Thanks to Faye Bell for sharing her birth story. Faye practiced hynobirthing with the Calm Birth School online.
“I joined the Calm Birth School on the advice of my doula, to hear some positive birth stories and learn about hypnobirthing. I spent the last few months practising the techniques with both my husband and doula, and was feeling positive with my knowledge.
I really wanted a home birth, but due to my medical history (a traumatic hospital birth with my first baby) I wasn’t actually allowed to have one – this was disappointing as I really wanted to birth at home. So the plan was to be in the delivery suite. However this all changed on Sunday night.
I’d been practising hypnobirthing techniques and getting the house ready to spend the majority of my labour at home, before transferring to hospital. Then at 42 weeks my waters broke at 10pm on Sunday night, while I was outside in the garden watching a lightning storm with my husband!
Excitement soon set in, but I decided to go to bed and get some sleep. Within the hour my surges started. I laboured upstairs with my husband for three hours before calling my doula, Laura, over. Feeling reassured that Laura was on the way, we moved downstairs.
When Laura arrived I felt instantly calm. I focused on my breathing and started to go within myself, listening to my body. I leant on the doorways, the radiator, the kitchen work top whilst reading birth affirmations I had stuck up around the house. I looked at family photos and enjoyed being at home.
My surges intensified around 2am. I used the TENS machine and Laura called the hospital to let them know – but we needed to sort childcare as both our main and back up childcare had fallen through! I soon realised I was getting filly dilated, as I needed to sit on the toilet and bear down.
I moved to the living room and Laura had put plastic sheets down. I used my husband as a support and half couched down and felt my body push through the baby’s head. Wow!! What an incredible feeling! I felt him move right through and breathed his head out. A few more pushes and he was safely out.
I’d done it – I’d delivered at home!
Ten minutes later paramedics arrived, along with home midwives, to help deliver the placenta. My daughter came downstairs to find her baby brother in my arms! It was incredible to be there in the moment in my own home. It really was such a different experience to my first birth. I truly believe that with the right support and mindset every woman can birth in the safety of her home environment. Go home birth and hypnobirthing! What an amazing experience!”
