Here is yet another inspiring Hypnobirthing birth story.
I love the way Kristen really leads us through her birth and explains how she used everything she had learnt in the classes.
And just look and the smiles on Mum and baby Nina.
“Hi Pip
I hope you are having a great holiday season. We were lucky to welcome our baby into the world and I just wanted to share with you a bit about our birth story and how Hypnobirthing helped us.
Nina Rose was born at 5:16am on 18th December 2015 at SJOG Murdoch.
We had estimated she’d arrive around the 3rd December, but negotiated with the OB to delay induction to >42wks as everything was looking safe, we just thought the baby needed more time to cook.
I had been sitting at 3-4cm dilation for a couple of weeks and was due to be induced on the 18th, but labour onset naturally on the 17th [extra info *Jason and I decided to try prompting the baby out the same way we got her in, which worked a treat*].
I probably went into labour around 5pm
Just some radiating feelings really which I didn’t really attend to. We walked the dog and went out for dinner with family; towards the end I spent time just standing propping over the back of a chair – no biggy.
I wasn’t really even sure I was in labour so didn’t mention it to my family or Jason.
We arrived home around 9pm and I sent Jason to bed and said maybe tonight would be it, but I felt like doing some hypnobirth practice.
The surges came closer and more pressure [but really tolerable] as I use some birth ball positions, surge breathing, and some theta music.
I decided labour was probably happening around 10pm, so I woke Jason.
Around 10:30pm I asked him to time the surges; 4 per 10min (it really didn’t feel that intense or frequent!), so we called the hospital and decided not long after to go in and arrived at the birth suite around 1130pm.
I’d done up a tip sheet for Jason, a door sign, and the birth preferences for the OB/midwife.
Jason was an excellent birth partner in protecting my space.
At the hospital, the midwife was also excellent in respecting our wishes and later was able to advocate when we had to deviated from our birth preferences. I was happy for a student to shadow the midwife too.
Both later said they had not seen such a calm birth.
I wanted minimal examinations (and I had asked not to know the outcomes because I didn’t want to have ‘expectations’).
Jason set up the room, we had an admission exam around 12am; the midwives left and updated Jason, and then he returned and we continued to labour calmly – music, some massage, surge breathing and some ocean visualizations was suffice.
The more I focused on my body, the more I could ‘see’ and feel the opening and descent, but it was all within comfortable; no meds needed.
Soon I was aware of my breathing and vocalizations changing, and then I was aware of the nurse coming back into the room – although apparently the student had been there the whole time.
She had come back in with the OB just in time as I had the urge to start birthing.
It was about 1am and the midwife had advised Jason earlier we had arrived at the hospital at 9cm dilation.
We commenced birthing.
Despite the best efforts using my hypnobirth toolbox, lots of position changes, walking and some intervention with a vacuum, the baby was wedged part way down the birth canal (right occipit transverse).
So after about 3.5hours of birth efforts, the baby was showing some heart rate dropping and later meconium in the fluid, so we agreed to c-section.
I was really pleased that we got to progress through labour and birth efforts completely naturally to that point. I think that it made a big contribution to her readiness for the world, my comfort and low-anxiety, and easy milk supply later.
So Nina came into the world via c-section at 5:16am.
The midwife and OB knew our preferences, so included delayed cord clamping and Jason got to cut the cord.
Nina didn’t cry. Jason held her whilst the pediatrician did a quick assessment, then Nina was placed on my chest skin to skin whilst I was sutured and then wheeled back to ward. It was within an hour that she had her first attempt to drink.
She was so alert for the whole morning after birth; and then slept all afternoon, and so did her mum and dad!
We’ve been home for 3 weeks.
Jason and I both have wonderful reflections on our birth experience.
Despite that we needed to deviate from our preferences, in no way would we apply woulds like stress, pain or disappointment to it.
Hypnobirthing gave us both the tools and the mindset for us to have a positive birth experience, which we felt we were in control of.
We are comfortable and proud of the whole pregnancy and birth experience, and pleased to have a healthy little family now.
I will definitely use Hypnobirthing in my next pregnancy and birth experience.
~Kirsten Jan 2016″