The Birth of Joseph

I started getting pains at 9am but thought it was just trapped wind so carried on at work even staying an extra hour! I didn’t have a clue it was labour thinking surges must be a lot worse than this and I had no show or waters breaking. Mike was at work and I told him everything was fine and just breathed through the pain and carried on as normal. I even drove home from Wakefield thinking I just needed to have a good ‘clear out’.

 Then by half 3 Mike had come home as he was worried about me and all his work colleagues were telling him I was in labour! I didn’t think I was! Mike thought we better call the birth unit as I got a bit of spotting which I haven’t had at all through pregnancy and the intensity of the surges now stepped up and were every minute. I could not sit down and the pressure in my behind was incredible -no bouncing on the birth ball for me, I couldn’t sit down so just did my yoga wall positions of circling the hips.

We then set off and driving through Calderdale rush hour on that bypass was a blur as I just had on the piano music and was in a deep state of relaxation with a lavender and clary sage hanky which belonged to my dad and a couple of paracetamol.

Once we got here I relented on the vaginal examination as I had it in my head things were still at an early stage and we were going to be sent home again. She said I was 4cm and things just progressed nicely from there with my show arriving shortly after.

There was only another couple in at the suite so they said did I want to look at a water pool and I said no but they kept suggesting I have a look at it. Once I saw it I knew straight away it was the place to be and Mike got to work with setting up the tea lights.

He was a god send reminding me to drink water and keep counting as it’s amazing how such simple things were the most important.

I stayed in the pool for a good few hours breathing through the surges and all along I kept thinking things are going to get a lot more intense so to keep breathing. Then I felt a pop and even more intensity in my behind and I asked if I could try some gas and air during a surge.

I still was smelling the hanky in between and it was just a lovely atmosphere and I had no concept of time just listening to the piano music and swaying in the water focusing on the affirmations of my body knows what to do and my baby and I can do this over and over again.

I knew exactly when to start breathing down and incredibly strong humming really helped at this point with the crowning phase. There were five surges of Joseph coming in and out but because the midwife just kept so calm with us I still felt things must be ages off yet. They weren’t and he came soon after in three surges with Mike catching him and we were both in shock it was a boy. A moment we will never forget.

The midwife commented on how it had been a long time since she had seen a couple work so well together and that is what Hypnobirthing taught us! The breathing and visualisation made things ‘manageable’ which is why I kept thinking things must get worse than this if that makes sense. I had a little tear but they said I could leave it to repair itself so I’m very happy about that.

Thank you again for everything you taught us and being part of our pregnancy journey.

Vic and Mike, Huddersfield