Birth story - Mum and baby girl

I downloaded the PBC pack at about 20 weeks, and slowly made my way through the videos, while listening to positive affirmations from about 28 weeks onwards. My husband and I had already attended a local hypnobirthing workshop in our area and agreed to give it a go, but approach the birth with an open mind, as we understood how changeable things can be. Remaining calm was pretty much our only aim, but we had stated on the birth preferences I would like a vaginal birth, possibly with gas and air, possibly using the pool.

At about 4am on the morning of 26th February, I woke up to some cramping and a bloody show. Because I’d had little bits of mucus plug coming away and a bloody show a few days earlier, I phoned the MLU at the hospital to double check more blood loss was fine. The midwife I spoke to was very reassuring, and informed me that the bloody show can indeed come in stages, and to monitor the pain. If it became more regular, then to call back, or pop in if I needed to.

I thought the pain was not too bad and although it was coming and going, I’d had a few false starts previously, so didn’t want to get my hopes up. So, I opened my Freya app and began breathing through the pains. I propped my head on my birth ball and pretty much breathed through the coming and going cramping for the next two hours. I did briefly time them, but as they were coming 3 in 10 minutes I stopped. I think I was in total denial about going into labour, as I assumed the pain would be much worse. Everyone had said ‘when you know, you know, there’s no mistaking it’. Though I found the pain fine, I was losing a little more blood and got concerned. I phone up the midwife again who asked me to pop in. At 6am, I grudgingly woke up my husband and asked him to drive me in, warning him not to get his hopes up. I was so convinced I wasn’t in labour that I refused to let him bring the hospital bag!

We arrived at the hospital and the receptionist at A & E took one look at me waddling and breathing and asked if I wanted a wheelchair. I refused because I thought it would be humiliating to arrive in a wheelchair only to be sent home, but my husband at this point made me get in it so we would get to the ward quicker. Lucky he did, as we arrived and after I consented to a quick examination, I was told I was 6cm. My first words were “Oh shit, really?”. I hadn’t got dressed, bought my hospital bag, or phoned my mum to let her know I was going into labour so she could start the three hour drive from my hometown.

They asked if they could monitor the baby for a short while to get any idea of how things were progressing, I consented as long as I could move freely. Having the monitoring turned out to be an absolute blessing. My husband could read the machine and anticipate upcoming surges, beginning to count me through slow and steady breathing and occasionally placing a hand on my shoulders, reminding me to physically un-tense my body and just let the surges come. We had the Freya app on continuously in the background, which provided really reassuring music that I had come to associate with bedtime, breathing and general relaxation. I was offered gas and air but found it gave me a less in control feeling, at odds with the affirmations I kept repeating in my head. “Every surge brings me closer to meeting my baby.” And “My job is simply to relax and allow my body to birth my baby.”

About two hours later, the surges were increasing in intensity, and it was suggested that if I still wanted a water birth, they might begin filling the pool. I was worried it would stall the labour, which seemed to be progressing well, but my husband persuaded me to try it, and reminded me I could get out at any time. However, while it was being filled, the surges increased in intensity and I was rethinking my gas and air decision because I was becoming tense and achy in between surges, with no physical relief. This meant when I did get in the pool, at about 9:30am, it was pure relief on pretty sore muscles. It meant I could fully relax between surges again, and monitoring me in the pool was more straight forward than I thought, I was simply handed a doppler and gently asked after each surge to place it on the bottom of my abdomen so the midwife could listen in every so often.

At about 10am I entered transition, every so often a surge would bring a slight sting, and I knew her head was coming down the birth canal very slowly. At this point I began some pretty embarrassing growling and was wondering if it was too late to just get out and stop the whole labour and try again another day. Luckily, my mum arrived at that moment and was amazing. She kept saying “The hard bit is over now, look how well you’ve done and how quickly things are progressing.”. The midwife tentatively suggested I may need to be physically examined again, as she couldn’t tell visually if my waters had gone or not. But my growls must have signalled to her things were further along than anyone had realised. She compromised and said if I didn’t wish to get out, would I mind turning over so she could have a better look (I’d been on all fours until this point). This was fine and once I turned round she told me she could see the head emerging with each surge. My body began slowly involuntary pushing. It was very bizarre, but I felt relieved realising my body really would do the work for me. My pushing stage only lasted ten minutes but because it was not conscious pushing, or straining, she came into the world very gently. She was born at 10.40am and was put straight on my chest for skin to skin. We cuddled in the pool for 15minutes or so, then I birthed the placenta. She asked if I wanted to have a look at it, which I initially refused, but when they went to take it away, curiosity got the better of me and I had a peek. I got out the pool and was examined, while my mum and husband held her. To my total surprise I hadn’t torn at all, whether due to the perineal massage I had done as preparation, or due to the gentle pushing I couldn’t say. She was checked over by a paediatrician as she had a large birth mark on her thigh, common in mixed race babies, but after this we were allowed home. This meant I had dinner on my sofa at home, cuddling my newborn.

The whole experience could not have gone better and before we had even got her latched on we were discussing how the next birth would be a home birth! I am incredibly grateful to anyone who shares positive hypnobirthing stories, as reading these often got me through those last stages of pregnancy.

Good luck to all those women in the final stages, Reading birth stories all the time! You can do it 💪🏾