The birth of Miles

“Despite this not being the birth we'd visualised, we were both determined to make it a positive experience.”

Gemma and Stephen completed a group hypnobirthing course with me back in 2021, thank you both so much for sharing your positive birth story with us.

“I was excited to give birth and felt organised”

After completing our hypnobirthing course with Hannah I couldn’t have felt more prepared.  I put our affirmation cards around the house, practiced my breathing techniques every day and settled down to sleep every night with my MP3 tracks playing in my ears.  I was excited to give birth and felt organised. 

I was lucky and had a smooth pregnancy with both ultrasounds and routine midwife appointments reassuring us that everything was as it should be and we had no cause for concern.  We started to visualise our birth and helped prepare ourselves by visiting our local birthing suite, where we chatted with the midwife on duty and shared our hopes for a water birth.  We drove away, excited at the thought of having our new baby with us the next time we’d do that same journey. 

“Weeks passed and my due date came and went”

My phone was constantly buzzing with texts from anxious friends and family asking if there were “any signs?!” but I didn’t mind and repeated my affirmations, reminding myself that I was calm and knew my body better than anyone else.  Two days after my due date I was booked in for a routine appointment with my midwife and was offered a sweep to “help get things going.”  That morning, I made the decision to decline the sweep using the BRAIN technique Hannah taught us.  I was only two days overdue and trusted my instincts; I felt like nothing had changed, nothing was happening and a sweep would make me feel uncomfortable and do little else.  The midwife then advised I'd need to be booked in for an induction as I was overdue and again, I declined and explained I did not want to be induced and was happy to wait for baby to make an appearance on their own.

“We were so shocked”

I did agree to be booked in for a consultant scan one week after my due date as the midwife explained they’d like to check on us both at that point if I’d still not given birth.  I turned up on the day, excited to see my baby on the screen again.  I was expecting to hear all was well and get the green light to keep waiting so was very surprised when the consultant told me our baby was measuring at least 11 pounds in weight!  We were so shocked. I’d not needed any growth scans prior and although I had a big bump, I'd not put on a lot of extra weight.  The consultant spoke to us about the risks involved with birthing a larger baby, such as shoulder dystocia and the lasting effects it can have on baby, and offered us an elective section or immediate induction. 

Taking the time to make a decision

Stephen (my husband) and I were given some time to discuss our options and we used the BRAIN technique to reach our conclusion.  All things considered, we opted for an elective caesarean section and were booked in two days later.  We thought long and hard about the statistics and our options and in the end I decided to follow my instincts and opt for the c-section.  Despite this not being the birth we'd visualised, we were both determined to make it a positive experience.  As soon as I got home I messaged Hannah and shared the latest update with her.  She sent over the c-section hypnobirthing workbook and the MP3 tracks and I set about planning a revised version of our baby's birth.

The day before the C-section

The day before our c-section was Stephen's birthday and we had a lovely day.  Stephen went to the gym whilst I sat on the sofa and made a new birth plan.  Having this time alone to get my head around the change of plan really helped me and I once again felt confident and in control.  I printed my birth plan, closed the laptop and spent the rest of the day celebrating Stephen.  That night we ordered a takeaway and watched a feel-good movie.  It was the perfect way to boost oxytocin before the big day.

“The team responded brilliantly to our birth plan”

After a good night's sleep we woke up the next day feeling refreshed and set off for the hospital.  I played all of my favourite, happy, musical theatre songs along the way to give me a boost and keep any nerves at bay.  We arrived, were shown to our room and started to unpack and make ourselves comfortable.  It wasn't long before we met the team who would be delivering our baby.  Our midwife had given them our birth plan and we discussed it together to ensure everyone was on the same page.  The team responded to the plan brilliantly and accommodated everything we'd asked for.  I was keen to breastfeed and didn't want any ECG dots on my chest which may get in the way of skin-to-skin so they were placed on my back.  We asked for optimal cord clamping and delayed weighing and measuring so we could spend time with our baby immediately.  Again, all of these requests were met.

Using hypnobirthing techniques to stay calm during the c-section

We changed into our hospital gowns and scrubs and had a laugh at one another before taking some selfies and walking down to theatre.  I sat on the bed and was given the epidural, something I'd been really worried about.  I don't mind needles but understand the importance of sitting still during this procedure, which is something I'm not very good at.  I used my hypnobirthing visualisation techniques to relax me and help me focus whilst the anaesthetist gave me the epidural and it was over in seconds.  

“That moment was absolutely magical and one I'll remember for the rest of my life.”

I lay down and relaxed myself with a few hypnobirthing breaths.  Stephen hit play on our wedding playlist and we listened to the songs whilst the operation started.  We chatted with one another and the medical staff and the environment was so relaxed.  I remember looking at the time on the midwife's watch and noticed it was not long after 11am and wondered if our baby would be born at 11:11am...and he was.  As we'd requested, the surgeon let Stephen know the baby was here safely and Stephen peeked over the curtain and said: "Gemma, we have a son."  That moment was absolutely magical and one I'll remember for the rest of my life. 

“Stephen and I felt like the happiest and luckiest people in the world.”

Within minutes, Miles was placed on my chest for those first cuddles.  I remember looking at his face and thinking how surreal it was that he was finally here, in my arms.  For so long I'd wondered what he'd look like and now I could take in every detail of his perfect little face.  I was finally holding this little person I'd felt wriggle around in my tummy for months.  I held him for a few minutes and didn't want to leave go but quickly started to feel nauseous, which can be quite common during a c-section.  Again, I used my hypnobirthing breathing techniques to get through the nausea whilst I was given some anti-sickness via IV.  Whilst this was happening, the midwife took Miles to be weighed and he was 10lbs 4.5oz and most importantly, healthy.  Stephen and I felt like the happiest and luckiest people in the world.

“We choose our hypnobirthing course as we wanted a positive birth experience and we'd got exactly that.”

It wasn't the birth we'd visualised, in fact, it couldn't have been further from the original plan.  My TENS machine was unopened, I didn't get a chance to switch on my fairy lights, and I never got to experience the sensation of a surge.  However, we had the wonderful, positive experience we'd wished for and we brought Miles into the world feeling calm and in control.  It's all we wanted and without hypnobirthing it wouldn't have happened.  When we reflect, there could have been so many opportunities where the power was taken out of our hands.  Without hypnobirthing, I'd never have had the confidence to decline a sweep, the knowledge needed to refuse an induction or the techniques used to make important decisions under stressful, time-bound conditions.  Hypnobirthing taught me to trust my body and my instincts and I'm forever grateful that we completed the course.  Thank you Hannah. 

Gemma and Stephen - Sunderland