. I was also in a bit of discomfort with back pain - not unlike a back spasm. At this point I stuck on my affirmations and rainbow relaxation and listened to that. At about 9pm I decided to go upstairs as the TV was starting to annoy me. I lay on my side and did my affirmations and Rainbow Relaxation again and breathed through the very regular surges. AT no point had I timed any of the surges so I had no idea of time etc. Before I knew it I had to shout on Steven as I fel the urge to push and my body was doing it anyway. He phoned Triage and they asked if I needed an ambulance or could I make it in - I said I didn't want to be overdramatic and I would make my own way in. It took me 15 minutes to get out my bed and on way to the hospital. Luckily the hopsital is only 5 mins away. The midwife was waiting on us with a wheelchair to take me up to the labour suite. She did a check and found that I was fully dilated! She also discovered that I was having a back to back labour hence the discomfort in my back. She couldn't believe how quiet I was being and just breathing through the surges. She asked if I wanted a water birth as it was on my plan but it would take about an hour to fill etc. At this point I couldn't see me getting out of the bed. After another check the Midwife advised me to get into my chosen birthing position as the baby was ready to be born so I managed to turn over and kneel with my arms draped over the top of the bed. I don't know how long I was birthing for but I remembered my birth breathing (your body does it naturally) and Ellie was born at 1.27 am 1st October. She scored 9 on the Apgars and was very calm coming into the world. Steven cut the cord once it had stopped pulsating. I had decided to birth the placenta naturally so I had to empty my bladder to see if that would help as it was taking its time to detach. Eventually the midwife cut the cord again to make it bleed and the placenta came slithering out.
Ellie took to the breast easily and I had a second degree tear.
The birth was totally natural and everything I wanted. Hypnobirthing rocks!
x

