Hospital Birth – May 2012

Leyla shares her story. It may not be a typical “hypnobirthing” story but she kept calm, used natural birthing positions,  despite not getting the water birth she wanted ….
2am – I remember looking at the clock and trying to go to sleep but the surges kept waking me up.  I had had surges from around 34 weeks some lasting a whole day others just for an hour or two.  But they never became regular enough for me to worry or the intensity increase.  These ones where every 6 minutes and intense enough to stop me sleeping.
4 am – I was still awake unable to get comfy to sleep, in all my waking around as this seemed to be the only thing that helped I had woke up our daughter and had to get her back to sleep, only she wanted to lie in our bed.  I remember watching her sleep and thinking how different things were soon going to be, surges 4 minutes apart but no more painful.
7 am – I had a show and decided that it was perhaps time to wake up husband.  We agreed to wait until 8.
8 am – the surges were still 4 minutes apart we rang the hospital who said we could come in to be checked out.  At that time we lived a 35 – 45 minute drive down the motorway to the hospital.   With my eldest they closed  part of it and I was dreading the same thing happening.  We called nursery and then my parents.
As we got in the car the frequency of the surges slowed to 12 minutes apart, I was gutted but still wanted to be safe and get checked out.
8.50 am – I was examined by a mid wife and was 4-5cm.  They let me stay on the ward.  The midwife told me I did not look in enough pain to be in labour so she would wait until 10 to re asses me and make a decision.
10.40 am – Examined and I was almost 5 cm but I was not longer having surges, they told me to go home.  I was gutted.  I did not want to get stuck on the motorway, just in case and did not really want to go to my parents as I really did not want my daughter to see me in pain.
10.50 – As we were leaving the hospital the next wave of contractions started, this time much stronger and 4 minutes apart.
12.32 – According to the parking machine we arrive back in hospital. I remember the midwife kept trying to get me to lie on my back and I remember my instincts telling me to get on my knees and put my arms on the top of the bed, leaning on the back on it so I was in a more natural position.
I am not sure of the exact timing of it, I remember the midwife was not there just me and my husband, I felt that all mighty pressure and a feeling of self doubt.  I remembered from my first pregnancy that this meant I needed to push so I did, just one.  The midwife came in at this point, this was the second time she had come in and she turned me onto my back to examine me.  She said I can see the membranes, as my waters were still in tact at this point, let me try pop them for you.  She touched them and not only did they pop, but by doing so my daughters head also came out.  My husband said it was one second no head, next second head.   I felt instant relief, no more surges.  Which was when the midwife said twice, on the next contraction push and your baby will be out.  Baby was born at 13.32.
Welcome to the world little one ….
Leyla

The full story was initially shared on This Day I Love

How you feel about birth can change everything.

Every birth story is different but what about when you have a bad experience, how does this affect any future pregnancies? This is not a hypnobirthing story in the “traditional” sense but it is important to see how you feel can change everything.

Stacey shares her story …….

Nobody can really predict what the birth of their children will be like. It’s like following the weather reports – you have every faith that the day will turn out fine and pleasant but you know that there is the chance that they’ve got it all wrong. Even women like me who have already given birth in the past, can’t accurately tell how the next one will pan out.

My first birth was horrific. Every step of it was an unpleasant trip down a bumpy road. I was diagnosed with Polyhydramnios – extra amniotic fluid and let me tell you that by the end of my pregnancy, even after having some of it drained off, I looked  and felt like I was having triplets. Couple that with the heartbreaking knowledge that my child would be born with a birth defect and you can imagine how it must have felt.

The birth itself was a nightmare that comes back to haunt me, in flashes of fuzzy memory. Being induced, having my waters broken, my baby refusing to move, an epidural that didn’t work and eventually a c-section under general anaesthetic. By the time I came round after the operation, I was a shivering wreck of a woman, desperately wanting to see my child. I did eventually. Well, after twenty four hours and the next four months would see me diligently by his crib-side, feeling helpless, lost and alone.

