Birth story - Jennifer and baby Sophia

I just wanted to say thank you for the fantastic work you do and the online hypnobirthing course. I gave birth to my daughter, Sophia, in March. It’s taken me a while to write this because, you know #babies!

I didn’t have the birth I hoped for but I had the birth that I wanted in the circumstances I found myself in and that was down to you and your course.

I had a gut feeling throughout my pregnancy that I was probably going to be overdue and induction would be the path the hospital would want me to walk down. I had taken your online course a couple of months before and felt armed with knowledge, using my BRAIN and, most importantly, the bravery and confidence to self advocate. I wanted a non-invasive, water birth, but I also knew I wasn’t comfortable holding off post 42 weeks either. I was going to need to find a middle line and with your help I managed that and felt empowered and in control.

As I had anticipated, by 41 weeks and 2 days I was still pregnant, had had three failed sweeps (which I requested as, though invasive, I felt they were worth it if they helped labour start and avoid induction) and the disappointing news that my cervix was closed and pointing backwards. At this point the midwife picked up the phone to book my induction - very casually - and without waiting for my consent.

I stopped her and took a deep breath preparing to set out my preferences. This didn’t come naturally. I am a follower of those in ‘authority’ and hate to think I’m being rude or pushy. So it took a lot of bravery and confidence to do so. I requested a consultant review. Something I didn’t even know you could have but on researching my rights, as encouraged by your course, I realised anyone was entitled to. Having been low risk my whole pregnancy I had never seen a doctor, but rather than just roll down the induction route accidentally, I wanted to speak to the consultant and be really clear about my position. The midwife was a little shocked, but acquiesced and I had a meeting booked for the same day.

Personal disclosure here, at this point I was leaning towards an elective section. This may seem confusing and contradictory as my initial ideal for birth was non-invasive, water birth. However, thanks to your course and my own research, I was aware that induction could, in some cases, start you down a road of medical intervention that could get progressively more intrusive and increase the risks around giving birth and the likelihood of instrumental delivery or emergency section. Likewise, I was aware that if things progressed to an emergency section, the risks surrounding this procedure were greater than those associated with an elective section. Therefore, my thinking was, why not cut the middle out and jump straight to the end result- keeping things as calm as possible and avoiding emergency surgery. I appreciate this won’t be everyone’s position or how they would assess the situation, but I felt comfortable with my analysis. I was positive all this would end in a section and I wanted it to be safe and controlled.

I set all this out to the consultant and, to give him his due, he listened and took my concerns seriously. He was reluctant to go straight to elective section as he felt there was a chance to maintain me as low risk and have a vaginal birth. However, he understood my concerns about induction and the medical path I felt we were waking down regardless. So we reached a compromise. I agreed to being induced, but he agreed (and he was going to be the consultant on duty on the days of my induction) to make an early call on moving to c section if induction looked like it wasn’t working and not allowing the situation to deteriorate over days. I agreed to give the induction drugs a chance and do my best and he promised that they wouldn’t continue to force interventions on me if it was clear it wasn’t going to work. Ultimately we were both signing up to an agreement that surgery might come earlier than normal, but in doing so would ensure we never got to an ‘emergency’ and I felt in control, listened to and safe. I was scared, I had to trust him to live up to his side of the deal and ensure the other medical professionals did too, but I felt confident that my husband knew my wishes and could advocate for me and that I’d set my position clearly.

Fast forward four days and I was induced. I’ll keep this bit short but induction went as I expected, terribly! My uterus hyper stimulated - I was contracting six times in ten minutes - I was denied pain killers as I was never considered in ‘active labour’, my cervix failed to dilate. I moved from the pesary to the oxytocin drip and did as I had promised, gave the drugs a chance and tried my best. However, thirty hours in, and with my cervix only dilated to two cm, the consultant stood by his promise and agreed to a c section.

It was a wonderful moment. That may sound strange but I felt safe. I was being treated as an adult and my wishes were being met. I was not forced to carry on. The surgery went well and was probably the best bit of the labour. I was laughing and joking with the anaesthetist and enjoyed the process. As it wasn’t an emergency the whole surgical team were relaxed and chatting to me and each other and I felt comfortable my baby was safe and in good hands. There was no panic. Just calm. A beautiful way to meet my baby which is all I’d ever wanted.

This is in a huge part down to your course. I used your breathing techniques throughout, both when contracting and to keep me calm in surgery. I used the Freya app and enjoyed your calming voice. But most importantly, your course educated me and I then went and educated myself further and was able to be an active participant, actually a director, of my experience. That’s all I wanted. My daughter was born healthy and happy and I recovered quickly. It was a hugely empowering experience and I would urge everyone to take your course and use their BRAIN. I didn’t have a natural birth with candles and lavender oil, but that is not the only way to have a positive birth using hypnobirthing techniques. I had the birth I wanted and felt able to fight my corner. Thank you so much for that gift.