Nicola booked her Antenatal Classes with me for her first birth. This birth didn’t play out in the way that she had hoped. Sadly, Antenatal classes and Hypnobirthing are no guarantee for any particular birth outcome. Much as I would love to promise every parent I support a magical birth, Mother Nature and a multitude of variables always play a part too.
Thankfully, Nicola understood this. So, I was thrilled when she booked her Refresher Hypnobirthing & Antenatal classes with me for her second baby.
Nicola’s Birth Story
After a difficult previous birth I found my second pregnancy to be a very anxious time. Without hesitation, we enlisted the help of Leanne. She helped ease all of my worries that I had this time round. Reminding me that “every birth is different” I started to feel a little calmer.
I was 9 days post date when I went into labour. It ended up being everything that I had listed on my “ideal birth plan”. In the weeks leading up, I was experiencing very early, mild surges almost every evening. These gave me lots of time to practice the breathing exercises and visualisations Leanne had taught me.
On the day of my daughters birth, those mild surges began early morning. They were comfortable enough to allow me to carry on with my day, looking after my little boy. I spent most of the afternoon bouncing on my birth ball listening to affirmations and calming sounds.
Visualisation Techniques Learned in My Hypnobirthing & Antenatal Classes
Around 2pm we asked mum to come over and take care of our little boy. We could dash to the hospital if needed. I spent a few hours pacing my kitchen, stopping every few minutes to breathe through a surge. During my practice I had always had struggled using visualisations. However, when it finally came down to it I found myself naturally going to a place in my mind. This brought me an unbelievable amount of comfort and calm. I clung onto that visualisation with every surge.
By around 5pm I called labour ward as had not felt much movement from our baby. We just wanted to err on the side of caution. My surges were still very manageable at this stage. We decided it was best to head to hospital so baby could be monitored.
Transferring to Hospital
The car journey was a little more difficult. My surges began to ramp up a bit and there was a bit of traffic. I put on my blackout eyemask, listened to the affirmations and zoned out.
Arriving at the hospital felt like my body was able to completely relax. My mind and body knew I was where I needed to be too feel safe. As soon as I stepped out of the car my surges became a lot stronger.
Not long after arriving in triage my waters broke. They were found to contain meconium. Because of this I was taken straight to the labour ward. I had hoped to give birth in the birthing centre with the possibility of having a pool. However, I didn’t let this setback get to me.
I was extremely pleased to be offered gas and air before I had even sat down on the bed. For my first birth, I had been refused it throughout which had caused me distress.
Working with My Body
I will admit that at this point my breathing exercises, affirmations and visualisations completely went out of the window. My body just took over and started pushing my baby out.
There were a couple of moments where I could hear muffled voices talking of a c-section. The monitor strapped round my middle was losing baby’s heartbeat. I knew it was because I was moving so much. Trusting my instincts, I changed positions and we found the heartbeat again. My midwives also attached a clip to our babies head so they could monitor it more easily.
I spent most of the time in this room with my eyes closed and focusing on the gas and air. I honestly felt like my body just took over and I let it.
Our Baby Girl Is Born
My baby girl arrived just 3 hours after arriving at the hospital with absolutely zero intervention from anyone. This was a huge relief! My first birth was a long 36 hour labour, ending in an assisted forceps delivery. This time, my body really just knew what to do and I trusted that feeling.
I did have a bit of a scare post delivery when I haemorrhaged. My midwives were able to stop the bleed very quickly and I didn’t need anything further. I also walked away with just a very small tear. This only needed one stitch and I was so thankful for that too. First time around, I had an episiotomy and internal stitches.
The only thing I wasn’t very prepared for was the after birth pains. It is said these can be a little worse for second and subsequent births. For my first birth, I hadn’t felt them as I had had an epidural. Gas and air helped. I was also given IV paracetemol and used more breathing exercises to ride each wave.
Positives from This Birth & Our Antenatal & Hypnobirthing Classes
I was able to have immediate skin to skin with my baby girl. We were left alone in the labour room for a few hours to enjoy our new baby in peace. This felt was amazing and was very special.
It was a completely different experience to my first birth. It’s so true what they say about each birth being different!
I would say that hypnobirthing, and Leanne in particular, was so great. Not only providing the tools to cope throughout birth itself but, also during pregnancy to relieve anxieties and worries. Leanne’s techniques and extensive knowledge really helped calm me and gave me the confidence I needed going into this birth.
I am really pleased we booked our Antenatal classes and Hypnobirthing with Leanne. We credit these techniques for helping me to have a positive birth experience.
Did you enjoy this birth story. Here are some Hospital births you might like to read:
To book a Pregnancy Relaxation class or Hypnobirthing course with Brighter Birthing in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire or Bedfordshire please click here
Interested in booking your antenatal classes with Brighter Birthing, then just click here.