Georgia and Tom completed the 8 hour hypnobirthing course with me in April and decided to do 1 hour a week, so we formed a lovely friendship over the course of 8 weeks! Georgia gave birth to a gorgeous baby boy last week and has kindly agreed to share her birth story. Her birth, although wasn’t 100% according to plan, was sti
By Sunday 5th July I was 6 days overdue so to celebrate my birthday I went out for a curry and asked for it extra spicy! One of our friends was really making me laugh too so I was hoping this would boost my oxytocin! During the night I started to get on and off mild period like pains but put it down to the spice curry. I made sure I got lots of sleep just in case. Then Throughout the day on the Monday these feelings increased but were completely bearable although didn’t seem to have any regularity to them. I was still thinking are these surges or just a bad belly from the curry! Then by 6pm we decided we thought they must be so let’s have a big feed for the night ahead, I order pizza and KFC just in case!
By the time I finished my food the surges had definitely increased in intensity, so my sister ran me a lovely bath and I put lavender oil in and lit candles. I washed my hair and got lovely and fresh and stayed in the bath for about 2 hours. I played my MP3’s and used an app called Freya which guides you with your breathing. I just kept topping up the hot water.
By about 8pm I decided I needed to get out and use my birthing ball, so I moved to using this in my living room and my husband was giving me a lovely back massage which really helped. By 9pm I felt I needed to go to the hospital because I wanted to understand where I was at. Unfortunately I had to wait a while to be seen and my surges completed slowed down to almost non existent! I was checked by the midwives and I was only 2cm. The midwife then gentle stretched me (it wasn’t painful at all) and said this might move things along for me.
I went home around 11.30pm and had another bath with candles and Hypnobirthing guided meditation and continued to measure my surges. I then got out around 1am and used the birthing ball some more with my Hypnobirthing mp3s, candles and my sister massaged my back. I had sent my husband to bed at this point as he would need all the sleep he could get!
At around 2.30am I felt I needed to go back into the hospital and I rang ahead to let them know I was coming. This time my husband told me I had to wear some bit dark sunglasses and earphones with my Hypnobirthing meditation on. He even contemplated covering my head with a blanket he said! This seemed to work and I kept this all on even as I was being examined. They then told me I was 6cm dilates and would get the oasis ready for me. I was wheeled straight around to the oasis where I was introduced to my midwifes and they performed some basic checks and I was able to use gas and air straight away.
The room was lovely and dimly lit, the pool all lit up, My husband put on the Hypnobirthing MP3s and I got straight into the pool. This instantly helped with the surges and I used gas an air with each surge. My midwifes were excellent and followed exactly what I wanted in my birth plan, they spoke to My husband for me and he spoke to me and to be honest he was all I could focus on. My husband fed me lukozade and chocolate and water continuously and was an amazing support all the way through. He helped me to believe I could do it even when I was tired and felt I couldn’t go on any longer.
I remembered the section we learned about time distortion and I kept my back to the clock and I remember feeling really surprised when I knew I had a pretty fast labour as at times it felt like forever!
I definitely went through the transitional phase, as I was telling my husband I was done and tired and wanted to go home! I remembered thinking this means I’m going to push soon!
Unfortunately I was pushing for 2 hours with no luck but we didn’t realise the reason for this at this stage was because my babies hand was next to his face.
The midwives asked if I minded them coaching me which by this point I really didn’t! So they asked me to turn over (I had found leaning over the birth pool on my knees was the most comfortable for me) and used the sides of the birthing pool to push but it wasn’t helping.
The midwives then explained since I had been pushing for 2 hours I was going to need to get out of the pool and was I okay to do that. By this point I didn’t mind at all! I sat on the bed upright with my legs in stirrups and was asked through each surge to use the stirrups to push against and use all my energy as it came.
A consultant came in to check on me at this point and I wasn’t really listening but I remember thinking seeing him may mean something else happens next like an episiotomy right c section and I don’t want that.
So I was coached to really bare down and eventually after a few pushed with everything I had his head and hand popped out. Then through the next surges and a few wiggles of the babies hand by the midwife Ziggy Phoenix Hughes was born at 9.30am. We left the cord pulsating for a while and I birthed my placenta for encapsulation. Everyone has comment on Ziggy’s colour and how healthy he looks and I really think that it down to the delayed cord clamping.
The baby was also put straight to my breast and skin to skin and so far breast feeding has been very natural and not a struggle which I think is down to the immediate breast contact.
I had torn naturally even though I couldn’t feel it, so whilst I was being stitched my husband has skin to skin with baby.
We were then left for 3.5 hours in the oasis to bond with baby and for me to have a shower. More breast feeding and cuddles and then I was moved to the ward.
Since I had a straight forward labour the midwives allowed us to go home that evening after Ziggy had all his checks. They said I could stay over night or get help with feeding or anything else I needed. But I just wanted to get home to my husband and have family time and be all together. I couldn’t have had a better experience and that’s thanks to Hypnobirthing with Erin. I felt completely in control at all times and firmly feel being prepared was key as nothing was a surprise. I felt and still feel empowered by my labour I can’t believe I’ve given birth to such a perfect little boy! My husband also was so incredible and he said what an amazing experience it was for him too.
I have recommended Erin to every pregnant lady I know as I honestly feel without her my experience would have been completely different. X