Birth story - Eva and baby Frida

It all started in the first trimester of my second baby, when two friends recommended Siobhan’s hypnobirthing book almost simultaneously from two different parts of the world.

The birth of my first son was an induction and my friends knew I really wanted a natural birth this time. I decided to start reading the book and I was on board immediately! Everything sounded so logical, and I wonder why we do not learn about how natural birth works earlier or even at school! Then I decided to buy the digital pack because, as a working mother with a 4 years old, it was easier for me to put a video on or listen to the audios. I started practicing the breathing, a little every day. I listened daily to the positive affirmations for birth audios (a good time for me was after shower while doing the perineal massage). I also practiced yoga with a trained prenatal yoga teacher that taught me postures to prepare my body for labour and align my baby. I was also very lucky to get my maternity leave at week 28 and by that time I practiced hypnobirthing and yoga daily. It was a priceless opportunity to focus on my pregnancy and prepare for the big day both physically and mentally.

In my first pregnancy I worked until one week before giving birth and I was very tired during labour. This time my midwife encouraged me to get a maternity leave earlier if I wanted a natural birth and she gave me the courage to ask for it! The hypnobirthing course was also essential to guide me through the choice of a place to give birth and figure out my birth preferences. I managed to contact the first public birthing centre in Spain (here there are very few) and I was lucky it was only 30 minutes from our town. I wrote my birth preferences using Siobhan’s template and finished it with the midwife at the birthing centre. I felt really comfortable and safe giving birth there.

I did a scan at the local clinic and the said the baby was very big (percentile 97), they repeated the scan at week 38 and confirmed that she was big and started talking about Hamilton manoeuvre and induction at week 39. I panicked a bit but used the BRAIN technique and said no to the internal examination. Luckily, at the birth centre they had a completely different approach, they taught us alternative techniques like rebozo, reflexology and massage and told me to use the fit ball as much as I could. I kept saying to myself that my baby was the perfect size for my body and that my baby knew when, and how, to be born, but I must admit I was a bit nervous!

I was having some surges but they were not regular nor strong. The big night came at 40+5 when I went to see a movie at a friend’s house. Before the movie I had a shower and, while doing the perineal massage, I lost my mucus plug but I was not convinced labour would start that day. During the movie I started to have some surges, but I was so much into the movie that I didn’t pay much attention. I had a nice evening chatting and laughing with friends. A friend drove me home and we were joking about her having to bring me to the birth centre. As soon as I got home I told my partner that the baby might come soon.

We decided to try to sleep a bit but I couldn’t as the surges were building up very intense. I was on all fours with the ball and my partner used the Freya App, we discovered surges were coming regularly every 3 minutes! After one hour my partner called the birth centre, they suggested to stay in the bath tub for another hour and I did it, up breathing through every surge. Then my partner called again and said that surges were regular and that we would like to head to the birthing centre as we had a 30 minutes drive. I couldn’t sit in the car, I was at the back of the car on all fours and hugging the birth ball the whole trip.

When we arrived at the birth centre I was completely on planet birth, my partner and the midwives were taking care of everything, I don’t remember how I got from the car to the beautiful room were I gave birth. When I entered the room, it was warm, candle lighted, and the water for the tub was running, I remember I felt immediately comfortable and safe! They told me I was 6 cm dilated and that the baby was completely fine. I got into the tub and I felt so good, I was breathing through the surges, listening to the Freya app audios and grabbing my partner’s hand. Two midwives were there all the time but they were not participating they were like a reassuring presence and we felt in a very intimate space.

My waters broke in the tub and after that everything became really intense and instinctive. My body started to push. Even though I imagined a water birth I felt the urge to get out of the tub. I got out and grabbed the hanging ropes and squatted. Suddenly I felt very tired and panicked, thanks to the hypnobirthing course I knew this could happen in transition and that I was closer to the moment I would finally meet my baby. I was very tired and I could not even do the down breathing properly! The midwives offered a birth stool and a different position (with my knees close together) and my partner grabbed my back and told me we were going to meet our baby soon. Then all of a sudden I felt a “ring of fire” and then the head, and then the body coming out. I hugged my baby in my arms and I was so grateful to life and happy!

We had delayed cord clamping and 2 golden hours of the three of us together breastfeeding and in complete baby bliss!!! I’m the shortest in the family and I had given birth to the biggest baby in the family ( 3.9 kg and 52.5 cm ) without a stitch.

If I have learnt something from this positive experience it is to trust my body and the instinctive nature of birth. My baby was the perfect size for my body and she knew when and how to be born! I am so grateful to Siobhan and the whole hypnobirthing community to have given me the strength to have the natural birth I dreamt of! I hope I can contribute to spread the word!