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Our Birth Story by Rachael, Dylan & Noah
Our Birth Story by Claire & Mike
Our Birth Story by Rachael, Dylan & Noah
I was very nervous about being pregnant, labour and childbirth, so I felt I needed to be as prepared as possible. I also wanted to have some control over a situation I wasn’t sure it was possible to have control over. HypnoBirthing taught me more than how to have a relaxed birth; it allowed me to relax throughout my pregnancy and helped me discover how many choices I really had.
I loved our sessions with Sandra and I even started to look forward to the possibility of having the birth experience other people had managed to have through hypnobirthing.
Towards the end of my pregnancy things started to get a little more complicated, my blood pressure had increased and there were concerns that I might not be able to have my birth at my preferred location of the Jubilee Birth Centre. I had to have regular monitoring at the centre and was signed off work; anxiety about my blood pressure was certainly not helping. Sandra helped by using the techniques I had become accustomed to and focussing on reducing my blood pressure. This was very successful and my blood pressure returned to within the realms of normal!
My waters released early on the Tuesday morning but there was no sign of contractions, we contacted the Jubilee and they asked us to go in. the midwife explained that if I was to give birth at the centre I needed to begin labour within 72 hours, but ideally within 48 hours, she also wanted to perform an internal examination to check my waters had definitely released. Thanks to my preparation I felt confident in politely declining her offer, I was certain that my waters had released and I didn’t need poking to check. So, I was sent off with a pot of clary sage.We went into town, as despite being two days over my due date we hadn’t bought the music CD's we had planned, and typically my contractions began in HMV.
We returned home and I had a hot bath while Dyl read the relaxation scripts, things moved pretty quickly in this calm environment and within a couple of hours my contractions were every three minutes. Time to get to the Jubilee!
Unfortunately by the time I was admitted (8 pm) things had slowed right down and the gaps between surges seemed huge so the midwife ran me an aromatherapy bath and left me to it while she read my birth plan. The aromatherapy and hypno scripts did the trick and my surges returned with gusto.
We moved from the bath to the birthing room where my pool was ready filled. From this point I don’t have a huge recollection of what was going on around me. I remained very calm (except for two minutes during transition which certainly brought me back to reality), but I was pretty groany during the surges. Otherwise my room was silent, my midwife sat behind me, Dylan sat in front of me and supported me through the surges. I used a little gas and air, but I was nervous to use too much as I didn’t want to feel nauseous. I had been feeling a strong urge to bear down for quite a while but the midwife and encouraged me to try not to as I wasn’t fully dilated to, it came as a relief when she told me that I could go for it. The feeling of bearing down was uncontrollable; I certainly did no deliberate pushing. The muscles did all the work; I just had to go with my body.
Noah was born in two powerful surges. I reached into the water and lifted out my son. No assistance required. Our midwife was amazing; she congratulated me on delivering my own baby and took pictures! Within minutes I wanted to do it again, I have gone from being terrified of childbirth to wanting a decently sized family; I think another success for HypnoBirthing!Rachael, Dylan and Noah
Our Birth Story by Fabien & Alex
After the course we waited patiently for the birth of our baby. As the time passed we both got more excited, wondering whether we would get a little girl or a little boy. I had been booked to have our baby in the Jubilee Birth Centre but it closed shortly before my due date, I really wanted a calm birth in an environment that wasn’t clinical so decided to have a home birth. We hired the pool from Sandra and found the midwives to be very supportive of our choice. Even though this was my first baby I felt confident and relaxed about giving birth at home and knew this was the right choice for me and our baby.
Alex and I really wanted to meet our little bundle now but my due date of 22nd August came and went. I remembered Sandra saying babies come when they are ready and not on a set date but I was getting impatient. I hadn’t had any signs or symptoms, I felt exactly the same and fine. Three days later on the morning of Thursday 25th I woke up feeling different, can’t really describe it just different! I rang the midwife that night and she said to call back if there were any positive signs of labour. On the Friday I started with period like pains in my tummy but still wasn’t sure if it was labour or not. I was a bit worried as I wasn’t sure if this was normal at this point. I suppose I just assumed I would know if I was in labour. I rang the midwife again and she told me to have a bath and call her back when I was getting three ‘pains’ in ten minutes.
My mum came round and Sandra arrived around 1 o’clock, Sandra had agreed to stay with me during my birth. I was feeling relaxed at this point so we sat around chatting. Alex had blown the birthing pool up so all there was to do was wait and see. At about 4 o’clock Sandra did a relaxation and visualisation session with me and then as things did not seem to be progressing her and my mum left to get something to eat. I still wanted to know if I was in labour so again called the midwife who agreed to come round. After talking to me she decided I wasn’t in labour as I was so calm and was not in pain. She was going to leave but I said I would feel better if she examined me, at least then I would know I wasn’t in labour and could get some sleep. She was very surprised to find out I was 4cm at 7.30 I was so relived and excited that this really was labour and I would have my baby soon. Alex on the other hand was still not totally convinced that HypnoBirthing would work and he was dreading the worst.
Sandra arrived back around 8 o’clock and my mum and dad shortly after. Alex started filling the pool and I relaxed in my big comfy chair, just chilling. I kept thinking about going to straighten my hair for the photos but couldn’t really be bothered lol. With each surge, I went into my own little zone and breathed through them. I found the breathing techniques worked brilliantly and at no time was I unable to cope. Alex and I spent some time on our own and by 11.30 the surges had become stronger and closer together, I wanted to get in the pool but the midwife wanted to examine me again first. I was very disappointed when she said I was only 5cm, I was sure I would have been more. I got into the pool to see if it would speed things up a bit but I was too warm and I had to get out again. I went to the bathroom and I had a show, another good sign I thought. The surges were coming quick and fast and were causing me discomfort in my back. I still felt in control but decided to try the gas and air, after only a few breathes I didn’t want any more, it tasted disgusting. Sandra came back in from the other room and I asked her to stay.
