Birth Stories
'I Genuinely Didn't Feel any Pain'
I felt very slight twinges at about 10am on Sunday morning the day after my baby was due. I do not include this period up to 4pm as labour because they were so slight I wasn’t even sure they were contractions.
At 4pm I got into a hot bath and my husband started to do the relaxation techniques with me, I felt very calm, comfortable and in control. I do not know how long I was in the bath for but I became aware that the contractions were very strong and I could feel the baby moving along, I got a bit worried that I had left it too late to go to the MLU (midwife led unit) but felt so relaxed that I didn’t care and didn’t want to move! My husband soon dragged me out the bath though and drove us to the hospital. On the way I nodded off between the contractions and I think I only opened my eyes once only to find Roger had chosen to take us the long way (I was asleep so he didn’t think there was any rush and this route was less bumpy!), I still didn’t care though.
Once we arrived (having called ahead) we were shown to a room without a birthing pool, my husband went to find out why and was told that I would wait there until I was nearer to giving birth, I sent him back to say I was near to birth but they didn’t believe us and being new at all this I didn’t press the matter.
Then my waters broke and they finally checked on me. They told me I was 8cm already and checked the baby’s heart beat and even we could tell it didn’t sound right, it was very weak and irregular, we would have to go to hospital. At this point all our hard work could have started to unravel but it is a credit to HypnoBirthing that we both stayed calm. My husband could not come with me in the ambulance and although I had been relying on him fully through every contraction I still stayed calm and focused. I remember the ambulance men chatting with the midwife on the way about the birth and they all agreed that I didn’t look like I was in full labour. Thankfully a big contraction in the ambulance seemed to sort out the problem with baby and the heart beat became normal.
Once I got to hospital I gave birth to a beautiful and happy little baby girl in about 40 minutes. She was handed to me straight away and only cried when they picked her up so I could undress and have skin to skin contact (there hadn’t been time before she was born). She slept right through her 1st two nights and still rarely cries. She has slept through the night from about 6 weeks (she only used to wake up at 2am and 6am for food then went straight back to sleep) and nothing seems to faze her. I am sure that this has much to do with the birth she had. It was so calm and easy despite what happened (they think the umbilical cored might have been tight round her neck but they are not sure).
I genuinely didn’t feel any pain, during Amber’s birth, just discomfort, so I didn’t need any pain relief. I will definitely use HypnoBirthing again and I have told all of my friends that they have to do this when they have a baby, it is so worth it.
My husband started out fairly skeptical about the whole thing but went along with it because he knew how scared I was of giving birth. He is now more zealous than me! Wendy taught me to stay relaxed and chilled and taught Roger how to help me to do that. He loved being so involved.
Before I gave birth I did worry that it might not work for me or that I would forget everything in the panic of the situation, I am sure other women will have these concerns as their date approaches but they really have no need, things didn’t go exactly smoothly for me but even that didn’t prevent HypnoBirthing from doing exactly what it is supposed to do!
Laura and Roger Kendall, Donisthorpe
