This week’s birth story comes from a gorgeous couple Rachel and Jason who attended a TCBS Hypnobirthing Course with Bryony Bugg of Beefearless Hypnobirthing over Zoom.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story with us!
“I had a very complex first birth, so when I got pregnant for the second time, I was nervous to say the least. My son Jude (Now two and a half) took three full days of labour. I was augmented (induced late in labour) had all the pain relief you could imagine. He was stuck back-to-back and upside down, I was given no choice but to have an epidural and eventually a forceps delivery. The part after birth was not straight forward either. I had an episiotomy that went wrong, and I lost 1,800mls of blood. It was also discovered that the pudendal nerve had been nicked too which controls continence and meant six months of very slow recovery and women’s physio to feel anything again. Is it really any wonder why this time I was terrified, but also determined to have a more positive birth!? That is when I remembered my lovely friend Bryony from my nursing days and how she had told me that she was teaching hypnobirthing and could not recommend it highly enough.
Through the course, I learnt so much about my body and how breathing and visualisation is key to feeling calm and in control. Bryony was fantastic and explained everything in a fun and informative way; I even began to understand why things had gone so wrong the first time.
In the early morning after my due date, I woke up feeling period like cramps in my tummy. I’d had a couple of Braxton hicks in the weeks leading up, so I didn’t take them too seriously. I breathed through using the calm birth school techniques and managed to lose myself beyond the pain. As I started getting ready, the pain intensified, and before I knew it, labour was happening fast. I listened to my mp3s, and my husband Jason timed my contractions. To my surprise, they were lasting forty seconds and coming two and a half minutes apart! I had a couple of paracetamol to take the edge off, and rang labour line. The midwife was concerned that I was going to end up delivering in the car park, I hadn’t even realised, but I was in established labour within an hour of the initial pains! My body was so relaxed from the breathing and mp3s, things had ramped up fast and my own calmness had thrown me off.
With a hot water bottle in situ, earplugs in, I was strapped into the car by Jason. We got to the hospital and on examination; I was already at five centimetres dilated. I was so excited but continued to calmly listen to the mp3s and breathe, as I did not want adrenaline ruining my stride!
Labour ward really accommodated my hypnobirthing and were so supportive. An hour or so later I was feeling sick so asked for some ondansetron to calm the nausea. I used a tens machine and stayed very mobile while my husband held me and rocked me when I needed him to. I had been keen to get into water, so the pool was filled, and I waddled next door to climb in. Just as I got there, I threw up and suddenly felt the urge to push. My waters had gone and there was meconium in them, so the pool was out! I was disappointed but not for long as the midwife suddenly shouted that she could see the head!
I was still breathing and feeling really in control and was waddled back to my room. The midwife panicked a little, as she was desperate for me to get on the bed. My body was telling me not to lie down so I got on all fours holding onto the back of the bed.
They did not even have time to prepare the linen, because two birth breaths later, my beautiful baby girl Isla-Joy was in the world! It was so fast and so incredible I did not even have time for an ‘I can’t do this’ moment. My husband held my hand and I listened to my body telling me what it needed me to do and calmly birthed my baby with no pain relief or intervention. I turned around and the placenta was delivered just as quickly a few pushes later.
I was elated, proud and on cloud nine! I had done it the way I wanted, and I was ecstatic.
My original episiotomy tore, but nothing else so a few stitches later and I was relaxing in a bath sprucing up while Daddy held his new little girl.
All I can say is thank you Bryony! Hypnobirthing gave me confidence and control. Bryony was so supportive, and I highly recommend anyone who is pregnant to do the CBS Hypnobirthing course.”
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.
