When Chelsea’s husband first suggested Hypnobirthing Australia™ classes her answer was:
“Why? I just want him to be cut out and handed to me clean and bundled in a blanket”.
Chelsea went from “just cut him out” to deeply trusting her body and baby.
So much so that she declined intervention right to the end.
And the beautiful thing was that her husband Damien never doubted her ability of one moment.
You can read Damien’s version of George’s birth HERE. It is awesome!
Anyway read Chelsea’s thoughts on their Hypnobirthing Australia™ journey:
PREGNANCY
My husband was the one who recommended that we try hypnobirthing, I think my exact words were “why? I just want him to be cut out and handed to me clean and bundled in a blanket”.
I look back on that sentence now and realize that it was a fear of giving birth in combination of media projections, the unknown and the horror stories/advice that led me to that original thought.
During the Hypnobirthing Australia
sessions I learnt… truly learnt about pregnancy and labour.
I learnt to relax, to trust and to deeply enjoy every stage of what my body and my baby was doing.
Being able to take time to meditate every day and enjoy the subtle (and not so subtle) kicks and movements of my baby is something that I look back on and smile about.
THE EDD TIME
We were overdue (cue the dramatic music), obstetricians warned me near everyday about the associated risks I was potentially putting my son through and that medical induction was the only way forward.
This was something I was open to, but only if it was necessary and a decision that was not to be made by the discretion of medical staff.
I remained strong during this time, trusting myself and my baby that we were ok, and he would come when he was ready, naturally, the way that it was intended to always be.
I contacted Pip during this time, who was wonderful and provided me with additional information and stories of post-EDD births and medical inductions.
With my husband completely supportive of my decision to wait, extra knowledge (and therefor power) I managed to advocate for 40+14 without booking a medical induction.
LABOUR (40 +13)
I love telling people about my labour! it was a truly beautiful and an empowering time.
I was confident and completely in control (with a 6 page birth plan) and on the day did not speak one word nor did a word get spoken to me.
My husband knew his role and completely owned it.
He was with me from start to finish, knowing exactly what we wanted and what we had planned for together made it truly special.
I had a completely natural labour, giving birth to our son (40+13+23:30) on all fours in the shower with Damien there to catch him.
I birthed the placenta physiologically and the cord was cut after the placenta had been birthed.
We were left alone for 3 hours, skin to skin and completely in awe of what we had just done together as a family.
Our son, George, breast-crawled and breast fed within an hour still covered in vernix and completely perfect.
Our midwife thanked us for the experience and we thanked her for her unconditional support.
OUR BOY
A compliment we regularly receive “he’s such a content little boy”, I believe whole-heartedly that hypnobirthing not only relaxed me into motherhood but gave our boy the calm birth we both deserved and the best start to his life.
He’s a happy and relaxed soul that just takes things as they come.
I can’t thank you enough for providing us with the resources and confidence to my husband, myself and to our son throughout the whole process.
Chelsea, Damien and George
And here is the full story:
GEORGE FARLEY JENNINGS – Entrance story.
Summary:
Complete natural labour, Damien delivered George, 12 hours total, amazing midwives and an incredible husband. Oh… and I’m now a superhuman
Born 8th February 2018 at 11:30pm, weight of 3.2kg and 55cm. He was due 26th January, so 13 (almost 14 days) over.
Friday 2nd of Feb.
I had a normal MFAU appointment and we were advised by the OBS of medical induction as he would be 40 + 10 on Monday.
We politely declined booking an induction at this point.
After the appt. I contacted our Hypnobirthing Australia™ Practitioner, sort advice from FSH midwives and did extra homework about post-EDD births so we were aware of the circumstances.
Monday 5th of Feb.
OBS again approached the subject of medical induction and the associated risks of post-EDD births (stillbirth, CP, long term issues etc.) to the annoyance of the OBS I again declined booking an induction as baby was healthy as was I.
We negotiated for daily CTG monitoring until Friday 9th of Feb (40 + 14).
