Birth story - Aleisha and baby Harper

Our beautiful rainbow baby born in the water on International Women’s Day! I used the Freya app throughout the entire labour.

Background:
I initially decided to buy the digital pack after stumbling on some sample videos on YouTube. I had a water birth with my first son five years ago and remember thinking when I concentrated on my breathing through the surges I managed better. I had no breathing training back then and so I felt like I lost it with a lot of surges. While it was still a great natural birth, there was some yelling/ I can’t do this moments/ I wasn’t aware of the education behind birth. I told myself after I would invest in some sort of hypnobirthing course for my next birth.

I also had a fear that I wouldn’t be as lucky to get another great birth. People said I was silly thinking that as I had a great first birth, but it played on my mind a lot. I knew how important it was to have a positive birth for yourself and baby and really wanted to achieve that.

I absolutely loved reading all of the positive stories in this group and dreamed of the day I would be contributing my own.

Labour + birth
Firstly, I couldn’t believe the amount of people who asked me when my induction was booked in for or when I was getting my stretch and sweep. I opted for no interventions and I’m so glad I stuck by that and had a supportive midwife who also had the same beliefs. It was hard on those last few days but I kept re-watching the “Busting the due date myth” video to keep me focussed.

Minor surges initially started at 12.30am on March 8. I put on Freya and read a book and tried to sleep until 2.30am. They were enough to slightly wake me but I wasn’t sure if they were Braxton Hicks or not. Up until that point I hadn’t had any labour signs- no cramps, no mucas plug, no bloody show. I actually even Googled the start of labour and read somewhere you shouldn’t start to time your first surges as it generally isn’t labour! Ha- how wrong that was!

At 2.30am I woke my hubby and mentioned I may be in labour. I rung my midwife at 3am who said I sounded a bit too calm for active labour. I had done the digital course so was using the up breathing techniques while laying over my fit ball. I was having contractions every 5/8/7 minutes but they were only lasting 30-45 seconds. My Midwife said I sounded too calm for active labour and to phone back in half an hour. I wasn’t sure if it was labour or not so took his word for it. I did mention my first birth was quite fast (which he knew) but because my waters hadn’t broke, didn’t question him too much.

I ended up texting back 40 minutes later saying they were coming every 2-3 minutes and told hubby we needed to get to hospital. I experienced transition at home with my firstborn and wanted to be at hospital before transition this time!!

Quite a few contractions on the 15 minute drive and we arrived at hospital about 4.30am. I walked to the birth centre stopping for my surges- I had my mobile in my hand playing Freya the whole time. I would hit the button when a surge came on and breath through it, slightly hunched over forwards. I got into the birth room and immediately layed over the fit ball. Surges were coming very regularly and I continued with my up breathing.

As soon as I felt the urge to push, which was about 40 minutes later I jumped into the pool. I was so sweaty and for some reason was worried the pool would be hot but as soon as I hopped in (with a surge on the walk up into the pool) I immediently remarked how great it felt to be in the water. This was my second water birth and I knew exactly what I wanted/ when to do it. Doing my breathing through the labour and birth kept me so amazingly calm- I honestly couldn’t believe how calm I could be during birth. I was in my zone the entire time. My mum and hubby were by my side, rubbing my back and patting ice cold cloths on me. They said to me after how composed I was compared to my first water birth- I 100% credit your course for this!

Soon I started doing the “mooing” and I said to mum “Oh I’m mooing, is this transition?” I felt this intense pressure and knew my baby was coming down the birth canal. I remarked “I can’t do this” and knew instantly I was in transition. I snapped out of it and worked on my breathing again.

I changed from my up breathing to my down breathing and mum, hubby and the midwife could see the baby crowing. She was still in her sac! After a few more surges paired with down breathing the midwife got me to do one big push for the head to come out. I did have a slight yell at this moment. But I was still composed and working on my breathing. Being in the sac, it was quite slippery and not coming out. I did it and Harper’s head, still in the sac, was out. I then continued to do my down breathing as her body slowly came out. The midwife helped me and I turned while reaching down placing her on my chest. I was in shock that I actually got my second water birth! It was 5.33am. I had been at hospital an hour!

Her sac didn’t end up breaking until the last push. It was amazing seeing her head coming out in the sac still! I did have a slight tear and had to get two stitches but the midwife said it was borderline and could have gone without the stitches.

I had beautiful skin to skin but unfortunately she had mecconium in her sac and also had fluid in her lungs. Being already born in her sac there was no way to tell she had mecconium in there. She went to NICU that morning - but she was out of there the following day. I definitely believe having such an amazing positive birth kept me in such a positive frame of mind that day she was hooked up to oxygen. Harper is a true fighter born on a day that recognised women around the world!

Thank you so much Siobhan for your digital course and Freya app. My mum now also raves about it to all her friends. Your course is life changing and set me up for such a positive birth. I have some people say to me I’m so “lucky” to have had two great water births but I am adamant it does not come down to “luck”. For both births I had great midwives and caregivers who believed in my body’s abilities. I tell people all about The Positive Birth Company and courses but also say “you have to believe in what you’re learning and do the practice for it to work”.

Thanks again for providing an affordable hypnobirthing course that can be done anywhere in the world!