Proof that hypnobirthing can be used during any type of birth.

Rebecca and Nick attended an online group hypnobirthing course with me at the start of the year. Rebecca experienced a huge challenge at 32 weeks of pregnancy when her waters broke early but she handled it amazingly and had such a positive birth experience, even with all the uncertainty that she faced. We stayed in touch throughout the third trimester and I know how much Rebecca practised all of her hypnobirthing techniques to help her stay as calm as possible. I was over the moon when I received this birth story, you and Nick were absolutely amazing. The biggest congratulations and thank you for letting me share your story, I know how much this will benefit anyone who experiences a high-risk pregnancy.

Hi Hannah

I just wanted to reach out properly and thank you for all your hypnobirthing help in the build-up to baby Jude arriving on Tuesday.

As you know the prospect of birth was a challenging one for me due to the nature of my job and whilst I knew that the fear of birth would never completely go, hypnobirthing with you made it possible for me to control that and have faith in my body.

Even in the latter weeks of pregnancy, experiencing PPROM (preterm premature rupture of the membranes) at 32 weeks altered our birth preferences and we had to shift our mindset.

We felt equipped to do that with your help and the tools and techniques.

When it came to labour itself, I felt a painless ‘pop’ in my tummy on Monday afternoon at about 4pm and didn’t think too much of it. At about 7 pm, the rest of my waters broke and I started experiencing tightenings about 1 in 5. Normally we would have planned to stay home and manage the latent phase but due to the PPROM, we knew we needed to be in the hospital fairly early for Baby to be monitored.

With the tools you equipped us with, I knew the importance of travelling to the hospital in as much of a calm state as possible, keeping my eyes closed so as not to boost any adrenaline and using earplugs to drown out any distractions when we arrived at triage at about 9pm.

I chose to be examined and my cervix was still closed at this time. Whilst initially disappointed, I was able to recall our discussions that this gave no indication as to how quick or otherwise my labour might progress.

I stayed in overnight and managed the tightenings well.

By 11 am the next morning, the contractions were quite intense and I have to say I struggled more than I anticipated. I accepted pethidine but again made informed choices from our course and weighed up the pros and cons. The main reason I opted for the pethidine was that I knew I needed my oxytocin to stay boosted and me being in pain and distressed wasn’t going to help that. I do believe accepting the pain relief at a time that felt right to me helped me.

I was on my own at this point as Nick hadn’t been able to stay overnight and with us not knowing what was happening, we agreed for him to go to work as normal and I would update him. I should have called on his help much earlier to be honest, as when he did arrive I coped much better and realised then just how important birth partners truly are.

Progression from 1cm dilated to 5cm in 1 hour

From moving to the birth centre at 2 pm for gas and air and being 1cm dilated, I progressed to 5cm in 1 hour and then to fully dilated in a further 2 hours. Throughout taking the gas and air and during the whole labour I coached myself along with Nick’s help to breathe in for 4, out for 7. I kept my face relaxed knowing this would help the cervix relax. I listened to my body when I needed to push, I would probably be lying if I said I breathed him out as it took quite a lot of effort in the end but I trusted my body.

I spent most of my established labour in a knelt position over the bed headrest despite being on the CTG. Being sat/laid on the bed with monitoring was not a comfortable position at all for me and again through hypnobirthing I knew I could request to be mobile; something that wasn’t routinely spoken about in the hospital until I asked.

When it came to the final pushes to get him out I was probably in the least favourable position, on my back with my legs in stirrups. However, I also felt comfortable enough to trust my instincts at that moment and the advice of the midwives around me, as Jude was becoming distressed. In less than 15 minutes he was with us.

Nick and I have both reflected afterwards and said that the hypnobirthing tools and techniques not only helped us feel prepared for the birth but helped us both to cope during it. We would recommend hypnobirthing and in particular you and your wonderful approach to anyone.

Thank you
Rebecca and Nick - Barnsley Hospital x

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