Birth story - Robyn and baby Rudy

I was very lucky to have a low risk pregnancy with minimal symptoms (except for a bit of heartburn and some serious lightning crotch in my third trimester!).

Despite enjoying my pregnancy I was very nervous about the thought of giving birth, so once I hit 6 months I decided to do as much research as possible to help alleviate my fears. Discovering hypnobirthing was a game-changer for me. I listened to podcasts, followed hypnobirthing experts on IG, enrolled in an online hypnobirthing course as part of my NCT classes and used the GentleBirth app to listen to empowering tracks every day on the run-up to my due date. I also practiced with an Aniball daily a few weeks before my due date to get my body used to the feeling of pushing, which also really helped to prepare me for birth both physically and mentally. And most importantly, I tried to read as many positive birth stories as I could - this FB group was a lifesaver! As a result, I was finally starting to look forward to my birth rather than dread it.

My Christmas Day due date came and went and I decided to ask for an induction at exactly 41 weeks. This wasn’t an easy decision as I was keen for an intervention-free birth, but based on the research I’d read about risk factors and thanks to various advice from different local midwives, it felt like the right decision for me. At 9am on New Year’s Day my husband and I went to the hospital for my induction and after a bit of a wait I had a pessary inserted at 5pm which was a very relaxed experience and totally pain-free. I was warned multiple times that inductions rarely kickstart labour first time and that most women end up needing a second induction to get things moving, so my husband and I went home, cooked dinner and went for a late evening walk, excitedly chatting about meeting our little one soon but fully expecting the whole process to take a few days.

I went to bed at midnight with mild period pains (which the midwife stressed would be a normal side effect of the pessary and wouldn’t mean labour had started - aka don’t get excited!) and managed to sleep through the cramps for a few hours, but by 4am I was wide awake as the pain was steadily ramping up. I made several hot water bottles and took some paracetamol, expecting things to subside as I was adamant this wasn’t actual labour! By 7am the cramps were becoming much more regular but I was still able to doze and breathe through them. By 9am however I decided it was time to wake up my husband as I’d been tracking the frequency of my cramps on the Freya app and realised I was now in labour and my ‘period pains’ were actually contractions! By this point I was experiencing 3 in 10 minutes and was having to lean on the kitchen counter/bathroom sink to steady myself with each contraction, so we phoned the hospital and they suggested we come in to get checked.

Once at the hospital we had a 90 minute wait before I was seen by a midwife on the delivery suite. Thankfully my contractions were still manageable thanks to the hypnobirthing techniques I’d learnt (hello, up breathing!) and once I’d been examined the midwife confirmed I was in active labour and was 2cm dilated. She removed the pessary and offered me a sweep to help get things going as I hadn’t had a show yet and my waters were still in tact, so I agreed. Despite being keen for minimal interventions, I felt really comfortable having this done as I’d already had such a positive induction experience. I had the sweep, which was only mildly uncomfortable, and was pleased to see that it resulted in my waters breaking and my show appearing. The midwife then gave us the option to stay on the ward or go home and get comfortable as I waited to dilate further. We only live 5 mins from the hospital so we decided to go home where I knew I’d be more relaxed.

Once home, things ramped up in a big way! My contractions were becoming stronger and much more intense (which the midwife said would happen post-sweep) so I asked my husband to run a bath for me while he also ran around the flat lighting candles, getting the clary sage on the oil burner and getting the TENS machine ready to help create a calm atmosphere. After 5 minutes in the bath I decided I hated it as I couldn’t get comfortable so I got out and strapped the TENS machine on. By this point I was naked, on all fours in my living room bent over a yoga ball, breathing through each contraction and listening to my hypnobirthing affirmations the whole time. My husband was amazing and sat with me rubbing my back and pressing the button on the TENS machine each time I shouted ‘NOW!!’ It didn’t lessen the pain but was a great distraction and definitely helped me last longer at home.

After two hours I decided I couldn’t cope any longer on just paracetamol so we phoned the hospital and asked to come in so I could be examined. They tried to persuade us to stay at home for a bit longer as it had only been two hours since we left but I was adamant that I wanted to go in. By this point my contractions were nearly back to back so I hobbled to the car and into the front seat, eyes closed, headphones in and hypnobirthing tracks on. I was totally in the zone and found that focusing on the surges and my up breathing while blocking everything else out was the best tactic for me.

Once at the hospital I was examined and was thrilled to find out that I was 4-5cm dilated. This meant I was eligible for an assortment of pain relief and could be transferred to a private ward to give birth. I never thought I would have an epidural but in the moment, being told I could have one felt like most amazing thing in the world - I knew that I had reached my limit and that this was the right next step for me. We were led to a lovely big private room on the birthing suite, and despite not being in the midwife-led unit, we were still able to create a beautifully calm environment thanks to dimming the lights and setting up our electric oil burner, electric candles and birthing playlist.

I had to wait a little while for the anaesthetist to arrive and once he had, the epidural took around 20 mins. The worst bit was being asked to take my TENS machine off and sit bolt upright on the bed (and very still) while he got to work - not easy when you’re mid-contraction! But I was able to have gas and air and it was absolutely worth it as once I’d had the epidural I was on cloud nine. Now it was simply a waiting game as I waited to dilate further, so my husband and I chatted, laughed, and ate Pringles and Haribo in our happy little birthing bubble. The midwife checked me every 4 hours, and amazingly, by 10pm I had gone from 6cm to 10cm in just 4 hours. The midwife told me I would have to wait another 2 hours before starting to push to let the baby come further down the birthing canal, but by 2am we were ready to go.

The pushing was the toughest part for me as, thanks to the epidural, I couldn’t feel much (!). My midwife was lovely and tried to coach me through it but I struggled with her instructions and after an hour of pushing I was starting to lose hope. A doctor then came and told me that unless I delivered my baby within 30 minutes she would need to do an assisted delivery and pull him out using forceps or a ventouse. I really didn’t want that to happen so my husband left the room and asked if another midwife could come and help assist as we were now under a bit of time pressure. Thankfully, the most AMAZING midwife then swept in, told me to get on my back, put my legs in stirrups, hold my breath and push harder than I’d ever pushed before. This went against everything I’d learned in hypnobirthing but she assured me that this was how we were going to get our baby out. Safe to say, she was right! After just three pushes, at 3:40am my lovely baby boy was out.

I purposely hadn’t topped up my epidural a few hours before as I wanted to feel those final moments and I’m so glad I did. Feeling my baby’s head coming out was one of the most amazing and powerful moments of my life, and one I’ll never forget. I was very lucky not to have any tears so didn’t require stitches - something I attribute to all of that Aniball practice!

I hope that in sharing this I can show that having an induction doesn’t always lead to a ‘cascade of interventions’. I felt empowered to make decisions that felt right for me and my body throughout my labour, and never once felt pushed into anything.

I always remember a friend telling me she had been excited to give birth. I now feel the same for anyone who tells me they’re pregnant! It’s an incredible, awe-inspiring experience and one you’ll never forget. (I still listen to my birthing playlist to take me back there!) Go into it with confidence, positivity, and the knowledge that your body is amazing.