MINDFULNESS & HYPNOBIRTHING: A POSITIVE BIRTH STORY

My first birth was a long one and needed some intervention. I ended up staying in hospital for a day or so with a temperature and took quite a while to recover at home. I was determined to do things differently the second time around and had remembered a couple of friends talking about really positive birth experiences as well as hypnobirthing.

I had a perfectly ‘normal’ uneventful pregnancy and think it was around week 28 I downloaded Mindful Hypnobirthing by Sophie Fletcher on Audible. I listened regularly, 2-3 times a week, in the bath and downloaded the free tracks from the Mindful Mamma website to listen to in bed. I’d fall asleep listening to them but carried on using the book regularly and listening when doing housework too. I found myself calm and excited to give birth again and generally in a good mood. I upped my baths and track-listening sessions closer to 38 weeks and introduced lavender essential oil, and once I hit 40 weeks, clary sage too (NOTE! Some aromatherapy isn’t safe in pregnancy or with certain health issues so you must check with a qualified professional before using anything.) I’d add these to baths, use in a room diffuser and had a couple of massages from hubby too.

I was getting a bit disheartened as I went further over 40 weeks as DD1’s labour started on my EDD and she was out by the next morning. On the plus side I had started losing my plug in bits and having a few niggles from baby’s head hitting my cervix, some Braxton Hicks and some mild period-like aches from about 39 weeks. I stayed active doing as much walking as I comfortably could with pelvic pain, and tried all the old wives tales... but still nothing substantial was happening.

My midwife offered me a sweep at 40+5 weeks so went for that at midday and she said I was already at 2cm. Hubby had the bank holiday weekend off so we went for a nice lunch and I felt positive things were starting to happen as I got quite tired and felt the urge to just go lay down and sleep for the rest of the afternoon (which thankfully I could as hubby went to collect DD1 from preschool and then entertained her for the evening.)

I drifted in and out of sleep while watching tv had a few gentle period-like cramps when I woke in the evening. Around midnight I woke and went to the toilet, feeling like the period sensations were a bit stronger but went back to bed. I woke a few more times in the next couple of hours and at about 0230 I woke hubby (who’d fallen asleep on the sofa) and told him things were happening. I had a couple of paracetamol and went back to lay on the bed and we watched some TV.

I was just breathing through the cramps which by now had increased to surges and I used the Freya app to time them. They had increased in closeness and length and felt it was a good idea to call the birth centre. The midwife said she was happy for me to come in and be assessed. We called my mum to pop over to look after DD1 and we jumped in her cab to the birth centre, about 10 minutes away.

We arrived at 0345 and after a few minutes the midwife offered a vaginal exam to see if I was ready to get in the pool. She said I was 7cm! That was quite a shock even to me, considering it took around 10 hours of really uncomfortable surges to get that far the first time! I put on the playlist with the pregnancy and birth affirmations, long hypnosis track and instrumental track on my iPhone and got in the pool. I instantly relaxed in the water and although the surges were really strong and I started losing the bloody show, I was super relaxed in between the contractions.

I had been in the pool about an hour when I started feeling an increase in pressure with the surges and my waters broke. The midwife said there was a tiny bit of meconium so I’d need to birth out of the pool. I realised I was starting to go through transition as I felt a sense of doubt in my ability creep in and started to panic a bit. The midwife told me baby was nearly here and to listen to my track and focus on that. I squatted between hubby’s legs facing away from him and he held my hands as the urge to push came as I was down-breathing. I felt baby moving down and focused on keeping my down breaths as long and deep as possible. I noticed one of the midwives (I had 2 from the time I got out of the pool) had her hand between my legs and she said she was just holding baby’s chin, her head was out! A real sense of relief washed over me, she really was almost here! I managed 2 more big long pushes and the rest of her slipped out and I saw her beautiful little face at 0600, just 20 minutes from getting out of the pool.

The midwives gave her a good rub as they listened to her heart, as although it was beating strong, she was gasping a bit and not taking a big breath. I was completely calm watching them stimulate her and they explained everything they were doing and why as they popped a little mask on her to pump a few breaths. Then she cried. A beautiful little cry. Once she was breathing ok on her own they passed her straight to me for skin to skin, still attached by cord. I consented to the vitamin K injection, which helped with those lungs of hers! A few minutes passed and they asked if I wanted to cut the cord as it has stopped pulsating. I cut her cord and they asked if I still wanted an unmanaged third stage. I decided I just wanted the injection to speed up the placenta and a few minutes later that was out too.

We maintained skin to skin laying on the couch for around 45 minutes while they cleaned me up and got me a cup of tea. She was a fair size (8lb 13oz!) and had torn the episiotomy scar from the first birth where I’d had a ventouse, so had to have some stitches to fix that but got to cuddle my little lady the whole time which took my mind off it.

We had such great experience at the birth centre and would recommend this as a choice to anyone looking for a calming environment. I was the only patient there until early afternoon later that day, which was meant there was absolutely no pressure for us to move rooms or leave until we were ready. They helped clean me up, gave baby all her checks and wanted to monitor her for 12 hours from birth so we were free to go (if we wanted) from around 1800 the same day. My mum brought our DD1 in for a visit and some lunch and then took her back home while we rested with baby. DD1 was missing us both so we arranged transport home in time for her bedtime so we could all have a cuddle. By around 2030 we were all home and settled and so happy with our new baby girl and the way our amazing DD1 has taken so lovingly to we new baby sister.

Good luck to you all and remember your body is designed to birth babies, you just need to focus on keeping calm and breathing. I went from my first birth being unprepared and a bit scared, 25 hours, tens machine, gas and air, pethidine, transfer to hospital, catheter, episiotomy, ventouse, IV paracetamol and phlebitis in the IV site; to a 6 hour unassisted birth completely free of pain relief (barring the 2 paracetamol!) and home the same night. Our wonderful little DD2 is so chilled and I wonder how much of that had to do with her calm and relaxed birth.

We thank all the staff at Maidstone Birth Centre, especially want to thank midwives Helen, Rachel and Shona.

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Much love and happy parenting! x