Birth story - Gemma and baby Elara

Pregnancy - I felt really poorly after new year and then tested positive for Covid.. but I had never seen nausea associated with the symptoms, I carried on isolating from family and curiosity got the better of me and I took a pregnancy test to our delight I was pregnant and worked out about 4 weeks- so found out very early on.

I was a little apprehensive as since my sons birth.. I had abnormal cells on my smear test, so I had to have them removed and had lletz procedure which I knew could weaken my cervix.

I was consultant led for the first 4 months, and attended additional appointments for internal scans but luckily they were happy with results and signed me off after this and continued to have a low risk pregnancy up until 34 weeks where I got Covid again and was bed bound for another week- I was worried as the advice was conflicting and unclear and I found this a real worry so far on in pregnancy- thankfully all was ok!

Roll on a few more weeks, and I had finished for maternity leave and trying to enjoy the last week of summer holidays before my son started school… I took him in to town and I felt a gush of liquid whilst queing at McDonald’s 😅🍔… Worst thing is I carried on ordering as no one gets between my son and his promised happy meal! 😅 but we waddled back to the car and I went to hospital but they said it was not my waters some other fluid.. which I forget the name of now but I was convinced that was it so was a little disheartened that it was a false alarm. A few more days of false alarms followed.. a few contractions but then would wear off.. worst thing was I was relying on childcare 2 hours away.. so meant my mum and sister had a couple of wasted trips 🫣… but they didn’t mind. And they knew I was almost there so decided to stay with us until it happened.

Monday the 12th Sep came around and woke up with dull surges… but again absolutely bearable and no real pattern. But the freya app was fantastic this time around.. I noticed a pattern everytime I was mobile or walking they were ramping up. So after getting the oxytocin flowing watching my fave movie dirty dancing (I mean if swayze doesn’t get the oxytocin flowing what will!)… I decided to go walking around my local area and they continued to ramp up.. until 5pm where I told my mum and husband it was time to get to the birthing centre.

I arrived and was greeted by the midwife that delivered my son- so that was lovely! But unfortunately she said I was only 2cm dilated but she could see my waters were absolutely bulging so sent me walking around the hospital and said try the stairs. I did for a good hour… and then she wanted to check again… when she did she unintentionally broke my waters…and she told me things would ramp up quickly now- and she wasn’t lying!

I really wanted the birthing pool again and she got that filled up straight away..and I felt instant relief, I did need a little gas and air by now though but breathing techniques had got me through the full day so far.

I felt her head crowning and felt still in complete control, I knew instinctively my down breathing must start.. there was also some animal like noises- which I’m not sure I’d ever be able to reinact again 😅 after around 20 minutes she was born, eyes wide open.. and we were given that precious skin to skin.

I was assessed for tears and to my amazement I had nothing, not even a graze. On my first birth I did have second degree tear and stitches so this was a worry of mine… but I had done lots of research around minimizing the chances again and it seems our mouths/jaws are linked to our area and therefore if you’re muscles in your face are relaxed and floppy when in the downstage of labour.. this will really help reduce the risk.

I was home the next morning after all our checks. Enjoyed my famous post birth brew and toast and then it was time for Elara to meet her big brother after school. I wish I could have bottled that moment- pure magic 🥰

…. Without a doubt hypnobirthing shaped my experience of this labour and I recommend hypnobirthing to all my pregnant friends and moreover the positive birth company for the community and easing any worries or anxieties during pregnancy. I use my breathing techniques still in every day life… from nervous visits to the dentists to using them with afterpains after labour (got to say they were quite intense second time round). I cannot thank the digital pack, Siobhan and the team at PBC enough for changing my perception of child birth and having two very positive experiences- forever grateful 🙏