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Category: First time mum

  1. Positive natural birth at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich

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    First time mum Kristina and her partner Sam share their positive birth experience at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich (London). 

    Key facts:

    • 28th September 2023
    • 1st baby
    • 8lbs 1oz - arrived 4 days early
    • 6 hour delivery with no interventions
    • Delayed cord clamping and Golden hour
    • Minor tearing, minimal drugs

    first-time-mum-queen-elizabeth-hospital-woolwich
     

    4pm

    I started getting leg cramping and what felt like mild period pains. I felt it was the start of the labour but didn’t want to stress so had something to eat, had a warm bath and relaxed as much as I could.

     6pm

    The surges seemed to have progressed so rapidly, I didn’t have a chance to process. My waters had not broke and attempting to count contractions was difficult, although the breathing techniques I learned did help. I also kept moving throughout which to this day I know helped things progress as quick as they did.

     7:00- 8:00pm

    I went into hospital triage as contractions were close to one another. I was examined by a trainee who said I was 3cm dilated. To check I was then examined by the head midwife who said I was one 1cm dilated, which at the time was deflating as well as confusing. The contractions seemed to have slowed down probably due to car journey to the hospital and having to lay down on my back to be examined and other stress factors. I was asked to go home and call back at 10pm when I had progressed further.

     8:15-9:00 pm

    I had strong contractions throughout the car journey home, when I arrived home I was run a warm bath and tried to stay as calm as possible, continuing with breathing exercises. I was feeling more and more pressure with each contraction and my intuition telling me it would not be long. Because of this I wanted to be in an environment where I could get assistance if I needed it so called the midwives again and was asked to go back to triage.

     9:15- 9:45pm

    This time I continued to walk around while I waited to be examined, I could not talk at this point and my legs were shaking ( later found out it’s a second stage of labour sign) My waters still had not broken by this stage but was told I was 6cm dilated and taken straight to the labour ward (I don’t think even the midwife’s expected me to progress so quickly for a 1st baby and felt up until this stage I wasn’t really listened to by triage midwife’s).

    By this point I was zoning out and focusing on myself and the baby.

    10pm

    I was given gas and air which helped ease the surges but also made me feel sick so I tried not to  use often. The midwife overseeing my labour was kind,calm and listened to me. While she set up she had me continue to walk around and also sat me on the exercise ball, within minutes my waters had broke. Not long after I was asked to prop myself on the bed in a position comfortable for me (the knees together feet out came in handy ☺️)

    I was examined again and told it would not be long and to tell her when I feel the need to push.

    I had a small moment where it all settled and I didn’t feel as intense surges as before. I had a drink and was fed some skittles by sam which turned out to be the wrong choice as they ended up being brought up when baby’s head was crowning 😂

    Everything else was a blur, I was told I was pushing for roughly 1 hour 20 minutes before he arrived at 11:56 that night. I did not find out what I was having and when I was able to bring him to my chest and find out myself I knew it was the best decision and that got me through each push.

    I had no music, calming lights or birthing pool as I had pictured but it was the birth I needed. My boy arrived quick, safely and healthy.

    I’d like to think we got each other through the whole experience together.

     -------------------

    Huge congatrulations to Kristina and Sam - thank you for sharing your story to help other parents-to-be!

    --------------------

    Do you want a Positive Birth too? 

    My antenatal Hypnobirthing courses are available both in-person and online, and are designed to be a fun and relaxing experience for you and your birth partner - a real highlight of your pregnancy.

    I offer different formats suitable for every budget as it is important that Hypnobirthing is accessible and affordable for everyone.

    Find the perfect class for you: 

    Not sure which course is for you? Sign up to my next FREE Online Mini-Masterclass to start your journey to a glowing pregnancy, a positive birth, and the best possible start to parenthood!

  2. Positive Caesarean Birth after Induction at Darent Valley Hospital

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    Hypnobirthing is for every type of birth. It's not just for natural births and water births, but it's also incredibly valuable for medicalised births. The most important thing is not the mechanics of how your baby is born, but how you FEEL about your experience before, during and after birth...

