Birth Stories

About a week 2 weeks before my due date I knew i was not going to go all the way. In the end I delivered 10 days early.

The night before I just felt different and told Richie that tomorrow the baby would be coming...he laughed and said the proof is in the pudding.

At 4am I woke up with mild surges.....went back to sleep until 7am. Got the whole family up, dressed and fed. At this stage surges were 15 minutes apart. I phoned Liams kindergarten and asked them if they could take Joss for the day which they gladly did. Also arranged for a friend to collect the kids from school, feed and bath them...and then we would see what was happening...

The surges then slacked off to about every 30 minutes so I went back to bed. At 12 o'clock I said I would go to the hospital to see what was happening and we could make decisions as to whether Richie should take the day off or not.

They looked at me at the hospital and nearly laughed when I told them I was in labour. They did an internal anyway and I was 1cm. I told them I was going home and would see them later. We live 5 mins from the hospital.

We went home, I had a bath, cup of tea and a sandwich & painted my toe tails....talk about priorities. At 2:40 I said to Richie we needed to go back to the hospital. Elizabeth was born at 3:30pm.

When we got to the hospital I said we should go straight up...forget the bags, cds,etc.....we could get them once we were checked in.

When we got to the delivery ward there was another women just giving birth so we told the midwife and gynae to look after her we were fine. They put the trace on and left...still wondering why I was back so soon.

About 30 minutes later the gynae walked back in as I was having a really strong surge. She asked if I was ready to push. I said I was ready to deliver at which point she walked out to get an apron. Whilst she was out of the room Elizabeth was born into Richies & my hands. When the Gynae came back we promptly told her it was a girl.She was gone all of 30 seconds. Needless to say she was amazed......My waters never released and she was born in her sack....

She went straight onto the breast with the cord still attached....and is still feeding beautifully.

Whilst in hospital I had midwives and gynaes all coming to talk to me about the birth as they had not seen anything like it.

It was all so calm, relaxed and totally stress free. It was also so great for Richie to 'catch' her.  
At every opportunity I tell every woman...pregnant or trying about my experiences in the hopes that it rubs off on them.....It should be a beautiful experience for every family regardless of how you end up delivering and I firmly believe that the birth impacts on the nature of the baby too.....Elizabeth is a walk in the park....

 


 

Olivia’s Birth Story - Nov 07
I have finally managed to do up my daughters birth story & I am so sorry it is so long but for anyone who manages to read the whole thing “Thank You” & I hope you enjoyed it.
 
Olivia born 02/11/07 @ 13:59

 
From the very moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted as natural a pregnancy & birth as possible. I had really bad morning/noon & night sickness for the first 20 weeks, I had really bad heartburn for the entire pregnancy. I developed gestational diabetes at 28 weeks. I had gastric 3 or 4 times & just when that had settled down I experienced several kidney infections. However even with all my ailments I still really enjoyed being pregnant.
 
I was 39 weeks & had a bout of vomiting for a little over a week when I decided to attend the Rotunda hospital emergency department as the vomiting seemed to be getting worse so I just wanted to make sure everything was ok with the baby. I went into the hospital at around 7:20pm on Thursday 1st Nov.

Upon examination I was informed I would be kept in overnight for observation & to have some blood tests done. She requested to be allowed give me an internal exam but I declined as I didn’t feel I needed one. A little while later another of the midwives came to see how I was & informed me that although I had not had any of the standard signs of labour she told me that the only signs she had of early labour was vomiting & so asked if it was ok to give me an internal exam just to see if my labour had infact started. When she examined me & said congratulations you are 3cm dilated.
 
My husband Patrick was waiting for me out in the reception area & was very shocked when I told him he needed to go home & get my hospital bag as I was 3cm dilated. Poor dear looked like he could have been knocked down with a feather. He left to get my things from home.


Upon his return I was then brought up to the delivery ward. The midwives could not believe just how relaxed I was & the fact although I was 3cm I had not felt any pain or discomfort. They believed my labour would go slowly as I didn’t appear to be feeling any discomfort or pains. However my heartburn seemed to be getting worse & the vomiting had not stopped so at around 10pm one of the midwifes requested to give me another internal exam to see if I had dilated any further. I was 5cm dilated so it was decided to move me to one of the delivery suites.
 
I had brought my I-pod which had the hypno-birthing CD on it with me into the hospital, however the hospital had music playing in the background (The Beatles & Billy Idol) which I was enjoying listening to. I did however every 20 to 30 minutes say the birthing affirmations to myself which I found very helpful. Throughout the night I had several cups of tea & slices of toast & I was kept busy telling all the different midwives who called into my room to see the woman who on her first child was managing to progress with dilation without any pain or discomfort & therefore not using any pain relief. I was explaining to them all about hypno-birthing & several commented how if these were the results of hypno-birthing then they would have to look into it further & would recommend it to other mums to be. Upon examination at 4am I was 8cm dilated however my membranes remained intact so my midwife requested be allowed to release my membranes which I agreed to.
 