Wednesday 7th of Feb (40 + 12)
I booked an induction for Friday 9th of Feb at 2:00pm. As it would “no longer be acceptable by FSH procedure to go over 42 weeks”.
I have to mention; the Midwives were very positive and supportive of my decision to wait.
Feb 4th -Feb 8th
Literally tried everything multiple times to try and start natural labour. Raspberry leaf tea, clary sage, sex, fit ball exercises, deep squats, walking (one day 6kms), nipple stimulation, hot curry, hot bath, Epsom salts, meditation, telling him to listen to his mum and dad and get out! etc.
EVERYTHING!
8th of FEB.
6:15am – we head for a walk with the dogs to keep the hips moving and to try and stimulate something.
Whilst we were out I had period like pains but really irregularly and this had been happening for a few days now so didn’t think much of it.
I told the midwife at my daily monitoring in the morning and she didn’t think too much of it either.
At 12pm they started to get stronger and more regular and I was confident they were surges (our hippie way of staying contractions) and I was in early labour.
They were 1 minute at about 6/7 minutes apart – time to call Damien!
With Damien home it was easier to track things now and at 3pm we were down to about 4/5minutes per surge, all lasting over a minute or more. I started prepping myself by taking a shower then attached the TENS machine and climb into bed to meditate and rest.
Damien was next to me tracking surges which I indicated to him were happening by clicking between the two functions on TENS.
5:30pm the surges increased to every 2/3 minutes and Damien called the hospital who said they’d check but unlikely to happen soon because its our first baby.
6:15pm we arrive at Fiona Stanley to be assessed.
At this point the surges are strong and increasing in intensity.
We were seen about 6:45pm and the Midwife said that I was 5cm dilated and we could stay. (This was the only time I allowed for a VA to be conducted – maybe a little bit too much info.. sorry).
My personal choice was to not to know and to roll with what my body is telling me.
7:15pm we are moved into our birthing suite where i immediately got into the shower to relax.
Damien set up the room nicely with LED candles, hypnobirthing tracks, covered the clocks and turned off all unnecessary lights.
He positioned a yoga ball in a chair so I can lean over onto it, whilst standing up.
Surges became very intense and at 8:30pm and I asked for gas and air (which didn’t do much except for give me something to grit down on).
9:00pm waters broke and things ramped up an extra 10 knots.
10:30pm I’ve found a good position in the shower and the water was soothing.
Damien was in the shower too and had a cup that he used to bring hot water up around my shoulders whilst doing light touch massage (he was sore the next day… poor thing right!) I haven’t had to do anything apart from focus on me.
He constantly offered me small snacks and water/ribena and i nod to say no or accept.
The midwife has been instructed not to ask questions to me and to pull Damien to oneside, away from earshot of me and ask him.
It was awesome communicating without saying words or having to “think” about anything else.
Damien whispered to me that baby was close (the expression of my surges had changed tones to more grunty, he knew).
11:00pm I got the sudden urge that I needed to be low to the floor over the fitball.
My Midwife was instructed to assist Damien in delivering the baby and she was so awesome and supportive of this.
11:15pm I got the urge to bear down and could feel his head moving through.
11:30pm his head was birthed and Damien took hold, one final surge and he is in Damien’s hands. I sit back on my heels and he passed him to me.
We didn’t clamp the cord and had a natural (or physiological) delivery of the placenta.
Once that had been passed, it was clamped and Damien cut the chord and we were able to be a little family uninterrupted for 3 hours.
SO! long story but I enjoyed every minute of my labour and over the moon to have had the experience we wanted and more.
The midwives at FSH were simply beautiful and respected our 6 page birth preferences (along with pictures.. just for fun).
Damien.. I don’t have the words to express just how much he supported and cared for me throughout the whole process and I’m just in a whole new world of love for him as a husband and Daddy to our baby George.
I am sore and still getting to grips with breast feeding but I have an amazing support team around me that I am so grateful to (My mum Averil supporting the top of this list)
Fin.
Photo Credit: Enriched By Light Photography
http://www.enrichedbylight.com.au/
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