Kirstin’s Calm and Healing Hypnobirth with Induction

Birth Story by Kirstin, Hypnobirthing Mum

“I found it really manageable with all these techniques… 5 hours in and I instinctively wanted to change positions. I laid on my side on the bed with a peanut ball between my legs and on each contraction I internally rotated my top leg to open the lower half of my pelvis, allowing baby to move down.“

I was induced at 41+4 days. Considering the hospital was pushing for induction from 39 weeks, I felt good about being induced then. I was induced with my first, Rahnee, so knew what to expect. I wasn’t scared of the pain and having done the Hypnobirthing course with Kate during my first pregnancy, I knew what techniques worked for us. My hubby Ven and I make a great team and as long as I had Ven, I felt fully supported. I had total faith in us!

I was admitted 5pm Friday 5th August and had one lot of gels overnight then was off to the birth suite in the morning. I met the midwife who was on for my labour, Hayley, and a student midwife, Shae, asked to be a part of it too. They were lovely and I felt in good hands.

We had a chat about how I wanted the birth to go. My waters were broken and there was a little bit of meconium so they gave Ven and I an hour alone together before I had to go on the drip to get labour fully underway. In total labour only lasted 6 hours and I felt really good the whole time!

I started on the birth ball using hypnobirthing breath techniques. Closing my eyes, leaning over the bed and breathing through them. I spent some time standing and leaning over the bed also. As labour progressed I used a heat pack for back pain and Ven did counter pressure on my lower back for all of my contractions. When he needed a quick break, Hayley or Shae stepped in for a few moments to do counter pressure or sit with me.

I also used visualisation during my contractions, predominately floating over waves in the ocean as well as thinking about meeting my baby, seeing him coming out and seeing him and Rahnee meet for the first time. For some contractions I repeated hypnobirthing affirmations in my head especially:

• Every surge brings me closer to my baby

• I breathe up with each surge and my body remains loose and limp

• Oh what a beautiful day, the day I meet my baby

• My baby is finally coming to me and I am so excited

• I am excited to hold my little baby in my arms

• My body opens up and my baby moves down a welcoming birth path

I found it really manageable with all these techniques. After 3 hours I also started using gas alongside them. 5 hours in and I instinctively wanted to change positions. I laid on my side on the bed with a peanut ball between my legs and on each contraction I internally rotated my top leg to open the lower half of my pelvis, allowing baby to move down.

Baby started becoming slightly distressed and the midwife suggested a vaginal exam to see what was going on and whether they would need to intervene. I declined, knowing how awful vaginal exams were with Rahnee at that stage. I felt different and so the midwife excitedly said “do you think you’re just ready to push a baby out?” I said yes!

So I got on all fours over the top of the bed and began pushing with each contraction to see if we could see the head. We could! I held Ven’s hand (and almost broke it) to cope as I could no longer use gas. Ven also offered encouragement, telling me our baby is ready to come out, his head is right there, that I’m strong and I got this. I pushed for around 30 mins with each contraction to help him turn the corner. I wasn’t scared and I just kept thinking about my baby coming out and meeting him.

I felt so conscious of what was going on this time around (rather than out of control at the end like my first birth) and kept my eyes closed and head resting on the top of the bed to remain focused inward not outward.

A few more people had come in the room because I began bleeding a bit. The paediatricians had to be present as well because there was meconium. But none of these things took away my focus.

A senior midwife came in after 20mins or so to assist as baby started becoming distressed again and suggested I get into a kneeling lunge position on the bed to push. This seemed to be working well and baby was right there ready to come out.

He was a bit stubborn and so the senior midwife said they will need to do a little cut if I can’t get him out on the next contraction. That was enough to make me determined to get him out and I did a huge push and he came flying right out!

I bent between my legs and scooped him up from the midwives hands who caught him. I was so happy that he was here and he was with me. The baby doctors were happy with how he looked and didn’t need to take him off me to check at all. They left and he stayed on me for 4 hours. Finally I had that “golden hour(s)” time I didn’t get with Rahnee.

He wanted to feed within 2 minutes of coming out and latched perfectly immediately. The antenatal expression I did allowed for lots of colostrum to be there immediately for him. He fed on and off over the next four hours which made what happened to me during that time a bit less bad.

I lost 350ml blood at birth and in total I lost 900ml of blood. They had to give me lots of different drugs and injections, internal and external massage to stop the bleeding and remove massive clots due to the placental membranes shredding a bit on their way out. I also found out I had torn in three places from his fast exit and had local anaesthetic for the sutures. The birth was nothing compared to this. It was brutal and painful going through it all with no epidural and I felt so overwhelmed and touched out in the end all I could do was cry.

But I had my baby with me and just focused on him. Ven was by my side the whole time reassuring me, comforting me and helping baby stay attached to the boob when I was in a lot of pain.

They got the bleeding under control eventually so I didn’t have to go to theatre. Everyone cleared out and it was just us, Hayley and Shae again. We thanked them for all their help and support. It was so nice this time to have no change in care during the labour or third stage. Shae said how lovely it was to be part of such a calm birth from beginning to baby out (something she hadn’t experienced yet) and how much she learnt of different calm birth techniques. And Hayley described me as a silent ninja!

After the 4 hours I really wanted to shower because I was totally covered in blood and heaps of baby poo! So I passed him to Ven to do skin to skin and the midwife helped me shower. My sister in law dropped home made stew from my mother in law to the hospital and Ven collected it and fed it to me. It was the first proper food I’d had in 24 hours and I was so grateful.

We headed up to the ward and baby continued feeding well and began cluster feeding that very night to bring my milk in quicker. By the morning I was off all drips, had my catheter and cannula out and final blood checks to ensure I was okay after the big loss. I have Haemachromatosis so my haemoglobin levels were actually great and I didn’t need an infusion.

We chose to have no hospital visitors this time and spent the day just the three of us. I stayed in bra and underwear the whole time to do lots of skin to skin and Ven also got plenty of skin to skin time as well. It was a time we’ll truly cherish all together relaxing and resting

My transitional milk was in by Monday morning and the little man is a champion feeder so far. We had all our last checks and were home by 10.30am Monday.

I am so glad I got to have such a calm birth this time (I know the brief aftermath wasn’t so much!) But I have found it so healing after the trauma I had with my first’s birth and her being taken from me for 12 hours.

All through my pregnancy I innately knew this baby would bring about healing and peace and I was so right. We feel so blessed and loved up with the new addition!

Thank you for your support and all the incredible techniques you taught us ❤️