"3cm dilated to 90 minutes later my baby in my arms!"

If you've been following me for a while then you will recognise the names in this blog, as I worked with Hannah and Paddy to prepare for the birth of their first baby in 2019 and their birth story of Malani is on my website. Hannah's first labour was a particularly long one, but she writes here about how she got through it with the support of her partner Paddy, her Hypnobirthing techniques and a true trust and faith in her body. I was lucky enough to work with them again in the build up to the birth of their second baby and Hannah has been kind enough to share her second birth experience with us too. This is another perfect example of VE's being pretty pointless, the importance of trusting the labouring mother and how being proactive with working through your fears can have a massive impact on your labour and birth. Enjoy the read!

"My 2nd pregnancy- my first pregnancy my partner and I did the full 1:1 hypnobirthing course with Terri and it was so valuable to us it completely changed the outcome of how my birth could of gone after a long 40 hour labour! I had a great birth, unassisted and in the birth pool with just gas and air.

Coming through this pregnancy with a 1 year old I had little time to think and take time out to plan for the birth. I started to re read my hypnobirthing books and tools we got from the course a few weeks before I was due but all of a sudden I had a looming fear that I would not be able to cope with labour. I am not sure really why as I had a great previous birth, however the fear was getting worse so I contacted Terri and we did a Hypnobirthing refresher course in preparation for my birth and it made a huge difference. I began to feel in control and knew exactly how I wanted it to be thanks to Terri's guidance and tools.

Saturday 23rd October I began to feel like my body was starting to get ready and had a feeling labour would be soon. Early hours of Monday morning 25th October (Kaiah's due date) I started with mild contractions that I was able to sleep through. Around 8am my surges were coming every 5 mins and lasting around a minute, I waited at home and prepared for my daughter to be looked after by her Grandparents while sitting on a yoga ball and bouncing in between contractions, having contractions and entertaining a 2 year old is a challenge. It got to around 9:30am and I called my midwife as I was due to see her at 10am for a previous scheduled appointment- she advised to go over to the birth unit as it seemed like my labour was progressing.

We got to Truro birth centre around 10:15am I was seen and waited in the triage room for around an hour where the midwife didn’t think I was in labour because I was so calm. We got moved to a suite around 12pm as I started to feel uncomfortable and needed to get comfy. There were an uncertainty if my waters had broken on Saturday evening obviously making me over the recommendation of 24 hours - however the midwife was great and supported us though this and made sure we wouldn’t have any interventions. Around 2:30pm my labour changed dramatically and I knew she was coming, I asked to see how much I was dilated and was told I was only 3cm. I thought that this can’t be right, I knew she was coming my surges completely changed and I needed to bear down. I asked if I could get in the pool and usually they wouldn’t allow it as I wasn’t classed by dilation in active labour but our midwife could see the changes and said yes to get in. I also asked for gas and air at this point too - but once I was in the pool I couldn’t really use it as I was focusing on what was going on with my body so completely no pain relief. About 30 mins of being in the pool my waters broke (so they didn’t break previously) 55 minutes after Kaiah, our beautiful little girl, was born in the water happy and healthy at 15:56pm.

My birth was relatively fast and my labour wasn’t long either - it really goes to show about trusting your body as it knows what to do from being 3cm dilated to 90 minutes later my baby in my arms. We were home by 8pm and all tucked up with our new addition. Again my partner Patrick was amazing guiding me through each step and I really couldn’t of done it without him he really had faith in me at every step of the way and I can’t thank him enough. Thanks to Terri for reassuring me and giving me the tools to help me get through it as I did. Also thanks to our midwife at Truro birth unit Claire who was incredible and allowed me to do what I needed to do without any issues the whole team who supported us were fab!"

If you have done Hypnobirthing before and would like a refresher course with your current/next pregnancy then this is something that I can support you with. I can help to get your back in the Hypnobirthing zone, refresh knowledge, build confidence and remind you what a total badass you are!!

Email me on info@cornwallhypnobirthing.co.uk to find out more or book your refresher course.

Why I Love Water Birth!

I'm a big fan of using water a tool during labour and birth. My own baby was born in water, and the sensations of getting in to the pool for the first time when in labour will probably stay with me forever - it was heavenly! But why do so many people love it?

