Birth Story - Charlene and baby Frankie

My Positive Birth Story 🌈

After watching various YouTubers rave about Hypnobirthing over the last year I decided it was definitely something I wanted to try with my second baby, like a lot of other 2nd time mum’s I was feeling quite anxious following a traumatic 1st labour and birth.

I absolutely LOVED the digital pack, I binge watched the videos over two days and downloaded the MP3’s to listen to out and about, I also sat down with my partner and wrote out a detailed Birth Preferences sheet which made us both feel very in control.

At my 40 week midwife check I was offered a sweep which I declined, it made no sense to have one after I’d seen the video about sweeps, I knew my baby would come when he was ready.

On Tuesday 27th March I was 40+2 weeks pregnant, that morning around 11am I started feeling very mild surges, I went about my day while my daughter was at nursery, nipped out to collect my birthing ball from Argos and had some lunch, by 2pm they had started to get stronger and I was using my up breathing. I headed home and blew up my ball.

For the next few hours I bounced away on my Ball and focused on my breathing, I spoke to my partner and made sure he could fetch our daughter from nursery, they both arrived home around 5pm.

While my partner got our daughter ready for bed I focused on my breathing and played the MP3’s through the speaker, as a family we all sat in the front room and started timing the surges. By the time my daughter went to bed I was having them every 3 minutes so we sorted out a sitter and phoned the birth centre.

They advised us to head in quite soon which we did, on arrival the Sanctuary midwife greated us and showed us to the most beautiful room full of fairy lights and a birth pool. She left us to settle in while she went through my birth preferences.

Our midwife came back and explained we were the only ones in the Sanctuary so they’d set up the big birth pool for us next door, she asked if I wanted checking before getting in the pool and I said yes.
I was 4cm and the midwife said my waters were ready to go, as stated I didn’t want them breaking so she didn’t ask, she did say that as soon as they went our baby would make a quick entrance.

She took us next door into the pool room which was amazing, it was dark and lit with fairy lights, she’s already sprayed the room with the liquid yoga we’d brought and put my music on for us. She helped me settle into the pool and then said she’d leave us to it but was just next door if we needed her.

For the next 20 minutes my surges became more intense but not painful at any point, my breathing kept us focused and calm and my partner counted the in for 4 and out for 8, all of a sudden my waters popped and immediately there was a huge amount of pressure pushing down, I didn’t panic as I was prepared and knew it was time to start down breathing, within seconds I felt my body pushing babies head out and before we knew it his head was delivered, my partner quickly nipped to let the midwife know who came back in, she stood to one side and let us deliver our baby alone, another push by my body and he was out, I reached down and brought him up onto my chest. Our baby boy arrived at 10.28pm weighing 8lbs 13oz.

It was incredible, at no point did I feel like I needed pain relief or any assistance, I was so proud of myself and the midwife even said how well I’d done.

After settling back in our room we were asked if we’d like to stay in or head home after baby was checked, we both said we’d like to go home.

By 5am the three of us were back at home and tucked up in our bed ready for our daughter to wake up and meet her baby brother 💙