The Birth of Casper

Hello Abby
We just wanted to says huge thank you for everything you taught us during our Hypnobirthing. Baby was born yesterday morning, I had an amazing birth experience and wouldn’t change a thing, here’s our birth story (please feel free to share)

Tuesday morning I woke with period type pains at 4am, these lasted for 1 hour then stopped I went back to sleep and woke at 8am shortly after waking I started with surges very mild and very irregular this continued throughout the day, I carried on as normal.

Once Milo was in bed at 7.30 I settled down to watch TV at around 8pm they started getting a bit more regular I put on my tens machine (which was fantastic) and continued to relax at around 11pm I was having 2 surges every 10 min, we decided to call my mum, once she arrived john rang the birth centre and they said to come in, when we arrived it was around 11.30 they were busy, a lovely midwife showed us to a room where we waited a while she then read my notes, birth plan and did the usual checks. After watching me have some surges she asked if she could examine me, I agreed. I was 3cm but my cervix was still thick she advised us to go home.

We arrived home at 1am I settled myself on the sofa in a comfortable position, enjoying using my tens machine and listened to my relaxing music, at 3am I felt ready to go back, luckily the birth center now had a pool room available which we were taken into around 3.30 am our lovely midwife Natalie came to introduce herself, john spoke to her, giving her my notes and birth plan to read. John dimmed the lights and Natalie did her checks and started running the pool, I asked to be examined and I was now 4cm but my cervix was very thin. I was concentrating on my breathing and enjoying my music and tens machine.

Natalie then advised the pool was ready just after 4am, John took off my tens machine and helped me in, he got me a drink and lavender oil on a tissue for me to smell. The warm water felt lovely, I continued to concentrate on my breathing, visualisations and affirmations each time a surge came, I also really enjoyed the break in surges, I then noticed pressure each time I had a surge, john went to get Natalie, she stayed in the room but out of the way and respected our wishes for a quite environment, I then started to push with each surge I followed my bodies lead continuing with my breathing techniques and affirmations, at 5.51 am our beautiful baby boy Casper was born in the water still in his sack, I pulled him from the water and placed him straight to my chest Natalie helped get him out of his sack, after a few seconds he let out a big cry. It was the most incredible moment as I looked at him and what we had done together. I then fed him and had skin to skin for 1 hour in the water.

We waited for his cord to stop pulsating then john cut it. After an hour unfortunately my placenta still hadn’t come away, I now felt ready to leave the pool so passed Casper to his daddy and requested the injection to release my placenta, once this had happened I left the pool and fed Casper again on the bed. He was then weighed (7lb 11oz)

I can honestly say I had the most wonderful birth experience and there isn’t a single thing I’d change, It was such an enjoyable and relaxing experience all thanks to what you taught us I cannot tell you how gratefull we are for Hypnobirthing techniques it allowed me to have a natural, pain relief free water birth- eveything I had visualised and wanted from the moment I found out I was pregnant. Thank you.

Emma and John, Brighouse