Many of our regular blog followers will know that I began to suffer with SPD during my pregnancy and by 30 weeks I was having physio once a week and regular Reiki treatments to try and manage the pain. I couldnt lie on my back and knew that I wouldnt be able to lie on a hospital bed and give birth in the same way I did with my first daughter. Having met Lee from Amazing Births at networking events I co-ordinate, I booked for my partner and I to go on the hypnobirthing course with her. Lee sent me the book beforehand and the whole premise of hypnobirthing just made total sense to me. We did the 4 week course and by the end of it, my lovely other half was even more enthused than I was!

 

This is my very personal birth story ....
 
At 38 weeks, when I woke at 2am with discomfort in my lower back, I suspected that this was the start of our daughters arrival, I began breathing in the way we had been taught in the classes. I sat on my birthing ball and breathed through the surges, confident that it would be some time before we needed to call the midwives, however baby had other ideas and by 3am the surges were coming faster and stronger. My other half  went to inflate the birthing pool and call my mom and the midwife but typically no one answered! Eventually mom called back and was on her way over, incase my daughter awoke whilst I was in labour. By 3.30am my waters had broken and the midwives had rang to say that they were on their way, however I told them that so was the baby and I could feel her moving down.
 
All the time this was happening, I was in a completely relaxed state, concentrating on my breathing, listening to my hypnobirthing affimations on the CD and watching my poor other half still trying to sort out the birthing pool!! My mum is still in awe of how relaxed we both were and instead of having any medical intervention and hospital staff telling me when I was dialated and needed to push, I could just feel baby moving downwards with each surge. I suddenly felt her head bearing down and two surges later, she was delivered into Andrew's arms. The midwives arrived 20 minutes after baby did!
 
The whole experience was completely natural, relaxed and totally amazing. Our little princess arrived within 2 hours of me waking up, without any drugs, midwife or medical intervention. There were times that I doubted my ability to completely relax but our amazing birth is a testament to the power of hypnobirthing. It is a gift to any woman to be able to give birth on her terms and at her pace and this was a truly unique and unforgetable experience.