    > Did you feel in control?

    > Did you feel well-equipped?

    > Did you feel supported?

    In this Positive Caesarean birth story, first time Mum Aimi tells the story of how Hypnobirthing helped during her C-Section.

    Positive Caesarean at Darent Valley Hospital

    My birth wasn’t a physiological water birth as planned but in the end I was okay with that and felt well prepared for every eventually- much due to the HypnoBirthing course which went through all different birth plans including C section. I had written this ‘plan c’ using the template Laura gave us.  The techniques learnt in the sessions helped me and my partner throughout pregnancy, birth and the period afterwards. 

    As I approached 41 weeks, I was going for lots of walks, doing all the old wives tales and thinking ‘my baby will come when my baby is ready…’ I was calm and started to weigh up options. It was great talking to the other women from the course, using BRAIN and hearing their experiences of a sweep. At my 41 week midwife appointment, I decided to have a sweep. Not the most comfortable thing but using the up breathing technique and remembering ‘floppy jaw’ helped massively. I was 1cm dilated and went home for a long walk. I was getting some contractions and the mucus plug came away. I left the midwife by booking in an outpatient induction at Darent Valley Hospital two days later just in case .

    I got to the induction date, and after much thought and consideration of my options, I decided to go in. The midwives at the hospital were fantastic and spoke through options, never pressuring me into anything. I decided to go with rods- a non hormonal option that expands the cervix. I was still 1cm. Again breathing and staying relaxed, as well as birth partner support reminding me of these things, helped with this. I was happy I chose an outpatient induction and got to go home for a good nights sleep. I slept well and had some more contractions throughout the night. I played the HypnoBirthing tracks as I went to sleep. I had done this throughout pregnancy and so these made me feel relaxed and positive. 

    At 8am, I arrived back at the hospital to have the rods taken out. Firstly, I had a CTG to check the baby. During this the baby’s heart rate dropped and the midwife quickly went into action and I was taken to theatre. As I was wheeled there, I remember feeling calm and going through the positive affirmations in my head. My husband kept reminding me to breathe and did this with me. The baby’s heart rate went back up and I had a cervical examination. The midwife noticed something squishy that didn’t feel like her head. A consultant came to do an ultrasound and they couldn’t tell if the umbilical cord was in the way. We decided that the safest thing to do was a C-section rather than break the waters. I was 2cm now. 

    The midwives, consultant and anesthetist were incredible, keeping me calm, relaxed and positive. I can’t thank them enough. Throughout the whole C section I felt this way and continued with my breathing techniques. This was very grounding and helped both me and my birth partner to focus on something. He was amazing stroking my head and using the affirmations we had talked about in the course. He felt confident and informed of the procedure, having gone through it with my birth plan. We spoke through options with the midwives with skin to skin and delayed cord clamping being important to me. They offered to put on music however in that moment I didn’t want it and felt good just talking to my partner and breathing. The moment we saw our little girl over the screen was emotional and amazing, and so were the skin to skin cuddles with her rooting at my cheek looking for milk. Having arrived at the hospital at 8am, she was born less than 2 hours later at 9.57am! 

    Afterwards I found out that it was jelly from the cord that they could feel, and I was at peace with the birth and all the decisions made, knowing we had taken it step by step and were very considered in these.

    During my recovery, I even continued to play the HypnoBirthing tracks to feel relaxed and get to sleep for naps! I feel very fortunate to have had such fantastic support from the hospital, my birth partner and the techniques and people I met from the course.

    The best thing was feeling empowered, confident and in full control throughout my birthing experience. 

    Huge congratulations Aimi and Nikita on the birth of their beaby girl Eleni, and thank you for sharing your positive birth story!

     

    Do you want a Positive Birth too? 

    My antenatal Hypnobirthing courses are available both in-person and online, and are designed to be a fun and relaxing experience for you and your birth partner - a real highlight of your pregnancy.

    Find the perfect class for you: 

    Not sure which course is for you? Sign up to my next FREE Online Mini-Masterclass to start your journey to a glowing pregnancy, a positive birth, and the best possible start to parenthood!