Birthing in water can provide a calm, warm and private environment for labouring people. Evidence has shown that labouring and giving birth in water reduces pain sensations and can provide a calmer entrance into the world for baby. The warmth of the water helps to relax muscles and helps to reduce certain chemicals known to induce stress, anxiety and fear. The water offers a multi-surface touch, a sensation that confuses the receptor sites on our skin, as our brain can only decode so many sensations at once, which aids to reducing the perception of pain. When floating in water, the strong effects of gravity are reduced and we can experiences a feeling of weightlessness, which in turn facilitates a birther in changing positions easily with minimal disruption or effort.

Benefits of birthing in water:

Provides natural pain relief

Can help labour progress quicker

Reduces risk of intervention

Reduces chances of tearing

Promotes Relaxation (reduced stress related hormones)

Promotes easier movement

Dr Sara Wickham writes the following in her article 'More Benefit of water for birth' - The results of two recent research studies have added to our knowledge about the benefits of water for birth.

The first, a Swedish comparative study by Ulfsdottir et al (2017), found that women giving birth in water had a lower risk of second-degree perineal tears, shorter labours and significantly less interventions (including artificial rupture of membranes, internal CTG and augmentation with synthetic oxytocin). There were no differences in Apgar scores or admissions to neonatal intensive care unit and the women reported a more positive birth experience. Three of the babies in the waterbirth group were noted to have cord avulsion and, while none of them were admitted to special care or suffered any complications as a result, the study authors remind midwives to watch out for this problem, which can easily be solved by clamping the cord.

The second study is The Waterbirth Project: São Bernardo Hospital experience (Camargo et al 2018). This quantitative observational study analysed the maternal and neonatal outcomes of 90 pregnant women who gave birth in water at São Bernardo Hospital in Portugal. In this study, being in water also reduced the time that the women were in labour. Nearly a third of the women did not have vaginal examination and 57.8% either had no tears or just a first degree tear. The authors noted that the babies’ Apgar and Aqua Apgar (a specially modified Apgar score designed to be used for waterbirth) scores were excellent.

As Camargo et al (2018) conclude, “These safety outcomes, based on sound scientific evidence, should increasingly support and inform clinical decisions and increase the number of waterbirths in health facilities. The results of this study align with growing evidence that suggests waterbirth is a safe delivery option and therefore should be offered to women.”

In Cornwall we are so lucky to have 3 wonderful birth centres with the option of water. Penrice, Helston and Truro birth centres all have birth pools available, and remember you are guaranteed water at home if you invest in or hire a birth pool. Talk to your midwife about water birth options, water should be available to everyone and is a valid form of pain relief (thanks, NICE Guidelines!) Things like VBAC, high BMI and gestational age should not affect your right to birth your baby in water. If you want to learn more about your options, I cover water birth and birth centre on my full antenatal Hypnobirthing course. The next one is in January (16th and 23rd in Newquay) and is available to book via my website. I also have 2 spaces available for private Hypnobirthing throughout December. Email me at info@cornwallhypnobirthing.co.uk to arrange a free consultation or to book.

"The most incredible and powerful experience. I cannot wait to do it all again!"

You're in for a real treat reading this birth story. I met Katie and Tom about half way through their pregnancy, and we worked together doing a private Hypnobirthing course. Katie had a very clear vision of what she wanted from her birth experience - and she has been kind enough to share how it all played out. Enjoy!

" I knew from the moment I found out I was pregnant that I wanted to give birth at home in the water. Hypnobirthing was recommend to us by family members and I followed Terri’s account for a while and felt that Terri’s personality/style was suited to both me and Tom.

I woke up at 4:30am with a heat like sensation in my pubic bone area, I was lying on my right side which I normally never sleep that side so I just turned over and thought nothing of it. 10 minutes later I felt another warming sensation again I just thought my body was adjusting to me moving and the sensation returned another 10 minutes later and from then I knew I was in labour. I woke up Tom and told him that I thought I was in labour, to which we both agreed it was far too early and I needed to go back to sleep. But me being way too excited at the thought that our baby girl could be on the way I went downstairs, had some toast and the surges were coming very regularly between 8-12 minutes lasting 30 seconds. I went back to bed around 7am and I was able to get some sleep until about 8:30am. When I woke up I was still having regular surges I decided to text Terri and let her know. I remember this part of labour can be quite long for first time mums so went about our day as normal. Collected a Tesco’s click and collect and by midday I said to Tom it could be braxton hicks as nothing really seemed to be happening and I also felt no pressure, had no waters breaking and my plug was still intact. We even did a belly casting kit about 1pm in the afternoon. Tom was great and was keeping me fed with snacks and hydrated.

