Here we have the wonderful birth story of Molly Jean. She was born on the 5th June at 6.50pm at home in water. It was a planned home birth, supported by amazing Mabena community midwives and using Hypnobirthing. Thank you to Kate and Ross for sharing their experience with me for you to read, enjoy and be inspired by.
"I have been following Terri’s social media stuff for a while and knew that when the time came it was exactly what I wanted for my pregnancy and birth experience. For me the investment was 100% worth it, and I’m a firm believer in only getting out what you put in, and for me I didn’t want to just ‘wing it’. I did a private course from home starting at 28 weeks and that allowed me enough time to prepare, as well as being close enough for me not to forget all I had learnt!
I was due on June 5th and never thought that would be the actual day I went into labour but I woke up at 6am with mild period like cramping, which almost felt like it could have been an upset tummy, and after initially dismissing it, it became apparent within an hour or so that this must be early labour. The feelings were coming and going often enough for me to notice and begin to time them using the Freya app.
I was really hungry so made sure I had a big bowl of porridge (which was just as well, because I then couldn’t eat anything for the rest of the day), and jumped in the shower while having very clear surges at this point.
By 10am I took myself back upstairs to be alone and to focus on my breathing and remain calm while my husband stayed downstairs to prepare for the birth and blow the pool up as well as create a nicer space with dimmed lights and comforts - and not forgetting the huge dust sheet and duvet set up we had to protect the sofa and carpet!
I was either on my birthing ball or on the floor leaning over the bed, while listening to music and either the Freya app (counting out loud) or my hypnobirthing tracks that Terri gave me. It was at this point that I was actually physically sick and knew that was my body’s way of preparing for labour and birth. At this point I felt ready for the TENS machine and felt instant relief when I could press the ‘boost’ button when needed. My husband was running up the stairs to me every time I felt a surge coming on, and supporting me throughout using various pressure points on my body to distract me while they were happening. This system worked perfectly for the rest of the day as it turns out.
We rang the midwife unit at Treliske at around midday to inform them that things were happening, and then again about 2pm to say that we thought we needed to see someone. My husband was now with me constantly as I didn’t want to be alone, and he was counting aloud with me and generally being my rock. I couldn’t have done it without him. He was just as invested as me in the experience and I really felt like we were in it together. He really felt like he benefitted hugely from the knowledge aspect of Terri’s course, and continued to reassure me at various points that things were developing as they should be.
Our midwife arrived at around 3pm and asked if I wanted to be examined on the bed, to which I agreed as I wanted an idea on how far I’d progressed over the previous 9 hours or so. I was approx 3/4cm at this point, so with no immediate rush she popped home to get prepared and said she’d return within the hour. I was told that the baby’s head was extremely low at this point. She also instructed us to get the pool filled up and at temperature.
After a while it became impractical to remain upstairs as I needed the support of my husband and he had to fill the pool and deal with that (along with a minor issue on the tap adapters - nothing a cable tie or two couldn’t fix!), so I managed to get down to the living room where I pretty much stayed, bouncing on my ball constantly. The surges were really regular and I wasn’t bothering to keep time on them anymore but used the Freya app for the counting (4 in and 8 out) and this helped me to remain really focused and in the zone.
At 5pm our midwife returned and by this point I was feeling each surge with quite a lot of intensity and was definitely ready for a change of scenery from the ball. Thankfully the pool was ready and I hopped in just after 5pm, and the relief that it gave me was amazing. Instantly I felt much better and was delighted to be in there!
Things slowed down slightly and there was a suggestion that I may have to get out the pool, but something in my head must have clicked because there was no way I wanted to get out, and within a couple of minutes things really ramped up again. At about 5.30pm our second midwife arrived, and then a bit later, also a third (who was in training) - we had such fab support from the Mabena community team. It was around this time that I felt like my body began to start pushing, and I just went with the feeling and tried my best to use the ‘down breathing’ technique I had learnt with Terri.
Molly was born at 6.50pm weighing 6 lb 7 and my husband caught her in the pool and put her straight on my chest. We didn’t know what sex she was at this point, and it was a great surprise to discover we’d had a little girl. What an amazing feeling! We had lots of skin to skin, and waited for the cord to turn white before it was cut.
I remained in the pool to deliver the placenta naturally, which took about 50 minutes or so, and in the end gravity seemed to do the trick! My husband was on the sofa with the baby on his chest. Once out of the pool I joined him, and then found out that I required no stitches (much to my surprise - this was something I was dreading previously!) and it was only after she was born that I realised I also forgot to ask for gas and air, so had nothing in form of relief other than the warm water and a tens machine. The hypnobirthing breathing techniques, and the knowledge I had to trust in the process really got me through, and helped me to remain totally in control the whole day.
Overall an amazing experience at home, and if it wasn’t for Terri’s course I don’t think I would have considered a home birth - but what better feeling than being in your own surroundings and feeling safe in doing so. For anyone considering a home birth or investing in Terri’s course, I would definitely recommend. Luckily for us our ‘Plan A’ worked out, but even if we had to deviate from the intended, I feel like I still would have been equipped to make the right choices and trust in my body. Thanks Terri - we can’t thank you enough"
Hypnobirthing builds confidence in your natural abilities to birth your baby, and fits beautifully with home births. However, it is just for home births. Hypnobirthing is for all births, it helps you remain calm and in control, gives you a range of tools and techniques, helps you explore all your options and also builds confidence in birth partners helping them to feel calm and better able to support their partner during labour and birth.
I have 2 space remaining for private Hypnobirthing in August and September. My next group Hypnobirthing course is full. There is a free taster session on the 4th of August at 7.30pm on Zoom, and my November group Hypnobirthing course is available to book on my website.