First-time mum, Katie, welcomed her son in a positive, assisted vaginal birth.
Thank you Demelza for helping us prepare for the birth our first baby, who was born in September 2022. My waters broke at 23:30 and soon after this we headed to Hospital because contractions were coming thick and fast. Focussing on ‘up breathing’ and using my TENS machine really helped me to stay calm while we were driving through some torrential rain. By the time we got to Triage I was already 7cm dilated.
We went into the midwife led suite and I decided to get into the pool. My partner was being really supportive using the affirmations and the relaxing music we had practised with, as well as practical things like a fan and cold compresses to help keep me cool- I hadn’t realised quite how hot the birthing pool would be! I think I was a mixture of relaxed & tired between contractions as at one point I had a little microsleep and fell face first into the water!
After a few hours in the pool my body started telling me to push so I focussed on being positive, positioning myself in the most comfortable position and down breathing. After I had pushed for a while it started being difficult for the midwives to pick up the baby’s heart rate on the doppler so I got out of the pool, but the baby’s heart rate kept slowing during contractions and not coming back up very quickly. This was a concern and needed continuous monitoring so we were transferred down the corridor to the Delivery Suite. I just kept my eyes closed and focussed on my breathing.
On Delivery Suite I continued pushing but there were still concerns about the baby’s heart rate and then some meconium; so the Doctor came in and assessed and then suggested a Ventouse. I had a few contractions with the Ventouse assistance and an episiotomy and our healthy baby boy was born at 8.24 and came straight to me and my partner for skin to skin- such an amazing feeling!
All in all, I was so pleased with how my birth evolved, despite needing intervention at the end- the midwives were supportive of the hypnobirthing and I felt we were working as a team to make the best decisions for me and the baby all the way along. I was able to use my breathing and TENS (and local anaesthetic for the episiotomy) to avoid stronger pain relief which I was really pleased about because one of my aims had been to feel in control and able to take part in the decisions, which I felt like I was able to do.
I really think your classes helped me feel more positive about birth and confident that I could work with my body and breathing. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend your classes which were supportive, informative and friendly- thank you Demelza!