Printed with kind permission from Nicola
Wednesday
10.30pm - I was having surges every 5-10mins, lasting about 30-60secs. The surges were manageable as in I could walk/talk through them, and although they were fairly long - they weren’t consistent so I could have a few 30second ones, followed by some 60seconds, then some 45seconds etc. All I kept thinking was “each surge brings my baby closer!” and it just got me really excited!
I called MAC, because I was so set on trying my best to have a water birth; I wanted to let them know things were happening and how quick our first baby was. She advised to get childcare and get down to them.
Wednesday - midnight - we arrived at MAC and I was put on a monitor to check surges and baby’s heart rate. There were plenty in 10 mins. I was monitored for half an hour then offered to be checked how dilated I was.
12.30am - about 3cms dilated so went for a walk. Was told that there would be another check if I wanted to have one, about 4 hours after the last one to see how dilated I was, so that would have been due 4.30am. Surges kept coming for next 2 hours, but movements for baby were reduced. We went for a walk as I wanted to keep moving and use gravity to help do the work and went back up later to be monitored.
At 2.22am we were told that as they were coming quick and progressing fast they wanted to move us straight to the delivery suite rather than onto the ward first. So went into our delivery suite.
We moved into the delivery suite, which was dimly lit as the midwives were great at reading my birth plan and trying to keep to it as much as it was safely possible to do so. Despite the contractions coming in thick and fast, only using the TENS machine and hypnobirthing breathing techniques, I felt in control and able to do this until she said that as the baby had had reduced movements they did not advise to use the pool and to keep the monitor on. So I did end up giving birth upright on the bed, forward and open, like a kneeling squat, leaning on the bed, but I did it - not the water birth that I had banged on about to them but I did it! As much as I wanted the water I appreciated the safety of my baby over my comfort/ desires so we stayed in the delivery suite and used the birthing techniques right throughout.
Dale was playing my hypnobirthing audios and then playing another one after it had finished. It was amazing, helping me use the surge to help baby down - and this is where I found visualising my baby working his or her way down the birth canal really useful.
Dale was just amazing in addition to that he was so good at reaffirming to me that I could do it, (despite me at times saying I couldn’t!) encouraging me, praising me, reminding me to drink water, the gentle touch, holding my hand, stroking my arm, rubbing my shoulders and back, fanning me to keep me cool, holding the hot compress on my legs, increasing the TENS machine (which was amazing btw highly recommended!) during my surges then back down when they had passed. You name it he did it. The best partner and birthing partner I could wish for. He was truly incredible and couldn’t have got through it without him.
This was because by this point my waters hadn’t gone and the pressure was unbelievable! I was needing a little more relief to help keep going, I started with the gas and air but felt like it was bringing on the acid reflux and going to make me sick, plus the pressure was becoming so much that I was tempted to get the pethidine injection, but the midwife was confident that I could do it, that I was close to the end and therefore there was a risk that this could make baby drowsy and might need help to
breathe when they arrived. So I carried on as I was, with small amounts of gas and air to try take the edge off but not make me sick (I threw up a Subway sandwich during my first labour!)
What’s amazing to me is pushing and delivery didn’t hurt even half as much! I feel like I even had a smile during it. It felt more like a relief. What I felt, I wouldn’t describe as painful or a ring of fire or anything like that. It was madness, it was like at this point because I knew the end was near I could get back into the hypnobirthing and really got in myself. The midwives kept praising how amazing I was doing with it all, with barely any medication!
4:44am - my waters finally broke!
4:47am - her head was here
4:49am - she was born and our little Princess entered the world!
Then came the third stage - the part that pre hypnobirthing with Lindsay I was dreading, the delivery of the placenta. I ended up with less blood loss than my last birth. They advised I had the injection to help the placenta, bearing in mind my previous experience (I had to go to theatre to have the placenta removed).
I remember with my first baby by this point we were already taking pictures of him and us, but this time we made sure we stayed purely in the moment, we just kept focusing on our beautiful princess, kissing her and one another, counting her fingers and toes and smelling and feeling her hair on her head. I stayed in the zone, really feeling the love and producing all the oxytocin we needed and it worked! The placenta was out and it was barely noticeable, like a huge blob of jelly!
I did have some tearing, a 2nd degree, but I was stitched up and I am 3 days post labour now and everything feels fine and is healing really well (a bit more sensitive than normal, but a small(ish) human just came out of there!
I didn’t require any day or overnight monitoring and we were home just 6 hours later after she had been born and our little bubble of love is still going strong!
All in all, I went from 3cms at around 12:30am, to our baby girl in my arms at 4:49am, which is apparently quite fast! I truly believe that the Hypnobirthing Course from Lindsay at Breathe & Bloom helped all the above happen - I didn’t feel any anxiety (one thing I can struggle with!) and I knew I could trust my gut instinct despite what my head may have tried to tell me. Particularly when it came to the placenta, which I struggled with last time and had to be rushed to theatre for.
I used all the tips that Lindsay gave me and I truly believe this made the difference not just to the labour, but the positive aftermath, and to the positive and quick establishing of breastfeeding. To be able to write this and feel how I do now it was worth Every. Single. Penny. I feel like I’m dreaming that I had such a wonderful, positive birth to finish as we complete our family, I am bursting with gratitude so thank you Lindsay 🙏🏼
If I could pass on one bit of advise, I think it would be - to encourage birthing partners to do some of the hypnobirthing with you. The information was invaluable to him and helped keep him focused, made him feel helpful and really stay in the moment with me.
Nicola xx
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