Sandra and Alex both did the light touch massage which was really relaxing and helped more than gas and air. I remember at this point I just wanted a nap and then I started shaking a lot, which I had learnt on the course, was a sign of transition so knew things were moving along. Alex and Sandra helped me to get back into the pool and continued with the light touch massage.
Getting into the pool was pure bliss; the warm water eased the discomfort straight away. I was able to just float and relax. My mum came back in the room and stroked my arm. The atmosphere was quiet and calm, nobody felt the need to talk and I was able to zone out completely.
My baby moved down so slowly and gently, I didn’t need to push, my body just did the work for me. As I continued to breathe down Alex saw the head emerging, He shouted for the midwife who nearly missed the event as she was still in the other room. She didn’t interfere with the birth and I just continued to allow my baby to birth. My baby entered the world in calm and peace, no screaming, no pushing. I scooped my baby up out of the water and discovered we had a beautiful baby girl. Alex cut the cord after it had stopped pulsating.
Alex and I had some time on our own, gazing at our beautiful baby girl, I was so shocked that I had done it, so excited and happy. Alex kept saying I was amazing and I felt amazing. The midwife came back in and as there was no sign of my placenta being birthed she suggested I got out of the pool. Eliza was handed to Alex and everyone went in the other room to admire her.
After ten minutes still no placenta and I was offered a shot of pitocin, which I declined. I wanted my baby back and as soon as I held her my placenta came away. I didn’t need any stitches and felt amazing. Eliza Nancy was born at 1.50 am on the 27th August weighing 6lb 13oz.
Did HypnoBirthing work? Would I do it again? yes yes yes. Has Alex changed his mind about HypnoBirthing, Well put it this way He tells everyone about it and how awesome it is.
Helen's Birth Story
My due date was 22nd October 2011 and because I had had a previous caesarean the obstetrician informed me that I would not be allowed to go much over my due date. I was told that if baby hadn’t arrived by the 29th they would induce me by using a Foley catheter. I had never heard of this procedure, nor had my midwife or Sandra. A close friend of mine who is a senior midwife asked an OB and found out it was a technique that was used in the 1930s !! I really didn’t like the sound of it and the research that Sandra found showed that it wouldn’t reduce the chance of a second caesarean. No, that wasn’t for me so I declined the offer.
I negotiated some extra days to see if baby made an appearance but he was far too comfy in there. When I was 12 days over my due date I went in to be induced, with my new confidence and knowledge I asked for the lowest dose of prostaglandin in a peccary form wanting my labour to start as slowly and gently as possible. As they thought it would take a while for anything to happen they suggested I went for a walk downstairs to the café for a coffee. I had another idea, after all it was nearly Christmas so we decided to pop to Tesco’s for some Christmas shopping and go to their café. I don’t think they were very impressed when we returned !! I felt fine and I started listening to my birth affirmation and relaxation CD and started to relax.
I can safely say I was not frightened but ready for my baby to arrive now. I focused and I have to say I concentrated on the breathing techniques I had learned and they worked well. My labour progressed very fast, enough to panic staff as I wasn't even on the delivery ward. My labour lasted four hours and 12 minutes so staff tell me. I never spoke to anyone during my labour apart from my husband and that was to only request water. I felt deeply relaxed and worked my way calmly through the contractions.
One thing no one knew was that my son was to be born weighing 10lb 7oz. I had no intervention apart from a few puffs on the gas and air. The doctors came to see me and each one said something like 'Good girl well done' when they looked down their notes at saw my sons weight and how I had only had gas and air at the end.
I would never have had my son so quickly and naturally if it wasn't for Sandra. The midwife was very surprised after my son was born and she kept saying in her words you did 'amazing'. I had the cord clamped on my chest and he was weighed a few hours later. I can say that my son breast feeds brilliantly and took to it quicker than my daughter.
On the whole I am not good with pain and when I first met Sandra I told her 'I don't like pain I'm no good even with a leg wax'.
Alex and Paul's Birth Story
When I discovered I was pregnant as awful as it sounds I was horrified. It wasn't really planned and came as a bit of a shock. My first pregnancy was not great, physically everything was fine but mentally I was a mess. I suffered with antenatal depression and also had a genuine fear of labour which meant as well as being depressed I was very anxious and suffered with panic attacks. During the last 2 months of my pregnancy I had to go off sick from work which I think looking back made the situation even worse as I had too much time to think about what was to come. I had counselling and also cognitive behavioural therapy but it didn't really work and I was so scared about giving birth. My first labour was uncomplicated and everything went fine but I had every kind of pain relief offered including an epidural, pethidine and gas and air and it resulted in me being very battered and bruised after the birth. I didn't think I would ever get over it but in time I did and I moved on. I did however develop post natal depression also and still suffered with anxiety. My husband and I said we would never go through the experience again. This time round as soon as I found out I was pregnant the first thing I said was “I'm having a c section, I can't go through it all again.” I even asked the midwife to refer me to the obstetrician so I could discuss this with him but I wouldn't be seen until I was 20 weeks.
In the meantime someone mentioned about hypnobirthing so I looked into it and found Sandra's website. I was immediately intrigued and got a shimmer of hope that maybe I could go through labour again with the help of hypnobirthing. I contacted Sandra and she did a consultation with me to get a background history and also did a couple of hypnosis sessions first to deal with my fear of labour. I was amazed at how well I relaxed and was put into trance, I came away from each session feeling a lot more positive. My husband and I started the course quite early on as I was very eager to start work at the hypnobirthing. I had a very different pregnancy this time round was a lot less anxious, worked right to the end of my pregnancy which I was determined to do this time and felt reasonably positive about the birth. Infact I was so positive that I decided to have baby at Jubilee birth centre. This would never have been an option with my first pregnancy. I was also determined to not have an epidural and only wanted gas and air as pain relief.I practised my hypnobirthing everyday especially towards the end of my pregnancy and really enjoyed the light touch massage. Sandra had also very kindly agreed to be there during my birth experience and be a second birth partner which she doesn't normally do. Sandra came with me to all my appointments and was just fantastic during my pregnancy which also gave me the confidence to have a natural birth experience. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was very anxious I must admit but I think it was because I had stopped work and also because I knew labour was approaching. Sandra still saw me right to the end of my pregnancy and did some more hypnosis sessions to keep me relaxed.