The midwife who had been with me throughout the night was going off duty at 7am so at around 6:30am she checked to see how far along my dilation had progressed as I was still not feeling any pains & to all our surprises I was 10cm dilated with NO pain or pain relief.
She asked if I was feeling any pressure or the urge to bear down. I was starting to feel slight pressure & the need to breath the baby down. So with her help & the aid of my husband of Patrick I had my first attempt of breathing the baby down. However my daughter was having other ideas about being born. After trying to birth my daughter for nearly 60 minutes, I had a change of shifts with my midwifes. Luckily the next midwife to come on duty happened to be the lovely midwife Moira whom I had been dealing with in the emergency department upon my admission & a lovely gentleman midwife called Alfred.
 
It was now 7:30am on Friday 2nd of November. I had had the trace carried out at intervals during the night just to keep a check on the baby & my new midwives asked to give me an internal examination to check my daughters position as the trace was showing my baby’s heart beat was a little off. Upon examination it was found my daughters head was turned sideways which meant every time I was breathing her down with a surge, at the end of each surge she was going back up.
I was now starting to experience strong cramps in my right leg with each surge which was making it difficult to continue walking around. Upon discussion at around 11:30 am I agreed to allow my midwife give my petidne to increase the strength of my surges in the hope it would help reposition the baby & help move the birth along. I had managed to go from my admission at 7:20pm until 11:30am the following morning without the use of any pain relief or admission of drugs.
 
However even with the use of the oxytocin to increase the stenght & regulate my surges (they were coming at changed intervals 1min 4mins 1 min 2mins etc but all lasting around 60secs) , my daughter was still not inclined to reposition herself & after several hours of trying to birth my daughter it appeared she was starting to get tired & at 1pm my consultant called in to see how I was getting on. The consultant felt I would not be able to have a vaginal birth & would require a c-section. Upon discussion I agreed to have an epidural on the basis that once received & before the c-section being carried out I be allowed to try to reposition the baby with the use of suction & one last attempt at a vaginal birth. This was agreed with the consultant so I was given the epidural & taken straight to the theatre. The doctor in the theatre didn’t believe I would be able to birth my daughter even if she was to go into the correct position as she believed both the baby the myself would be just too tired so she had the epidural turned off during the use of the vacuum as she wanted to make sure I felt the discomfort of the vacuum as her way of proving I would not be able to cope due to tiredness. The vacuum was able to reposition the baby & both myself & my daughter worked together to birth her into the world. Upon delivery of my daughters head her shoulders became stuck & the doctor explained it looked like she would dislocate her shoulders if I wasn’t given an episiotomy & helped to ease her shoulders out. So one was given to me.
 
My daughter was birthed & placed straight onto my breast, my husband Patrick cut the cord.
I had a natural delivery of the placenta & then received a few stitches for the episiotomy. While I was being stitched Patrick stayed with my daughter while she was given a quick check to make sure all was ok.
 
After the birth of my daughter the doctor from the theatre apologised for not believing in my determination to have a vaginal birth & congratulated me on staying calm & easing Olivia into the world, she also commented on how relaxed Olivia appeared to be on delivery.
Olivia in now nearly 11weeks old & everyone who meets hers comments on how alert she appears to be.
She is a very happy baby who has been sleeping through the night from 7 & a half weeks thanks to the wonders of swaddeling.
I am trilled that I am managing to be breastfeeding Olivia & hope to continue for as long a possible.
I would gladly recommend hypno-birthing to anyone & if I ever have another child I will definitely use hypno-birthing again.


 

Sept 07

Two weeks ago today Conor Francis arrived after a natural labour
using hypnobirthing and an amazing Irish doula!

First a little history... Five years ago we welcomed our first son
into the world using hypnobirthing. It was a long (22 hours) but
gentle labour, most of which I spent at home. Labouring naturally,
without drugs and listening to my body was an incredible experience
and one I definitley wanted to repeat. So discovering I had
complete placenta previa on my second pregnancy and had no choice
but to have a c-section was very disappointing for me. But this is
just the beginning of the story!

Pregnant for a third time (now with no complications) I first found
that amazing Irish doula who found a very VBAC friendly consultant.
Our discussion of the birth plan went well and he seemed totally on
board with all my 'no intervention' requests.

Saturday afternoon(two days after my due date) my waters began to
leak and I got excited that I was finally going to meet our third
boy! I texted Tracy who assured me that labour probably wouldn't
get started until I had put our other boys to bed! She was so
right... by 8pm the house was quite. I took out my hypnobirth CD,
sat on my ball, dimmed the lights and began to relax. By 10 pm I
knew I was in active labour and felt ready for Tracy's company. I
laboured at home, peacefully until 2am when a particularly strong
surge told me it was time to head to the Rotunda.

My heart sank when, after a midwife checked me, I was 'only' 3cm.
But once I was in the delivery room upstairs Tracy helped me focus
quickly and I soon forgot the tone of the midwife downstairs. I
shut out everything around me and focused on Tracy's voice (way
better than any CD!) and two hours later(seemed like 20 minutes) I
was 9cm! My surges were very strong at the end and never closer
that 6 minutes apart but I found that visualizing the baby's journey
down really helped. At 6.40am I gave birth to a beautiful, healthy
8lb little boy.

So although this labour and birth was very different to my first,
hypnobirthing was again a vital tool in bringing Conor naturally and
peacefully into the world.

