We had decided very early on we wanted a water birth in a birth centre which also meant no epidural. I didn’t know how I would feel about that at the time but as we were having our baby at UCLH, if I changed my mind and things didn’t go to plan, we could always go to the labour ward. I suffer from Epilepsy and one of the battles was that my doctor had recommended I give birth in a Labour ward as there was a higher risk of seizure during labour. When I asked about statistical evidence of this he said all women have 1% chance of having a seizure during labour but my odds double. So at 2% chance I decided I still wanted to have my baby in the birth centre as the risks of all other unnecessary interventions that would ensue in a more medical environment outweighed the risks of a potential seizure. And surely a known risk is better than all the unknown you already have to juggle in labour. We took a chance and are so glad we did even if it meant that we had to have several difficult conversations with the medical body. Again without your insight, I don’t think we would have had the courage to challenge this. 

At week 37, I was told I was ‘measuring big’ and told I was to have a growth scan, again this wasn’t put to me as a question. We said we didn’t want a scan and left it at that, we were never bothered again about it and I thought nothing of it as I knew from what you had told us that these growth scans are not accurate and we decided it wouldn’t help us. 

We had refused to book an induction or have a sweep that had been offered on 14th August as routine.

I had my first surges at around 10pm on Saturday 17th August at 41 weeks and 3 days. I was so ready I got really excited but very shortly after that I started to really concentrate as the surges were quite intense and I felt I needed all my concentration to get through each one. I focused on my breathing and my husband set off to create the soft light atmosphere with candles and fairy lights and put my playlist on which he alternated with your Colour and Calmness tracks. 

I jumped in the bath pretty quickly and was in and out of it until we finally decided to leave for the hospital around 1.30 am. We were so keen not to get there too soon that I think we may have left slightly too late as I didn’t think I could face the cab ride. I manage to muster up all my energy and go downstairs to the cab and my husband Adam put my earphones on me with my tracks playing. I had my eyes shut during the whole journey and I was concentrating so hard on my breathing and holding on that my husband later told me he didn’t think the taxi driver knew I was in labour, he only said we were driving to hospital but didn’t extrapolate in case it was going to be an issue.

Once I arrived at UCLH hospital at 1.55 am I thought I wouldn’t be able to get out of the taxi. I felt an immense pressure building up and didn’t think I could move. I didn’t fancy having my baby in this taxi and so I didn’t have a choice and again mustered about all my energy to move and go though to the birth centre. We went straight through to the birth centre and as soon as I entered the room my waters broke in quite a dramatic way! I was so surprised as I had assumed this had already happened and if it hadn’t would only be a trickle as I knew it wouldn’t be like in the films ! The pressure relief was fantastic, I suddenly felt better and ready for the next step. 

Frustratingly they hadn’t yet run the birth pool and I felt as though I needed to get in it straight away. They wanted first to do a vaginal examination and take my blood pressure. I felt like I couldn’t do it as I just had the urge to get in the water and keep breathing. Eventually, I had to lie on my back as they wouldn’t let me go in the water unless I agreed to these examinations.

I quickly then got into the birth pool and felt an immense sense of relief. I found my corner and concentrated on my breathing. The lights were dimmed, our music was on and Adam had shared our birth plan with the midwives which included no direct interactions from them towards me unless absolutely necessary. 

This was so helpful to me as I felt in my own bubble concentrating on my breathing and thoughts. Adam was there throughout with water and offering snacks if needed (I felt quite nauseous from the surges and didn’t want anything). I tried the gas and air but it made me feel light headed and couldn’t quite get used to it so I just gave up using it and concentrated on my down breathing instead. The surges were becoming more and more intense. I kept trying to remember that the more intense they were the closer I was getting to meeting my baby and that it was a good thing. I was using all my energy to focus on breathing down and resting between surges. The midwives were checking the baby’s heartbeat throughout which was a bit distracting but I know this was necessary. When I felt like the head was crowning, I took my time and kept breathing and resting as much as possible. Once the head was out (I didn’t really know when this was) but the midwives only said one thing to me throughout labour: ‘ In your next breath your baby will be born’ 

I suddenly became aware of the enormity of the situation, it was such a great feeling and it was nearly over and I was going to meet my baby. I waited patiently for my next surge, listening to my body and waiting for the moment to breathe down. It was taking a bit longer than my previous surges so the midwives asked me to stand up quickly and the baby dropped down. The midwives lifted him up and handed him to me. He didn’t cry and looked quite peaceful, he seemed half asleep. The midwives jiggled him a bit which woke him up and he cried out. He was happy and healthy. Louis was born at 4.06 am weighing 4.8kg. 

We had agreed on delayed cord clamping and after a while the midwives gave Adam the scissors to cut the cord. He was a lovely bright pink colour ! 