My due date came and went and each day I went over I was getting more and more anxious. I kept telling myself that the due date is just a date and baby can come two weeks either side of it but I was stressed about the thought of being induced. Having a fear of labour is pure torture for this reason as it is so out of your control and you never know when labour is going to start. I had tried most things by this point to get things moving including walking, curry, gallons of pineapple etc. We eventually got desperate and gave in on the fifth night and had sex to speeds things up. Three hours later my surges started at 2am, I couldn't believe it had worked that quickly. My surges were not strong at all and I lay in bed for two hours keeping track of how far apart they were, which was only 10 minutes and they were lasting about 1 minute. At 4 am I decided to wake up my husband to tell him things had started. This proves how calm and relaxed I was as with my first labour I freaked out as soon as things started. My husband and I laid there while I listened to my hypnobirthing CD and he did some light touch massage. My surges started to get stronger as time passed and they were bout 8 minutes apart now by 6 am.
As Sandra was going to be one of my birth partners I texted her to let her know things had started and also rung my mum inlaw to get her to come and pick up our daughter. At 7 am my mum inlaw arrived and my surges were now 7 minutes apart and lasting a good minute and a half and were regular. We said our goodbyes to our daughter and I rung the hospital to pre warn them we would be soon on our way soon and to let them know my request of a water birth, my history of anxiety
during child birth and that I was doing hypnobirthing. They said to go in when my surges were about 6 minutes apart with it being my second birth and also fact we lived quite far away.I started to potter about and sorted out the laundry to keep me busy, I was still amazed at how
relaxed I was. Unfortunately my surges became irregular and went back up to 10 minutes apart and then I didn't have one for 15 minutes. This was very frustrating as we were thinking to set off at this point to the hospital. I went to lay down and listened to my rainbow relaxation and get some rest. My surges were irregular for most of the day, one minute they were 8 minutes apart then 10
minutes, it was very frustrating and I was getting tired and fed up. At 3 pm I rung the hospital and
spoke to a very unhelpful midwife who made me very anxious by telling me I might have a urine
infection. This really stressed me out which made my surges even more irregular. I rung my
community midwife who agreed to come and visit me at home due to my anxiety levels and to
check all was well. My midwife came at 5pm and was there for 30 minutes and I only had 1 surge
the whole time she was there. She said I was in early labour and baby's head wasn't even engaged yet. My waters still hadn't gone either so I was expecting it to be a while. Everything was fine though, urine dipstick was clear and baby’s heart rate was also fine. I was advised to try and relax but to be prepared that it might be a while longer yet and my midwife said she would be very
surprised if baby arrived anytime soon. Once the midwife left I really made the effort to relax and laid on the couch concentrating on my breathing and relaxation CD. Paul made me some tea which I forced down as felt quite nauseous by this point. My surges had become really strong by now and felt quite severe through my back. They were still irregular however about 8 minutes apart still and then I would have a long gap when I wouldn't have a surge. At 7pm I decided to get in the shower, I put it on really powerful and aimed it on my back and leant right forward. It felt so nice and was such a relief I stayed in there for agers. When I got out the shower I felt so much better and even dried and straightened my hair. I got into bed for a bit and my surges started to become more frequent about 7 minutes apart and more regular. At 9 pm I went to the toilet and noticed I'd had my show. I carried on trying to relax and Paul did some light touch massage but I was struggling with the surges because babies head had obviously engaged and things started to move really quickly. At 10 pm I notice more blood which really panicked me. I rung and spoke to the midwife and they told me to go in to get checked out but if my contraction were still only 7 minutes apart then they may send me home. I decided to go in as I was getting more anxious being at home. I rung Sandra and she said she would meet us there. The journey to the hospital l wasn't too bad, I continued to do my breathing and listened to my relaxation music. My surges were 6 minutes apart the whole journey and were very regular by this point. We arrived at hospital at 11 pm and left the bags in the car in case they sent me home again. We really didn't think we would be staying in. We met Sandra in the entrance and then went up to the labour ward. I was shown to my room, hooked up on a monitor for about half an hour until I was to be examined. Everything was fine on the monitor so I was taken off. The midwife then checked to see how far dilated I was and I was only 2 cm. This was a huge disappointment as I thought I would be further on. The midwife said I could go home or stay, was up to me. Due to the distance back home I decided to stay in. Paul went and got my bags from the car and Sandra did some hypnosis with me and it was by far the most relaxed I had been since labour started. I spoke to my midwife about using the birthing pool which she said would be available soon as someone had just birthed in there. The next hour was a bit of a whirlwind, before I knew it my surges were 3 minutes apart. I lay across my birthing ball and had light touch massage from both Paul and Sandra, it was very relaxing and even though my surges felt strong it was bearable.My midwife went on her break at 12.30am and said she would have the pool ready when she got
back as it needed cleaning out. I went to the toilet and remember thinking whilst I was sat on the
loo that I felt a huge pressure down below and needed to push. I went to my bed and got in the polar bear position laid on all fours. It was 1.30 am at this point and I suddenly felt a huge urge to push and also began to feel very uncomfortable and told Paul and Sandra to get my midwife. She was on her break at the time so another midwife came and had a look to see what was going on. Believe it or not but I was right, babies head was crowning and I was ready to start pushing just 2 hours from being only 2 cm dilated. Before I knew it, I was sucking on the gas and air and pushing baby out. It was all very quick in the end and I only had 5 pushes and my Kate Elizabeth arrived at 1.58 am and weighed 7lb 2oz. I was so happy and relieved, it was such a different experience to the birth I had with my first. I held her and within only 10 minutes I tried feeding her as this was my request in my birth plan. She was reluctant to feed at first but within next 10 minutes she was feeding brilliantly. I was completely blown away and so happy to hold my baby girl. The whole experience was so different to my first labour and I felt genuinely proud of myself at how well I had coped during this birth experience.I genuinely believe that without Sandra and my hypnobirthing course I would not of had such a
wonderful experience birthing my baby. I would have opted for an elective caesarean due to my fear of labour. I would like to say a huge thank you to the wonderful Sandra for being there for me
through my pregnancy and also for agreeing to be there throughout the birth of baby Kate. I feel so
lucky to have met Sandra who has now become a trusted friend. Also big thank you to my ace
husband for putting up with me and being my rock as always.
