It was almost 10 months ago that I put your course to use and I wish I had used it for my first two pregnancies too.
For me, before I read, and then watched, your course, I assumed hypnobirthing=hippy and un-scientific. I am very happy that, thanks to the recommendation of my sister, I persevered and instead I found your course highly relevant, informative and valuable. I went into my third delivery the most empowered and informed, I felt confident to stay home longer and felt the most present and engaged with the pregnancy. Instead of fighting to survive the contractions, I understood the function of the surges and used the breathing techniques to keep myself focused and calm and relaxed (or as relaxed as possible!).
I know babies are born faster every time, and this was number 3 for me (#2 vaginally), but as a contrast, for labour #1 I was in the hospital from 3cm dilated, and it lasted 12 hours. I felt like I was surviving the surges, and running a marathon. This time I stayed home, had lunch with my family and my sister’s family in between surges, then pottered about upstairs while all the children and adults played and chatted downstairs. My waters went at about 11pm, at which point we got ready to go to hospital. I knelt on the car seat, facing backwards with my eyes shut, focusing on my breathing (thankfully we only live behind the hospital, so it was a 3 minute drive round 4 sides of a square!!). I walked in, caught the lift up and waited round to be seen by a midwife. I can’t have been showing signs of being in distress as nobody came quickly and they asked me to first walk to the pre-admissions examination room. I had the capacity to indicate my preferences (which went against the hospital’s ‘recommended policies’ for a woman in my situation – VBAC), and returned to focusing on my breathing. My body clearly then felt ready, as things began to escalate and the midwives realised that there was no need to examine me there and took me to a labour room (by wheelchair, as I could no longer walk). l had wanted to labour in the pool until it was time for the baby to be born, and a midwife started to fill the pool, while another did the initial examination. Suddenly they stopped filling the pool and all but one midwife left the room. They came back in and a midwife asked ‘do you feel you want to push?’ 20 minutes after being wheeled into the room, baby was born. I didn’t have the opportunity to use the down breathing, as when I started I received clear instruction that I needed to push and not breath at this point (I think there was a lot of anxiety from the staff as to this being a ‘rocket delivery’ – their term). It was only once baby was in my arms that I opened my eyes. I had shut them in the pre-admissions room and kept them shut so that I could focus on my breathing and block out the harsh hospital lighting. The woman supporting me during the labour told me after that the first thing I said to her, upon opening my eyes, was ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t catch your name’. All was calm and I don’t even remember the delivery of the placenta. At 4am they asked me if I wanted to go home!
Thank you for providing a course that, as a mum to 2 children already, I could do in my own time at my own place; a course that empowered me and gave me the confidence and control I needed to have the birth experience that I had hoped for. It was a very healing experience after two deliveries that each had their traumas for various reasons. I look back on this (final!) delivery with only positive memories. I now take the opportunity to tell every one of my pregnant friends of the benefits that I experienced from hypnobirthing.
Thank you to Hannah for sharing her VBAC (vaginal birth after a cesarean) birth story – and what a positive, empowering one it is! You too can achieve this – my Online Parents Course is just £45 and gives you all the information and tools to prepare for the positive and calm birth of your baby. Find out more here.
