The biggest lesson l learned was to trust my instincts!

I really want to share my birth story with you as I think I benefited greatly from your Hypnobirthing classes. Here goes:

My Birth Story began on February 12th, 2019. It was two days before my due date of February 14th, 2019. I was very active my entire pregnancy and was planning to go to the gym the day I went into labor. That afternoon I decided on a beach walk instead. I could feel that the baby was descending into my pelvis as I could barely get through 5 minutes of walking before needing to use the toilet. 

I had been losing little bits of my mucous plug for 2 weeks already, and at 10pm I went to the toilet and noticed my show (blood). I had a feeling that I would go into labor shortly. For a moment I felt nervous but I quickly thought back to my Hypnobirth Training and calmed myself down. I let my husband know and we both agreed that it could be some time before I went into labor so I decided to relax and watch some Netflix. My hospital bags were packed and waiting at the door ready to go. Within 30 minutes I had my first contraction, it felt like a tightening sensation in lower back that radiated to my hips. My biggest focus in my Birth Plan (apart from it being a spiritual experience and baby being born safely) was to not retreat into fear and to not feel pain. I wanted a positive and calm birth for myself and my baby.

My contractions started super regularly and were strong right from the beginning. My instincts told me I would have this baby fast (which I prayed for) but my mind was telling me not to get ahead of myself. I had contractions for about an hour before they got so intense I needed my husband to start timing them. We noticed quickly that the contractions (or surges some call them) were coming more and more regularly. I got to the point where I told my husband to call the midwife even though it had only been 1.5 hours since they started. Unfortunately my midwife was away on training so another midwife answered the call. My husband explained the time line and how the contractions were spaced. She seemed skeptical and said "most woman dilate at 1 cm per hour so I don't want you get to the birth suite and be sent home." Thankfully she could hear me in the background making a very primal moaning sounds (unlike some Hypno Mammas that are silent) I was not. I cannot explain the sounds it was like my primal mind took over. She asked my husband to hold the phone up while I moaned during surges. She changed her mind right away and said lets meet at the hospital in 40 minutes. It took my husband 10 minutes to pack the car, and get me dressed. We got in the car and the drive there was the hardest part, being up right in the passenger seat was very uncomfortable. I felt like I was going to have the baby in the car if we didn't arrive soon. My Husband held my hand and kept saying 'breath and squeeze' over and over. When we arrived we pulled into a loading zone, and my Husband rushed out to grab a wheelchair, I was so relieved to get out of the car. We had no time to park, let alone grab our belongings from the car. My Husband literally ran me up to the Birth Suites where the midwife was waiting like something out of a movie scene. The midwives had planned to set up fairy lights, aromatherapy and candles but when I got there they checked my cervix and I was 10 cm! I had dilated 10 cm in roughly 2.5 hours. The midwife said "it's a good thing you got here when you did, your baby will be here very soon." They ran the birth pool for me and after about 15-20 minutes I got in and what a relief. Being in the water and upright in a squat position on my knees made me much more comfortable. 

Shortly after my water broke (I felt a pop) and it was time to meet my baby. The pushing phase began and took only 8 minutes. I had done a ton of research of the fetal ejection reflex and I knew that my uterus could push my baby out, all I had to do was be patient and let my body do what it is designed to do. The only time I pushed was right at the end once the babies head was crowning. It is important to push only at this time and not sooner as this is what will contribute to tearing. After the head came out the midwives told me they could see he had big beautiful lips and I couldn't wait to see him. I waited for the next contraction and pushed a little to help the shoulders through. Before I knew it I seen my baby in the water and picked him up. He was facing the right direction (despite being slightly posterior the entire third trimester). The first face he seen was my Husband who was in the pool with us. He did not cry, he simply opened his eyes and looked around very calmly. He cried a couple minutes later and soon he was on my chest for skin to skin. My tearing was very very minimal, the midwives were shocked by this and how quickly the labor was. I credit this to allowing my perineal area time to stretch and of course the warm water. The Birthful Podcast has a great interview on the topic of pushing and it helped me a lot. The whole process from my first contraction to holding my baby in my arms was 4 hours, I was blown away with how fast it all went down. 

My biggest lesson l learned was to trust my instincts, to trust my body and to not fear birth.  I believe consistency is key... I personally listened to my Hypnobirthing tracks daily from the 2nd trimester onward every night while performing hip circles my birth ball. This along with daily prayer, helped me go into this experience with confidence. Even though they say you can't prepare I did feel this nightly ritual put my body, mind and soul in the right space for a calm and peaceful birth

My Birth Story was fast and furious. Despite not having my midwife there, or the ambiance I had imagined, I would not change it for the world. We got everything we prayed for and more. I highly recommend women to try Hypnobirthing with their partners as it was an invaluable resource. Not only did it prepare me but also my husband. He knew exactly what to do and could better understand what my needs would be. Shari was incredibly knowledgeable and supportive reaching out to check in on me even after the course finished. So thank you again Shari :) 

Remember ladies no 2 women will birth the same, so do not compare yourself to anyone else. Birthing your baby is a beautiful thing no matter how it happens!

Michelle & Wes

Gold Coast

To Book into a Group Hypnobirthing Courses with me on the Gold Coast CLICK HERE