Birth story - Sonja and baby girl

I started the hypnobirthing course when I was 21 weeks and really liked the idea of a waterbirth. I read a couple of books about hypnobirthing, surrounded myself with positive birth stories and listened to hypnobirthing podcasts.

I lost my mucus plug on Monday and on Wednesday morning I started to get cramps that felt like period pain, accompanied with lower back pain. By midday I had to get up and move every time I had a surge. I was walking around, bounced on my birth ball, had a hot shower and started timing my surges with the Freya app. It wasn't long until the Freya app told me I was in established labor. I called my midwife who told me to stop timing until my surges were so strong that I wasn't able to talk through them anymore.

I called my partner to tell him to come home from work as I needed the support through my surges now.

Shortly after he arrived my surges were so strong that I had to concentrate on my breathing and couldn't talk through them anymore. I kept walking around, up and down the stairs, being on all fours, squatting, leaning on the wall stretching my legs.

Roughly 3 hours later I told my partner to call my midwife again. We decided to go to the hospital.

I was 4 cm dilated by the time we arrived at the birthing room. My midwife filled the pool for me and offered me gas, which I first declined. I jumped into the pool and felt instant relief. A couple of more surges in I tried the gas and was surprised how much it helped with the breathing. I was totally in the zone, breathing through every surge.

A couple of hours later I felt the need to make a lot of noises because of the pressure. I asked my midwife to check me. I was 10cm dilated. My waters broke while she checked me. I made my way back to the pool and it wasn’t long after that I knew it was time to breathe my baby’s head out. "The baby is coming now" I said, rolled on my back and used the down breathing technique. I remembered deeply, not to rush this part and I knew as long as I had a relaxed face and kept breathing I'd be fine. I felt the ring of fire and it wasn’t long until her head was out. I changed my position to squatting and she was born.

My partner caught her in the water and handed her to me. "I did it!!"

We checked the gender "It's a girl!".

After the cord stopped pulsating, my partner cut the cord. I was getting cramps again and decided to get out of the pool to deliver the placenta. My partner had our girl skin to skin while I did so.

I delivered the placenta 15 minutes later on the toilet. I got checked for tears, my perineum was fully intact. Only a couple of grazes inside that did not require stitches.

I got our girl back on my chest and she latched straight away.

It was the most empowering moment in my entire life.