06/02/2021
I love getting feedback from clients who have done a Preparing Parents Hypnobirthing Course.
Below is a review that I received yesterday from a lovely couple who welcomed their first beautiful baby boy into the world at the beginning of January.
It makes my heart burst to know that they had a positive birth experience, and I feel honoured that I was able to be a part of their pregnancy and birth journey!!
“Before doing hypnobirthing, I felt really nervous about giving birth and it felt like something I had to get through and endure rather than being something that would be a positive experience. However, the hypnobirthing course with Emily completely transformed my view of labour to something that could be amazing and, in some ways, I even began to look forward to it!
Fast forward a couple of months to my due date and I was beginning to feel frustrated that there were no signs of baby appearing. My midwife offered to perform a cervical sweep and, as Emily had told us all about this during the course, I felt confident that this was the right decision for me. That night, I had my first twinge and so tried to get some sleep so that my body would be well-rested. At about 4am, I definitely couldn’t ignore the surges anymore, so my husband and I came downstairs, kept the lights low and started watching Friends, pausing every time another surge came along. Emily had taught us about the importance of up-breathing during surges, so I would count in for 3 and out for 6 (the count that worked best for me) every single time a contraction arrived. After about an hour, they were becoming more intense and so I got in the bath and continued to just focus on my breathing and listen to calming hypnobirthing music. Despite the contractions becoming more intense, the combination of breathing, the bath and music meant that I was able to stay at home the whole morning, before making our way to hospital in the early afternoon.
When I arrived at the hospital, my waters broke. I had an examination and was hoping that I would be maybe 4-5cm dilated. Amazingly, I was already 8cm dilated! The midwife quickly started filling the bath as I really wanted a water birth. I was offered gas and air, but I found that it interfered with my up-breathing, so I just continued to breathe every time I experienced a surge. When I was in the bath, my body felt an overwhelming urge to push and I felt the very tip of the baby’s head make an appearance. I remembered what Emily had taught us in hypnobirthing - that gravity helps the baby to come out if you are on all fours - so I got into that position in the bath and started my down-breathing whenever a contraction came along. The midwife let me and my body get on with it, only coaching me to pant rather than push just before the baby’s head was born in order to avoid tearing. 20 minutes after getting in the bath, our baby was born! It was the most beautiful experience. When the midwife checked me afterwards, I was really thankful that I only had a small superficial tear which needed a couple of stitches, but nothing more than that.
Hypnobirthing meant that something I was dreading became an amazing and empowering experience. My husband actually filmed the moment our baby made his appearance and I love rewatching it - it’s a day I love reliving rather than trying to forget.”
If you’re interested in how you too can change your outlook on labour and birth, and have a positive experience, please visit my website or message me!
Www.preparingparents.co.uk
