THE HAPPY BIRTHING CO.

I began hypnobirthing with The Happy Birthing company in September 2020 at five and a half months pregnant and Laura was our teacher. I was due on the 3rd of January 2021.

I really enjoyed learning about the breathing techniques and meditations and learning how I could have a really positive birth experience. I enjoyed planning for my perfect birth practising techniques and writing my birth plan. I knew that things don't always go to plan, but Laura made sure that we had planned for every eventuality and reminded me that I was in control no matter what happened.

 

Finally, our time came, and it was the most amazing and positive experience. My surges began at 10:00am on our due date with a really strong and powerful one around 10:30am.

I had been losing my plug for a couple of days before this, I decided to have a bath and begin timing contractions they were lasting around 45 seconds but were still very irregular.

 

At around 2:00pm they began to get slightly more regular, so we rang the hospital for advice they sent out a midwife to assess me at 2:30pm, she confirmed that I was in the early stages of labour.  I refused a vagina examination as surges were still bearable, she left us to it and said she would be expecting another call from us in a few hours. 

 

Throughout this time my partner guided me through some of the meditations we had learnt on our course, these really helped me to stay calm he also guided me with my up breathing. I did this throughout my labour and it really helped me to focus and remain in control the whole time.

 

By 4:00pm the surges had really ramped up and were much more regular. I was finding it most comfortable to be on all fours on our sofa leaning over the armrest. At around 5:00pm my waters broke I noticed they were a slightly funny colour and then notice some blood dripping down my thigh.  I did panic a bit but tried to remain calm, the breathing really helped with this.

 My partner rang the ward again and they sent out a midwife straight away. The midwife arrived around 5:30pm. I allowed her to perform a vagina examination where she confirmed I was 9cm and the blood was there because I had dilated so quickly, and it looked a lot worse than it was.

 

From this point things went very quickly my partner continued to inflate and fill the pool and the second midwife arrived. Surges were strong and I kept calling Tim away from the pool to be with me. He coached my breathing, relaxed me and stroked my hair and my arms telling me how proud he was of me.  I was definitely bearing down by this point and the midwife confirmed that the strong urge to poop was in fact my baby moving down the birth canal.

 

I decided to go for the gas and air to take the edge off at 7:44pm I got into the pool which was an intense relief, and I sucked the gas and air hard, I could feel the baby moving further and further down but the midwife said that she couldn't see anything so for me to see if I could feel the baby's head and I could. A couple more breaths and a couple more pushes and the baby was out! I pulled her out of the water and straight onto my chest without looking whether she was a boy or a girl.  The joy, relief and elation was unreal. 

 

We had had a few minutes delayed cord clamping, but they needed cord blood as I am rhesus negative. Blood was taken, the cord was cut, and I had the injection for the placenta. Only then did I turn her around to find I had a daughter, such an amazing moment! 

 

The placenta came away easily and by 8:00pm we were all done time for snuggles, cuddles and a cup of tea. 

 

Our birth was amazing, and I felt so proud and empowered and in control the whole way through. My partner was astonished at how calm I was, he didn't even notice I was transitioning or that I'd started the pushing stage and that was all because of his calming effect on me and all of the amazing techniques we had picked up from Laura throughout our course. Giving birth was a truly amazing experience and one I will never forget! I felt calm, confident and in control the whole time riding each surge like a wave.

 

When people ask how the birth was, I can't help but smile and tell them that I actually quite enjoyed it.