Oh and one more thing... Just as I would never climb Mount Everest
without a sherpa, I would never have another natural birth without a
doula!

Thank you Tracy!


 

You don't often see the words 'wonderful' and 'induction' in the same sentence so I thought I'd share this inspirational birth story with other Mums. An induction doesn't automatically mean the end of your plans for a natural birth. Inductions can be a little bit more challenging but if you can stay relaxed as this mum did and ignore the negative comments it can be a really good experience.

I was due my second baby back on 2nd June. I had attended the hypnobirthing
workshop with my partner in March and had been preparing for a natural
birth since then. I listened to the CD everyday and practised
breathing and relaxation regularly. I chose to ignore any negative
stories I heard about birth and I did not talk about my hypnobirthing
plans to anybody I knew would be sceptical. I wanted to go into labour
naturally and stay at home for as long as possible and had made my
wishes clear to my doctor.


On 6th June, my waters broke. It was clear, and everything looked
normal. As I had no surges at this point, I chose to carry on as
normal and wait to see if anything would start. The following morning
I had a bloody show, but still no surges. I decided to call the
hospital to let them know what was happening, but made it clear that
as I was not yet having any surges, I would prefer to remain at home.
However, as my waters had broken they asked me to go in to be examined.
On examination, it was confirmed that my waters had broken but my
cervix was still closed. They wanted to keep me in and induce me the
next day. I resisted this, as I wanted to await the onset of labour
naturally. However, after a visit with my doctor that afternoon, I
agreed to go in for induction the following day.


I was feeling deflated about this, as it meant I wasn't going to have
the natural labour I had hoped for. My doctor had also warned me that
as my cervix was 'unfavourable' it would be a long and hard labour. I
brushed these comments aside, and decided to make the most of the
situation and apply the hypnobirth relaxation techniques as much as
possible.


I was given some gel to soften my cervix at about 8.30am. At 2.45pm,
my cervix was still closed and I was put on the drip to get labour
started. My doctor told the midwife that there would be no need to
examine me again before 11pm as she did not expect much progress
before then. For the next five hours, I remained relaxed. During
surges I practised my slow breathing - 4 breaths per surge. I used the
gas, and this helped me to focus on the breathing. I was very relaxed
in between surges. I kept thinking, was this it? Is this the terrible
pain people talk about? I kept waiting for it to get worse, but it
didn't! At 7.40pm, my midwife decided to examine me and found that I
was fully dilated - to my doctors surprise! The delivery stage did
take another 1.5 hours, as the baby was facing out. But again I found
it very manageable and remained relaxed throughout. My gorgeous son,
was born at 9.28pm on 8th June, weighing in at 7lbs 11oz.

And so while the labour was not ideal, being induced and having to be
attached to a monitor, I do feel that the hypnobirthing techniques
helped enourmously. I defied the medical expectations that it would be
a long and hard labour. Throughout the whole labour and delivery, I
kept thinking how manageable it all was, and was wondering why people
make so much fuss about it all!!

Thanks for introducing me to
hypnobirthing, it made all the difference!

Sabrina and John came to my class in early 2007 and were relocated to Texas late in pregnancy their little boy was born in June 2007.

So you know the saying "Everything's bigger in Texas". . .that seems to apply to our new son as well!

I'll try to keep this short as we are adjusting to our new lives with baby. . ..
At almost 38 weeks I started to feel my body changing in a way that was completely unfamiliar but I suspected that I was getting ready to have the baby. I know, I must be a genius for thinking that. .. .duh! I was 38 weeks pregnant! Of course, I should feel some changes!
Anyway, because of how I was feeling, I took my midwife, Bernadette, up on her offer to check me internally at my weekly appointment. I promised that I would not be upset if nothing had happened. . .the look on her face told it all: 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced already. She told me to start paying closer attention to anything that resembled a tightening or contraction. So I did. For two whole weeks!
In that time, I really started to feel large and miserable. My swelling got a lot worse, I was having sciatica and back pain. For the first time in my pregnancy, I was really feeling "pregnant."
We had two false calls with practice labor before this Thursday ( 28 June) and I wasn't letting it get me down, but I was certainly ready to have this baby!
So this Thursday I couldn't sleep and woke up at 5AM and I said to no on in particular:" I'm having this baby today." Matter of fact. And I told my husband, John, that I was having this baby today when he woke up for work. I think his response was something like: "Cool. Call me when I need to come home."
I had an appointment with Bernadette at 8:30AM and we decided that it would be great to have this baby today (or at least this weekend--she didn't believe me that I was having the baby TODAY and I meant business) so she swept my membranes (I know this is too invasive for some people, but I was at 4cm now and ready to get a move on) and handed me some castor oil and had me make my next appointment for Tuesday--I would be past my guess date then--and she handed me a kick chart. I told Bernadette and the receptionist that I would not need either as they would be seeing me later that day.
So I took my castor oil--whew! everyone should do that once--and rested and at 1:45PM I was on the toilet dealing with the castor oil and my water popped. The whole "what-you-see-in-the-movies" audible "pop" and gush and very surprised pregnant lady scenario. So I called John and told him to come home and called my midwife and asked how to stop the castor oil from working now that I was gushing from another place, too. Ha ha. No way to stop the castor oil, I now know. Anyway. .. Bernadette had me time my surges and wanted me to come in when they were 2-5 minutes apart for an hour. I quickly realized that I was not going to have to wait very long--as soon as John got home from work I had been surging 2-4 minutes apart for an hour. We called Bernadette and headed up to the birthing center. We arrived around 15:30.


