Birth story - Tania and baby Evie

I discovered Hypnobirthing at around 23 weeks and couldn’t believe it wasn’t something every woman was told/taught about when they found out they were pregnant. Everything made so much sense to me and before I even started the digital pack I purchased from Siobhan Miller I immediately felt excited and not anxious at all about the birth.

My husband and I started the digital pack at about 32 weeks as I’d already read lots of books on Hypnobirthing. Afterwards we felt so prepared for the birth and I just wanted her to arrive!!

I’d experienced Braxton Hicks for weeks and baby girl was sooo low down it felt like she’d drop out so we always thought she’d be early.

On the morning of 30th October my best friend came round with her little boy to see me and they spent a few hours with us. By 2pm I started experiencing period type pains which rose up then trialled off coming every 20 minutes or so. I thought something might be happening!

I sat on my birthing ball and watched La La Land, ate a handful of dates and had a Raspberry Leaf Tea. My husband got home at 7pm where I’d managed to cook a vegetable curry which was quite spicy!

By 10:30 when we were just about to head to bed the surges kicked up a gear and were coming every 7 minutes or so. I called the hospital who told me to call back when they were every 3-4 minutes. We came back downstairs as I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, got back on my birthing ball, put our candles on, our lavender diffuser and played the Hypnobirthing MP3 on repeat on the TV.

By almost midnight they were every 4 minutes, so I called the hospital back (mid surge!) and they said a midwife who was on call would call back. Our midwife then arrived shortly after midnight, after about 2 hours of using my up breathing through my surges I was offered a VE. I agreed and was told I was only 2cm dilated (I originally didn’t want to know but curiosity got the better of me, wish I had just stuck to my birth plan). I didn’t let my mind focus on this number though and got back in the zone.

I asked my husband to blow up the birthing pool and fill it as, after being on all fours leaning over the birthing ball, I knew I wanted the comfort of the water. Getting in the pool was heaven. I continued my up breathing while on my knees leaning over the pool.

By 8am the following day our midwife had to leave and another 2 were called. I didn’t even realise the swap over as I had my eyes shut the entire time and was in the zone doing my breathing with my husband holding my hand and talking me through it. After a few more hours the midwives could tell I was flagging, I was sweating and looked white as a ghost as I hadn’t eaten since the night before. They had to force feed me lemon curd on a spoon and peanut butter on a crumpet! I then had to get out the pool as they were worried it would slow things down as I’d been in there so long.

I then got up and sat on the toilet for a few surges and by the time I got off and tried to get back in the pool I could feel a head coming and the need to push. The midwives were like ‘hurry or you’ll give birth on the floor!’. I got back in the pool on my knees and pushed for what my husband described as 30 minutes using my down breathing (my body automatically started doing it and I had no control over it).

I listened to the midwives when they told me to pant as it was so hard not to push when you want to, but having my husband hold my hand and talk me through it made me concentrate on my down breathing (while pushing and you DO make a mooing sound like a cow!) and I managed to Birth our gorgeous daughter without any pain relief, and without the need for any stitches, in the comfort of our own home. ❤️

As soon as I birthed my daughter, she was placed directly onto me for skin to skin, we had delayed cord clamping and the midwives said they could tell my placenta had come away already. I tried to push it out in the water on my back but it was impossible, I knew I needed to be on my knees or squatting. I got out and went onto the toilet where in 1 big push I birthed the placenta.

Within an hour we were tucked up in bed, a family of three. It was truly magical having a home birth and despite a lot of weird reactions as a FTM wanting it at home I wouldn’t change it for the world, i’d recommend any FTM who is low risk to have one. Nothing better 💕 Thank you Siobhan for everything you have done for Hypnobirthing and educating women on the science and facts around birth. I feel so passionately about it and can’t stop talking about it to everyone.