Janet, we are so grateful to you for all you have done for us in our pregnancy to birth. We would absolutely not have this experience if it wasn’t for you and your passion to champion natural birth. I will never forget how supportive you were to me in the birth of our son. You are changing lives. I don’t mind you using any photos or our names to do with Hypnobirthing and I am feeling inspired to do more in the future to protect this sacred rite. Thank you Janet x
So here goes the journey…..Here is just one of the hundreds of reasons why I do what I do….(Teach Hypnobirthing and work as a Midwife). With Jo’s permission to share their story and testimony to Hypnobirthing. They booked onto one of my Hypnobirthing courses and immediately I was aware that they would be treated as a “high risk” pregnancy within the NHS, not only due to J’s age (42 years) with their first baby, but also because they wanted to give birth at home.
J and B thoroughly enjoyed my Hypnobirthing course and left feeling confident, empowered and informed. We kept in touch as I do with all my clients. Along the way there were a few challenges within the medical profession. First offer of intervention at 34 weeks, to be induced at 39 weeks due to “age, increased risk of placental inefficiency and still birth”…. I pointed them towards research and any evidence that I could find, including the 35/39 trial which offered women over the age of 35 years, an induction of labour at 39 weeks. Anyone who has read about this trial will know that the conclusion was, that there was no evidence for early induction for the women in that trial, yet it seems that in many NHS trusts it is still being offered. I also asked J if she had been given the risks of induction of labour as well, in order to make an informed decision…..no she hadn’t. I sent her more information on that, as it something that I discuss at great length in classes. They now had enough information to make an informed decision. They declined the offer of induction at 39 weeks. It was always a given that both J and her baby were appearing perfectly healthy, which they were.
So keeping calm, doing lots of relaxations together with B, (who was a fantastic support)using positive thinking, positive language, daily affirmations, visualisation, daily hypnotic techniques as taught in my classes, they were so focussed towards a planned home birth. I would suggest that having a doula at your birth is a wonderful idea, well worth the money. Some birth partners feel a little threatened by doulas, but doulas are there for the birth partner as well, providing extra advocacy and such an important time. Some midwives may also feel threatened, but not me, I see how the role of a doula really complements the birthing environment. I myself worked as a doula for many years before becoming a midwife ! They hired a wonderful doula – Mel Guard.
So , 39 weeks came, 40 weeks came, the odd offer of induction came along the way…..which was declined….41 weeks came, baby still happy to stay inside….By this time very supportive Supervisors of midwives had been to chat as well. The home birth was still their preference. At 41+6, J came to me for some reflexology for relaxation and a “hope” of naturally nudging baby along, although being well aware if baby wasn’t fairly imminent, that she may not go into labour and we had last minute Hypnobirthing chat as well. She left feeling very relaxed, and super chilled out.
On the way home J started with some surges, brill! Then went for her appointment for extra monitoring and a scan that day ( which she was happy to do). Now suddenly her perfect sized baby was deemed very large! Now the surges stopped! So oxytocin went down and adrenaline went up, no surprises there then! So adding into the pot, of “ older” mother and nearly 42 weeks gestation was a “very large” baby… making her even “higher risk”! ( never my words!)
I always urge people to do their own research in addition to all the lots of research that I point them to, I urge them to weigh up risk and benefits on both sides of everything and then make the decision that is right for them, based on solid evidence and confidence, not on fear and lack of or weak evidence. They continued with their planned home birth. That evening I advised that they do extra relaxations and hypnotic scripts, to remain calm, confident and encourage oxytocin…..which is exactly what happened! The surges came back.
So at 42 weeks, labour was underway! And I happened to be asked to do a last minute “on call”, so went out to them in labour, always extra nice when you know the women that you are attending in labour. The room was in very low lighting, there was an essence of calmness, quietness and gentle labouring. Doula Mel was already there, doing what she does best, supporting women physically, emotional and mentally. There was a trust, so crucial that the labouring woman feels safe, secure and unobserved in labour. There were times when B would read the Hypnobirthing scripts to J….and she would sink into a deep place of relaxation, he really was her rock! J laboured in the pool for a while when labour became more intense and powerful, B got in the pool as well to support her, encouraging her and reminding her about her breathing techniques and using anchors to send her into deeper relaxation…as practised on the Hypnobirthing and since the course finished. They really had done their homework and it showed!
Then J got out the pool, moved around, did a quirky “dance” that she said later she had made up, to encourage baby to descend. Baby was was and truly on his way. J never once asked for any “pain relief”. She squatted and changed positions depending on what her body was telling her to do and then knelt down leaning over the settee…with the light and warmth if the wood burner providing a lovely glow. She gave birth slowly, calmly and gently easing her gorgeous baby boy into the world (at 42+1 weeks) into quietness, with her birth partner B, her doula, myself and a colleague. I passed their son to J for warmth and cuddles, then no words were spoken as they sat quietly gazing into their baby’s eyes….placenta still pulsating. After about half an hour, they then checked the sex of their baby. J birthed her placenta physiologically after the cord stopped pulsating and then the cord was cut. Baby had skin to skin with J for over an hour and dad then had some skin to skin too. Baby breastfed beautifully. Their baby was a very average size healthy weight at 8lb 3oz….not the “very large” baby as suggested! No stitches needed.
What a beautiful birth story, (from a deemed “very high risk” woman), from a mother that followed her instincts … huge congratulations to their new family ???. Great team work all around.