Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with first time mum Oliwia and the arrival of her baby boy, Denver. Oliwia used EBRAN to make the decision to accept an induction following a few bouts of reduced movement and had a quick delivery using gas&air for pain relief at 39 weeks and 3 days.
Ahh can’t believe its time to finally write my story and only such a short time after giving birth due to how good my recovery has been which I think is all thanks to this course! My pregnancy had been perfect up until about 36 weeks with everything always being spot on and bump measuring on the 50th percentile line. At 36 weeks I had my first episode of reduced movement so went to get checked over and all the monitoring was perfect however I just couldn’t feel the baby move much inside me.
From 36 weeks to 38 weeks I had reduced movement about 3 times so was sent for a scan where everything was measured and fine however baby was measuring to come out at around 10lb at full term – a consultant was contacted and it was then decided that due to the reduced movement and baby measuring a good size I could be induced a few days later – I decided to go for it as I was so tired of pregnancy and not being able to feel the baby properly was worrying.
My induction was booked for 8pm on the 10th Sept and I had 2 sweeps prior to that, one on the 7th and one on the 9th – I was not dilated whilst having these done however midwife said my cervix was softening! Me and my partner made our way to the hospital on Friday for 8pm, when we got there the midwife told us to get comfortable and then she would come back to explain everything.
After examining me, due to still not being dilated the midwife had decided a 24 hour pessary was the best route for me so she went ahead and popped that in just after 10pm on the 10th – she also advised that if it doesn’t work then I can get 3 x 6 hour gels put in and if they don’t work then a hormone drip would be the following step and also said to be prepared to be in for around 5 days (I was disappointed hearing that but just had to go with it of course).
Around 11pm the midwife advised us to just get comfortable for the night and try and get as much rest as possible as it can be a long process. My partner was very tired so I give him my eyemask and let him doze off however I couldn’t settle as I was so excited and anxious at the same time! At around half 2 in the morning I finally decided to try and sleep and dozed off not long after as I wasn’t really having any pains or anything like that so thought I may as well try and rest! I was woken up at around 3:30am with a ‘pop’ sound in my belly and went straight to the bathroom however there wasn’t any water there. My back pain started to get really bad so I quickly woke up my partner and got him to put my TENS machine on however things were ramping up so fast the machine provided me with no relief!
After around 30 mins I buzzed the midwife to ask for some pain relief and was giving paracetamol – I tried bouncing on my ball and taking that however the pains in my lower back were unbearable and I was struggling to control it, I tried to breathe through these pains as well however again I was losing control but attempted to stay as calm as possible and remembering what I learned on this course. One of the midwives came back in and ran me a bath and tried to calm me down by saying ‘this is just the start it could still be days’ so I can confirm I was not too impressed with that however I tried to get in the bath and relax but each pain that came along was getting stronger and I could not be still when they were happening so had to jump out the bath, pacing around the room.
The pains were just getting worse and even timed the contractions on my app to make sure I could potentially be in active labour however the midwife did not believe me and did not examine me as it was ‘too soon’ – I was so so upset by this as I wasn’t allowed any more pain relief and the paracetamol that I was given I ended up being sick with so I decided that the only way to ‘stop’ these contractions and get examined was to pull my pessary out as the midwife told me before inserting it they can come out easily when peeing/wiping etc!
After pulling it out nothing had stopped however I buzzed a midwife and she hooked me up on the CTG to check baby and see if I was contracting however I was really struggling to stay still and the readings kept going off – I was eventually examined at around 6:30AM and was already 6/7cm dilated with NO pain relief and I really couldn’t believe it! As soon as this was found out the midwife phoned the labour ward to get me there and was able to try and get me some gas and air.
The time between going from the induction suite to the labour ward was such a blur as my partner had to quickly grab our things and I was trying so hard to focus on my breathing and staying calm I can barely remember anything however I was put on the bed in the labour suite and said to my midwife ‘I feel like pushing’ she quickly grabbed my gas and air and examined me to find out i was 10cm – this was around 7:45 and I was then able to just start pushing.
All of this happened so fast and our baby boy was born at 8:31 on the 11th of September just 5 hours after my first pain and I could not believe it! We had skin to skin straight away and the relief of pushing him out and then the placenta was just AMAZING and I have never felt so good. I did tear a little bit however hardly anything there and can barely feel any pains etc and I was all stitched up and eating toast and tea (the best ever btw) by half 9 with my baby boy lying next to me!
