I am the happiest person in the world and the loving mother of 2 beautiful girls, D is 3.10 y.o and V, 9 days old. Both of them I had here in Perth at Family Birth Centre, both were natural births. Yet there is almost 4 years between them and 2 completely different experiences, with last one being a hypnobirth.
Being a registered hypnotherapist, I know that hypnosis is a powerful tool to communicate with subconscious mind and change beliefs, emotions and behaviors. And I must confess, after using it myself in childbirth I would recommend every mother to be to use hypnosis for easy and calm birth.
You contact me directly re recommended hypnobirthing scripts and self-hypnosis techniques, or visit my YouTube channel
And, as announced, here is my story:
My contractions started in the middle of the night, and I got excited yet realized I will need to be well rested for the day of my baby’s arrival, so used my the pre-recorded script to relax and sleep until morning. That was easy as I practiced relaxation so well that was falling asleep before I finish counting from 5 to 1. (this is another benefit of self hypnosis as you will fully trust your own voice once you have the script).
In the morning, my husband took a day off work, took older daughter to a friend, we had a big breakfast (I was soooooo hungry I ate twice as much as usually). I set the out of the office assistant for my mail and warned my team that I am having a day off to have my baby.
I had contractions every 8 minutes yet they were not painful or caused any concerns. We decided to take a morning stroll by the ocean. Just in case labour progresses really fast and we would need to rush to the birthing center, we went to Cottesloe Beach in Perth that is just 15 mins away from the Birthing Centre.
It was beautiful morning, sunny and warm, and there were lots of surfers in the water. I enjoyed the reinforcement of the power of surges and strengthen my visual anchor (“Each contraction or surge is just like a strong tide, coming on and then leaving the beach, with each wave I become more relaxed, calm and in harmony with my body and nature”).
Here is me on the beach enjoying contractions every 3 mins apart while walking and holding hands with my husband.
Around noon, we returned home for lunch and I finished and sent off the designer briefing for my work project. With contractions meeting the criteria of now being 5 mins apart lasting 60 secs, we decided to head to the Birthing Center and arrived by approximately 2pm.
Should I mention I was happy chatting to my husband all the way and being quite positive during the whole journey (it was exactly the same route that we took 4 years before with my 1st child, I was in so much pain and screaming on every bump, which is kind of expected reaction when you are having labour, isn’t it?)
This is me upon arrival in Family Birth Centre, in between contractions.
My midwife was notified, yet after seeing me talking through contractions she suggested that we go home, as I clearly was not experiencing tension during contractions so this may not be “active” labour. Yet after I insisted on the internal examination, it turned out I was 6 cm dilated and in active labour indeed, so we could stay.
I felt so sleepy, that once again I rested with my earphones on listening to the deep relaxation script that I prepared in advance and practiced before labour. Again, I was deeply relaxed even before I reached the count of 1, while being consciously aware of what’s happening in the room (midwife coming, bath being filled, my husband being wonderful person, caring for me and giving me most wonderful gentle strokes on my shoulders and timing my contractions).
Amazingly, I did not recall any contractions, nor ANY unpleasant sensations in my body, just hypno-breathing (deep inhales and exhales), relaxing and enjoying the rest my body deserved while doing all the hard work right now and then.
I was awaken from my peaceful trance when my waters suddenly broke. Immediately I felt the need to go to the toilet, but my midwife said it was not the toilet I needed, it was my baby ready to be born now.
The bath has been quickly filled up and I was helped to get into warm water and in a comfortable position on my knees.
The room was darkened for the birth of my daughter.
Each surge was close together and I felt the urge to push, yet with every such urge, I had to stay calm and mindful of my body stretching to allow the baby to emerge very gently. (I had bad tearing in my first labour and worked hard to avoid the same scenario second time). Once again, having learnt gentle breathing out hypnosis techniques suitable for this stage of birthing, and keeping my mind distracted, as well as following the instructions of experienced midwife, helped tremendously.
I felt my baby’s head, then shoulders and finally she was born at 17:45, healthy and calm waterbaby. My beautiful hypnobirthing baby.
First minutes are so precious.
Unlike in my first birth, I had only one small tear, it did require stitching, yet I could walk and be active same day.
My midwife was very impressed with my preparation and calmness throughout the birth, and to be frankly speaking, I was also, as having mastered hypnobirthing myself, I could totally control my sensations and even sleep through the most painful contractions, which I completely did not expect!
Did Everything Go the Way I Planned?
No! I was preparing for an orgasmic birth, yet it did not happen.
In fact it was so overwhelming to feel the baby descending and going through the birth canal out in this world that I can’t relate to it as a sexual experience. It is unique and deserves a feeling of its own. I am glad I could appreciate it during and after the birth as I reflected on my experience.
Also, the birth anesthesia did and did not work. I was practicing what’s called Glove Anesthesia when you make a part of your body numb as if it was cooled down. Yet in my birth I had not evoke the same level of anesthesia and did have the burning sensation as my tissues stretched to let the baby out.
However it was quite bearable (I would only rate it 2 out of 10 on a pain scale) and I managed to chat along to my baby in between of contractions.
Overall, it was a very good birth! My baby and I deserved it, and we were both healthy and relaxed all the way through.
It is worth mentioning that my baby was born with her cord around her neck and also a cord tired up in the knot (the midwife called it “nature’s knot”). I can only imagine what could have happened in a labour fuelled with other emotions, the ones typically associated with a birth experience. I am lucky my story is different and I am grateful I allowed it to be this way!
And your can be this way, too!
Below are my 3 Tips for Best Birth Experience:
- Learn breathing techniques and hypnotic relaxation
- Release fears and anxiety – there are multiple ways to do so, I will make a separate video about that
- Remove pain perception by altering your sensations. Have fun with it during the preparation and during birth!
Disclaimer: All these is better handled in a trance state.
If you are reading this post and are pregnant, I will be happy to chat to you further about that and assist you in having your own calm and successful birth. Call me on 0401 256 724 for a free initial assessment.