Hi Hannah, Just thought I’d give you a run down of how the birth went! Here’s a few pics of our daughter Maeve Cecilia, born on 19 July (her predicted due date!).
We were originally booked in for an induction at the 39 week mark due to scans showing a large baby. I trusted my gut & cancelled it. I had been trying natural induction methods anyway including acupuncture, raspberry leaf tea, walking, clary sage etc! I had 2 stretch & sweeps too. I went into labour after a big dinner & long walk! I tried to stay at home for as long as possible so had a shower etc, but contractions came hard & fast & meant that the only place I felt comfortable was on the toilet (with a bucket as well!). I also had a shower, but the contractions were much stronger than I anticipated!
When we arrived at the hospital, I asked for the clocks to be taken off the wall, lights dimmed & curtains drawn. Richard was amazing & offered everything that I needed at the time including music and suggestions of pain relief (tens machine, bath -4 hours apparently etc). During the labour, a doctor insisted that we change rooms for continuous monitoring due to my risk factors (?) Apparently I was very open about my opinion about this! Eventually using all hypnobirthing techniques and gas, I was fully dilated and pushed for 2 hours. When nothing seemed to be working Richard advocated for me to have something else happen. Doctors examined and suggested a spinal tap for forceps or c section if needed. When in theatre, I was very calm - the staff were very supportive and encouraging. They tried to move baby manually as she was coming in at the wrong angle, but ended up with forceps delivery. She was taken to nursery for 4 hours for observation/oxygen etc. So no delayed cord clamping or skin to skin, but am very grateful for everything (& I’m trying to make up for it now!). Oh - and by the way - she was 7lb7, so just about average, rather than the 93% predicted ??!
So, although it didn’t turn out quite as I had hoped or planned, I did feel empowered & calm thanks to the course. As my midwife pointed out, I wouldn’t have been able to get through 16 hours & fully dilated without any relief without the course, which would have impacted options for theatre etc. I know that Richard felt confident to speak up and was much more accepting of options for my comfort (sitting on the toilet lol). The course gave me the permission to do whatever it took for me to be more comfortable and for Richard to accept this too. We are so happy & smitten with Maeve!
So, a big thank you for your support & guidance!
Take care
Roisin, Richard & Maeve
I absolutely love receiving emails like this! Congratulations Roisin and Richard - you absolutely embraced the hypnobirthing philosophy! Birth story shared with permission.