P.S waters didn’t release prior to birth and Kate’s transition was cushioned by the waters.
Our HypnoBirth Story by Aoife, Andy & baby Hughie
My baby was due 2 days ago. My family and friends keep asking questions and generally harassing me but I remained calm and relaxed and not focusing an awful lot on my “supposed” due date. So I was shocked when my baby showed signs of his or her arrival so close to the expected date.
I ate my dinner that evening about 6pm, put my plate down and instantly brought the whole thing back up again, as I had stomach ache. It was then that my husband and I realised that this could be the moment we had waited so long for. Andy put my relaxation CD’s on, brought me a duvet, turned the TV off and dimmed the lights in the room.
Before I knew it I was asking him to phone the hospital to let them know that I thought I should go in. The nurse asked to speak to me, and because I was calm and holding a decent conversation I was told to have a bath, continue doing what I was doing and call them later. I did as I was told and again before I knew it I was on the phone and again was told that because I still seemed to be managing that I should stay at home, I told them we were coming in!
We collected our bags and set off for the hospital and I continued listening to the hypnosis CD’s we had put in the car a few weeks earlier. Once we got into the hospital and were given our room, Andy turned the lights down low, and quickly put on my music and passed my birth plan to the midwives for them to read.
The midwives gave me a very brief and un-intrusive check over and told us that the baby was very close to arriving. After this initial update, they stood back, occasionally speaking quietly between themselves and leaving us to it. My husband had to leave the room at some point, so the midwife took over, reminding me to listen to my music and stay calm and relaxed.
After 2hours of being in hospital, I felt ready to push, I asked the midwives if I was ready, and they said “you do what you feel you need to” (following my birth plan, to the word) I was pushing for about an hour, but was calm and pretty excited about what would eventually happen.
Hughie Vincent was born 22.10.2010 at 1.50am. Weighing a healthy 8lb 10oz It was amazing; I felt full of energy and was particularly proud of myself for doing so much work without any intervention. Unfortunately I held on to the placenta. So an hour later I was wheeled down to surgery, which I was upset about because I had to leave Hughie behind with Andy, and also because I had to have a Spinal injection in surgery, but I was just so pleased that Hughie had been brought into the world drug free. I just kept patting myself on the back.
I honestly could have done the whole thing again days later, I enjoyed Hughie’s birth. Even today friends who listen to me say the word “enjoyment” just snigger and dismiss the enjoyment part.
I would recommend HypnoBirthing to everyone; both my husband and I were so relaxed. I don’t join in most people’s conversations about their births because I just sit there internally gloating about how mine was such a pleasant experience!
Our Birth Story by Claire & Mike
My husband and I become pregnant through the process of IVF and had been given a ‘due date’ of 15th February. Baby and I were monitored closely throughout my pregnancy, mainly due to my incessant worrying!!
As we were having a baby through IVF we were told by our consultant that we would not be able to go past our ‘due date’ by more than a week and that I would be induced at 41 weeks. I was desperate not to let that happen as I wanted as natural a labour as possible and couldn’t stand the thought of having to stay in bed with monitors and drips attached to me.
I was examined a week before our ‘due date’ and a midwife told me that she would be very surprised if I went over that date so I left her feeling very hopeful that our baby would be arriving soon. The 15th February finally arrived, but no sign of our baby, I was booked in for a stretch and sweep the next day to try and get things moving. I was told that everything was as it should be but that if my body wasn’t ready then the stretch and sweep may not do anything to help. We spent the afternoon and evening waiting to see if anything would happen and woke the next morning slightly disappointed that we were still at home and not in the hospital with our little bundle of joy! My husband was going to be my birth partner with my Mum as stand in, in case it was a long process or Mike needed any support. My Mum and Dad live in Scotland so were on standby waiting for the phone call to ask them to come down to Hull.
The next day I went out for lunch with family but did not feel hungry. I started to have an uncomfortable feeling low down in my pelvis but just put it down to the stretch and sweep the day before. I spent the afternoon shopping and began to feel more uncomfortable although I thought it was more like IBS, which I do suffer from sometimes. I came home and decided to listen to my hypnobirthing CD on the sofa and fell asleep for an hour. I tried bouncing on my birthing ball but that was not very comfortable. At 5.30pm I walked up to my doctor’s surgery to pick up a prescription for my husband. I walked slowly as I felt very heavy and uncomfortable. I actually asked the receptionist if there was a doctor around to check with him if this was normal but they had all finished for the evening. Once I got home I noticed a slight bloody show in the toilet, I decided to have a bath to try and help me to relax. When my husband came in from work he rang the Maternity ward and they asked me to come in just to check all was well as I had mentioned a slight bleeding. We packed my bags and pillow into the car just in case I was kept in although I was pretty sure it wasn’t labour.
At around 7pm the midwife at the hospital checked our baby’s heart beat and asked me to explain what I was feeling. I was still only having an uncomfortable feeling low down in my pelvis every now and then. She told me I wasn’t in labour and that I would know when I was as the feeling would start at the top of my uterus and move down. She explained that the feeling I had just now was just the baby’s head pressing down and getting into position. She didn’t give me an internal examination. We came home feeling a bit deflated as we had hoped that this would be the beginning of the labour.
