Birth story - Danielle and baby Chloe

Hi everyone, my little girl Chloe was born a month ago! I was 41+5 on the day I was booked in for an induction. I had used my b.r.a.i.n to push this back as far as I could, however there was a medically justified reason to baby’s health so I accepted on my second check up and was booked in. Things didn’t necessarily go to preference - i.e my desired waterbirth was deemed not safe for baby due to the reason behind my induction (and I did ask for a second opinion because I was desperate for a waterbirth!) but I knew I needed to stay relaxed and calm, and go with the flow. I knew from Siobhan’s videos to ask questions for clarity and this saw me decline a balloon procedure to speed up dilation. I’d read a lot about the balloon procedure online and had to say a few times that I wasn’t going to have it. I think the doctors were surprised! They didn’t give me the gel like they were going to either to get things moving and so I went into having my waters broken as I knew was going to happen, and I was hooked up to the drip with the artificial oxytocin just as I had mentally pictured and prepared myself for as perfectly described in the course videos. I watched the induction videos a few times with my husband so we knew exactly what to expect.

We set the scene so the room looked absolutely beautiful. Nurses kept coming in and gasping. We had beautiful music that my husband and I both love and means something to us like our first dance song from our wedding, fairy lights, tea lights, room spray, all our favourite snacks etc. It was amazing!

After labouring naturally for some time doing all my hypnobirthing practice I asked for an epidural only because it felt like the right choice for me. Because of the knowledge I had from the course I was aware of the high chance of further interventions from making this choice, and as I predicted this was the case. I felt so prepared and full of knowledge that nothing phased me at all. I was so calm and happy. My little girl was born on Friday 11th May at 7.45am in the morning weighing 7 pounds and 1 ounce!

*** I really wanted a natural, drug-free waterbirth and I did so many months of prep for the hypnobirth of my dreams, but it just didn’t work out that way. I think had I been allowed the waterbirth it may have gone a lot differently and I may have been able to do it drug free but I will never know now but that’s ok. I hope my birth story isn’t going to be viewed negatively because I asked for an epidural! What can I say, for me, being induced was intense, but that doesn’t mean it will be for everyone - I did try, and did do my best with the up breathing, bouncing on the ball and gas and air! The birth for me was massively positive - the b.r.a.i.n acronym was always in the back of my mind (declining the balloon procedure!) setting up the most beautiful room to give birth in and then knowing how the birth could potentially go should I make certain choices.

Thank you Siobhan for making the lead up to my daughters birth such a positive and happy one for our family, my whole mindset was changed about pregnancy and labour because of you and I will recommend your course to every pregnant woman I meet in the future!