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Positive Birth Stories #1 An early induction for Emma helped by hypnobirthing

As promised I am going to be sharing a few birth stories over the next few weeks, remaining positive in time for our impending arrival of our baby boy. 

I thought where best to start than with one of my bestest buddies Emma who has just started her very own blog, click the link HERE to go find it :) 



I was hoping I would get to tell my birth stories one day so when the lovely Hayley asked me to guest blog I was so excited!!

I had always been so nervous of giving birth. I can be a bit of a control freak and hate feeling like I'm not in charge of what's happening to me and birth seemed like a scenario I would not be able to control. I wanted to find a way to help me feel in control but when I got pregnant I couldn't find anything to help. Until I found hypnobirthing classes and they made me feel like I was going to be ready for what was heading my way. I was so ready in my first pregnancy that my waters broke at 35 weeks and 3 days!



Unfortunately for the 48 hours after them breaking, my waters remained blood stained so at 35 weeks and 5 days I was induced! It was quite funny actually when the Dr told us we would be induced it was a Friday morning and in our first baby naievity we assumed she meant on Monday so when I asked her the question and she said now I nearly fell off the bed! 

The policy at the time at our local hospital was to begin induction on the maternity ward so not long after the Dr left I was taken to a side room and given my first pessary. For those of you who don't know what this is it's basically a tablet that is placed in the neck of your womb to start your cervix dilating. I was sent off on my merry way to see if anything would happen and would be monitored for the coming hours. After months of Hypnobirthing I thought bouncing on my birthing ball and walking around and around and around the hospital grounds dragging my husband would work but 6 hours later and no go I had dilated by 1cm and in fairness was feeling nothing. So on the bed for the next round. At this point being in the maternity ward meant I could still have visitors so my lovely friend came to see me and brought me some Kirby grips to tie back my fringe!! I can't tell you how much I needed them. Over the 2 days I'd been in the hospital before anything happened I amassed so much stuff they got a shopping trolley to move it all down to the labour ward! Top tip pack a bag early in your pregnancy, you just never know.



So another 6 hours later and a steroid injection for my premmie girls lungs and still no movement, so off we went down to the labour ward to be hooked up to the drip. It was midnight when I arrived on the ward and by 2am I was all connected to the Syntocin drip. The midwife looking after me wasn't really into my idea of Hypnobirthing in fact when providing her with the A4 sheet of information she folded it up and said "all that goes out of the window with induction". Did I ever tell you I am a control freak?

Well this comment was like a red rag to a bull! As anyone who knows me will vouch when I'm told I can't do something I tend to go ahead and do it anyway, never been my greatest strength. So I continued as much as I could with my crazy hippy birth. I asked if I could get on my birth ball and after a few moans and groans I was helped off the bed and allowed a bounce about. Every now and then my bouncing caused the monitor assessing the baby to move so I was hauled back on the bed much to my annoyance. I was also told I couldn't eat, this is a big part of the teaching we received to ensure you fuel your body for your birth you must eat and drink and ensure your passing urine regularly. I had been hypnobirthed and it felt like I had to do what I had paid all this money out to learn! So every time the midwife left the room my husband would shove full Jaffa cakes in my mouth so we wouldn't get caught!



Now every time I wanted to be on my birthing ball and the monitor moved the midwife was getting concerned that the baby's heart rate was changing. As it had happened a number of times she decided she would prepare me for surgery and call the Dr in. This is where the sexy surgery socks come out!! Trust me they are hot! I had the midwife on one leg and my husband on the other sticking these what look like football socks with no toes on me! In comes the Dr who assesses the monitoring of baby and feels it's ok. What I have failed to mention up to now is that I am breathing through my contractions at this point. I was quite adamant with the midwife even after her pestering that I didn't want any drugs, I even humoured her and had a puff of the gas and air but it instantly gave me a drunk feeling like when you can't feel your teeth and that was far too out of control for me. Like I had been taught I was riding the wave of the contraction with a breath called an escalator, puffing in and out through each contraction as it became stronger and longer.

As with most of the night I decided I needed a wee so I waddled over to the bed pan with much assistance from the husband and then all of a sudden I felt like I needed more than a wee!!! The midwife told me to get back on to the bed which I did with much support and much distain. A little voice from my hypnobirth teacher was saying don't be on your back your pelvis needs to flare back! But this midwife wanted me on the bed. What else could I do but use my husband's neck as a lever and hoist myself up. He has since told me I was hurting him but didn't dare say anything. Wise move if you ask me! I was now ready to push. Up until this point I had been a calm, controlled individual and for some reason I think I lost my zone and I was like a woman possessed. I kept thinking why did you do this without any drugs you mad woman! But 10 minutes of pushing and a few expletives later and my little 4lb 13oz lady was born! 8:06am on the clock.

Although it wasn't what I had dreamt of I felt like I'd been as in control as I could have been.



Birth #2 coming very soon! 

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