One of the big misconceptions about hypnobirthing is that is is only for natural, pain free births. This is not true, hypnobirthing can be used for all types of births. This great birth story was sent in by Francesca and her birth partner Will. They booked a private hypnobirthing course with me for the preparation of their first baby. Francesca was hoping for a calm, medication free birth at her local birth center. This is not the birth that happened on the day. However, thanks to my course, a supportive birth partner and the ability to make informed decisions she ended up with a very positive hypnobirth c-section.
Francesca’s hypnobirth c-section story
“We booked a private class with Colleen after she was recommend to my partner and I by a colleague. We were told she’d be a great person to spend time with as we prepared for the birth of our first baby. The course was more than we could have hoped for. What we found so brilliant was the practical advice and coping mechanisms for both mother and birth partner. My partner was really looking to learn and understand how he could best support me during our birth. The hypnobirthing course delivered on this entirely.
We spent the weeks leading up to our birth listening to scripts at bedtime and watching calming David Attenborough programmes. I also regularly had baths with essential lavender oils in. These were all relaxation triggers for us throughout our birth experience. This all helped us to feel calm and prepared going into it.
When contractions started at 3am the morning before our baby was born, I used all of my breathing techniques and positions as taught to us by Colleen. This meant I had a very calm experience at home. We made our way into hospital at 5pm. We were sent home again, which disrupted our flow a little. Plus, I was feeling quite uncomfortable at this point with a lot of unexpected pressure on my spine. After coping well with the contractions until this point at home, our little one had twisted and was now laying back to back.
One more hour in the bath and things were progressing well. After a call with the midwife we were told we needed to be back there asap. Great news! I was looking forward to being back in the water as the bath had really helped to relieve the pressure on my spine. After my examination I was so excited to be 4cm. The breathing had worked and we had made it to the birth centre, with the pool being set up. The pool was everything I had hoped for. The pressure almost disappeared when I was back in the water, in such a calming environment. I trusted my body and felt like I could do this.
After two and a half hours of strong contractions and fantastic support from my birth partner and the midwives, I could feel the pressure in my spine coming back. I decided that I required pain relief at this point. The contractions were totally doable on their own. However, the pressure on my spine was becoming increasingly more challenging to cope with. After another two hours without pain relief as the midwives were unable to monitor me, and struggling through contractions, I was still only 4cm dilated….I really felt I’d made the right decision, as although I was calm, and was able to breathe through the pressure I think that I instinctively knew that my body was not going to progress any further, and after another two hours without pain relief and continuous contractions, I had still not progressed.
From this point is where I really utilised all of the practical advice we had been given by Colleen, to ask questions and make sure we felt aware and in control of the decisions made to us. After I had been given an epidural, I spent another few hours with no progression, and then was told my waters would need to be broken. Luckily, on examination, they went on their own, but our baby had done a poo! It seemed as though our baby was the calmest one in the room, and this did not affect his heart rate. This helped to keep my partner and I calm as well. Our baby was pretty happy in his cosy home!
After spending four hours following this on a drip, there was still no progression and we were prepped for theatre. I declined to go on the drip for any more time. I just knew it wouldn’t result in our baby being born. The anaesthetist was one of the best people we met on our birth journey. He gave me my choice of pain relief and helped me through the procedure of a hypnobirth c-section. Finally after 36 hours brought our baby into the world.
A hypnobirth c-section wasn’t on the birth plan at all. However, I’m really happy that our baby was brought into the world safely and that I was able to stay calm and collected throughout the whole experience thanks to our hypnobirthing course. After such a long labour it was so incredible to finally hear Ollie cry and hold him. It made all the intensity worth it. I feel like the hypnobirth c-section was super positive as it was the route that delivered our baby to us.”
Want to know more about a hypnobirth c-section?
This birth story really shows the power of hypnobirthing. Not only was Francesca able to stay calm in what could have been a difficult situation, she was also able to ask questions of her care givers to make the best decisions for her and her baby. She also listened to her body and knew which path to take, even though it wasn’t her original birth choice. The most important part of my job, and the most rewarding, isn’t how you birth your baby, but how you feel afterwards about the birth.
If you want to find out more about birth options and how to prepare yourself for positive experience, contact me here.