Another lovely birth story sent in by a hypnobirthing client! Anne completed a hypnobirthing course with me online last year in preparation for her second baby. We did the course together online as Anne told me that even though she doesn’t live close enough to me for an in person class she wanted to work with me, after lots of research into courses I was the person she felt most comfortable with – what a huge compliment. Online also suited Anne as we did daytime sessions around her busy life of running a business and caring for her one year old. Anne had previously had a straight forward birth, but struggled post natally as her baby was born prematurely and had to stay in hospital. This time round she wanted to feel a bit more prepared in her options and have techniques to cope with things if they didn’t go to plan.
On Friday 8/9/2023 in the morning I went swimming at 9:30am feeling totally fine and normal. I was 34+2 weeks pregnant at this point, so not quite full term yet.
I met a friend at 11am, we just got a smoothie and sat in the park to catch up. I kept getting contractions but I have been getting Braxton Hics for a few weeks so didn’t think much of it. Once I got home at 1pm I had some lunch and tried to just sit and chill, the contractions were still coming so I stared to get a bit more interested in them.
By 2pm I told my husband Tom as I thought this is more than normal and started logging them. By 4pm they were still coming, now they were every two minutes and starting to increase in intensity. Luckily around this time my Mum came over to pick George (my son) up from nursery. Tom got home at 5pm and we headed to the hospital, arriving at 5.30pm.
While Tom was parking, I walked through the main entrance of the hospital with my waters leaking! People were like ‘umm you’re leaking bodily fluid’, I was like yes my waters are breaking. 😂 It was like something from a movie with waters properly gushing down my legs. People then asked if I wanted a wheel chair and if I knew where I was going? During contractions, waddling through by myself I said ‘yes 4th floor.’ I got ushered into the staff lift, apologised for the mess as I left and kept going.
I was very quickly seen by triage and then taken into a room. I was much more with it this time as I don’t think I went through transition which was nice! The midwives were worried about the babys heart rate so I did have to give birth on my back, but it was all very easy and I gave birth at 6:06pm. I used a bit of gas and air on a few contractions, but there wasn’t any much time from arriving at hospital until baby William was born. I had no tearing, no episiotomy, no lesions. I got a half hour cuddle with him and then he was taken to NICU.
Very different experience and couldn’t have asked for a better birth THANKS
The first few days after were really hard. I don’t like being on the post natal ward with all the other Mums with their babies and I don’t have mine. So on the Sunday I asked if I could go home, especially as I was really missing George. Luckily we only live a ten minute drive away from the hospital, so I could visit every morning at 6am, head home to take George to nursery in the morning then go back to hospital to spend the day with William. In the afternoon I would go and pick George up from nursery, but head back to hospital just before bed time to pump and see William.
After ten days William was able to come home and we could start our life as a family of four. I have since used your tracks for the post-natal contractions which have been mad this time!
I really really appreciated your course and I was very fortunate that my birth went so quick and smoothly, but I felt at no point did you pressurise non-medical stuff.