My whole birthing experience was amazing especially as a first time mum and also being induced I really couldn’t believe how quick everything went! My recovery has been great, practically stopped bleeding already and I was out a walk with our baby boy yesterday in a pair of jeans – felt so good to be me again and our boy is only 3 days old!
I’m so so thankful for this course and everyone I ‘met’ (online) along during my pregnancy as birth was the only thing that has ever really scared me and I cant believe how amazing my experience was even though it wasn’t what I had in mind especially as I got induced and was expecting the worst so anyone having to be induced please don’t let it upset you, your birth will still be amazing! This positive attitude is all due to this course so thank you Beth and a big shout out the September group chat that kept me going through all my worries.
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with first time mum Laura who delivered baby Robyn via cesarean section. Laura’s labour progressed naturally, but following some dips with her baby’s heart rate Laura used EBRAN to decide a section was the best option for delivery. Laura describes her cesarean section as a calm experience.
In the early hours of Monday 30th morning I had some period type pains which came and went, from about 5am, but they eased off after a few hours. So I got up and carried on with my day, went for a walk etc. Around 5pm that evening the period cramps got going again. I settled on the sofa with Greys Anatomy and just tried to relax to see of things would happen. They slowly started ramping up a bit, bouncing on my ball helped. My husband cooked tea and we had some dinner. By 7ish they were definitely coming stronger so I ran myself a bath, spent 2 hours in there and used my breathing when each contraction came.
Once I got out I felt it was time to call the hospital, just to let them know things were starting and we’d probably be in at some point. They told me to call when when the contractions were closer together. I then had my bloody show, which did panic me slightly, I knew to expect it from the course, but it was more than I thought it would be. I called triage back and they reassured me this was normal.
My husband helped me put the Tens machine on which definitely helped. I got to the point where it was too uncomfortable to sit down so I spent my time swaying through my contractions. The worst part of the pain was in the tops of my thighs! It was around 11pm so got into bed and tried to rest. This lasted about 10 minutes as I just felt I had to be upright and moving. Would definitely recommend a Tens machine!
Things continued to ramp up and we called the hospital just before 2am and they said to come in. We arrived and they checked me and I was 5cm! They didn’t have a bed on delivery suite so advised we go for a walk (not ideal). Though I did appreciate the fresh air. After another hour or so we went back and waited to be taken to delivery. Finally got taken around 3 hours later. I’d asked for gas and air by this point, would also 100% recommend! I carried on swaying through my contractions.
Unfortunately there were no pools, but once in our delivery room they ran me a bath, which was so nice. Obviously had to take the Tens off, but still had the gas and air. I think my waters may of went at this point, but it was hard to say!Midwife checked me at 7am and I was 6cm, was a bit disappointed as I felt things had ramped up so was hoping to be further along. She asked if she could break my waters if they hadn’t gone and I agreed. There wasn’t much water, but once this was done things definitely went up a gear. I found I’d have one stronger contraction which was much harder to breathe through and then one not so bad. Again, the worst pain in my thighs, but I still didn’t want to sit down!
Around 9am they checked me again and I was 7cm, at this point I was exhausted and asked if there was anything else I could have. They didn’t want to give me pethidine as babies heartbeat was a little low at times, so suggested an epidural. This wasn’t in my plan at all, but after reading through the risks I decided to do it, so I could get a bit or rest and hopefully relax to speed things along. They wanted to do a blood test from babies head to check oxygen levels and also put the monitor on her head. Not going to lie, in between contractions this was not pleasant, the gas and air got me through.
Once they’d done that they administered the epidural and I have to say it was amazing! Took around 20 minutes to kick in, but wow. I could finally relax a bit. My husband went to get some food at this point. The bloods from baby came back on the edge of normal so they said they would monitor and repeat in an hour and I seemed to be stuck at 8cm dilated. Baby had also turned back to back.I wasn’t allowed to eat in case of c section so to watch my husband eat a toastie and lemon muffin, so jealous.
The blood test was repeated and the result was just below normal. Her heart rate was dipping on and off so they advised they thought a section would be best to get her out safely and the fact I hadn’t progressed any further than 8cm.. I cried at this point, think out of exhaustion and being overwhelmed. But I knew it was best for her and me.
