Good morning Hannah,
Five months later I’ve put together my birth story. I wanted to thank you again for giving me the information and courage to have such a perfect birth journey. I haven’t stopped recommending hypnobirthing!
------------ After completing the Hypnobirthing Course with Hannah face to face, I felt well informed and well equipped to birth my baby. In the weeks leading up to my due date, I slept with my Hypnobirthing tracks playing and my essential oils diffusing. I always spoke positively about my upcoming birth and I was so excited to meet my baby. On Sunday the 8th of December, we packed up our puppies and headed to Aldinga Beach with a group of friends and family where we spent the day relaxing and walking the doggos along the water, well into the evening, it was a beautiful but tiring day in the sun! We enjoyed a lovely bbq dinner on the beach and eventually packed up the Ute and headed home. When we got home I was feeling pretty exhausted and laid on the couch. I remember saying to Brody ‘I must’ve walked with the dogs so much today, my legs are throbbing’. I decided to go upstairs and head to bed. It was pretty late already, after showering it would’ve been around 10pm by the time I laid down. I remember trying to lay down and I had an overwhelming stretch across my belly to the point I had to sit up again.
I had the feeling of needing to go to the toilet so I got up and I realised my waters had released. (although at the time I had to google what waters looked like, as it was only a slow leak and I was so unsure and in shock!). At that point it was around 11pm and I was beginning to notice surges every few minutes. I downloaded an app to track the surges to ensure it was what I thought it was. 2 hours had passed and at around 1am, the surges were taking my breath away. I went and woke Brody up to let him know, ‘I think we’re having a baby!’. I was 39 weeks and 3 days, I was happening!
At this point I also phoned my sister Hannah who is a Registered Nurse/Midwife and had been with us throughout the whole pregnancy, our plan was for my sister to deliver our baby girl - she came over straight away.
When Hannah arrived she reassured me that this was the real thing, I was worried they were just braxton hicks. We put my tens machine on my back, turned on my diffuser and put tranquil chambers on. I sat on the edge of my bed where I felt most comfortable and utilised my breathing techniques through each surge. Brody was sitting close and offering me water, I was so focused, repeating my birth affirmations in my head. My sister said I looked like I was in a trance, I was swaying side to side as each surge came and my eyes were closed in this position for hours.
We were not prepared to go into labour that night, I had Hannah hand writing my birth plan and Brody packing a hospital bag (he didn’t even pack me undies 🤣!)
Hannah kept reassuring me that I would know when we needed to head in to the hospital, I felt safe at home and I trusted my body. I opened my eyes at 4:30am and said ‘okay we need to get to the hospital but I have no idea how i’m going to get down the stairs!’
At 5am we made it down stairs and into the car. We finally made it to the hospital at 5:40am and headed straight into the assessment centre. As part of my birth plan, I declined a Vaginal Examination to assess my cervix and Abdo Palp to assess my babies position as I trusted that my body and my baby knew what to do. Whilst waiting in the assessment room my surges were getting more intense and the noises I was making began to change, the midwife could see things were progressing took me straight up to the birth suite in a wheel chair. Once we arrived in the birthing room, I felt as though I couldn’t possibly stand up. As soon as I got the courage to stand I felt my baby ‘drop’ right down in to my pelvis and I had the urge to bear down. I got on to the bed on my knees with my arms flipped over the back of the bed.
I continued breathing through each surge as my body moved my baby down and earthside.
At 6:58am on Monday the 9th of December 2019, Milena Rosa Isla was born in to the hands of her Aunty Hannah. My baby was here just over an hour after arriving at the hospital, I couldn’t believe it!
My wish to have delayed clamping was honoured despite her short cord. Milena’s Daddy cut her cord after it had gone completely white, meaning she got all of her iron and blood stores from the placenta! I was happy to have the Oxytocin injection after birth and my placenta was birthed easily.
Breathing my baby out made it such a calm and empowering experience and I only had small grazes, 12 hours later we were home. I’m so proud to have had the power and knowledge to decline vaginal exams and birth my baby with no pain relief. In the end the only ‘intervention’ I had was a CTG monitor as Milena was coming so fast and the Doppler they were using was broken. Thank you to Hannah Willsmore for her great hypnobirthing classes, the skills and knowledge I learnt in the course all lead to the beautiful, empowering and natural labour and birth of our baby girl ️
Sophie xx