In all our joy and relief, I had forgotten about the placenta… We had discussed natural expulsion so I was quite relaxed about it and was concentrating on our baby and him suckling to release oxytocin but the midwives thought there was a lot of blood in the birth pool (as you and Kemi has said, hard to quantify but we were not in a position to argue this!) so they gave me the synthetic oxytocin and to my horror started pulling on the cord.. I tried to object but it was already being done and a few seconds later the placenta slipped out. It was such a relief and such a lovely feeling that I was quite glad they had done this (only because it had gone well naturally).

They then checked if I needed any stitches but I only had a minor tear so they didn’t think any intervention was necessary. I remember you saying how your body can birth the baby you made ! I am so happy we didn’t listen to the midwives when they wanted me to do a growth scan. If I had known in advance I had to birth a big 4.8 kg baby I probably wouldn’t have had the same relaxed experience I did. I trusted my body, took my time and was able to cope.

We will never really know the extent of the effect of hypnobirthing on our baby Louis but what we can say is he is a very chilled baby, he doesn’t cry much, is generally very content and has been sleeping peacefully through the night since he was 9 weeks old. We also used colour and calmness during the first weeks which soothed him really well.

We are so thrilled we had such a positive pregnancy and birth experience and we have you and Kemi to thank for empowering us and giving us the knowledge.  -Louise

I had a crippling fear of birth for many, many years, so much so that it almost prevented me from having any children at all.

When I fell pregnant, I heard of this ‘hypnobirthing’ and the possibility of having a baby at home, surrounded by your calm amenities such as fairy lights and aromatherapy and the familiarity of your own house – I felt instant relaxation at this thought, and I knew this is what I wanted.

We attended one hypnobirthing class but was then hit by the Covid -19 pandemic so the classes got cancelled, gutted! But we had previously purchased KGHypnobirthing book and were making our way through it, so we decided to do the online course too. This, is the greatest gift I’ve ever received – I have never thought about birth in this way before, how natural it is and to completely trust my body, just like mammals do!

We listened to the colour and calmness relaxation every night, along with another relaxation in the day. I also listened to the positive affirmations track every day and put them up around my house, along with the normal position of the baby poster. My house was a centre of calmness and positivity, and each day I would listen to and read the positive birth stories. I also did my perineal massage every day for 19 mins from week 35, along with doing my pelvis floor exercises everyday from about week 12! The covid pandemic threatened to take away our choice of a home birth, so I used my hypnobirthing techniques to prepare me for a birth that wasn’t my original choice, but luckily our area still supported home births and I was fortunate to still have one. I was 6 days ‘over due’ but used the power of hypnobirthing to remind me that due dates are not set in stone, and that baby will come when they are ready and to keep calm, relax and trust in my body, the baby knows when the right time is to be born (I had this up in my kitchen to remind me daily).

 I did have a sweep which was my informed decision, but didn’t think much of it as my cervix was still firm, but that night my partner did some acupressure points with me, we watched a funny DVD, had a back massage and an evening just full of love. I created my baby music playlist, full of nostalgic songs, from our first dance to a song that emotionally connects me to my mum. I had a wonderful night sleep that night and a very relaxed morning, I watched some funny TV, had a shower and went for a walk. On the walk I noticed a few different sensations in my body, but didn’t think much of it. As I got home, these sensations increased quickly and more intensity, but in my back! I relaxed on the sofa and eventually called my husband and said, ‘I think something is happening… but I’m not sure, because it’s all in my back!’ Eventually these sensations increased to 3-4 in 10 minutes, and we called the mid- wife, still not sure what was going on, and didn’t want to call the mid wife out too early, only for them to be sent away again!!

I used my up breathing and visitations throughout which helped immensely, my husband gave me a back massage and I had a hot water bottle. We put on the music playlist, connecting to the music which filled me with oxytocin. I was feeling sick when I had my surges/waves, so my husband filled the aromatherapy diffuser with peppermint and put some in a tissue for me, which made it go away! The midwife was on her way and I was aware of Catherine saying about being observed, which can cause you to freeze and possible reverse of dilation, so I reminded my self to relax, and the mid wife being here is so very positive.

An hour later, she arrived, masked and with aprons on due to Covid. This could have potentially reversed any dilation due to unfamiliarity and potential fear, freeze mechanism, but I was so used to it previous midwife that I became the norm! I agreed to have a vaginal examination, I had previously researched and knew I was making an informed decision here. Eventually I got on my back long my enough for her to tell me I was 9cm dilated!! This all happened in a matter of a few hours. I did use some gas and air to help with the edge but continued to use my breathing techniques and visualisations. I then felt the intensity change and knew I needed to use my down breathing and visualisations.

