Sarah and I are overjoyed to introduce you to our darling baby daughter Jessica Alice Taylor born last Wednesday 12 March 2008 at 11h39 in Kingston hospital. Jessica weighed 2.75 Kg’s (6lbs1oz) and both Sarah and her are well and thriving together.
Sarah did so well with us using only hypno-birthing, visualisation, massage and homoeopathy techniques throughout the labour. We did use the TENS machine briefly early on, but as you had suggested I could see how this was interfering with Sarah’s inner focus so we stopped this. She tried the entanox briefly in hospital but this also was not an option.
We got to 8cm dilated before heading off to hospital (with contractions regular and strong every 3 minutes apart!). Sadly however some meconium started to drip though in the birthing unit so the midwives insisted on using a foetal monitoring machine. This I think slowed things a a little and also prevented Sarah from urinating as freely as she had been able to at home. After 3 hours of intense active fully dilated second stage labour there had been little progress. Becoming a little concerned I commented Sarah had not passed urine for over 4 hours – at which stage we catheterised her and Jessica was born 40 minutes later! Sadly however owing I think to this prolonged stage Sarah lost a significant amount of blood (apx 1700ml!) so had a prolonged stay in hospital and in the end we made the decision to have a transfusion to help her build up the lost iron as she was so symptomatic from the haemoglobin deficiency!
Apart from this all has been fantastic – and Jessica and Sarah bonded well and breastfeeding has been very good. Jessica is putting on weight well which is fabulous.
We’re getting used to the addition and enjoying taking life at a very different pace.
I hope to update you all with more info and pictures…like all doting parents do!
Thank you again for all your support and the wonderful Hypno-birthing course – we have become strong advocates and have and continue to point many friends and acquaintances in your direction!
With love
Grant, Sarah and Jessica