As the evening wore on the feeling started to become more intense. At about 9pm Mike rang the hospital again and the midwife asked to talk to me. She told me it probably wasn’t labour and just to take a paracetamol and have a warm bath to ease any discomfort I was having. I went for a bath putting my hypnobirthing CD on repeat and managed to relax and take control of myself.
I decided to try and go to bed and sleep just in case anything was to happen in the night. Getting out the bath was a bit of a struggle and I began to feel very shaky and unable to control it. Mike had to come and help me to get dry and I got into bed with my relaxation CD still on repeat!!
I asked Mike to try the light touch massage but the feeling I was getting became so intense and frequent that I began to panic slightly. Mike rang the hospital yet again at about 10.30pm and we were told again that I probably wasn’t in labour but that if it was then it would be painful and it would be better to stay at home for as long as I could! Not really what I wanted to hear!! Mike explained to the midwife that I was shaking uncontrollably and she told him to give me something to eat as it may just be low blood sugar as I hadn’t eaten much that day.
I managed to get myself up to the toilet as I really felt like I needed to poo. I didn’t dare get off the toilet then as the waves kept coming and coming. Mike was trying to make me eat a cereal bar at the same time which wasn’t going down very well!! I could not get comfortable and was beginning to think that something was wrong with me or the baby as we kept being told I wasn’t in labour so it made me wonder what on earth was actually happening to me!!
I eventually got myself onto all fours on the landing and suddenly told Mike that I felt the need to push. Even then I was still convinced I wasn’t in labour and that I was just being over dramatic as the midwives had kept telling me I wasn’t in labour. At this point Mike rang the labour ward and told them he was bringing me in. He had to help get me dressed. I managed to get into the car between surges and Mike rushed me to Hull Women and Children’s Hospital. I fought back the need to push as we drove.
As soon as I stepped foot out of the car my waters broke. I had Sandra’s voice in my head saying that it is best to stay active if you are in labour so opted for the stairs instead of the lift to get up to the labour ward!! I had to keep pausing as each surge came.
We made it to the delivery ward and the midwife there showed me to a room and said lets have a look and see where this baby is. She then told us that our baby was on her way now!! We couldn’t believe it! I was so convinced they were going to send us away again, we hadn’t even brought our bags, camera or birth plan in with us! I asked if I could have the birthing pool but was told it wasn’t available. I explained that I was doing hypnobirthing but then didn’t really have time to say anymore. I didn’t realise how quickly the next part of the labour actually happened. Once I was told that our baby would be here soon and I knew that I was actually in labour I felt so much more relaxed, there wasn’t anything wrong after all!! Mike kept telling me how proud he was of me and how well I had done.
The last stage of labour was very quick and my body just seemed to take over. I got myself over the back of the bed and just went with each surge. I didn’t even consider asking for gas and air or any drugs and wouldn’t describe that part of the labour as painful. It was just a natural urge. The midwife asked me if I could feel a stinging sensation which was when the head first started to crown. Mike and I were able to feel our precious little girl’s hair just before she arrived into the world. She gave a little squeak as she was born and as soon as I held her to me she stopped and looked around wide eyed taking everything in. She was so alert and her eyes were so big, searching out our faces. I remembered to ask the midwife to wait until the cord and stopped pulsating before Mike cut it and we then were able to take it in turns to hold our baby close to us skin to skin. The midwife helped her to latch on and she started feeding straight away.
I then had the exciting moment of ringing my Mum and saying ‘Guess what? I’ve had a baby!’ It was the best phone call I have ever made!! She was ecstatic although a little sad to have missed baby’s arrival. Our quick delivery had saved anyone worrying as we didn’t even have time to ring anyone to let them know we were going into hospital!!
We arrived at the hospital at 11.50pm and Jessica Eva was born at 12.28am. I did have a few stitches but I think that was due to the fact that Jessica was in such a rush to come out, she came all at once not the head then shoulders as often happens.
I would not say I had a pain free labour but it was nothing like the experience I was fearing and dreading before I met Sandra and took part in the hypnobirthing course. Neither would I describe the experience as painful, it was more uncomfortable than anything else and I believe the reason it became more uncomfortable was because I began to panic and become tense when we kept being told it was not labour as it made me think something was wrong. I will know for next time!!
I love telling people my birth story and seeing the look of shock on their faces when I say it was easy. Everybody expects to be told the usual horror story! I would like to say a huge thank you to Sandra for all her support and being there for me through all my concerns and worries. She enabled me to look forward to my labour and gave me the confidence to believe that I could do it naturally. I can proudly say I was able to bring our precious little girl into the world without even a sniff of gas and air!! I just can’t wait to do it all over again!!
Karen & Mike…..our birth
After suffering from ME for five year and having fallen pregnant, I decided that I wanted to give myself and my baby the best possible start in this world, so I underwent a lot of research in to what the possible outcome would be to my health depending on the type of birth I had. I found that in a high percentage of cases if the birth was long and complicated the likelihood of a relapse was highly likely. If however I was to have an easy and relaxed birth the outcome could be extremely positive.
I was determined that and easy birth was the one for me.
My research led me to hypno-birthing and after speaking with Sandra, the practitioner and reading up on all the information that I could find, I knew this was the path for me.I didn’t have the best of pregnancies; suffering from morning sickness twenty four hours a day for eight months, reflux, very low blood count, fainting spells and sheer exhaustion, I was then told at twenty four weeks that my baby was breech.
I tried in vain for the next fourteen weeks to turn the baby, but at a thirty six week appointment it was confirmed that the baby was still breech and would be delivered by c-section. To me this news was a double edged sword, as on one hand I had had enough of the pregnancy but on the other I wanted a natural birth.