Now, I'll admit that I was not the best hypnobirthing mum--I didn't listen every single day or do a lot of practice beyond the affirmations and rainbow relaxation (which I always listened to at night and fell asleep to, which I know was possibly limiting)--but I have to say it helped SO MUCH! With my experience as a yoga teacher and with meditation and relaxation the hypnobirthing philosophy was a perfect fit.
I just didn't know how hard I would have to work to relax! As soon as I figured that out, things got a lot easier!
Basically, I think my eyes were closed and I was in my own body and space from the time my water broke until Zane arrived. We had an intense drive to the birthing center (it's less than 7 miles, but you know what that feels like when you don't want to be sitting in a car!) and I made a bee-line for the toilet, thinking I still was dealing with the castor oil. What I realized quickly was that the toilet was my most comfortable position. I got in and out of the phenomenal birthing jacuzzi pool (it was HUGE) but kneeling or hands and knees was an awful position for me. I kept jumping out and going back to the toilet. When we arrived Bernadette checked me and I was already 5-6 cm and progressing very fast.
After some time--I completely lost track of time, thanks to Bernadette and Tami, her amazing birthing assistant/doula-in-training--I tried the pool again (NO WAY!) and then got on the birthing ball. The surges almost got "comfortable" on the ball so we knew it was time to move again. I tried squatting and it was comfortable but since I had gotten so large and was so relaxed, it took three people to lift me between surges, so I just wanted to get back on the toilet!


Tami kept asking if I felt an urge to push and I guess I did but it was soooooo mild and urge that I wasn't sure and I asked for Bernadette to check me again. I was ready to go!!! I did not want to move off the toilet but in the last few minutes, Bernadette turned to John and had him pick me up and move me over to the birthing stool and basically hold me up for the final stages. It was intense!
Just working with the surges--how perfect that they started to space out a little to give me some time to recover between pushing--Bernadette and Tami and John and I all worked together to breathe down and work "little" Zane out into the world.  Bernadette had suspected that he would be large--an 8 pounder--but when he started crowning, I think they saw he would be even bigger. With lots of olive oil and prayers and massage, Zane emerged into the world at 19:32. He weighed 9 lbs 12 oz and had a hand compound presentation (his hand came alongside his head). I had very minor tearing (My baby is the perfect size for my body has been my favorite affirmation for the entire pregnancy and NOW I KNOW WHY!!!) and just three tiny stitches.  Zane is 21 1/2 inches long and has dark hair like me (dad is a blondie). He came out using his lungs but soon settled down to be one of the most alert babies ever. He's the largest baby delivered at the birthing center to date (I know, maybe not something to brag about but we are both fine and healthy, so that's all that matters!!!) Delivered the placenta no problems and delayed cutting the cord for an hour and a half until our families had arrived.


The birth was absolutely perfect. The hypnobirthing helped me stay focused. I listened to the affirmations/rainbow relaxation CD THE ENTIRE TIME I was in labor. Any time it would stop I would start to lose focus and control and I would holler for someone to start it again. (Fortunately, someone figured out the "repeat" button while I was pushing/breathing him down).
We only remained at the birthing center for about 4 1/2 hours after the birth and then returned home. Zane is sleeping and eating very well and we are just relishing our new experiences as a new family!
I just wanted our Irish friends to hear the whole story as soon as possible. We are so happy and healthy and thrilled with our experience! I hope to hear from you all soon! Lots of love!
PS--Tracy, if you wish to send this birth story along, that is fine, but if you would like a shorter version or a change of some of the wording (like "pushing") just let me know and I can make some changes, too!
Remember, you can all check out my blog at http://sabrinatravel.blogspot.com and I should have pictures soon!!!
Lots of love from our family!!!


 

The gentle arrival of baby Alex !

My waters broke at 5:30am and the surges started around 6am and continued till 10am, when they stopped.  The hospital wanted us in 6hrs after the waters go, so we eventually went in around 1pm only to discover that I hadn't dilated at all yet!  The surges started again at some stage late in the evening, not sure when!  I spent about an hour relaxing in the bath and was at 9cm when I got out. 

 I was moved to the delivery room but found it really hard to regain my focus and couldnt relax.  Until then I had been doing fine, the worse the pain got was like a period pain. In the end I used the gas and air for a few of the surges until I felt the need to work with them.  It took me a while to focus but once I did and was able to do the J-Breathing, Alex arrived in no time at all! 

 

I was disappointed that I couldn't relax once I was moved wards and felt that I need the gas and air, but apart from that I was delighted with the way it went and would do it all again tomorrow!  My friends are all jealous that I found it so easy!

 

We were so relaxed and felt so in control, all thanks to your help and advice.  We cant thank you enough.

