We loved reading this beautiful birth story and knew we had to share it on our blog. Congratulations Sarah
“Hi everyone. here is my (detailed) birth story….
Jack Ian Knight born 5th July at 4:15pm 6lbs 4oz at home it was everything we hoped for and we are in complete love and awe of our little creation.
A huge thank you to the Calm Birth School programme and especially Suzy Ashworth for inspiring me to create the most positive birth experience possible. I feel incredibly empowered and proud and want to spread the word to as many women as possible that with preparation, self belief and following your instincts you can have the positive birth experience you choose.
I woke at 3:15 AM on Tuesday, 5 July at 10 days “overdue” with mild cramping and thought is this it!? I’d had no signs up until this point. I felt really excited as pressure had been building from consultants for an induction from 39 weeks. I started to time cramping in my tummy and they were coming every 10 minutes. I decided to wake my husband Geoff at 6 AM and said “I think you’ll be taking the day off work today!”
Geoff jumped into gear and started to inflate the birthing pool downstairs. I kept active walking about the house and garden timing surges which were getting more frequent listening to Suzy Ashworths MP3s to remain relaxed and to focus on breathing. We notified the midwives and our doula around 8am that things has started but we were managing fine.
It was a Beautiful sunny day so we went out for a couple of walks in the park. Geoff had the pool filling up and had set up a ‘feeding station’ for the midwives and doula-tea/coffee and plenty of treats! Surges started to get more powerful and frequent around 11am and we notified our midwife again and our Doula to come to the house.
I started to use the tens machine for my back with Geoff reminding me to breath and relax my shoulders through each surge. My midwife and Doula arrived around 1pm and upon examination I was 5cm dilated and fully afaced and then my waters broke! I went into the pool around 1:30pm and it felt great on my back. The surges were more powerful especially in my back. Geoff kept rubbing my back and reminding me of my breathing, to drink or eat and our Doula continued to encourage me with affirmations. I could feel baby making his way down with each surge and I became quite primal with my sounds on my out breath. When I felt the urge to bear down I let my body take control but had to be reminded to breath in!
His head was taking some time to deliver. I could feel his hair and told him to come out!
After a few more surges the midwives expressed concern that we needed to get baby’s head out so I changed position in the pool onto my back and midwives urged with next contraction to push his head out but it didn’t happen so I had to come out of the pool and squatted with Geoffs support and with next contraction baby’s head was out and with the next one I brought Jack (we already had decided on the name and called him that through the pregnancy) up to my tummy with the sound of his immediate cry-it was amazing!
He had lots of hair and was so beautiful. His cord was really short so he lay in my tummy while we all took in the special moment and he took his daddy’s finger. We waited for the cord to stop pulsating and Geoff cut the cord and I had skin to skin. He was rooting around for the breast and he latched on. Daddy then enjoyed some skin to skin with his wee boy so I could deliver the placenta. After a few more back contractions with my doula providing me back compression I delivered the placenta naturally standing up whole and intact. We kept some of the placenta and our Doula made up a berry placenta smoothie!
On examination I had a minor graze (I think down to my controlled breathing at transition or maybe the peranium massage from 36weeks!?) and some bruising but otherwise fine just very hungry! Had a lovely shower and Midwives, Doula left around 8pm and we sat down to dinner with our new bundle of joy-pure bliss!”
To see how you can create your own calm birth please sign up here: www.thecalmbirthschool.com/freehypnobirthing-2016
