A Positive Induction of labour using hypnobirthing in Bolton

Billie was born on Thursday 27th November at 2:41am weighing 7 pounds 12 (a little smaller than the doctors predicted!). I just wanted to really thank you again as the things we learnt during your class really helped us stay as calm as possible during a slightly whirlwind induction process.

I was induced via gel at 1:30pm on Wednesday 26th and by the evening was already having fairly strong pains, which I was managing really well through breathing, relaxation tracks and James's help, although unfortunately he had to leave at 9pm. They decided not to give me another gel at this time as my 'gel pains' were too strong, so I was advised to wait for another 4-6 hours. 

I kept on managing through the pain using hypnobirthing techniques and decided to start timing my surges in an app, which indicated that I was in labour. I was just thinking about telling the midwife when my water naturally broke around midnight and things immediately ramped up to the next level.

My pains immediately got much much stronger and I was examined and told I was almost 2cm and potentially might move to the delivery ward. The hour and 40 mins that followed was the most challenging part of my labour, as I had to deal with stronger and stronger contractions, often back-to-back, without any real pain relief (I just had a small amount of morphine). I was also by myself on a ward with other women, as my husband still wasn't allowed back on the antenatal ward.

During this time I did begin to struggle as I felt a bit ignored and alone, and it was difficult to advocate for myself without my birth partner. In hindsight I think the midwife on duty hadn't realised how much pain I was in so I was left for longer than I should have been.

To get through it I used my birth combs, breathing and vocalisations and bounced on the birth ball, which all really helped, but I was reaching my limit so I was extremely relieved when I was told a delivery room was now available for me and I was finally wheeled down at 1:40am.

I asked for a bath to be ran for me, but as soon as I got into the delivery room everything changed again. I began to feel lots of pressure and felt like my body was pushing already. James hadn't even taken his coat off before I was being examined on the bed and told I was ready to push!

This was quite a scary and stressful time as things moved really quickly and my body didn't quite feel like my own and suddenly there were lots more people in the room. But James really stepped it up and coached me through it and finally I got some gas and air which also really helped!

After an hour of pushing and being really supported by James to trust myself and my body I delivered Billie stood up leaning over the bed at 2:41am gravity really helped.

So I went from 2cm to delivering her in 2 hours 40 mins!

The time after was a really nice restful experience after such a blur of a birth, and we did lots of skin to skin and our first feed. And because everything had gone so smoothly we were able to go home really quickly and walked into the front door at 10:30am!

If you could speak to an expectant parent about to head into birth what would you tell her?

You can do this! I found birth to be a mental challenge as much as a physical, so it's ok to be nervous but I would really recommend using affirmations and visualisations of different birth journeys to help get into a more positive mindset. Building confidence in yourself and your body can really help when things get tough. 

If you could speak to an expectant parent about to head into an induction of labour what would you tell her?

There are lots of bad stories about induction out there and whilst reading or watching them can help you to feel informed about what can go wrong, these worst case scenarios can also be really scary and off-putting. Instead try and seek out positive induction stories or just remember that every birth is different, and even spontaneous labours aren't guaranteed to go 'to plan'. 

Many people can also have strong opinions on inductions so don't feel like you have to explain or even tell others about what you are doing or why.

Also ask as many questions as possible of any doctors or midwives, and don't feel like you always have to go along with what they say. Use the BRAIN acronym to make the best decisions and advocate for yourself and your baby. 

Finally, stay active and move as much as you can during the process. Take good snacks and things to entertain yourself.

How did the hypnobirthing course change how you approached your birth or support you during labour?

As someone who can be anxious and likes being in control of situations, the hypnobirthing course in Bolton really helped me work through my feelings to I could approach my birth with more confidence and positivity. I was also much more knowledgeable about the process of labour, and felt able to listen to my body and what it was telling me. The different tools helped me to relax, breathe and focus when I was experiencing contractions alone with no pain relief.

Would you recommend the hypnobirthing course to an expectant parent?

Absolutely! Aimee was an incredible coach and it was really special to have a dedicated time each week to really focus on my pregnancy and upcoming birth and it sparked some amazing conversations with my husband that I don't think we would have had without attending the course.