At thirty eight weeks I was admitted to hospital shortly after 12noon with severe preeclampsia and was told that I needed an emergency caesarean. A few hours later around two thirty, I was in the ward waiting to go in to theatre to meet my baby. I remained calm, upbeat and happy. During the course of the afternoon nurses, obstetricians, doctors and anaesthetists came and went all the while telling me I was next. One emergency delivery after another kept cropping up, meaning I was still waiting. At approximately 22:30 (10 hours of waiting) my other half was told to go home as I would not go down for surgery until the next morning. I was still smiling.
At four o’clock the next morning my waters released and I went in to labour. My other half was called and told to get back in to hospital as our baby was on the way.
With the ladies either side of me in the labour ward screaming in agony and begging for help I was so glad I had gone to hypno-birthing. My labour was advancing and I was staying as calm and happy as I had been the day before. The breathing techniques that I had been taught in my hypno-birthing classes were working with great effect.Two hours later the obstetrician came to see me to check how advanced the labour was, whilst speaking to me I kept going quiet as I was using hypno-birthing with my contraction. He enquired if I was ok to which I told him when I went quiet I was having a contraction, he looked at me in astonishment and asked how often were my contractions coming, when I said every two minutes he looked in amazement and five minutes later I was in theatre having a caesarean.
Until the anaesthetist put the epidural needle in my spine, I was calm and excited and then it all changed. The drugs took affect and my teeth started chattering, my hands and body started shaking this is normal apparently but I found it quite unnerving. I was pretty scared and didn’t like what was happening to my body. The baby was stuck and the obstetrician explained that he would have to put his hands right under my ribs inside my body and he said the words “this is going to hurt” and believe me it did!
The next few hours were horrible. The drugs took a few hours to wear off and I was scared to hold my beautiful baby boy because I could not stop shaking. I could not feel my legs, which is the strangest feeling and all I wanted was the effects of the drugs to disappear.
In summary there were definite benefits from attending the hypno-birthing course. Pre epidural I felt in control and calm even though my expectations of when I was going into theatre were being changed frequently. It didn’t faze me.
Due to the drugs of the epidural I felt less in control and this is an unnerving feeling having being in control for so long.
I would highly recommend hypno-birthing for the positive approach it takes to pregnancy, it’s also informative and it brought my partner and me closer together during what was a unique experience to us both. If I was to do it all again, I would do everything humanly possible to have a natural birth, because my personal experience of caesarean is that the element of control of the situation is lost. As discussed earlier I experienced contractions and although uncomfortable (like bad period pains) you still maintain control and have the power to have the birth you want.
Beautiful baby Fynnan was born on 25/6/2010 weighing 7lb 8oz
Becka's Birthing Story
Seeing the blue line appear on the first, second and sixth pregnancy test I did was the most exciting moment of my life, however my excitement was tinged with fear. I repeatedly experienced bleeding which meant I had to regularly attend hospital appointments for the first few weeks of my pregnancy. The doctors were great but kept using terms like 'failed pregnancy' and even advised me when to start trying for my 'next baby'. I felt like I was just another pregnant woman to them and was on some type of factory line which was emotionless and full of medical terms which did not relate to my idea of being pregnant or having a baby.
Anyway my excitement grew as my bump did and when I was a few months pregnant a colleague gave me a leaflet for hypnobirthing. I read it out to the girls in my office only to be greeted with laughter and horror stories of childbirth. I put the leaflet aside but something made me keep going back to it. I liked the idea that child birth did not have to be a medical event and I also liked the idea that I could remain in control and influence how it went (I am somewhat of a control freak!).
We arranged sessions at Sandra's house and each week I looked forward to learning new relaxation techniques and the practicalities of what birthing would be like. My pregnancy progressed and soon I reached my 'guess date' of 29th October. Each day I religiously practised breathing techniques, relaxation scripts and exercises. By the 7th November I was becoming anxious as midwives were talking about sweeps and inducement. This would mean that I would not be able to attend the midwife led birthing centre I wanted to. Sandra offered to do a session with me the day before I was due for a sweep in order to release any fears I may still have. We discussed when I would like to have my baby and Sandra asked me to imagine the specifics of how this would happen. I imagined driving to the hospital at 4:30 the next morning.
We finished our session at 6:30 that night and I drove home picking up tea on the way. As I took my last bite I had my first surge at 7:30pm. I had 3 more, 15 minutes apart before they rapidly moved to 5 minutes apart. By 2am I was at the birthing centre. I was examined and told that I was 1cm dilated and I would probably be sent home. I was disappointed to say the least but tried to remember the advice Sandra had given me. I laid for a while listening to my relaxation cd and using breathing techniques through the surges, imagining my baby moving its way down. The midwife agreed to let me have a bath and it was then I started having an overwhelming urge to breathe down. I got out and continued walking about until the midwife advised me that the guttural 'mooing' noises I was making meant it was time to get into the birthing pool. It was 4am. I immediately got onto all fours and began breathing my baby down. It never occurred to me to ask for drugs, I felt very much in control and let my body tell me what I needed to do. By 4:36 I was scooping my beautiful baby girl out of the water. My timings were slightly earlier than I had thought but I was not going to complain! Jessica Scarlett was alert and calm, feeding almost immediately. Her cord was cut when it had finished pulsating and we were left alone for several hours as requested to adjust to our new roles as Mummy and Daddy. It was amazing being able to feel everything and as soon as Jessica was born I felt an enormous wave of emotions and adrenalin. Our visitors actually said I looked in better shape than my husband!
I am not an overly confident person, yet something about hypnobirthing gives you a confidence and strength you never felt possible. On the 8th November 2010 I did something amazing and hypnobirthing gave me the knowledge and tools to do that.