The section was actually so calm and despite my husband nearly passing out in the corner it was such a calm experience! Our beautiful girl was born at 12.48pm weighing 6lb 10 and was worth every single second of pain / discomfort. I’d do it all again for her.
Even though it wasn’t what I wanted at all and nothing went to plan, the course definitely prepared me for every outcome and I felt calm making decisions. Technically the section was classed as an emergency, but I never ever felt panicked and I would say I had a positive birth!
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with first time mum Amber. When Amber’s water broke it was evident that their was meconium in her waters. Initially, Amber worried about what this meant for her initial birth plan of wanting a water birth. Amber requested mobile monitoring and this was accommodated, and she was able to labour in the shower. Amber also used EBRAN to decide on the best pain relief to use during labour. Amber’s baby required some intervention towards the end of his delivery and his cord was cut quickly so he could receive some support from the birth team before being places on mum’s chest and allowing her to enjoy some infamous tea and toast.
The last few weeks of pregnancy are hard, but nothing prepares you for being overdue. The endless ‘any signs’ texts, the pineapples, bouncing, raspberry leaf tea and dates.
I’d been in early labour since 40+4 having on and off contractions but nothing seemed to progress. At 41 weeks I had my first sweep, I was feeling so optimistic, I was told I was 1cm dilated and she would book me in for another sweep at 41+2 but didn’t think I would need the appointment. I didn’t find the sweep uncomfortable, much like a smear test. The day after nothing had really changed, still having on and off contractions and I lost my plug.
Skip forward another 24 hours, I had my second sweep and my contractions were ramping up so I called the birth centre. ‘Take 2 paracetamol and sleep I was told’. I couldn’t bare the thought of resting and things slowing down again so my husband and I decided to keep moving and as active as possible.
At 8pm we went for a huge walk, came home I bounced some more and spent most of the evening lunging around our flat, finally going to bed at 11pm. Two hours later I woke up, needing to run to the bathroom. My waters had broken and I had the movie style gush, however this is where things changed, my waters were green and murky. I was devastated knowing my MLU and water birth dream was over.
I called maternity triage who advised that I would have to birth in hospital as it sounded like baby had poo’d. This was it, I had to face my fear and set foot inside a hospital.
We arrived at the hospital at 2am, covid tests etc out the way, I was examined and was told I was 5cm and as soon as my midwife arrived I would be wheeled up to delivery suite. I asked for gas and air at this point as I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Just gone 3am we were wheeled up to delivery suite. I had discussed with my midwife how disappointed I was that I couldn’t have my water birth and that I didn’t want to be stuck on the bed due to continuous monitoring. She was amazing, understood completely how I felt and said she would be back in 10 mins. 10 mins passed and she arrived with a box on a strap. This telemetry box allowed them to monitor me all the time I was wearing it, as long as I didn’t get it wet I could labour in the shower! I spent the next 3.5 hours in the shower, moving the shower head around as I felt contractions coming and going, without the need for gas and air.
6:30 arrived and my back was so sore, I had always said I wouldn’t consider an epidural but at this point I could barely stand. I spoke to the midwife and she suggested ‘sterile water injections’. I’d never heard of them before but used EBRAN to understand the risks, complications etc. So the downside to sterile water injections is that they are just under the skin and you need 2 lots of 2 injections done one after the other and I was told it would feel like bee stings. That was no exaggeration, thank god for gas and air at this point. However as soon as they had been done the pain in my back disappeared.
At 7am there was a changeover of midwives meaning I now had one senior midwife and one student midwife. I was examined again and I was 7cm – wahooo. At 9am the consultant came round to see me and said they would examine me at 11am and she thought baby would be here by 1pm. At this point I was getting tired so laid on the bed on my side with a peanut ball. Things were really ramping up now, I was tired but the thought that my baby would be here in the next 4 hours kept me going. Just before 10am I asked to be examined as i felt the need to push. I was examined by the student midwife who was adamant I was still at 7cm, I was disheartened but also adamant that the baby was coming so asked to be examined again by the senior midwife. She confirmed I was 10cm and ready to push.
I listened intently to the midwives and pushed when they told me too and stopped when I was told too. I was absolutely petrified of tearing and needing stitches but listening to their instructions kept me focused. My husband screaming that he can see baby’s head, I birthed his head and suddenly my worst nightmare, all I heard was ‘there’s going to be a loud noise and a lot of people are going to come in’. My husband seemed to disappear to the back of the room as midwives and doctors entered. He had got stuck and needed to be pulled out. His cord was cut immediately so they could pop him on the emergency table and check him over.