You would think that would have put me off having any more children, and I can assure you it did for a while. However the brain has a funny way of softening the jagged edges of a nightmare, and before you know it, you’re pregnant with twins and dreading yet another horrific birth.

Was it as horrifying as I believed it would be?

Not one bit. It was so far away from my initial birthing experience, that I had to pinch myself at times to make sure it was real! There were little hiccups – gestational diabetes for one and low blood sugar at 37 weeks but by that time, I was ready to pay someone to deliver my double bundle of joy. There’s only so long your womb can take a beating from the inside, by two sibling rivals.

Delivery this time was like having an out of body experience. A planned c-section took the stress and worry out of the situation. As if in a dream, I sat on the edge of the operating table as I received both a spinal block and an epidural, just to be sure. Then back I went, drifting in the clinical white ether as all sensation left my body. It is the strangest and most wonderful feeling ever and I have to admit, I quite enjoyed it.

This time there was no going to sleep. I listened as the green-scrubbed surgeons discussed the insides of my body. I know how that bloke feels now in ‘operation’, immobile while someone does what feels like the washing up in your prone body. I then watched as one by one – a minute between them – my babies were brought into the world. A boy and a girl, one screaming in the crib to be held and the other nestled into the crook of his father’s arms.

My fondest memory of that day, was having my children placed onto my chest, beneath my gown as they stitched me up. The tears rolled down my cheeks at the sight of the two tiny human beings that I had grown inside me for nearly nine months. I had missed out on this wonderful experience with my first child, but this time I experienced all of it’s life-changing magic. They were both perfect.

Stacey

Stacey blogs at http://fivesafellowship.com

Hospital Birth – 2nd Sept 13

This is a very personal post as it is about the arrival of my gorgeous nephew:

Here is Suzi’s story …..

Before my husband and I were trying for a baby the idea of giving birth filled me with fear, I even had to turn over when ‘one born every minute’ was on in case it put me off for life! When the miracle moment happened and we went for our 12 week scan and saw the little one in my belly, I knew it was time to face up to the inevitable.  Luckily my wonderful sister in law was on hand who had experienced an amazing birth the year previous, and introduced us to Hypnobirthing.

A little sceptical at first, I kept an open mind and started to read the Hypnobirthing book – two chapters in and I had already bought in; the theory that fear could counteract everything that the body and birthing muscles were trying to do, did make total sense.

We began to see Lee our Hynobirthing instructor at 28 weeks and she guided us through the relaxation and breathing techniques. She also filled us with the confidence and the knowledge to make sure we would have the best possible birth experience. With much practise behind us, we approached the final weeks of pregnancy and began to look forward to the day rather than fear it. We opted to have our baby at our local hospital where they had two water birth rooms, and so my birth plan was written – I would have a water birth, without pain relief, interventions and ‘instructions’ from the midwives, and use the Hypnobirthing techniques with the support from my husband to let my body do what nature intended. The only lingering question – would the hospital environment allow us this experience considering the stats for births without medical interventions in our modern day hospitals would suggest this was unlikely?

So, this is how the story goes… the evening before my due date, after consuming a spicy curry, my waters break (very cliché!), I have mild surges shortly after and the hospital call me in to be assessed. At 12am they are stronger and frequent so I start to listen to my music and use the breathing techniques, I am relaxed and in control, so much so that the midwife ensures me that ‘I would know it’ if I was in labour and suggests we may be going home shortly. She examines me and we are not going anywhere apart from the water birthing room! I birth and deliver my baby in the water as I had planned, I was not examined further or instructed, and we were left by the midwives to birth as I and my husband had intended. Although this was my first pregnancy, my body told me when I was entering the final stages and needed to ‘breath’ the baby down. I didn’t speak or open my eyes for nearly the entire time and the only voice I heard was my husband’s.

Our beautiful baby boy arrived 7 hours after getting to the hospital, and in such a calm atmosphere that the head midwife stayed past the end of her shift just to see him arrive! That is our story, that was our plan and this is what I believe is nature’s intent.

Welcome to the world Sidney Jack!

Sidney Jack

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!