Shaun's Version of Events
When Beck told me about hypnobirthing I was sceptical to say the least. I imagined a hippy with candles, incense sticks and whale music making us do bizarre things. By the end of the first session I realised that Sandra was not like this. It was not all about being hypnotised. Sandra told us about the practical aspects of childbirth and what to expect (she also gave us the best chocolate biscuits I have ever tasted). I tried the relaxation techniques and while I didn't feel some of them worked for me I could see how much they worked for Becka. I began to realise that to have a baby you didn't have to have medical intervention.
The most useful thing I got from the sessions was knowing what to expect when Becka went into labour. I wasn't the one who had to give birth so I can't say whether the hypnobirthing worked or not. What I can say is that that everything went to plan and Becka seemed to know exactly what she was doing. I would also say that if we have another baby we will be going back to Sandra again for a refresher.
I'd tell other sceptical Dads to give it a go!
Chrissy's Birthing Story
Jacob was due in medical terms, on the 6th April 2010. Having gone through the process of HypnoBirthing, I wish Id taken the attitude of "sometime in April” as 6th came and went with no sign of Jacob. Not that it bothered me. I went around doing what needed to be done. Relaxing with my HynoBirthing CD’s, practising my breathing and talking to Jacob. Telling him it was ok for him to have extra time in there. Every day, I embraced as an extra rest day, extra time for me and my daughters to do special stuff, while others around me, got more and more agitated. I did try a few non evasive ways of kick starting things off, but he was happy where he was. Having everything ready at home for a homebirth, with the support of my midwife, Jan. We decided to do a sweep when I was 40+7 and 40+9. He was low, his head resting against my cervix, ready but was obviously too comfortable.
At 40+10, I was told that the community midwifes would not support a home confinement after this time and if I went into spontaneous labour, I was to attend the Hull Royal because I was overdue. My induction was booked at 40+12. Overdue my ....!!!! I politely insisted that I would like to leave the induction until 40+14, which wasn’t received very well at all. I had to go down to Hull Royal for a trace to check Jacob’s heart rate which I agreed to. After the trace, I spoke to a consultant, who insisted that I should be induced the following day and again, I politely refused. As Jacob was happy, heart rate was lovely, moving lots, I would come in on 40+14. My extensive birth plan, stated that if an induction was necessary, I would allow them to release my waters, but then wanted to be left for the max of 6 hrs ( they usually leave you for 4) and if nothing happened then I would be willing for the hormone drip ( really didn’t want that!) I also wanted to be as active as possible with the use of a birthing ball, walking about, adopt any position I felt comfortable in and use the birthing pool. Again I had to politely push for all this but it was written down and highly noted
I'd been having lower tummy pains n pressure in my bottom for most of Monday 19th April but put it down to feeling a bit anxious regarding the induction on Tuesday 20th. By about 9pm I noticed that I was cramping regularly so took myself off to bed to see if I could sleep. Plugged myself into my itouch and listened to both the HypnoBirthing Rainbow Relaxation and Comfort Zone, whilst practising deep breathing. Every time I felt myself cramping ( around 7-10 mins at this point) I did my surge breathing, which I found so relaxing and comforting. I stayed in bed until around 2am and then decided to get up, I was too wired! Although I was in a relaxed state and the cramping was mild, I was getting excited. I pottered about the house, sat and watched a couple of things on sky+ but at 4am Tues. morning I woke John up as I wanted some company! We both sat and watched a few bits and bobs on TV. He could tell by my surge breathing, the surges were coming 3/5 mins. apart. He asked if he needed to do any scripts with me and I said no at this point as I was relaxed and calm, so he kept giving me a few key words to encourage me on.
We arrived at Hull Royal about 6.30. After settling in and having a trace for 30 mins, all was well and they just let me get on with things. I had a male midwife, Paul and a student midwife, Julie who were popping in and out from time to time. I kept active, bouncing on a ball, swaying and with the help of my HypnoBirthing CD and breathing I felt really calm. While I was on the birthing ball, I lent forward on the bed, with my head resting on my arms doing my surge breathing and even managed to doze off between surges. John was also relaxed and calm sitting on the sofa.
At around 10.30 when I started to feel ‘pushy’. I knew my body was getting ready so I got john to get the midwife. The birthing pool was filled, and Paul asked if it was ok to check me. I said that was ok and I was about four cms. dilated. I felt relaxed and asked if they could release my waters at 11 Funnily enough, this was the time of my induction so they would have released them if I hadn’t started naturally. I knew that it would quicken things up but I also knew with the breathing, the music and John, I would be fine. Paul released my waters and told me that I was doing really well and the gas and air was on the wall if needed. He then sat with the student midwife at the far end of the room and let us have our space.
I had been hanging over the end of the elevated end of the bed on all fours using gravity and Jacob’s head to press on the cervix and to help me dilate. With the breathing, I imagined opening flowers, Jacobs head being born, musical notes floating up in the air. John was still standing by me, rubbing my back and messing with his phone and again asked if I needed the scripts and I said I was still coping fine. I drifted off, in and out of deep relaxation and started to use the gas and air with my surge breathing as the surges were now almost continuous.
With my first daughter, I suffered from an anterior cervical lip, which when I became pushy, didn't move out the way and became swollen, I had discussed this with Sandra in our sessions and we did a fear release script. Although I was imagining a beautiful flowering rose, the bearing down and surges were quite intense, at the height of the surges I could feel myself bearing down because my body was telling me to. I followed my body and took over with a guttural, primal grunting.
I asked to be checked again, and was told that Jacob was almost here. The birthing pool was run but in another room and because I was so close, Paul was concerned that I might have him in the corridor! I must have really wanted a water birth as I was off the bed and leading the midwives to the room! I managed to get to the side of the pool before next surge, then got straight in, turned on all fours and started to birth breath my baby down. Within five breaths, Jacob was crowning and I was so overwhelmed I was calling his name and saying hello all the while he was being born. I felt him rotate and Paul un looped the cord from around his neck, which was loose. I brought him up to my chest, sat back and had a cuddle and a chat with Jacob Christopher Hartley.