The relief when I heard his cry was unlike anything I had felt before. I cried, my husband cried it was such a surreal moment. They placed him on my chest and I instantly fell in love.
I was extremely lucky and didn’t require any stitches or anything, I had a first degree graze. The midwives had said I followed every instruction they gave me and they believed this was the reason I got away without any tears
After skin to skin and Arties first feed we were wheeled up to postnatal. My only gripe is that I wasn’t offered the famous post birth tea and toast
We spent our first evening together watching England in the euros before being discharged the following morning.
Baby Arthur
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with first time mum Sophie and the arrival of her little girl Isabelle. Sophie delivered her girl at 39 weeks and 3 days using gas&air for pain relief. Sophie used EBRAN during her labour to help herself make informed choices and says she felt empowered and fuelled with knowledge.
I’ve been inspired by so many different birth stories on this page (The Bump to Baby Chapter Facebook group for those doing the course) and I’m so happy to be able to share mine. Thanks to this course I felt empowered and fuelled with knowledge.
I started feeling what I thought were light contractions on the Monday and Tuesday evening. They felt like very mild period pain and were about 12 minutes apart and lasted only 30 seconds and were not hurting at this point. I was booked in for my sweep Wednesday and when I had it the midwife was delighted as the baby was engaged and I was already 2cm, so she was positive that this was going to get the ball rolling. About 1 hour after my sweep the contractions began, 4 minutes apart for about 30 seconds. They continued throughout the day but didn’t change intensity or duration so I went to bed on the evening as normal.
I couldn’t get much sleep that night as I was too excited and the contractions were waking me up. At 5am on Thursday 5th August, the contractions began to get stronger and lasted for a minute every 3-4 minutes. I decided to get up and take a few paracetamol and go get showered and ready. I rang the hospital to let them know that I would probably be coming in today and that I planned to stay at home as long as I could. My contractions continued coming every 4 minutes so I practiced my breathing from the course, kept active by bouncing on my birthing ball and standing up swaying side to side, and even managed to take the dog for a 30 min walk.
At about 13:00 (whilst eating a sandwich) I felt a sudden gush of liquid and ran to the toilet. My waters had broke! With that the next contraction was extremely strong and the intensity had increased, I knew it was time and I needed to get to the hospital. (A lot of people had said to me that you’ll know when you need to go to the hospital and they were right!) I shouted my husband and we grabbed the bags and made our way to the hospital. I kept calm in the car by playing spa music and breathing through the contractions.
After sprinting up 6 flights of stairs at the hospital to the maternity ward (I was not waiting in the queue for the lift), I went to the reception where they could see I needed attention immediately. They put me in a room for an internal examination. I quickly went for a wee and saw a lot of blood, this along with the intense contractions made me go in a panic, and I lost control of my breathing. The HC assistant calmed me down and reassured me this was normal. I began using my breathing techniques again to keep me calm and in a positive frame of mind.
I got onto the bed where the midwife asked me about my waters breaking and began the examination. After a few minutes and to her shock, I was 8cm (no one believed me I was ready to deliver when I came in to the hospital because I was so calm and not screaming). She quickly grabbed me the gas and air, to which I said I feel like I need to push and she said go ahead. I wanted to give birth on all fours so I started pushing this way but the heart rate monitor kept loosing the babies heartbeat so the midwife asked if I could lie on my back. I was a bit unsure at first as I wanted to avoid tearing but after using EBRAN I agreed that this would be the best way to make sure baby was okay.
After 20 minutes of pushing, an amazing midwife guiding me, my husband fuelling me with Lucozade sport and gas and air, our beautiful baby girl was born and placed on my chest! Then not long after having the injection the placenta too was delivered. I only needed one stitch as had a very minor tear, so it wasn’t long before I was tucking into the tea and toast whilst enjoying having skin to skin with our beautiful little baby.
It truly was an amazing birth and I will be recommending this course to future mums.
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with second time mum Justine and the arrival of her surprise baby girl, Eden. Justine remained active to progress her labour and had a water birth.
The birth of Eden Friday 30th July @ 22.53
After baby’s big brother Buddy took just 3.5hrs from first contraction to arrival, I was not quite prepared for the day I had in store 🙈
It all started at 5am!
