HypnoBirthing® UK

[tamara]

Tamara’s Birth Experience

It was about half way through my pregnancy that I started to have a change of heart. I had booked a c-section pretty much immediately after finding out that I was pregnant due to the awful birth experience of my first child. Without going into too much detail I was induced the day the twin towers were destroyed in 2001 and only being overdue 11 days. It was a long painful labour and my little boy finally arrived on the morning of the 14th after many drugs and an assisted Vontouse delivery that slipped off his head causing my baby to then spend a week in SCBU due to the injuries caused .Anyway, enough of the negative and let’s hear the positive.

A friend suggested I use a doula this time as her friend had used one and it really helped her. I finally found a doula that was available around my due date and met up with her. She suggested I read up about ‘Hypnobirthing’and how lucky I was that she also happened to be a Hypnobirthing teacher. What a special and knowledgeable person she turned out to be and I feel so privileged to have shared this most special time with her.

My Doula spent the weekend teaching myself, my mum and my husband hypnobirthing four weeks before my baby’s birth.

I immediately felt confident that I would be able to do this and I strongly believe if I had had this knowledge first time around the trauma we all experienced could have been avoided.

I do clearly remember the pre natal classes in my area during my first pregnancy where the only thing they taught me was what drugs I could have at the time and the different instruments used to assist the babies birth.

Why was ‘Hypnobirthing’ not introduced to me as an option as a first time mother to be?

I am very fortunate to have a fantastic mother to support me. She flew over from Australia for the birth and arrived 4 weeks prior.

She also very much enjoyed the course and her encouragement and motivation were vital to my success.

We practised the breathing techniques and Relaxation scenarios for 30-40 mins almost everyday for 4 weeks, so when the time came getting into my relaxed state had become second nature to me.

The Labour.

I woke around 4 am and immediately knew it was time. I was 13 days over my due date and had decided not to be induced this time in anyway shape or form.

My surges were mild but frequent-every 5 minutes. I phoned the hospital who said I should come in immediately as I lived 40mins away.

I lay on the back seat of the car with my favourite hypnobirthing music on and closed my eyes breathing in 4 and breathing out 8 until we got there. The 40min journey felt about 5 mins and I was woke by my husband flying over a speed bump on entering the hospital car park and I could have then punched him. It was only then that I realised how intense my surges had become and I needed some help walking into the hospital. It was now 7am.

I was refused the water birth I had visualised due to loosing too much blood in my first birth-that was the reason I was given anyway.

We were introduced to a small, bland room which my mum miraculously managed to personalise with in minutes of entering with pictures my son had drawn, crystals, Aromatherapy scents and of course my music.

My midwife walked in and introduced herself .I immediately asked if she believed in the concept of a natural labour in which she replied ‘no’ but in Africa where she had previously worked for 3 years she attended and assisted many natural births but since coming to the UK she had been hospital trained.

We explained that we wanted as natural birth as possible and she agreed to stand back and watch but at times throughout dopla the baby’s heart beat.

I lay on the bed on my side and my mother got me into my relaxed state with my chosen music, rehearsed breathing and my favourite visualisation techniques. I was aware of the constant surges and felt calm and in control.

9am-I was then awoken by the midwife asking to check my dilation in which I agreed. I was 6cm dilated. She then said that my labour had officially started.

I returned to my comfortable position on my side and resumed my relaxation and breathing. I remember being aware of breathing in each contraction to the count of 20 and it definitely helped. I opened my eyes at one point and noticed the clock on the wall reading 11am.Where had the time gone I had felt I had only been in the room for an hour or so. My mum and husband took turns tickling my arms to get the endorphins flowing.

The midwife asked on the hour every hour if she could check my dilation and I just replied ‘no thanks I’m ok’ and carried on relaxing.

She did encourage me to get up and go to the toilet and therefore I left my state of relaxation and the surge I had while trying to wee was so painful I just wanted to get back to my bed and my relaxation where I was completely in control of the surges.

Every time the midwife listened to the baby’s heart beat she said she couldn’t believe how calm she was in there and I don’t think her heart beat changed at all throughout.

1.30pm-I was starting to feel quite a lot of discomfort in my lower back and it felt as though I was tightening this area even more whilst experiencing a surge. It was like every part of my body was relaxed except for that lower back area. Even through each surge my family told me that I didn’t even change my facial expressions and my hands were relaxed throughout. They said they couldn’t even tell when I was having a surge.

I explained to my Doula that the tension was in my lower back and I said this baby will never come as long as I kept tightening this area with each surge. My Doula massaged and started to wobble my bum which initially hurt a lot and then I felt the tension release. I then felt a strong desire to re-position myself on my knees on the bed with the top of the bed raised up and my arms over the top. I then felt an enormous desire to empty my bowels and knew immediately it was time to use the j-breath.