 

Jennifer, Gareth and Alex


Bill’s Birth, 10 July 2006

Initially, arranging a homebirth wasn’t easy. At just five weeks pregnant, I tried to find a midwife but each of the four midwives who cover the Dublin area was either booked up for July or planning to be away at that time. I then contacted Holles Street to see if I could join the domino scheme but was turned away as I live outside the catchment area. Plan C was to book into Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda and hope that I would be allocated a place on the Midwife Led Unit. As the MLU scheme is still a randomized trial, I was told that I had a 2 in 3 chance of getting a place but that I wouldn’t find out if I was successful until after my first appointment at seventeen weeks – some three months down the line. It wasn’t ideal but the alternative was booking into a Dublin hospital so I decided to take my chances with Drogheda. At sixteen weeks however, fate intervened. Kate Spillane called me to say she could take me on and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I liked Kate immediately. She was knowledgeable, kind and funny and her expertise inspired confidence. Each visit reinforced the decision to give birth at home.

Following a very straightforward and enjoyable pregnancy, my labour started at 1.30am on Monday, 10 July, three days past my due date. Towards the end of the pregnancy, people constantly remarked that I was probably dying for it to be over with. But I really wasn’t. While the baby was due on 7 July, I fully expected to go at least two weeks past this date. Both my sisters and my mother had gone two weeks over on many of their births and I was confident that the baby would be born on or after 21 July. At the time, we were extending the house and renovating our bathroom and the job wasn’t due for completion until mid July so I really hoped that the baby wouldn’t come on time. I was also attending a series of hypnobirthing classes and I wanted to complete these before labour began. But the best laid plans….

Since I work for myself, I hadn’t yet managed to start maternity leave. I had some work still due so I was working late at home on the Sunday night. When I tried to go to bed at half past one, I realised that I was too uncomfortable to lie down. This was new since I had had no trouble sleeping throughout the pregnancy. I was experiencing very mild period-like pains in my lower back at regular intervals – perhaps ten minutes apart. I went back to the study to work and put my hypnobirthing CD on to play. This is how I spent the night, working at the desk, pausing occasionally to breathe through the discomfort of the contractions but recognizing that they weren’t causing any real pain. I don’t recall actively listening to the CD – rather, every 40 minutes or so, I realised that it had come to an end and I would press play again. Mostly I just concentrated on getting the work finished. I still wasn’t convinced that this was labour since it seemed much too manageable. At about 4am, I had a show and I started to think it might be happening for real. At this point, I woke Aidan. I remember distinctly that his reaction to the news that I was probably starting labour was ‘Oh bollocks’. Then he rolled over and went back to sleep. I felt reassured that he was behaving normally, and not jumping around weeping or panicking. I’ve no time for those antics! I went back to the office and continued to work.

The builders were due at the house at 8 o’clock that morning. At 7, Aidan asked me if I wanted to cancel them. I told him that they should come ahead since the contractions were so mild that I could be in labour for days. It was my brother-in-law’s firm that was doing the work. When they arrived, Aidan told Brian what was happening and he and his team focused on getting the new kitchen finished, painted and as ready as possible to give birth in.

Aidan kept asking me to ring Kate but I was reluctant since I still felt that I was a long way off established labour. At about 9.30am, I called her just to let her know that something had started. She said she’d do a few visits first and see me later. I’m sure she knew from the sound of my voice that I was nowhere close to needing her. After that, I phoned my mum. It was funny since I was very calm and very practically-minded (I wanted to ask her to collect a couple of items that I still hadn’t managed to, like a birthing ball and other bits and pieces), but as soon as I heard her voice, I started to cry. I was obviously quite emotional just below the surface.

The morning continued with the contractions coming somewhat more frequently and gaining slightly in intensity. I still couldn’t describe them as painful. I was no longer playing the CD, but just trying to get the work finished. Aidan was a terrific help, since by this time, the phone had started to ring and he fielded calls and managed to deal with lots of work queries without once mentioning to anyone that I was in labour.

At 11.30am, I got into the shower, assuming that it would be a comfort. I stood, directing the spray onto my back but quickly found that it became uncomfortable. I got out of the shower and got dressed. I found it easier to sit upright through the contractions.

At about 12.30, my mum and sister arrived, and it was just lovely to see them. They stayed only a short time but it was a relaxed visit; I felt fine and the contractions still felt okay. I tried the birthing ball for a time, but found it awkward so I abandoned it. Kate arrived at about 1.30 and encouraged me to try to sleep. She did ask if I would like to be examined but I wasn’t keen on the idea. While I knew I was most likely still in the latent phase, I don’t think I wanted confirmation that I hadn’t even started to dilate. Kate didn’t pursue it. She attached the tens machine and put it to the lowest setting. She suggested that I play around with it but I just didn’t feel inclined to interfere and it remained at that setting all day. I really can’t say with any certainty whether it helped or not. After some time, Kate arranged the pillows on my bed and I lay down on my side while she sat on the edge of the bed and chatted. Kate sent Aidan out to buy hot water bottles and she placed two of them on my back and side. They felt lovely. I think her intention was to have me fall asleep, since I had already lost a night’s sleep and the birth was most likely a long way off. But I couldn’t fall asleep and I found the contractions more difficult to cope with lying down. They felt intense at the peak, but they still seemed very short – no more than 20 seconds in duration and coming every four or five minutes or so. At about 5.00pm, I heard Brian and all the builders leaving. Kate asked if she could examine me and this time I agreed. I suppose I was curious. It was the first and last VE of the pregnancy and birth and was over very quickly.

