Hypnobirthing Norfolk - Teachers' Directory

I started my family young and had three lovely children within 5 years of each other. Working outside of nursing, my first experience of midwifery care was that given to me with my son. His labour was long and difficult, being a 9lb 6oz baby and in a tricky position (back to back). The attitude of the midwife made me feel unsupported, vulnerable and totally freaked out by the labour, environment and midwife! Therefore I relied on the use of pethidine and an epidural.

Eighteen months later, I found myself in the labour room again. Although this time I was terrified as I was haunted by the memory from my labour and birth of my son. In contrast, I had a lovely, supportive and caring midwife who made me feel in control of my labour. She instantly relaxed me and I progressed quickly, requiring only gas and air. I believe that I progressed quickly and coped better with the birth of my daughter because of the positive atmosphere in my labour room.

I remember both labours well but for completely different reasons! Comparing the two births, it is clear that my experiences were heavily influenced by the attitudes of the midwives. Their attitude and ethos directly affects the atmosphere in the room, mental state of the woman and her memory of the event. My second daughter came along 4 years later and, again with a positive and effective midwife, I progressed rapidly and  had another positive experience. Throughout my training, I have since learnt that safe, positive environments and a feeling of empowerment of the labouring woman increases the production of Oxytocin-the 'love' hormone that helps labours to progress. I believe strongly in the importance of a safe labouring environment and know from my own experience how detrimental it can be if this environment is not in place. This has been demonstrated time and time again throughout my career.

Despite my initial negative experience of midwifery care, it had had a profound impact on my life as I developed a strong yearning to change women's experiences and be a midwife myself. When my youngest was 5, I started my journey to become a midwife. In 1999 I started my nurse training and progressed on to midwifery training, a route that took four and a half years to complete. I trained in NHS hospitals, alongside many different types of midwives  - some good and unfortunately some not so good! I have worked in a range of NHS hospitals - big and small, in a variety of different positions, encompassing both the hospital and community setting. Throughout my career, I have been able to witness a wide range of practices which has continued the development of my ethos of providing my women with safe, positive and empowering support. However, I often felt restrained by the time and financial constraints of the NHS. I sometimes felt a woman had another question to ask in clinic or the couple wanted me to spend 'a little longer' with them. Unfortunately this was always a fine balancing act as I often had other women to attend to. 

Whilst working as a midwife, I have developed an appreciation for 'normal' births. It is important that women know their options and have the choice as to how their labour will progress. I believe interventions should only be used when completely necessary and births should stay as natural as possible, whilst ensuring the safety and comfort of both mum and baby. I have worked hard to ensure that women who have had interventions with previous labours are aware that they can have further births without these as long as all is well with both mum and baby.