Baby Arabella - Born 15.07.2014
Baby Arabella - Born 15.07.2014
I was recommended Shari's hypnobirthing course by a mate who'd done it and I am so grateful, we embraced it and learnt heaps from the course content and folder and from looking up all the links and guides offered throughout, it was very empowering. In practising the techniques Matt and I found we bonded and prepared as a team for the "big" moment. I am a big fan of hypnobirthing techniques, they really worked for me. Getting myself a bag of tricks was the best thing I could have done, at first I thought "ignorance is bliss" and "don't think about the labour itself until it's here" but I'm so glad I changed that thinking because there's no way my pregnancy or labour would have been as calm if I hadn't, I was already having panic/anxiety attacks thinking "what if I need a needle at any stage through my pregnancy or birth? I'm terrified of needles, what was I thinking trying for a baby!" and I'd end up in a frozen-type state and very tense to the point that I kind of pass out, I can hear everything going on around me but I'm non-functioning. "That was going to be handy when I needed to push the baby out", was a regular thought that scared me, of course even the fear of pushing bubbles out was released as part of the hypnobirthing course because you breathe your baby down and don't get prompts to push. Your helpers let you do what your body knows how to do. We used to leave Shari's of a Wednesday night and Offspring would be on when we got home and there would be a miserable lady not in charge of her birthing experience in unbearable pain and the doctors "managing" her. "Well, they would have their hands full with me for sure! It's one day in your life, many women would give anything for this, just suck it up" I resigned myself to but instead of it big traumatic this was a much better way. I can't walk past a dental van or visit in a hospital, how was I going to enter one to give birth? Learning the hypnobirthing techniques made me want a water birth at home but being older and our first baby we opted to stay with the hospital plan in case we needed a doctor handy but now knowing what to expect there was never any need and I now understand the stages in action, not just theory, and statistics say that women at home rarely tear which I think sounds amazing too. I did however have a great hospital experience and really appreciated the advice of the midwives in the following days. We found out we were pregnant at 4 months along, we had actually been to a naturopath about 3 months pregnant to get the worst tasting powders ever to "help us fall". I thought I must have polyps growing, but no, we had a baby growing and so started excitement and fear. We decided to have a gender surprise and our bub Arabella enriched our lives as an unexpected blessing. I was quite scared of induction, even of a finger sweep which we chose if absolutely necessary when writing our birth plan, as I wanted the
natural endorphins and to avoid those needles! At 37 weeks I drank raspberry leaf tea, took some evening primrose oil and sniffed clary sage; I had always walked lots and some yoga. I now realise my waters broke about 10:30pm the night before she came, I thought it was the usual pushing of bub on the ladder but a bit stronger now, I went back to bed and at 230am I felt uncomfortable and a bit manic, I calmed myself on the exercise ball and had a hot shower, I called the hospital at 4am as I found myself rotating my hips and rocking with the slow long breaths. I went in at 5am and was 8cm dilated and had a show while I got under the shower there (they told Matt this, not me, as I requested on the birth plan not to be told). This made sense hearing later though as at the night owl centre which is moments from the hospital I almost asked to hop out I was so uncomfortable in the car. Arabella was here just after 830am and I know hypnobirthing preparation helped me to just go with my body as I was informed and inspired. I loved the calming voice on the cd's and the fear
(false evidence against reality) release track, I also put songs on my player that took me to happy times, I felt so informed and inspired.
As a teacher I've told kids to put their times tables on the back of the toilet door or fridge and this was what Shari suggested that we do the same by placing them all around our house, using the affirmations cemented them and I felt myself grow calmer throughout the pregnancy. The glove didn't help me as I'd imagined placing my hand on the place of pressure and my hands were wrapped around the top of the bed. I loved the technique of walking down the stairs to the control room, the bubble of comfort and floating on the rainbow mist. It helped me regain my focus and also helped me to totally relax.
Between surges I would talk to myself and say re (in breath) lax (out breath) and enjoy the moment rather than tense up, rest my tongue behind my front upper teeth as done in the facial relaxation, knowing that the next one is on the way but nothing to fear as bringing my baby closer to me. You need the restful time and your body just literally surges like a wave, it's impossible to explain but really wonderful (bunnings had great knee pads thick helped me) and I had a little comb for acupressure (being scared of needles so no acupuncture option for me) which I dug into my fingers lots. Light touch massage I loved, I'd be no good with a cheer squad and my hubbie knew to stay quiet apart from telling me good job a couple of times, he said he felt like a deer in headlights, I had my headphones so in my own world and the midwife only moved them slightly I think twice to guide me. I was so busy directing all my loving energy to my baby and she helped me also take my body with me. I remember this and could identify it even at the time as transition stage where I shut up shop, I had the Dr. on one side, I wanted to ignore him so turned my head and there was the midwife on the other, ha, they were quite the team! Arabella's head had come out and back in, the surge didn't quite keep it out, my music track stopped and I was brought back into the moment where I panicked briefly, but I knew our baby was almost here and there wasn't pain but the hard and fast pressure I found was quite overwhelming in that one moment. It was over as quickly as it began, soon after she came I birthed the placenta. I was up and walking around in an hour after a cuddle and a shower, and we had our calm hypnobub xxx
Lorrie-Anne & Matt
Gladstone
To book a face-to-face group Hypnobirthing Childbirth Education course with Shari Lyon on the Gold Coast Australia CLICK HERE
To purchase the Journey to Birth Hypnobirthing Online Course CLICK HERE
