First Time Mum Zowie, Positive Birth Story. Wythenshaw Hospital.

My birth was the most beautiful experience of my entire life, and not beautiful as in, it was pain free or I sailed through it, of course it was painful, but pain is temporary. I say this because the second you hold your baby in your arms, the pain disappears and a love you can't even imagine fills your existence.

I started my hypnobirthing course with Aimee in the Jan as I was due at the end of March. My pregnancy had physically been great with no issues, the man I had got pregnant to, however was a whole other story, having completely removed myself and my unborn daughter away from him, this is and was the safest thing i could have ever done and he still has and never will have any involvement in our lives.

Turning up to Aimee's beautiful cosy cabin with my own mum as my partner, i can't lie, i was nervous, nervous of being judged, nervous of feeling sadness that my daughter didn't have a dad and that i was embarking on this journey completely alone. I didn't have anything to be nervous about, Aimee not for a second judged me, she made my mum feel welcome and involved and instantly gave me that warm fuzzy feeling i look back and now see was safety.

Completing the course i felt ready to give birth, not just physically (id been doing the birth ball exercises she recommended) my hips were wide and i was told baby was head down and engaged. The days running upto my birth i sat on my birthing ball, visualising my birth, because of Aimee's training Id learnt the journey from babies point of view which changes how you see the whole thing. I knew not to be scared and not to force anything, baby will come when shes ready. The doctors wanted to induce me before my due date, i declined this and a sweep as i knew there were risks (they dont automatically tell you this) again because of Aimees training i knew to ASK and I knew I had choices. It gave me the confidence to listen to my body but respect midwives and their medical opinion also.

On Friday 29th March 2024, i woke up as normal, went to buy some croissants, i said to my mum, i feel like today's the last day ill be able to eat croissants guilt free on a random Friday. I had two hair clients booked in to come to my home salon for haircuts, i was just blowdrying my clients hair and all of a sudden felt shaky, the high professional i am i carried on and checked over her hair, i didnt want to say, i feel like i may be in labour, i remember walking her to the lift and waddling back to my apartment.

I told to my mum " it's happening im in labour" she was amazing, she'd had everything ready and had made a special trip to mine just hours before, (she later told me her mother instinct knew it was going to happen). I went to the toilet and got the 'show' aimee had told me about, i rang Wythenshawe Hospital and they told me to come in, I was so calm looking back, because Aimee had built such a confidence in me as a woman i knew my body knew what to do.

When i got to the birthing suite it was exactly how id wanted it to be, i had my speaker playing meditation music, my crystals laid out and my birthing ball. I connected so much to my daughter i felt like i was on the journey with her. I showered, contractions coming in thick and fast, after being checked they told me i was 3cm, which at that point they said was great, i was riding the contractions, but as it was a back labour (she was back to back) i had a tens machine hooked up to me (another great recommendation from Aimee) i honestly think it saved me, the pain was bad, and the imploding feeling i was getting within my body was honestly unbearable, but with my mum and my sister, (she's my best friend), i knew i could do it. The sounds that came out of me my sister later told me was 'animalistic' i was roaring, mooing, screaming, it wasnt pretty and anyone who says it is, is lying.

Having kept checking babies heart rate with the dopper, Hannah, the most amazing, intuitive midwife, was getting concerned her heart rate was going too fast, still on zero pain relief i had gone from 3cm to 9cm within 3 hours, but with her heart rate harder to detect the amazing Hannah decided i needed to go to the delivery suite so they could hook us up and get her heart rate accurate. They flew me over, through the corridors, roaring and mooing, i cant remember this id mentally blanked out, my sister said people were looking horrified as i got rushed through. Which after, we laughed our heads off at.

Once in the delivery suite, hooked up they could hear the heart beat and said she was either getting distressed or could potentially get stuck, i remember Hannah intensely saying "you have 3 pushes to get her out or were going to have to intervene" my sister kept hold of my hands and told me i could do it and that its going to be ok, the midwife had said "push as if your having a number 2 not a 1" and it honestly helped my focus. On the third push my beautiful daughter arrived, quiet and still, the midwives rushed round and started lightly tapping her, she finally let out a cry to let us know she was here and ok.

As a very spiritual person I honestly believe a mother blanks out of this world and enters another realm, i believe she goes to collect her child and returns to normal consciousness when her baby is in her arms.

I hate to be one of those women who said I meditated through it but i genuinely did, i didnt need pain relief as with Aimees training I let go of fear and surrendered, this has a positive impact on the bodies response scientifically and Aimee covers this in her amazing training.

I also have Hannah at Wythenshawe Hospital to thank for my positive birth as it was down to her being to calm, so intune and leaving me to birth naturally. My birth story could have had a completely different ending, if she didnt arrive on the last push, i think I would have needed an emergency section, and though this takes longer to recover from, as long as baby is here safe and sound thats all that matter.

Im currently sat in Thailand with my beautiful daughter gabbling away next to me, she will be 2 in March 2026 and even though its beyond hard, its so worth it 💗

Zowie and baby Zara x