Jacob was born at 12.06. He cried a bit but then was really alert and looking about happily. John cut the cord after it stopped pulsating and he was wrapped up and given to John for a cuddle. I had a physiological 3rd stage in the pool and everything was great! I felt calm, relaxed and bonded immediately with Jacob.
I went to get out of the pool, got one foot on the stool on the outside, felt really sick, told Paul, who grabbed me just in time as I fainted. I woke up on the floor after what felt like a very odd dream with a roomful of people making sure I was ok. It took me about 15 mins. to be able to move without feeling dizzy, my blood pressure was really low .Again, my HynoBirthing came into its own as I was doing the calming breathing to bring my blood pressure back to normal and make sure my body was getting enough oxygen. I had a saline drip (while I had tea and toast) and they wanted to keep me in overnight just to make sure I was ok. Paul thinks the combination of losing just a bit more blood than I should have and birthing so quickly just sent me into shock but with the HynoBirthing breathing and remaining calm it stopped both John and I panicking. We were left in the birthing room until about 6.30 and I was moved to the postnatal ward. Jacob weighed a lovely 9lb 7 1/2 oz and I had a very slight graze. I had a room on my own and while Jacob was sleeping, John and I chatted and tried to get some sleep! He didn't want to leave at 9 pm but he got kicked out and I had a reasonable night with Jacob. On Wed. morning my bloods come back and my iron was low but the staff were happy with me coming home with iron tablets. So although I didn't get my home birth, maybe someone was looking out for me. I still got my water birth and I couldn't have wished for a better birthing experience!
Jacob is now 13 weeks, exclusively breastfed and doing brilliantly. He has fitted into our lives like a perfect glove fits a hand, sheer, and like you never knew life before that glove and you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if you lost it. I practised calm breathing in the early days when I had my after pains which helped a great deal! I also calm breath when I’m breastfeeding and last thing at night before I go to sleep and I still find the odd surge breathing slipping in there too!!
Our Birth Experience. By Katy and Chris
Even before getting pregnant, I knew I wanted to experience all that labour and birth have to offer as my sister in law spoke so warmly about her experiences and said she felt empowered – that she could do anything after it. However, I have heard so many horrific stories from women and men that I knew I needed help to really trust myself and not panic.
I came to Sandra’s after hearing Nadia Sawalha’s experience of HypnoBirthing. I chose to take the course because she was immediately enthusiastic, expressed similar ideas to my own and I didn’t feel like ‘just another pregnant woman’. My partner was initially sceptical but after he did his own research, he was soon on board.
I found the course helped me to focus on what I wanted and the relaxation materials were an excellent way to facilitate this. I listened to them every day and did the affirmations before I had a bath every night from about 31 weeks. It was a good job because my waters broke three weeks and three days early and I had expected to be over due as a first time mother!
Even though my waters had broken, I did not go into active labour and the medical staff advised induction due to risk of infection. HypnoBirthing does not appear to give advice on what to do if you have to be induced so I emailed Sandra whilst in the hospital and she replied immediately, which was very helpful. My partner and I decided to wait for 48 hours and returned to the hospital to be induced on the day I turned 37 weeks.
Following an examination I was evaluated as a bad candidate for induction and was 1cm dilated. I tried to concentrate on dealing with the situation and not be too disappointed that I was not having the serene water birth in the birthing centre I had envisioned. I received a peccary at 1pm and began reading the scripts with my partner and kept active.
Armed with my birth plan, I asked the midwife not to discuss pain relief with me and they left my partner and I alone. I had been told to expect aches as my cervix softened and had thought I was experiencing that, even though I remember timing the aches, which at one point lasted 30 seconds and were two minutes apart! I never allowed myself to think they were surges as they were manageable with my partner’s massage and use of the birthing ball. I used the visualisation to imagine them as waves crashing over and through me.
At 9pm I decided to try and get as close to a water birth as possible and got into the bath! I lost more blood than I was happy with and called for the midwife who told me I’d have to be monitored and needed to get out of the bath. I insisted on being monitored on all fours (!) and was found to be 8cm dilated (the midwife asked me to guess and I guessed I was 3cm so I was happy to find out the aches were surges after all). The monitors recorded the baby’s heart rate was dropping too low following each surge and the midwife called for a consultant. The feeling changed then and I knew I was in transition because my body began to naturally bear down.
Due to the drop in heart rate, seven medical staff piled into the room and I had an assisted delivery (ventouse) – everything changed very quickly. I was unable to use the J breath because I was told to push but I almost can’t wait to have another go because it felt natural to do! After two or three pushes, our daughter arrived looking up at me (I delivered back to back in spite of days of scrubbing floors on all fours!) and she was put straight to my chest, which was a moment that was as amazing and unbelievable as I had hoped it would be.
Under my wishes, I was given an hour for physiological delivery of the placenta and the helpful midwives gave me a birthing stool but it did not arrive so I ended up having the induction drugs I’d avoided earlier, but it still didn’t show. Nearly four hours after giving birth, I went to theatre with an epidural to have it removed internally, very ironic!
The staff were concerned/bemused that my birth plan had not gone to plan but I feel the most crucial part went to plan as I had the full experience I wanted and I’m excited about doing it all again rather than scared or panicked! I believe HypnoBirthing helped my partner and I work together, gave me the tools to be drug free during the surges and face the extra challenges that followed.
There is a lack of guidance in HypnoBirthing about how to face induction and I had to work on not feeling like I’d failed by not going into labour naturally or that everything would go out of the window as a result but Sandra helped me with that.
I would advise any woman to try the course and use what you learn to your own advantage to take on anything that arises as you give birth. It takes a lot of control to completely surrender! The whole experience was nothing like the horror stories I was told and like my sister in law, I do feel part of something powerful every time I look at my daughter.
Beautiful Juliet Rose was born on Saturday 9th Oct 2010 5lb 11oz
Copyright East Yorkshire Hypnobirthing® 2010