So I hated pregnancy, genuinely hated every minute. I felt run down and broken at every turn. I was scared. I was nervous. I felt totally in the dark. I dreaded the birth of my child. I tried to avoid the subject at all costs.
Then i met the wonderful lady that did my hypnobirthing course.
Originally I was very sceptical, I did think hypnobirthing was all airy-fairy, ashamed to say but I did. I also just believed that labour was horrendous no matter how it panned out. I believed the pain would be unbearable and that I would be left to get on with it with no guidance or support.
I also work in a hospital, so I only heard horror stories. I was very nervous and in a bit of an emotional flap. This lady just calmed me down immediately, her manner and way of speaking was so relaxing and welcoming.
Anyway could I have been any more off the mark??
I actually had an extremely positive birth!!.
Yes it was labour, yes I lost my cool on occasion and yes it was painful at times, but it was very manageable and believe it or not, a very positive and enjoyable experience.
My body just knew what to do. I can honestly say that without all the hypnobirthing tools given to us that I would not be writing this very positive story today.
My waters broke at 5.30am on July 26th 2024. I was just reaching the point where I knew i just didn’t want to be pregnant anymore. The sleepless nights and heartburn was at its peak. I had pelvic pain, had crutches to use and carpel tunnel prevented me moving my hands much. I was just bored of feeling so heavy and yuk all the time. My due date was another 16 days away!
We called the labour ward at 5.40am and told them that my waters had broken. They advised us to wait until contractions started and they were closer together. She advised me to come in roughly 6-12 hours later but to stay at home until the contractions became closer.
I got no contractions at all for almost 2 hours. I sat on the sofa, with loads of towels and eating toast and jam.
By 9am things have progressed rather rapidly and we were on our way to the hospital with contractions at one every 5 to 6 minutes. My partner Ross used an app to record all the contractions.
It was very helpful to have him so cool and calm and collected. Reminding me to breathe and keep calm constantly. Ross drove us to the hospital as I read my affirmations cards and tried to breathe through the increasing contractions.
After a brief stay in the assessment reception we were taken through to a bed to be seen. This is when I was asked politely if the nurse could do an inspection and found out that I was 4cm dilated.
They did try to take bloods but my contractions were too close together and I couldn’t stay still long enough to allow it. I was also sick a fair bit at this point when my body realised I was in labour. I was offered and accepted an anti sickness jag. This worked immediately. I was offered but I refused pain medication at this time.
After some basic heart rate/blood pressure checks we were transported to the labour ward. Our own room with the water bath was almost ready for us. The room was a delight. Cute fairy lights, low ambient lights and the nicest of midwifes.
Being very light phobic sometimes I was particularly worried about the light. I remember this was the first worry I shared with the hypnobirthing team. Light sensitivity and the fear of getting a migraine during labour.
Rose immediately put me at ease, explaining the set up for the rooms and the diming of the lights
By 11am I was in the pool with heart beat monitor/doppler on my lower stomach every 15 minutes. Gas and air in my hand. The gas & air took a wee while to get used to, made me dizzy at first but once I got the hang of it I was very grateful for it.
By 2pm the contractions were coming thick and fast and now I was beginning to feel the tiredness taking affect.
My body just knew what to do and what was happening. My body was beginning to bear down and the contractions were much more intense.
The transition period that Rose told us about in class was apparent. This was the point were I began to freak out properly but Ross was prepared and kept me grounded and focused. He reminded me to breathe, kept me calm, gave me gas and air and repeated my birth affirmations when I was moaning with each contraction.
I’m beyond lucky that my partner was super supportive. He was beside me 100% of the time. Fully aware of every contraction. Ready to pass me some jelly beans, lucozade or the coffee cup, yes coffee while in the labour pool haha. Or with the gas & air mouth piece.
I personally found the labour comb very handy and found it worked well for me. Breathing as rehearsed and repeating the affirmations in my head helped massively.
Also knowing Ross was right at my side was massively helpful. My personal affirmation turned out to be “if women can do this in caves, I can do it in an f-ing swimming pool”… clearly the gas & air had taken affect by now, not sure that one is hypnobirthing approved. Haha
I also kept saying that I “would like my dinner so please hurry up wee man, I’m hungry”. Positive thinking right?
The midwife was extremely supportive. Fully listening to my preferences and fully aware of hypnobirthing practices. I was asked my views on pain relief, to which I said gas and air only please but if I felt I needed more then I would ask. She also kept me aware of what was happening and all my options as time went on.
She was a very calming presence in the room but stayed away and kept quiet most of the time.
Most contractions I was ontop of and took the gas and air when required, but every so often I was caught off guard and panicked. These contractions were definitely worse and I’m very lucky to have such a supportive partner at my side, constantly reminding me to breathe and being my biggest cheerleader.
Our beautiful baby boy was born at 2.54pm. I was able to feel him crown and able to pull him from the water up onto my chest. This moment was so magical and wholesome. Here he stayed for 20 mins or so until the time came for my partner to cut the cord. His was a lovely, heart warming moment.
Our son was then taken to the warm bed for weighting and a brief check over.
I was then supported out the pool and onto a bed. This was when the shock hit me. The painful shakes that came next were horrible but over in a few minutes. I found this the scariest part of the whole journey. It just took me off guard. I simply panicked but thankfully Ross was on hand again to remind me to breathe and held me hand. I calmed almost immediately again.
Our son, now named Ruaridh was returned to me for more skin to skin as we awaited the afterbirth.
I was again very informed of the situation and given the option for active or physiological birth. I opted to wait and see if it came naturally.
It didn’t make any signs of movement after an hour so I was given the option for injection. Which I accepted and 30 mins later the placenta was birthed with way less effort than I expected.
Followed by a quick inspection to see if I needed any stitches. Luckily I did not.
Once Ruaridh was checked over and weighted, we were offered the Vitamin K injection for him. Which we gladly accepted.
The next hour we were allowed to sit and take in the events of the day. An absolute whirlwind.
Due to the lack of staff and beds available on the post birth ward we managed to stay in our bubble until 11pm. Allowing us to have some dinner (after that famous post birth toast obviously) and a shower before going up. The labour ward nurses were so understaffed and very stressed, yet still managed to greet us with the upmost respect and professionalism.
Thankfully Ross could stay as long as we needed but just after midnight he went home for a better sleep than he would get on a hospital chair but also to see our dog and give him a blanket that smelt of his mum & new baby brother.
Ross, Ruaridh and I would just like to thank hypnobirthing for all the wisdom. I sing hypnobirthing praises to everyone that will listen. My opinion has flipped dramatically since I first heard the term hypnobirthing and I thought “oh that is a load of nonsense, a positive birth story I think not. Pain. Stress and drama more likely”. We often use the breathing techniques and positive thinking through a normal week or a normal 3am feed so this has changed our thought process after birth.
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