“Our birth was active, empowering and completely drug free. It was everything I had dreamt of and worked towards. How amazing are our bodies!“
Kirsty, Mother
Although being induced wasn’t in my plan, I ultimately felt it was best for my baby as my fundal height had stopped growing from 32 weeks and growth scans were indicating that the baby was small.
I had a lot of fear around being induced as in my job I commonly hear of and look after babies who are small, who’s mothers were induced, baby becomes distressed and the birth eventually results in an emergency cesarean.
“In the lead up I did a lot of work in the hypnobirthing space including doing fear releases, listened to positive birth affirmations and other tracks, along with reading the lotus flower script and encouraging labour to begin naturally. By the time my induction date came around I had fully accepted and no longer feared it! “
I had lost my mucous plug and had a bloody show, so I knew my body was making some attempts on its own. On Saturday the 24th of October my membranes were artificially ruptured and I was started on the syntocinon drip. Our space was dimly lit with LED tea candles, we had our essential oil going in the diffuser, playlists of our favourite music playing and the most incredible midwife who was one I saw in clinic and knew she had hypnobirthed her own two babies, so she was completely on board and supportive.
I was in active labour for 3.5 hours, during this time I was able to move around freely with the drip and wireless CTG monitoring, which was my biggest concern of being induced – being restricted, but I surprisingly never felt that way. I spent time on the birth ball, toilet, over the end of the bed, on all fours.
“Tom said he could tell when a surge had finished because I would smile. Each time a surge would build I would chant internally ‘Every wave brings my baby closer to me’ and I found great comfort in that. I utilised the surge breathing techniques through out and that in combination with the TENS machines and Toms light touch was so helpful in distracting me from the surges intensity. “
Between 12:30-1:00, through out the surges my body would take over and begin pushing, this bought a bit of fear as I felt I had no control and didn’t believe I was that far progressed, I was having a lot of self doubt at this time and thinking to myself ‘I’ll ask for the epidural with the next surge’ (mind you I hadn’t even used gas to this point). My midwife bought me back with my breathing and I could re-focus, I realise now that I was in transition at that point.
I pushed for two hours and Sonny James Butterworth was born into this would at 3pm with out assistance. I had planned for Tom to catch the baby however when he finally decided to make his way out, it was all in one. The midwife caught him and passed him immediately through my legs so I could pull him up onto me.
No one knew until Sonny was born, that he had turned posterior during the labour, which is why it took a lot of effort and two hours of pushing to get him out.
“Our birth was active, empowering and completely drug free. It was everything I had dreamt of and worked towards. How amazing are our bodies!
We’re so grateful for your hypnobirthing course as despite the induction process we had the most magical experience and I cannot wait to do it all again (in time haha)! “
Thank you for your support!
Welcome earthside baby Sonny!
Sonny, 24th October 2020, weighing 6pd 2oz.