Tag Archives: breathing
Hypnobirth – 21-Sept-12
Inspiring birth story from Clair J …..
I was 38 weeks pregnant and had only been on maternity leave for one week when I was in the living room tidying up and looked down and found my feet in a pool of water! I instantly thought it was my waters and luckily the midwife was due to come and see me later that morning. She advised to go for a walk and labour might start in a couple of days. Nothing had happend overnight or the next day and so I went to Good Hope Hospital to get checked out. I was advised that it wasn’t my waters and so went home. The two days that followed that visit to the hospital I had started to loose the “plug” and so was positive labour was going to happen in the next few days – which it did roughly around 7pm Thursday 20th September. My surges had no pattern to them initially until much later that night. When by 5am they were every 15- 20 mins. During that night I tried to get as much rest as possible. By 9am the next morning I felt I needed to go to the hospital just to get checked out really and to make sure this was really labour! They told me I was 2-3cm and to go home. Once home I drank water/lucazade and ate toast only. I walked around alot, used the gym ball (which was great because it took the pressure off my back) and concentrated on breathing techniques. My husband was very supportive and we used the techniques we had learned during the hypnobirthing class. We were both relaxed at home in our own environment and so my labour progressed and my surges were coming every 6-7 mins by 8pm.
We were back at Good Hope by 8.30-8.45 where I was assessed and was 5-6cm and considered to be in established labour and so was admitted. I was put on a heart monitor because they were a bit concerned about baby’s heartrate being a little high but I was only on there for 40 mins and everying seemed fine. I planned on a waterbirth and so the midwife then went off to prepare the pool for me. Before getting into the pool the midwife examined me and found she could feel baby’s head and asked if I wanted her to break my waters which she did, the surges then became alot stronger. Unfortunately my waters were green and so she advised baby had a bowel movement and so I was not able to get into the pool. Around 10.30 I was using gas and air through my surges which were every minute and lasting one minute. My body took over and I started breathing the baby out. Before I knew it baby’s head was out and was told one last good push would do it …and so baby Toby Elliot was born Friday 21 September at 11.24 weighing 7Ibs 12 oz.
I would strongly recommend moms-to-be to explore hypnobirthing and take classes. As a first time mom I had watched birthing programmes such as ‘One Born Every Minute’ and attended the NHS anenatal classes which gave me alot of information but hypnobirthing gave me so much more knowledge and power in order for me to cope with my birth which was invaluable and a positive experience!