Birth Story - Dora
It's that time of the year when lots of birth stories start coming in! I was so happy to hear from Emily that she had her baby, Dora, a couple of weeks ago. Emily and Matt came along to a taster session and then booked onto the July group hypnobirthing course. They were such a nice couple to work with and Emily really took onboard all the strategies and practice. She read lots of additional books, sought out positive birth stories and did so much to ensure that she was prepared and informed. I think her story below is testament to the ways in which hypnobirthing can help with any scenarios that unfold. Please do have a read of her words:
Our little girl Dora Ariadne arrived at 2.02am on the 20th October, we are so so happy. Although definitely a shock to the system! I was induced on the labour ward as my waters had broken and after 48 hours there was still no sign of her coming. So no cosy birth pool or birth centre. I was initially really upset, disappointed and scared however everything we learnt about asking for an explanation and not feeling pressured was absolutely amazing as it gave me more time to calm down (using the breathing and the downloads) and with constant help and reassurances from Matt who was well prepared to navigate all the twists and turns. I also sought out positive induction stories, one of which was on your blog, this helped enormously and meant I could proceed with confidence!! We were able to adapt a lot of the techniques, we created a relaxing atmosphere using the fairy lights, low lighting and music. I stood up despite all the equipment which the midwife said was unusual! And of course we did the breathing. She came quickly on the lowest Syntocinon level, the midwife was very impressed, I like to think the hypno techniques played a role in that. My only regret was that an obstetrician encouraged me to push on my back when I had been on all fours doing the birth breathing. Wish I had pushed back on that one and stuck to my instincts! I managed a natural delivery which is great for the babe and my recovery but there were moments when the birth was very intense. Can’t believe so many women are induced so casually!! The most important thing is that the birth was very positive and I definitely feel empowered by it, which is everything!! Especially considering how much fear of childbirth I have carried with me for years. Can’t thank you enough for your teaching, positivity and for your support after the course which made a massive difference to me.