a positive induction story
Melissa had her beautiful baby girl earlier this year after completing a private hypnobirthing course with me via zoom. She prioritised practising her relaxation and visualisation and she and her birth partner ensured they knew just how to advocate for themselves throughout the process. Here is her lovely birth story - enjoy!!
Working together throughout the pregnancy journey was key to Melissa and Adam’s success as a birth team.
My birth didn’t go the way I planned or expected, but due to Hypnobirthing I was able to make informed choices throughout my labour. I made an informed choice to be induced due to my baby’s reduced movements. This was causing me anxiety and worry about how she was and I would have chosen to go into hospital for a CTG daily anyway. My partner and I both decided that an induction was the best way forward for us.
I was induced using the gel at 1:50pm on 20th August. This takes 6 hours to work. I instantly got contractions but my partner and I really enjoyed these hours together despite being in a hospital. We had our favourite scent sprayed into the back of a fan, we watched episodes of a crime programme on the iPad and frequently went for walks around the grounds. I sat on the birthing ball the whole time, which calmed me as this is something I had regularly been practising at home.
At my 6 hour check I had dilated 1-2cm, which meant I didn’t need any more gel and they wanted my body to progress by itself. For 6 more hours we walked, watched things and got nice food in. At around 3am, I chose to have my waters broken. I was tired as I had been breathing through contractions for 12 hours so I asked to be given pethidine (I knew my options because of the hypnobirthing course so had already considered this when writing my birth plan). Unfortunately, although this calmed me it did not allow me to rest so I continued to breathe through each contraction and bounce on my birthing ball. I was checked a few hours later and I was 5cm but my contractions were very intense and back to back. I tried to continue to breathe through them but I felt something wasn’t right. This was reflected in baby’s monitoring. My partner had asked lots of questions and was very aware that he needed to get someone to check on us. After consulting with the healthcare providers, we used our B.R.A.I.N. and I chose to have an unplanned caesarean birth, knowing this was the right decision now for us and baby.
I was taken quickly to theatre holding the hand of a midwife and continuing to breathe calmly. 13 minutes after we made the decision to call for help, we heard our baby cry and knew she was ok. My partner and I cried happy tears knowing this was the right decision and we were just so grateful for her being here.
Melissa and her birth partner made the right decisions for them and their baby throughout their birth.
You never know what decisions you’ll make on the day but having the understanding that we had made a huge difference to help us to feel like we had done the right thing.
Want to feel empowered about birth so you can boss the decision making it will involve like Melissa and Adam did? Book one of my courses now.
Yours,
Rhi x