I woke up with my first contraction, not too dissimilar from period pain. I had been given a successful stretch and sweep the day before, so I just knew this was the start.
I sat and timed the cramps for a while, they were coming every 10 minutes or so. My toddler Buddy stumbled into our room about 5.45am, and this was when I told my husband Dave today might well be the day! We all got up, got showered, dressed and fed, ready to meet the baby!
I rang my mum, who would be my 2nd birth partner, at around 6am to let her know labour had started but we weren’t in any rush, and she made her way over with my step dad who would be looking after Buddy.
My husband loaded the bags in the car and made sure we had everything we needed for when we had to leave.
I spent the morning bouncing on my ball, rotating my hips, clary sage in the diffuser, watching Friends and soaking in all the good vibes excited to meet the baby.
Everything seemed to be on a go slow, contractions would intensify, but then peter out, they would come closer together, then space back out. It seemed when I was on the move, everything would ramp up but as soon as I stopped, everything would calm down. I’m not the most patient person, so I can’t say I found this very fun 😂 I do remember commenting at 9am that with my first, I had a baby in my arms by this time already 🙈
The weather that day was pretty miserable, but whenever there was a break in the rain, me and my mum went out for walks around the village to encourage the contractions to continue and strengthen. Eventually, at around 5pm, they were coming regularly, and were strong, so I continued to sit on my ball and rotate my hips, reminding myself to keep my face and shoulders relaxed, and that this is what my body needed to do.
We fed my toddler dinner, bathed him, and my husband attempted to put him to bed around 6.30pm (early! But he had had a long day too, and ideally he would be asleep when we left). It’s almost as if my body knew it was the right time, and I had to call my husband down as we needed to leave for the hospital. We called the hospital, who asked us to make our way in.
We arrived at Gloucester Birth Unit at around 7.15pm, just in the middle of shift change 🙈
I cried with emotion when we arrived, so glad we were finally there ready to have a baby. We were shown into a HUGE room, with a pool, which I was pleased about as I had desperately wanted a water birth, but forgot to mention it when we rang ahead. As soon as shift change was sorted, at about 7.45pm, our Midwife Ali came in to see me, shadowed by a student midwife. We chatted a while, and she examined me whilst the pool was filled.
Much to my disappointment, I was only 3cm dilated, even though my contractions were regular and strong. As it turned out, which is why it had been stop start all day, baby’s head wasn’t quite in the right position. When examining me, instead of being able to feel the crown of baby’s head she could feel the front fontenelle. So rather than the baby having their head tucked chin to chest, it had it’s head slightly flexed upward. But thankfully, they weren’t sending me home!
She encouraged me to stay active and rock my hips as I had been doing. They gave me a birthing ball to use, and she told me not to be discouraged as baby could just suddenly drop their chin in and we’d be away. I couldn’t use the pool just yet as we didn’t want slow things back down, so I had to just stare at it longingly 😂 She assured me as it was my second baby, my body knew what to do, and we just had to roll with it. She then left me to labour, and said she would pop in to see how I was doing. I used the birthing ball to keep the contractions coming, and intermittently stood and rocked my hips from side to side, and this seemed to encourage the baby to move as my contractions began to come thick and fast.
The best thing I used to cope and get through them was breathing! In for 4, out for 7. Calm, relaxed, rhythmical 😊 And as every contraction came I told myself ‘I can do anything for a minute’. It really helped that I had written this in my birth preferences, as when the student midwife came in to see us at about 9.30pm, she counted aloud with me to keep me focused. I was really beginning to tire and struggle at this point, and she popped out to get Ali the midwife.
When Ali came in to see me, it was evident that baby had moved, and things were well on their way. She told me I wouldn’t need another examination, that she doesn’t like to poke around where it’s not needed 😂 and I could finally get in the pool and make use of the gas and air! I climbed in at about 10pm, and oh my, the pool was absolutely divine! Even my husband commented on how I completely changed once I was in the water – he said it was like someone had put out the fire!
Things moved rapidly from there, and by 10.20pm I had the urge to push. Ali told me this bit could go fast as a second time mum, but I told her I didn’t believe her as my labour had already been longer second time around 😂 Baby’s waters were bulging infront of their head, just to make the last bit that little trickier too 😂 Ali the midwife told my mum (my second birth partner) to get her phone as she thought the baby might be born in their waters and we’d want a photo of it! But as I pushed, they went with a big ‘pop’, the most bizarre feeling. I remember asking my husband ‘what’s happening?!’ in a slight panic 🙈 I could feel the baby’s head had been born, then with one more push there baby was, at 10.53pm, in the water, waiting to be scooped up.
