Every birth is unique. I’m a mother of two and after the birth of our elder son Bryn I knew I wanted things to be different next time round. I had felt out of control and disconnected due to the medical interventions that, I believe, were thrust upon me.
When I was lucky enough to fall pregnant again a few years later I started to search for how I could prepare for a more positive birth this time around.
We found Karen’s Hypnobirthing course and excitedly awaited attending… Even after experiencing birth once before we both learned so much! Not only did we learn techniques to prepare for a calm and positive birth, but about the physiological process of birth – how the muscles of the uterus work, the shape of the birth canal and how to work with my body. I left Karen’s course feeling positive and excited about my next birth and I eagerly began practicing the techniques and learning to be positive and trust and listen to my body.
Throughout the remainder of my pregnancy I was told by multiple medical professionals to expect a small baby. As I listened to my Hypnobirthing affirmations every day, I heard “My baby is the perfect size for my body.” And how true that was.
I went into labour at 39.4 weeks, my surges started slowly and I remained calm and in control. I had a shower and lay down and relaxed at home. A few hours later the surges were growing more intense, I started to enter the transition phase and we decided to go to hospital.
When we arrived I was wheeled in and went straight into the birthing pool. I was feeling a lot of pressure and I started to bare down with each surge. Slowly my baby made his way down the birth path and I remained in control and calm. The surges were intense and I found myself humming or letting out a long deep “ahhhhhhh” or “mmmmmm”. Those sounds felt so natural and sent a vibration though my body which seemed to help with the intense surges. Remaining calm and fully relaxed in between each surge was amazing and I felt connected to my body and my baby throughout.
After 6.5 hours (only 3hrs at the hospital) our beautiful baby boy was born into the water, the midwife told me to look down and there he was and I reached down and picked him up. I felt an instant bond, it was incredible. He was able to feed straight away and my calm and positive mindset extended to our breastfeeding routine and was so wonderfully different from the stressful first few weeks of struggling to feed my first elder son.
When Keiran was weighed he was 3.22 kgs (7.09 pounds). He WAS perfect. A perfectly healthy weight and in the 80th percentile for height, not small at all!
Our positive birth was an incredible experience that we shall never forget, but most importantly, it gave the best start in life to our beautiful little boy and too.