She announced that I was between 4 and 5 centimetres dilated. I was delighted since I still felt that the contractions weren’t too bad at all. Kate told me that I was sufficiently dilated to get into the birthing pool and she and Aidan headed downstairs to set it up. I continued to lie on the bed for a short time but eventually felt I’d cope better standing up. There was a pile of towels and sheets sitting on the chest of drawers which reached chest height. I found it helpful to stand and lean into the pile and bury my face in the towels at the height of a contraction. After a while, I headed downstairs where Aidan and Kate were filling the pool with some difficulty since the tap/ hose connection wasn’t working. I was struck by how perfect the setting was. That morning, the extension had been full of rubble and building equipment. Now it was a huge, empty box with the evening sunshine streaming through the windows.

The guys had painted the walls and bonded the concrete floor. It mightn’t sound like everyone’s idea of a perfect birth setting but I was thrilled with it. I wandered about a bit, watching as Kate and Aidan continued to fill the pool, and sending text messages to my mum and sisters. After a time, I went back upstairs in search of the pile of laundry and brought it down to the kitchen counter, leaning into the contractions once more.  I didn’t know it at the time, but the trips up and down the stairs were helping to move the baby down.

I felt that the contractions had started to change. They were still manageable and I still got great relief from the gap between them, but they were more intense and coming every two or three minutes. I started to feel a sort of bulging pressure in my bum at the end of each one. I told Kate and she just nodded and told me that was fine. The contractions still felt no more than 25 seconds in length. And between contractions, I felt completely normal – as though I wasn’t in labour at all.

At about ten to seven, the pool was ready and I got in. I know many women describe the sensation of getting in to the pool as miraculous. I found it pleasant but not radically different. I sat in the pool and continued to feel those pushy, bulgy contractions.  Kate instructed Aidan to give me a cold, wet facecloth, which he did. I hadn’t looked for it, had no idea I wanted it, but it was just lovely. With each contraction, I buried my face in the icy, wet cloth. After a while, Kate suggested that I feel what was happening. I put my hand down and felt the bag of waters bulging. It was a peculiar sensation! Shortly afterwards, I felt the waters break with a loud pop. At some point, Kate gave me some homeopathic remedies to suck but I don’t recall which ones they were.

At one point, Aidan came over and put his arms around me but I pushed him away. I was concentrating hard and I had sort of retreated into myself. I didn’t want the contact or the distraction although I was very glad of his presence at a distance. Kate asked me if I wanted some gas and air but I couldn’t bear the thought of any interference or of putting a mask over my face. The contractions were gaining in intensity and coming more frequently but there was always a gap between them which made them manageable. I was pretty much silent throughout all the contractions.

Kate asked me if I wanted to get out of the pool to give birth.  But I had no desire to move and there was no way I was leaving the pool. I felt I was going further into myself. I continued to kneel in the pool, leaning over the edge, with my face in the cloth.

Within a few minutes, Kate knelt down beside me, told me that the baby was coming and that I should push on the next contraction. I remember my irrational reaction: I said no and turned my head in the opposite direction. She came around to the other side and repeated it very gently. And so, on the next contraction I pushed and the baby’s head was born. Somehow, I had raised my hips so that the head emerged from the water. Kate told me to stay raised so that the baby’s head wouldn’t be resubmerged. In what was only seconds, I felt the baby’s body come out. I heard a loud cry. It was 7.40pm.

I continued to lean over the edge of the pool for a few moments. I think I was almost afraid to turn around to look at the baby. Kate and Aidan coaxed me around, both refusing to tell me if it was a boy or a girl. I turned and saw it was a boy. I was surprised since I had become convinced towards the end of the pregnancy that I was carrying a girl. He looked very big and very red and very beautiful. I raised one leg and Kate manoeuvred him under and into my arms. I sat back down in the pool and cuddled him. It was an extraordinary feeling. The chord was quite short and it stopped pulsating very soon. Kate clamped it, Aidan cut it and baby Bill and I were separated for the first time. Kate produced a baby sheepskin and wrapped him in it. Aidan held him while I stood in the pool and delivered the placenta.

Then it was out of the pool, and immediately upstairs to bed where Kate set about getting Bill properly latched on and feeding. Kate stood beside the bed, and patiently  latched and relatched the baby until he took to it. It must have taken an hour and I remember wondering, where’s the lovely tea and toast that everyone talks about after birth? But the breastfeeding has worked like a charm with no problems whatsoever. In hindsight, I know that it is because of Kate’s efforts immediately after the birth. After the first hour, Aidan appeared with tea and bacon and eggs and we all ate sitting around the bed.  The baby was weighed and we discovered that he was 8lb exactly.

We made our calls to the family to let them know that Bill had arrived. My other sister and her husband (Brian the builder) called around briefly to meet the boy.

Kate stayed the first night. And I’m embarrassed to say that with the building work going on, she was forced to sleep on a dusty sofa in a rubble filled sitting room. When the baby woke during the night to feed, she came up and sat with me while I tried to get it right, gently advising and helping with the positioning.

