This week’s birth story comes from a lovely couple Ellie & Josh who attended a TCBS Hypnobirthing Course with Charlotte Inkpin of Hypnobirthing with Charlotte. Covering areas across Braintree, Essex.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us!
We started hypnobirthing with Charlotte when we were 20 weeks pregnant. For personal reasons we’d kept things very quiet on social media and we’re only telling our closest friends and family. Before our course with Charlotte we were feeling pretty apprehensive and nervous about pregnancy and birth but even after 1 session we felt so much more relaxed and informed about what was ahead!
Our labour had begun when Josh walked through the door with a McDonald’s on Wednesday evening and I think I got so excited my waters released! We rang the labour unit at Broomfield and our first special circumstance was that we had meconium in my waters so they asked us to come in just to keep a check on us. We were super chilled getting the car packed up with our bits & just super excited to meet our boy!
We arrived at Broomfield but due to current situation Josh wasn’t allowed with me, I knew I’d be staying in there until we’d had our baby so I got settled into the Day Assessment unit best I could. I was offered an examination and a close eye was kept on me, they confirmed my waters had released and there was small amounts of meconium in the waters so I would be monitored closely. I was offered and accepted a pessary to get things moving and after this I plugged in my headphones and listened to my affirmations I even managed to get a couple hours sleep!
Not a lot happened overnight other than some mild cramping but nothing major. The next day I was offered another pessary and accepted, again some mild cramping but that was it. I started to feel a little low at this point – probably just frustrated as I’d been there for nearly a day and couldn’t see Josh, and then on one of the many phone calls to him he found the window I was next to and he got to wave at me from the courtyard! This really boosted my spirits and set me back on track. Finally a bed became available on labour unit on the Thursday evening so that meant I finally got to see Josh and we were taken to our room. Because my waters had released for over 24 hours we were offered and accepted being induced via the drip, then the process really kickstarted! After an hour or so I accepted gas and air, as the surges were coming on pretty strong – we had our music playing out loud, lights were dimmed, and affirmations were on! Josh was brilliant and every surge he was right there telling me how brilliant I was doing and making me laugh as he always does!
Because we had been there a fair amount of time and the surges were very close together, we accepted some morphine as pain relief which helped temporarily but I think due to my tiredness and the speed of my surges my body had begun to tire out. We were examined and found out we were still only 3cm, so on the Friday morning we accepted an epidural in the hopes it would allow me to get some sleep and hopefully regain some energy. After it was administered the Doctor that morning came and reviewed our monitoring we’d had done overnight and decided because babies heart rate was dipping too much with each surge it was time to get him out quickly.
We were rushed pretty sharpish to have a Caesarean Section. At this point we were just relieved we were finally going to meet our boy! It was pretty hectic with all the doctors and nurses prepping me and asking me loads of questions but I was just concentrating on my deep breathing and thinking of my happy place – I didn’t even realise Josh wasn’t in the room at this point! Suddenly Josh was by my side holding my hand and then we heard our boy take his first breath!!
Within 25 minutes of the decision being made to have a C Section he was here. It was a completely surreal moment that I couldn’t put into words if I tried. Josh cut the cord and placed him on my chest and feeling him on me. I couldn’t believe it, he was finally here!!! Josh carried Max through to recovery while the doctors finished up with me and then I finally got to hold him! Complete love at first sight. We couldn’t stop crying!
We finally had our Max safe in our arms on 26th March 2021, at 10.31am weighing 7lbs 12oz.
We can’t thank Charlotte enough for not only her Hypnobirthing knowledge and all the tools that come with it, but for her kindness as well. Always taking the time to check in on us and making sure we knew we could talk to her about anything ?
If you want to create your own positive birth you can start today!
Sign up for our FREE Hypnobirthing Videos here or get in touch with one of our instructors here
