This week we’ve dug deep into The Calm Birth School archives. This birth story comes from the lovely couple Milly and James, who attended a hypnobirthing course with The Calm Birth School’s owner Liz Stanford back on 2018. The family already had their first child Elliot and in this story, they share the arrival of baby Sam – who is now 3 years old! Oh, how time flies!
“Thank you SO much for everything you taught us, I had a really positive birth experience – and it was definitely down to TCBS.
My waters released in the same way as they had first time round, when I ended up on a drip with an epidural and had a kiwi delivery. That time my surges never really got going; this time I was willing them on!
Having clear bullet point birth preferences (with photos of my first, Elliot, as a baby to encourage people to read it), and saying we were hypnobirthing and wanted everything as natural as possible meant I got a bit more time to progress without having to fight for it.
I went in for induction but was already 3cm so was given a rather firm sweep instead of a pessary. We went for a midnight walk for 90mins around UHCW, pausing for surges. The affirmations kept me focused and I felt in control. After a 3am bath things ramped up, but I didn’t realise quite how much at the time. I’d asked James not to tell me timings and he was asleep at this stage anyway(!).
I started to feel like I couldn’t cope around 7.30am. I was disappointed, but the surges were really close, and I could barely stand up. I started demanding pain relief as I felt I couldn’t handle the power and intensity, but when I was examined at 8am it turned out that was because I was 8cm dilated. I must have been in active labour for quite a while but hadn’t realised!
There followed a classic “she needs to go downstairs right now, this baby is coming” from the midwife, a bed dash downstairs, and a 16min pushing stage after a doctor turned up threatening me with forceps. Sam’s heart rate was dropping dramatically as I pushed, so I could see their point, but managed to beat them to it.
It was so surreal, at the time I thought I wasn’t coping well at all, but I had no idea how far I’d progressed while feeling really in control. It was so different from the first time, and I’m sure if it wasn’t for TCBS I’d have ended up down a much more medicalised route.
So, thank you, you showed me I could do it and do it I did! Even with sinusitis….”
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
