A first time birth story - super positive experience!
At 38+2 my waters broke. Hollywood style, there was a lot of it, fortunately I was in my own home! My husband and I was pretty excited.
I went to the hospital triage as labour had not started. I declined any pain relief for the mild period like pains and I joked about having a high pain threshold. She said it worried her when people say this 'they are the ones that come in 10cm dilated!'
As a matter of course they booked me in for an induction for the Thursday 'in case' labour hadn't started, due to risk of infection. I did not want an induction, but I thought, I'll cross that bridge IF we come to it.
We got home at 2pm to rest, using positive images and affirmations to help encourage labour to get going. An hour later and I was definitely having surges I got out of bed at 3am knowing - this is it! Come 8am I'm having surges 3 in 10 min about 1 min each. So far I had used the birthing ball, had a bath, tried to eat. Stroked the cats and use affirmation and breathing but I knew my surges were ramping up.
Going back to the hospital due to there being a little bleeding we trundle into triage. Greeted by a midwife we had met a week before and really liked. She spoke to us about hypnobirthing. She was great she stated she didn’t want to examine me as it could impact the labour and slow me down. She wasn’t concerned about the bleeding and wanted me to go home and use more hypnobirthing. Upon observations of me she also stated my contractions needed to be longer and more intense. My response to her... Are you fucking kidding me!? She coached my breathing I had lost some of the technique so wasn’t breathing through the surges as well. However her coaching refocused me and I asked her to check my dilation. She was really reluctant, however it meant I had to make sure it was what I wanted, as she really didn't want to. She again showed reluctance But I knew I needed to know so I could gauge what was happening and my levels of discomfort. She checked my dilating. Later admitting that she thought I would only be 0 or 1 due to how I was managing the discomfort. I was 4 , she was impressed. She really did want to send us home pushing our birth plan back onto us. We nearly crumbled and stayed in hospital. Which she did state was an option for us.
So off we trundle home a second time. Where I used active birthing techniques, Tens machine - I had only just borrowed this the day before but I found it too distracting and took it off (hindsight I think I put it on way too late), I used 'UP’ breathing ' , blubbering my lips like a blowing h a rasberry out and humning bee breath. The surges were growing more intense the birthing ball and active birthing positions were my friend. Reminding my self I can get though a minute of this, and that each time I'm closer to meeting my baby, repeating some positive affirmations were really helpful. I was so close to taking pain relief however my husband encourage me to keep going.
At this point the surges was so intense... I knew I needed to go back to the hospital (I was planning a hospital water birth). My husband was still urging me to stay with it. Feeling that I needed to have more intense surges yet. Stroking and comforting me. My intuition told me otherwise. We called ahead and off we went to hospital. (After having to urge Yorkshire water to move their van from our drive, we have a drain that they regularly release pressure from) We got the the hospital after being stuck in traffic for 20 mins! In the car I realised my contractions weren't contractions... I was needing to push! I'm saying to my husband I NEED TO PUSH and we are stuck in traffic Wigginton road was all backed up!! Trying to keep our cool... we managed to get to the hospital... THERE WAS NO PARKING!! we ditched the car in the yellow hatched area.
Getting to the hospital 2 hours after leaving to see the same mid wife. She checked my dilation... We have never seen anyone move so quick! I was 10cm dilated ( I was that person!) and in established labour pushing. After politely yet firmly informing the midwife I was not moving from the bed into a wheel chair, as I could not move when the urges came. I shouted 'I need to push' as I'm getting whisked through the corridor to labour ward. She asked me to wait acknowledging that's easy for her to say. My husband reflected later 'they moved you in with some speed' No time to monitor baby (which they would usually do if they havent seen labour progress) , which was my request anyway.
We were handed over to a midwife who respected our hypnobirthing. she was very much in the back ground only checking heart beat every now and again with a hand held device. I told the midwife I thought I was going to shit ( more to warn them) myself they then informed me this was the baby and go with it. ( I hadn't got to that bit in the book yet to tell me this) as soon as I knew this I worked with the pushing. No one tells you the pushing part of labour is like being constipated! My enegery was low and baby was taking some time to come out. The midwife encouraged me into a different position, lie on my left side, the embracing the urge when the surge came. She also kelp me drinking an isotonic drink, so glugging the lucosade - I have never been more grateful for an energy drink in my life!
I pushed harder and felt Ellie be born. That indescribable feeling of giving birth naturally and having my warm baby for skin to skin is a feeling I cannot describe. The midwife and I discussed the placenta and I birthed this. I had achieved the birth I wanted completely no pain relief, not induction and I used my intuition listened to my body. And the hospital respected and encouraged my choices! I am not writing this saying it was easy, my husband was so great at supporting me. Labour was harder than I thought it would be, it IS fucking uncomfortable, but not impossible. Of course I'm grateful my baby worked with my body and came out like they are 'supposed too' My husband was my rock though out this. He stroked my hair, encourage me to eat and drink, rubbed my back, encouraged me to breath through the surges and was an all round hero. The midwife joked later about having an easy day at work as she didn’t really have to do much. And knew she needed to let us get on with it.
I really believe hypnobirthing has enabled me to have the pregnancy and birth I want, I was shit scared to give birth, but doing Susan's hypnobirthing course practicing at least 5 times a week, my husband being on board with it all made for a less anxious and a more intuitive approach to both pregnancy and labour. The female body is amazing, and we are actual superwoman, listening to my body was the best thing I could have done in labour. And it served me well.
And thank you Susan for the support and course you really did make a positive difference to my who pregnancy and birth which I am grateful for x