I hear over and over again that care providers don’t realise that my clients are in active labour because they are so calm.
Hi Pip!

I wanted to let you know I had a wonderful birth and tell you all about it!

I went into spontaneous labour on Thursday night and had Freya Friday morning.
I felt the first surges at Thursday 2230 and they were 20 mins apart so I stayed in bed and slept on and off.
At 0230 they were 10 mins apart so I asked A to put the tens machine on and we continued to sleep.
I told him to go back to sleep as I didn’t feel in labour yet (even though I was!).
I started using the headphones and prompts for birthing at 0500 and phoned the hospital at 0600 to tell them I was 4 mins apart.
They said to come in whenever I felt ready.
A 0715  my surges were 3 mins apart and well into the hypnomusic, not talking to A just in my own space.
We were all ready to go and I suggested we stay at home longer but A insisted we leave.
We arrived at 0800 and I had my headphones and the TENS machine on. I had to go into the hospital wing because of my BP.
No one could tell I was close to transitioning, I was very calm.
This was misleading for the staff and they asked me questions in between surges, so I would need to remove the headphones to answer!
At 0815 I wanted to go to the toilet and have some nitrous oxide gas so my midwife examined and my cervix was 8cm dilated and head at spines.
After she examined and after one more contraction my waters went and Freya descended very quickly… I had to really try to slow down my urge to push!
She was born at 0837! No stitches!
The experience was amazing.
I kept waiting for the surges to become unbearable but they never did.
The hypnobirthing really helped as I viewed the surges as a positive thing.
My midwife said until the second stage it was difficult to tell I was even in labour.
Hypnobirthing really works! (but I knew that from my first birth!).
Thanks very much for the refresher course and the Clary Sage.
Annika