The next morning, she ran me a bath and then took the baby while I soaked. I came back to find a beautifully made up bed with a mountain of pillows. She then bathed the boy and tucked him up beside me. She left that morning only after ensuring that I had everything I needed by my side.

I lay on the bed watching my amazing son and feeling tired but so, so happy. Kate continued to visit daily for ten days after the birth and weekly after that until he was six weeks old.  The fabulous post-natal care was a revelation and one of the surprise bonuses of the whole experience.

Homebirth has been the most rewarding experience. I had been sceptical about hypnobirthing and though I never actively thought about it during the labour and birth, I’m sure that it must have played a part. I didn’t have a pain-free labour but it was wonderful nonetheless. The contractions were always manageable. I kept waiting for it to get really hard but it never did. I think the single most important factor was that I was never, ever afraid and I’m convinced that fear sabotages childbirth. I felt confident, safe and secure, in my own home with Aidan and with Kate.

Emma Walls

Some additional thoughts about HypnoBirthing by Emma
Just to add a couple of things about my experience of hypnobirthing:
I had the (apparently common) problem of falling asleep before the Rainbow Relaxation part kicked in so consciously I was much more familiar with the affirmations part. I guess the RR worked on the subconscious as I was very relaxed in labour.

When we first met, you mentioned that some of the affirmations would resonate and to find the ones that fit. I liked a lot of them, but I think I particularly loved ‘I am safe, I am confident, I am secure’ and that stayed with me. I had heard you say and had read in the book that ‘you determine how your birth energy is received’. The message being that you could feel the contractions as energy, as pressure or as mild period pains or whatever you choose. I don’t consciously remember deciding that I would feel it a certain way but the idea of feeling contractions as period pains stuck in my memory, mostly because I found it kind of unlikely! But in the end, that’s exactly how I experienced contractions – mild (to moderate!) pains in my lower back. At the time, I was very surprised that I had no labour sensations in my stomach. (And this was not a posterior labour). So clearly, my subconscious had soaked up that idea as well.

I suppose the point I’m trying to make is, that with hypnobirthing, you don’t even have to fully subscribe to it for it to work, you just have to follow the advice. As you told me, you can remain sceptical right up to the end but still discover the benefits.

Emma


 

The Swift Arrival of Baby Christopher Robin !

Having watched my tummy expand and having felt movement where there hadn't been any before, and having gone nine months with having no control over which direction my body was expanding, I knew that I was going to have control over one thing the birth.  No fear, and being able to control my body when it came to the big day, thats what helped me through the whole pregnancy. To add the icing to the cake was the fact that I had achieved the birth that I had planned and prepared for.

 Our first baby, Christopher Robin was born the 10th December 2005 at 08.08am, and swam to the surface of the water birthing pool to meet his long awaited mommy and daddy.  He weighed in at a healthy 8lbs 13oz. 

The birth was fantastic, the labour very bearable all due to Hypnobirthing and having Robert there to put me back on the straight and narrow when I got to the stage when all I wanted to do was to climb into bed and go asleep and to be woken up when baby was just about there. 

 Christopher was due on the 8th December. I attended the hospital on the day before his due date for a routine check up, wondering whether or not they were going to tell me I had another ten days to go until showtime. I sat up on the bed had an examination and to my surprise I was already 2cm dilated. I couldn't believe it I hadn't even felt a thing.  Needless to say I was sure it was going to happen that night, but he waited until 04.45am on 10th Dec to make any sign of movement, I had had birth shows from the Wednesday evening all the way up to the early hours of Saturday morning.  I woke up having only been to bed two hours before, cleaning the house rechecking bags, eating pineapple anything to take my mind off the “when will it happen? question that was going around in my head. I got a pain across my back that was like a strong period paid which felt to me like my normal monthly pains.  I jumped into the shower got myself ready then woke Robert and told him it was time to go.
 

 We rang the hospital midwifery led unit that I was attending informing them that I was on the way, they had said not to make my way in until I was getting surges that were 10minutes apart, but according to my timing I worked them out to be nearly every 5mins apart lasting about 30seconds, as far as I can remember.  I relaxed myself and started the HypnoBirthing remembering the valve and turning it on and off, then thinking of a place that brought happy memories, imagining how the birth was going to be.

 We arrived at the hospital where the midwife led us to the birthing room. I got myself changed, and sat on the birthing ball, texting away on my mobile with barely any pains with every surge. The midwife came and did an examination and said that I had reached 5cm and still had a while to go.  We sat in the room laughing and joking flicking through the television stations. It was very relaxing, there was lavender oils burning next to the birthing pool that was waiting to be filled.  Throughout the labour I felt warm and drank lots of water, having to make a few trips to the bathroom and when the surges got stronger I threw up, I knew then that things were progressing further than the midwife had thought.