Each surge was then accompanied by a low toned ‘agggghhhhh’ and there was about 6 surges like this when my doula whispered in my ear.’ It is time, just relax, you can open up bigger than you think’. It was with these words that the head was then born wrapped in the intact membrane. I did scream when this occurred and I can’t believe anyone wouldn’t. The body was born with the next surge and another scream. She came out swimming with the waters. (born 1.55pm)

I turned around and the midwife immediately put her on my stomach and I lifted her up and I announced ’it’s a girl’ She lifted her head, eyes so alert and looked around the room. She was a real hypno baby that I had read about.

I could not stop saying to myself ‘It worked. I can’t believe it actually worked and I didn’t even have to push’

That’s right you read it correctly; there was no pushing required at all I just breathed her down.

After examining me the midwife said that all was intact and ok down below and an hour later she was weighed .A whopping 9lbs 5.I commenced perennial massage 4 weeks before the birth using evening primrose oil and I truly believe it helped.

Alana Ruby was born on the 1st day of spring 2007 and I can honestly say that there was not one point throughout the labour that I even felt the need to ask for any pain relief.

Marie Mongan; you are a legend!

Alana is definitely a calm, chilled baby and sleeps very well at night already. I feel like the luckiest mother in the world right now…….and this is something all us women can do if we put our minds to it.

I would really love to become a hypnobirthing teacher and can’t wait to be contacted in the near future with details of a possible course.

Lots of love and luck to you all.

Tamara from Hertfordshire.

[eleanorcopp]

what an amazing birth story. its brilliant , as a mum , midwife and hypnobirthing teacher i am thrilled to read this tamara , all power to you ! eleanor

[ockysmith]

Many congratulations on your daughter's birth.

Look forward to welcoming you as a practitioner one day (you're in a neighbouring county to me!).

[SarahH]

What a wonderful birth story Tamara!! Congratulations!

I am in Hertfordshire too and have just completed my HB course so look forward to a birth like yours.

Sarah x

[tamara]

[SarahH]

[tamara]

Hi Sarah,

I am just outside Hertford.

Tam.

[gordon_mullan]

I've now modified the forum so you can add pictures - see the pictures of Tamara's birth (above) as an example.

Regards
Gordon

[Sandra Bailey]

Thank you for sharing your beautiful birth story.

Congratulations.

[Jo Capper]

what a fantastic story, i am currently 9 days over due with my second baby and trying to resist the hospitals threat of inducement on wednesday. I am already possibly having to face the dissappointment of not being able to give birth at home, my PCT wont allow home deliveries after 10 days. I suppose i just need some tips as to how best deal with holding off being induced. After being induced with my first baby i really know and dont wont to go down that route again. Any advice would be gratefully recieved!

[ockysmith]

HI - I'd recommend you read http://www.homebirth.org.uk/overdue.htm if you haven't already and join the yahoo group linked from there, also have a read of http://www.aims.org.uk/homebirthUpdated.htm and contact Beverley Lawrence Beech if you have any problems.

Your PCT have no choice over your place of birth! their policy may be to only "allow" women to go 10 days over at home but thankfully the law is on your side and if anybody can dictate that baby's place of birth it's you! The above sites give great advice but basically you have the option of having monitoring to check the baby is OK (as advised by NICE guidelines) and holding off induction for as long as you wish, if you have any resistence to this then there's a great letter on the above sites for you to send to the supervisor of midwives.

I planned homebirths for all of my babies, with my first I was "overdue" and threatened with similar to you except my hospital had a policy of "letting" you go 12 days over (have you done the HypnoBirthing course? if so you'll know how irrelevant due dates are anyway and all about "normal pregnancy" etc), I refused to even consider being induced in hospital until I had completed 42wks of pregnancy (i.e: I was 15 days overdue), as it happens my labour started naturally at exactly 42wks!

Anyway, go and read the homebirth and AIMs site and also get in touch with your HypnoBirthing teacher if you want anymore advice/confidence boosting.

[Jo Capper]

yes i have done the hypnobirthing course and so although in my head i know that i should be able to go to 14 days over without too much stress but am already being pressurised by the doctors and hospital policies, wrong i know, i will have a look at links you gave me thanks, thanks for your speedy reply!

[mia]

Hi Jo,
It's such a shame that while you want to chill and relax and enjoy those last few days, you are stressing. I know, I've been there three times! My third was 17 days past my "due" date (no baby is "overdue" or "late" until they reach that statistically less common date of 15 days beyond due date). Your baby is not late! Keep remembering that. First babies come on average at 41 weeks - that leaves the other half arriving later than that.
I went in to "talk" to the consultant about going beyond their protocol (my way of playing by their rules). I explained that I knew the risks, and that i felt confident and fine. He wrote in my notes "discussed. Patient wants to wait the week-end. Low risk." Seeing that he had written "low risk" made me feel a lot better somehow. Waters released the next day.
Of course, not so long ago, many babies waited a long time - up to four weeks quite often.
good luck with it.

[ockysmith]

[Jo Capper]

thanks for all support and words, i am fortunatley feeling much stronger and have gathered some research so feel i have words to put forward my case in a more informed way. I am determined to go to 14 days without any notion of inducement and even past that i shall see how i feel! I am still visualising a home birth! thanks