Birth story - Chloe and baby Sienna

Firstly I owe my positive birth to this wonderful website as I studied hypnobirthing from 23 weeks onwards so I really felt prepared in my final trimester. This was my first baby and I am now a first time mum :)

My baby girl was due on 24th May 2020, I saw my midwife around the 10th May and what I thought was Braxton Hicks were actually mild contractions, so she confirmed labour was just around the corner. I left my appointment got home and put on some relaxing music and listened to some affirmations. A week went by and in this time I had started to lose my mucus plug which again I tried to just brush off (I suffer with anxiety and as you can imagine the thought of giving birth in lockdown scared me!)

The day arrived early hours of 20th May!!!

I woke up at 4.30am which for me wasn’t anything unusual as in my last trimester sleep was really difficult/uncomfortable. I rolled on to my side and felt a sharp sensation in my lower stomach, it actually felt like I just needed a number 2! I got up, went to the bathroom and sat on the toilet, I emptied my bowels and actually thought nothing of it as the sensation was coming and going (I thought I may have eaten something dodgy) I couldn’t sleep so I just went and quietly sat in my living room, switched on the tv and tried to go back to sleep, my husband was sleeping in our bedroom and he called out twice to make sure I was ok but I told him I was fine and to go back to sleep. A couple of hours went by and I was still having this sensation which wasn’t painful as I was breathing in for 4 and out for 8 and felt so relaxed.

I decided to run a nice bath and getting in the water was the best feeling! I put my headphones in and was breathing through each contraction calmly and in control I really did feel euphoric in a weird way!! I text my mum around half 8 so I had been up 4 and a half hours having contractions on my own which to my surprise, as a person with severe anxiety, I never thought I would do! My mum came round and by this time my sensations intensified, but again I cannot say that I felt pain because I really didn’t (weird I know as pain is all you hear about in child birth when you are pregnant).

My mum called the midwife and she was timing my contractions they were 2-3 minutes apart so it was go time. The midwife was very rushed on the phone and told me the importance of getting to the hospital right away. I calmly got dressed still having about 4 contractions one after another but again using my breathing techniques from hypnobirthing I felt calm and in control.

The dreaded car ride (not so dreaded for me)

In the car I wanted complete silence I remember saying to my mum and husband to just be quiet and let me be in my own head space. The car journey to the hospital was completely relaxed apart from when I knew I got to the hospital my mum would no longer be able to be a part of this journey as, due to COVID restrictions, she would not be allowed in. I can’t lie I did feel panicky in the car park but with my tens machine on and my contractions being even more intense I had no time to process this, I just wanted to see a midwife!

My delivery.

When I arrived I was checked over in daycare and the midwife couldn’t believe I was actually in labour. She told me after she was ready to send me home but of course after checking my cervix she found I was 5cm dilated and in active labour. By the time I got to the delivery room I was 7cm!!! I felt like a warrior I knew I could do this and my body really took over at this point.

I explained to the midwife that I felt a lot of pressure so they did an observation and realised my little madam was back to back, and with my cervix dilating so quickly they said if I gave birth quickly I would need intervention. I took this on board so I accepted an epidural to slow the process to see if my baby would turn on her own. Let me tell you this, an epidural takes away some pain but does not take away the pressure which I loved because I could still feel the work my body was naturally doing and this is what I wanted! :)

At 7.48pm my beautiful little girl entered the world. In the very end she still hadn’t turned so I had to have an episiotomy but did I care? Absolutely not. My body was in control and the midwifes took action to get my baby girl out safely!

The whole experience from start to finish was amazing! I would do it again in a heartbeat. Because of hypnobirthing I was educated and knew what the sensations I was going through were and knew what was happening in my body, which made me not scared at all. I welcomed each and every contraction knowing I was closer to meeting my little girl.

Tips for labour.

Breathe slowly, let your body stay calm and welcome the sensations.

Keep moving (I naturally wanted to pace around anyway)

Use a tens machine. This was a fantastic distraction due to the boost button.

Do not panic. You will be fine, whether there is COVID restrictions in your area or not, when you are in labour it is about you and your baby!

I wish you all the best and may you have amazing birth experiences you can look back on and really feel proud of yourself! We are all warriors!