I picked baby up, cried with relief, had a peek between baby’s legs and we could hardly believe she was a GIRL 🥰
I had quite a short cord so had to keep my bum slightly raised so baby’s head stayed out of the water as I sat back for skin to skin.
There was then a little bit of pandemonium. Baby was trying her best, but wasn’t able to take a breath. Ali was giving her a good rub to encourage her, but as a little time passed she asked the student midwife to clamp the cord so they could get baby out. The student midwife said she didn’t know how to do this (credit to her honesty!) Queue a buzzer being hit and a shout of ‘I need a midwife in here’ but this seemed to buy us some time. A midwife rushed in and told me to blow on baby’s face where baby took a big gasp, the panic was over as she cried and began to pink up. I was then able to enjoy skin to skin in the pool and wait for her cord to stop pulsing before dad cut the cord and had skin to skin himself whilst I wobbled out of the pool. Probably the hardest part – getting out when your legs are like jelly! I managed to birth the placenta without the injection, and only needed a couple of stitches for a small tear. Finally having my pool birth was the most amazing experience, even if it did take longer to get there!
And I’m forever grateful for my pregnancy yoga classes and Beth’s hypnobirthing techniques guiding me through when I needed it most.
Baby Eden is an absolute delight, and Buddy is enjoying being a big brother, as are we being a family of 4 🥰
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
Love reading positive birth stories? You’re in the right place! This birth story is with first time mum Charlotte. Charlotte used gas&air and had an epidural for pain relief.
On Wednesday 21st July I got unsightly before midnight to go for a pee.. which was the usual for me. As I stood up I felt a trickle down my leg. I went to the bathroom where the trickle continued. I went to my mum’s bedroom door (as me and my partner are currently house hunting) and told her I thought my waters had broke. She then said to me that I’d be OK until the morning… “I don’t think so” I said to her laughing.
I rang the maternity unit who said to head up to the hospital to get checked especially as I was early and also had slightly low PAPPA. I rang my partner immediately as he was working 1.5hrs away and had to stay overnight. At first he didn’t answer but phoned straight back. I told him I was going to get my things together and head to the hospital.
Once at the hospital I had started experiencing cramps, like period pains, which throughout the night got stronger. I was admitted to the ward at about 2.30am after being checked over. By this point my mum was still waiting outside and my partner had arrived so my mum left and (my) partner came in to drop my bags off before leaving again. I was advised to try get some sleep but couldn’t knowing my little boy was on his way.
My partner arrived back at the hospital at 11am the next morning. By this point contractions had kicked in and were getting more consistent and stronger. I was trying hard not to clock watch. About 1pm I was examined to be 3cm which I couldn’t help but feel disheartened. By 5pm I was admitted to the labour suite. My partner had started getting frustrated seeing me in pain but the labour suite was so busy I just had to wait my turn.
By 7pm I was 7cm dilated. During contractions I used the 4 breaths in 7 breaths out technique which I swear is what got me through. When I first fell pregnant I had told myself I didn’t want an epidural but I was starting to become so tired and thought it’d be the best. This helped me so so much. At 10pm it was midwife shift change. I was gutted to see the two girls leave and wanted them to stay however the next two midwives, one male, one female, were absolutely fantastic. I felt like I had known them for years! They seemed surprised we had packed a speaker for music. When I asked if people usually packed one they said no. We had Ibiza classics playing throughout the evening. By 11.20pm I was 10cm and started pushing. At 00.12 23rd July 2021, little Alvie was born to Fragma – Everytime 🥰
We had delayed cord clamping and my partner cut the cord. It was surreal having my little 5lb 9oz baby on my chest. This course really helped me to learn about my options and what to expect as without it I feel as though I would’ve been going into childbirth blind.
I really feel I couldn’t have had a better experience 💙
Click the link for more information about The Bump to Baby Chapter’s Hypnobirthing and Antenatal Online Course. Know what you can do to stack the odds in your favour for the birth that you want. Videos, checklists, audios & a support group all created by a midwife to get you feeling excited, prepared and confident for birth.
