I had been advised of hypnobirthing classes by a midwife.
Initially I hadn’t been worried about labour or giving birth, but at my 20 week scan I was advised that there was a problem with my baby, from this point I did nothing but worry which wasn’t healthy for me or my baby.
I was told that hypnobirthing may help, I had nothing to loose so we decided to have one to one sessions with Zoe. On my first meeting with her I did nothing but cry as I explained what the scan had shown us, our beautiful little girl was going to be born with a Cleft lip, as everyone does in the 21st century I googled and worried myself even more.
Zoe thought I may have some form of trauma- not from a previous labour or worrying about my labour, my worries lay with the operations that may baby would face and being anxious of how people would react to her and me. We started our classes soon after her meeting as I was towards the end of my labour, I was quiet sceptic as wasn’t sure how this would help me.
After the first session, I dived straight in to the Hypnobirthing Book, which I couldn’t put down, and helped me understand in detail what would happen to my body whilst in labour. The next sessions focused on breathing and techniques I would use in labour. I practised these everyday and my partner and family state they noticed a huge difference in me, I was much more excited about the birth and meeting my beautiful baby girl and the worry had been suppressed in to the background.
I honestly feel that the hypnobirthing techniques and the advice and time Zoe spent with me helped me in having a calming attitude and made me feel In control of my pregnancy and labour.
My labour did not as many others go to plan and I wasn’t able to follow my birth plan, my little one did not want to join us as was too comfy! I was induced for two days with no joy, and then finally given syntocin to induce labour, which meant I was unable to have my relaxing water birth I had planned.
I was advised by the midwifes that using syntocin made contractions twice as painful and I would need to have some drugs or an epidural, this initially concerned me, I requested that I would like to feel some contractions as it was my first pregnancy I wanted to feel what contractions were like.
After around 2 hours I was getting a level of pain, I was told these were only early labour tightenings, I carried on using my breathing techniques for the next 1/2 an hour, at this point I was advised that my baby would deliver the next day. I asked them to check as my body had felt the urge to push, the midwife checked and I was fully dilated and ready to give birth!
I could tell she was surprised as we had a team run in to prepare for the birth of my baby, after another 40mins baby Daisy was born, with no drugs or medication, my body knew what it could do, I did feel some pain but my husband said that he watched my pulse on the monitors and it stayed at the same rate all the way through. I gave birth naturally to a beautiful baby girl Daisy Rae weighing 6Lb 4oz, who is the most precious thing.
I would like to thank Zoe for all her support and advise, we all have different reasons for attending hypnobirthing, mine I know different from others but I can honestly say it was worth it!