Birth story - Sophie and baby Mairi

I bought the online course at the start of the third trimester. I’d been following positive birth company on Instagram during my pregnancy and reading hypnobirthing books as I was keen to use relaxation techniques in labour. I had a miscarriage a few months before falling pregnant again and I was quite anxious throughout the first trimester which didn’t disappear after the magical 12 week scan like I’d hoped it would! I also have a medical background and had been a bit traumatised by a placement week in labour ward when I was in medical school (witnessed a lot of instrumental deliveries / unplanned / emergency c sections where the mothers had seemed quite out of control) so I was absolutely terrified to have to go to labour ward. Thankfully I was low risk and my amazing community midwife was so encouraging and helpful, even encouraged me to consider a home birth but then my local midwife led unit reopened so I decided to plan for birth there. I watched the videos during my last trimester, sharing the ones I found most relevant with my husband and we practiced light touch massage and I listened to positive affirmations every evening (usually in the bath). Even though I tried to remind myself “my baby will come when it’s ready” I found the week leading up to my due date difficult as I had managed to convince myself baby would arrive a little early and when she didn’t show I couldn’t help but be frustrated at times.

Anyway, after an episode of reduced movements with normal monitoring/scan and immediate return to normal pattern once the CTG bands went on (in hindsight I think it was more increased anxiety over movements than them actually being reduced) at 38 weeks led to the hospital offering me induction (which I refused using BRAIN), I accepted a sweep at 40 weeks. My midwife told me my cervix was closed but thinned out and flattened.

At 40+3 I woke up with period like cramps, hadn’t had them at all before so wondered if it was a good sign, however sent hubby to work in case they tailed off. They did tail off after he left which was disappointing but allowed me to sleep a bit. Then he came back for lunch and cramps started again... I sent him away to work again as they weren’t very regular. He came home for dinner and the cramps came back too and didn’t stop - I was in established labour by 9pm, got to the midwife led unit at 10, thankfully they could give me the pool room and I accepted a VE (had requested one on admission in my preferences) and I could stay as I was 4cm dilated 🙌

Things kept going well with up breathing and hubby doing light touch massage getting me through the surges and keeping me in the green but 4 hours in I requested a repeat VE (having specified on my birth plan that I didn’t want routine exams!) because I felt so much pressure and occasionally felt like I needed to push - I had only progressed 1-2cm in the 4 hours but my waters were bulging. I asked the midwife to break them and things ramped up very quickly, I mostly managed with up breathing and massage but also asked for the gas and air at this point which I found very helpful in combination with my breathing. An hour later I got back in the pool and 2 hours later at 6:13 am my gorgeous little girl Mairi was born in the pool! I only pushed for half an hour but despite all my practicing on the toilet I’m not sure if I was down breathing very effectively, I could feel my body trying to push but at times I told feel myself holding it back a bit, however my midwife was so helpful at this point reminding me to “let my baby come” and “let my body birth my baby” and helping me get into a better position in the pool to finally deliver her head and then her body with a few good pushes.

I was super excited to meet her and brought her up quickly which snapped her (short) cord but the midwives reacted quickly and clamped it asap, her scores were 9 and she was so alert from birth it was amazing! She fed within the first 20 minutes and my placenta came on it’s own within 15 minutes.

I did have a second degree tear and a few labial tears needing stitches which wasn’t nice but things down there are feeling a lot better so hopefully healing well.

I’m so so overjoyed she is here and feel so blessed she got here safely and my birth really was just as I wanted it, the midwifed told her student it was by the book and everyone commented on how calm me and my husband were too. My daughter is so far a pretty chilled baby and I wonder if that is due to her very relaxed birth!

I am grateful to the digital pack for helping me and my husband understand labour better, for empowering my husband to be an excellent birth partner and for enabling me to have a calm and focused labour and safely birth my lovely rainbow baby girl.

Up breathing is definitely a life skill and I’ve found it very helpful in these early weeks of parenting especially when breastfeeding with sore nipples or when getting frustrated during night feeds or changes! I would recommend the digital pack to all pregnant women!