HypnoBirthing® UK

[Lotta]

We welcomed our daughter into the world in the loveliest of ways, just as the first rays of sun came up over Stockholm, Sweden on the 14th ofMay.

Maya’s birth had some typical characteristics of ‘hypnobirthing births’. It was natural and quite quick, 6 hours of active labour. The actual bearing down phase was only 25 minutes and to my surprise my favourite part, full of elation. The J-breath was a big help to bring Maya down and out. No interventions or medical painkillers were needed, though acupuncture helped and a few breaths of gas were tried (and rejected – I found that my best way through surges was to go deep into them, not try to get away from them).

However, I did have some pain. There was no denying it, and I was not shy about expressing it either, as my partner Matt can testify. I remember saying to Matt and our doula Maria,“Hey, I’m actually quite uncomfortable”, and the midwife overheard me replying dryly “darling, you’re giving birth, that is known to cause some discomfort”. (She did look as if she wondered what planet I was from, making such a comment, but was otherwise great and very supportive of the way we had chosen to give birth.)

I guess I was taken a bit by surprise by the strength of the sensations, even though my hypnobirthing therapist had said some very true words to me the day labour slowly started: “You are having a baby – you are going to feel it”. Perhaps I had succesfully managed not to expect pain, which is a remarkable thing if I did, given my focus on this pain until I did the course. Early on in the passive phase of birthing, I listened to the tapes and noticed how sensations became more about “feeling it” and a lot less about feeling pain as I relaxed - if that makes sense - so I knew it worked. However, as labour progressed, my legs began trembling uncontrollably. I couldn’t relax them, however hard I tried and however much Matt and Maria massaged and comforted me. They kept trembling and also felt quite nauseous. That made relaxing difficult, and I felt that my uterus wasn’t getting all the “peace of mind” and oxygen it needed.

Still, the pain was always manageable. Only at one point, during those last centimeters of dilation, did I get the feeling of “I can’t handle this”. I said so, and our wonderful doula asked if I could try breathing through the next one… and the next one… and the next one. They never got as bad as I feared, and I was back to believing I could do it. With confidence restored, I sailed through the last part of opening. I even fell asleep between and sometimes during surges, which surprised our doula given how powerful they were. We worked out this “method” where she would time me and gently wake me up before the start of each surge so I could breathe through it instead of waking up in the middle of it. I completely preferred being active and working with whatever was happening in my body, so I was otherwise up a lot in different positions.

Our doula said that I remained remarkably calm considering all that activity. The midwife commented on the great team work between my partner Matt, the doula and me and how unusually positive the atmosphere was in the room. I’m mentioning these comments of others involved, as we ourselves have nothing to compare it to. I can only say that I felt such a sense of empowerement, and such a triumph for life and nature in the end. Even when the surges were tough, I had an amazing time. What a physical experience it was; when the waters broke I “was” the water, when the surges came I “was” the uterus expanding. I am so glad that I could experience all that fully.

Throughout the active part of birthing, I was so much “in my body” that I didn’t use techniques consciously much. I think they worked for me anyway along the way. Perhaps the biggest gain was that preparation helped change my perception of birth from a fearful to a joyful one. I started with lots of fear, particularly that my back would give in as I’ve had major surgery on my spine and had been told by doctors that I’d probably had to have a C-section in the 7th month. I didn’t, and as it happened, I never had any pain in my back during pregnancy or birthing (probably much thanks to yoga).

Whatever the reasons, that absence of fear and presence of joy is certainly something to be happy for, not just during the birthing itself, but for the wonderful time of anticipation before it and now celebration afterwards. Our Maya came out fully aware, alert and serene. We’re so glad to have a healthy, happy, hypnobirthing baby! We would recommend hypnobirthing and having a doula to anyone.