The pool was filled and I sat in the pool. The water was lovely; Robert poured it onto my back and talked to me through every surge. We talked about anything and everything, and then put a music cd on to lift the mood.  It was still very relaxing the surges came and went and all that I could think about throughout the labour was that this is how I had imagined it was going to be, and believing that my body was listening to me. The clock spun on the wall, the time seemed to fly by then the urge for baby to birth came, my waters broke about 07.30am or there about.  Christopher's head came out at 08.06am and finally he emerged fully and swam to the surface at 08.08am, only 3hrs 27mins from the time I felt a surge.  They had monitored the baby's heart throughout the labour with a Doppler and his heart rate stayed the same throughout the labour, the transition into the world didn't seem to phase him at all.  When he arrived he looked up at us, let out a little cry then lay there quite content, he didn't need to be suctioned at all, and he stayed attached to the placenta until it stopped pulsating.

Throughout the labour Robert talked to me telling me to breathe the baby down, I got to a stage when the head was coming and I could feel that I was going to tear, I at that stage, felt as though I had come out of the HypnoBirthing and Robert tried to get me back but all I could feel was a burning sensation, once the head had come out it was fine I relaxed again and knew that everything was over and proud of myself for going through with my plans using hypnobirthing as my form of pain relief. Unfortunately I ended up having a 3rd degree tear, which I felt none of after the birth I could walk fine, but I had the to go to surgery where I had to get a spinal block and sedatives.  This was my worst nightmare, as the I hadn't wanted to get any medical intervention at all, and I had had the birth that we had planned and I achieved it with no medical intervention and with very little pain, the labour was controlled and the surges very bearable.  I felt terrible after surgery and was annoyed with myself for tearing but, that's life. I felt groggy and disorientated and that feeling lasted for 4-5 days.  I then knew that this was the feeling I perhaps would have felt straight after he was born if had gone the other route of having a birth where medication was given as pain relief.  It is certainly not what I would want to experience again, that I would do the HypnoBirthing again as you feeling normal afterwards.

 However I had achieved my ultimate birth experience and that was what my aim was, I controlled my labour and birth, HypnoBirthing taught me how. My best friend who had doubted the HypnoBirthing theory at the start now thought that this theory does work; it's all about believing in it and releasing the fear of what others tell you about birth.

 Robert was in awe the fact that the experience was so calm and relaxing, it was amazing I would definitely do it again.  I tried HypnoBirthing before I knocked it and I know with the next birth I will do it all over again, such a wonderful experience with no fuss or excruciating pain like I had once been told, a natural progression of life aware of your senses what's going on around you and that final knowing of what's happening next.

Sonia & Robert


 

The Unexpected Arrival of Baby Lucas

Hi Tracy

I was surprised to give birth to my son a month early! Lucas came on Saturday July 29 at 5:34 pm, after 9 hours and 45 minutes of labour. Although he was premature (36 weeks) he was perfectly healthy, and the birth was considered 'normal' by the hospital.

I was admitted into hospital on Friday night after my 36 week ante-natal visit showed I had high blood pressure. This was the first problem I had experienced during my pregnancy, but I was admitted to the maternity hospital for observation overnight. My blood pressure returned to normal, and I was to be discharged Saturday morning. While waiting for the the doctor to discharge me, my membranes released! This was at about 7 am, and then the surges started to come very strong and very regular.

By the time the doctor arrived to examine me at 9:30 I was 3 cm dilated.

Because Lucas was premature I was given antibiotics and put on a blood-pressure monitor. This restricted my movement considerably but I was able to leave the bed and sit on a chair.

The time passed quickly and I was experiencing minimal discomfort. At 12:30 my blood-pressure was still really high, and I was told I had to have an epidural to bring my blood-pressure down. I refused at first, but ended up taking the epidural  for the safety of  my baby. I was about 7 cm when I received the epidural.

Amazingly, while the surges had been manageable up until that point, as soon as I was told the danger my baby was in, and that I had to have the epidural I started to experience excruciating pain. I witnessed the fear effect first-hand and was shocked at the difference in just a couple of minutes. As soon as I felt scared, my body responded with intense pain.

After the epidural set in, I was calmer and focused once again on my visualisations and all the affirmations I could remember (I did not have the CD with me, as I went into labour so unexpectedly). I did the breathing exercises I could remember and stayed with my baby, visualising his safe passage down the birth path. I felt very connected to my baby, and time passed quickly. He was born without assistance or any complication. He seemed quite content when he came out, and was placed at my breast.

Even though the birth was nothing like what I had planned, I still felt very in control and confident in my choices each step of the way. I had a different birth experience than I wanted, but it was still a very positive experience. I wish I had had more time to practice the Hypnobirthing techniques, but I really think the daily work I did over the four weeks prior to Lucas' birth really helped me and Fred and especially Lucas.

Patricia

 

Post Partum Experiences

My family and I have had the pleasure of employing Helen Geraghty as our doula from our daughter’s first week through her third month.  As first time parents, my husband and I have found Helen’s knowledge of babies and parenting to be indispensable.  Her professional manner and training have prevented us from becoming overwhelmed on multiple occasions.  I cannot describe how helpful it is for me to have had Helen with us, she is always ready to jump in and help whether it be baby related (minding, feeding, changing, bathing) or housework related (laundry, grocery shopping, starting the dinner, etc.).  I never foresaw how little time I would have during the first few months of our baby’s life, and having Helen with us ensured I could spend time with my baby and still chip away at the household tasks and any other jobs I had underway.

Katherine O'Meara - Dublin