At 4:30pm 12 hours since the start of labour I was getting impatient I felt I was making no progress, I decided to walk around, play some music, we both enjoyed this having a dance. As soon as I stopped moving my surges would go back to every 10 minutes so I remained lightly active and this is when my surges came two in 10 minutes. We called the midwives to let them know I was in labour about 5:30pm and we would require them later on. After this phone call my surges increased in intensity and were lasting longer, I was still having two in 10 minutes. I found leaning over my chest of draws or on my knees leaning on the bed helpful and Tom was using a light touch technique on my back. We tried to use a tens machine however I did not experience any back pain and I just found it didn’t really help.

At 7pm we thought it was best I get in the pool as my surges were now much more intense, getting in the pool was so amazing. Me and Tom worked through the surges together, I was quite vocal now using noise to focus throughout my surges. Me and Tom cuddled through each surge. We called the midwife when I was getting 3 surges in 10 minutes which was around 8:30pm and she arrived at 9pm, she read through my birth plan and then asked me if I wanted a vaginal check which I declined and said I would ask if I wanted one, she then sat quietly at the table. By 10pm another midwife arrived, I was very much in the zone by this point and was focused mainly on Tom so I really had no idea what was going on around me.

My surges were now very intense I felt as thought they were now overpowering me and I started to struggle I lost focus and felt I could no longer go on. Tom was incredible at this point giving me love physically holding me and reassuring me Terri said this would happen. On reflection I was well and truly in the transition stage. By 11pm I asked for some gas and air, which really had taken the edge off for me, I think by 11:30pm my surged changed right at the end my body started to bear down, it was so strong! I stopped using the gas and air then and focused on this part of labour.

From then I transitioned into the bearing down phase of labour, my body was literally just bearing down and pushing I had no control and my body was doing what it needed to do. After I had been bearing down for an hour the midwife became intrusive of my zone and wanted to check that I was fully dilated (even though they had already told me there was signs I was 10cm) and she could do this in the pool, she got herself ready to perform this task and Tom had to step in and say no wait she hasn’t answered you yet. Tom gave me some encouragement/positive affirmations that again I didn’t need this and I knew my body and I declined the vaginal check again. I was told they would need to start to see baby’s head in the next two surges…I was so determined that by the 3rd surge my waters broke, from then I could feel her head descending down!

I felt incredibly powerful and knew that I was going to meet my baby very soon. I beared down with my body following it’s lead and my baby moved down smoothly stretching my perineum beautifully so I had no tears, once her head was born Tom jumped in the pool and with my next surge she was born into the water. Tom caught her and put her on my chest, the midwife also helped at this point as she thought baby was trying to take a breathe, so they lifted her together. We spent some time in the pool together and I then wanted to get out after about 30 minutes. We then rested on the sofa taking in our little girl and after 45 minutes Tom cut the cord, the cord was white and had stopped pulsating. Tom then had skin to skin with Hallie upstairs, whilst I tried to get my placenta out, which I struggled with so the midwife helped me.

Me and Tom have been in amazement since she’s been born, she is so incredibly beautiful, just perfect in every way! Me and Tom really had the best experience. Tom was absolutely amazing throughout labour, he gave me so much strength and energy, we really worked as a team! You really have given us the best experience of our lives through hypnobirthing, thank you so much Terri, xxxx"

Hypnobirthing can support and build on a positive birth mindset. Often people come to me with a lot of fear to release and unlearning to do, and my course can really help overcome barriers, however Katie is a great example of how Hypnobirthing can beautifully support an already positive belief of birth. No matter where you are in your pregnancy and your mindset, my Hypnobirthing course can be a real gamechanger. If you'd like to find out more, grab a place on my next free Hypnobirthing taster session on the 5th December at 10am on Zoom. Click Here to grab your place.