The thought of meeting my new baby filled my mind and gave me strength. Quite quickly the 2nd midwife came and soon I got into the pool. The warmth instantly relaxed every muscle and it felt so good! My waters still hasn’t broken and baby’s head kept poking out then going back in. I ended up not using the gas and air for this part as it didn’t fit in with my rhythm of breathing, and actually, I didn’t need it at all. It took a lot of energy to get the baby out, but I used the down visualisations throughout and kept imagining holding my baby! The power this gives you is amazing! At one point, because the baby kept going in and out, the midwife suggested I lot on my back. For me, this was a big “no no,” as previous reading Katherine’s book, I remind myself that this is not a natural birthing position, and I imagined my coccyx and the shape of my pelvis not being in line. I made an informed choice and said no, instead I remained in the same upward, forward and open, position, in just moved towards the other end of the pool!

I was aware of some of the negative things I’d heard about birth and they did creep into my mind, but then when I was doing it, I realised they were nowhere near as bad as I thought! And this gave me strength. The term “ring of fire” – not true. In fact it was a positive feeling, knowing my baby was closer and I was making progress! It’s here I realised that everyone’s use of language is different, and what someone may say is ‘painful’ or ‘horrific’, in your experience may not be like that at all! Leading up to this birth, I also had to ignore everyone’s ‘horror stories’ or telling me ‘how horrific it would be’ – I mean, why would women scare other women like that? It takes a lot of work to blank their words out of your head, but persistency is key. Surround yourself by many positive birth stories, reminding yourself your body is made for this, it’s the most natural thing it can do! Release and let go. With every push the baby’s heartbeat was checked, and they were perfectly happy! Very calm and enjoying the ride!              

As time went on, I knew I had to up my game, and I used every bit of determination l, empowerment and grit, and I breathed and pushed the baby out. The joy and excitement was every drug I needed, and finally he came out, floated up the birth pool, still mostly covered in his sac, and into my arms. We looked into each other’s eyes and the feeling of euphoria overwhelmed and washed over us. He was here – our baby boy, all 9.5 pounds of him!!!

I continued to use my relaxations and breathing through the delivery of the placenta and then for the stitches, in which I only need 1 for a very small tear and 2 for a graze – not bad for a first child at 9.5 pounds!              

I truly believe that hypnobirthing allowed me to have such a smooth and wonderful birthing experience. The trust I gave my body and the baby throughout pregnancy and labour allowed me to be calm and content. There wasn’t a single point during later stages of pregnancy or labour where I doubted myself, I never doubted my abilities and I never doubted that the baby wouldn’t be okay. I let nature take its course and I remained calm and positive throughout – there was no transition period, just pure grit and the power of my mind. I did make a noise during lots of it, but for me, I found this helped my breathing and technique!  

From going from an absolute fear of birth to having no fear at all is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. Everything I had learnt was put into practice and it paid off. I also came to realise that even if things hadn’t been so smooth, I absolutely would have been okay, because I was calm and positive in my mind.

We were so fortunate to have the birth we wanted during this time, hypnobirthing paid a huge part in such a magical, calm and positive experience. Thank you Katherine for changing my life for the better.

I’ve always taken the view that child birth is natural. Women have been doing it for a pretty long time so it shouldn’t be something we are scared of. 3 months ago I started the KG Hypnobirthing course and a few weeks ago I had my 3rd baby. My baby boy was born at home in the middle of the night in a dark room. It was an empowering and special birth.

All 3 of my births have been good experiences which I think is because, without knowing it, I have followed many of the hypnobirthing principles. While watching the online KG Hypnobirthing modules I nodded along while Katharine talked about the ideas, history and science behind hypnobirthing. It all made sense to me.

With two children already I struggled to find the time to practice the visualisations and affirmations which are so key to hypnobirthing, but what I did take away gave me the confidence to be clear on what I needed and wanted for my labour and birth.

The afternoon I went into labour I had a strange sensation in my belly which gradually built into surges by the time I put my older children to bed. I spent a couple of hours with my partner before deciding to try and rest. The frequency and intensity of the surges prevented me from sleeping so I soon decided to get up again, make my “nest” for giving birth and then have a warm bath. My partner had to support me through this because I needed to stop every few minutes to focus.

The warm water of the bath helped to further relax me and due to the intensity of the surges we decided to call the midwives. By the time they arrived around 45 minutes later I had moved to my nest and I was on my hands and knees breathing through regular waves, confident that my baby would arrive very soon. I found it painful when anyone touched my belly or my back so the midwives stayed back and waited. The midwives watched me to understand how I was progressing and responded to my cues and requests. Half an hour after they arrived I was holding my baby boy to my chest.

There were times I forgot to breathe and my partner helpfully reminded me (that will be my fault for the lack of practice), but on the whole I was left to focus on my body and what it needed to do. Hypnobirthing helped me listen to my body and to have the birth I wanted. My only negative is that due to my choice to have the lights dimmed I have no good photographs from delivery or my early moments with Baby Boy. As a blogger who captures most of my life in photographs I regret this, but I know I did what was right for my body and my baby and I have made up for it with 1000s of photographs since.

 – Kate