Our birth story was one that did not go to plan at all.

Our birth story was one that did not go to plan AT ALL. I know I will miss some information out as it was a very long day and I was running on very limited sleep but here is what I remember…

Both Adam and I had our hearts set on a natural birth, to use the bath as one of our main labouring strategies and we had organised all our hypnobirthing tracks on the iPad ready to go too.

With only a few weeks left in my pregnancy my midwife became concerned about my rising and high blood pressure, extreme swelling in my feet and our baby boy was measuring to be very large. I also had a high amount of amniotic fluid so with all of these my midwife referred me to the Obstetrician at my hospital and she wanted to induce me a few days before our expected due date as she did not want me to go over. Reluctantly, Adam and I decided that we would go ahead with it as we were given many reasons as to why they believed it was necessary.

We went into hospital on the Sunday night with the plan of being induced using the gel. Monday morning I was transferred into the birthing suites and hooked up to the drip. My body had a few issues with the drip and after hours and hours of nothing happening, the doctors approved for my drip amount to be turned up and this was when the wheels started to fall off slightly for our calm birth plan. The drip sent my cervix into overdrive and I was having extreme pressure pains that were that painful I could not feel when I was having a contraction. Drip was turned down and monitored closely as they didn’t want it to occur again. It was during this time we had our hypnobirthing tracks on to help with my breathing and to calm me down as I was in a lot of pain.

 

 

Fast track to our third midwife (we were there for a long time!) and I opted for an epidural as I was only 6cm dilated and the thought of hours of labouring with extreme pressure pains was not what I wanted, and it was becoming hard to focus and relax. Hypnobirthing tracks were used once again during this. One of my biggest fears has been needles so Adam knew the moment I suggested having the epidural that I must be in a world of pain. Once I got the epidural Adam and I were able to have a few hours rest, by this time it was approaching 11pm and they were beginning to become concerned that I had been hooked up to the drip for a long period of time.

I was given a few more hours to progress and then they wanted to do a vaginal exam to check if I was progressing any further. Harvey’s heart rate started to drop and rise drastically so my exam was brought forward and I was 8cm dilated, however, instead of moving further down the birth canal, Harvey had begun to move away and back up. The last I remember I was told I got to 9cm dilated, however, Harvey had turned, and his back was against mine and he had continued to move away.

His heart rate was still very irregular, and the doctors began discussing the possibility of having a c section as they felt it was the safest option at this stage. It took a little while for Adam and me to agree to this but as they couldn’t guarantee he would move down on his own we decided it was the best option. Adam was given scrubs to wear and in a very short amount of time I was taken away and prepped for the operation.

Doctors agreed it would have been a very tricky natural birth with the position he was sitting in, so Adam and I felt ok with the decisions we had made throughout the process. Obviously not what we were hoping for, however, I went into the experience with a very open mind and knew that if we had to make these tricky decisions that I was aware of the risks and benefits etc from completing the hypnobirthing course.

 

Harvey needed some encouragement when he came out to breathe on his own and then was placed on the scales and straight over to us. Weighing 3.7kgs (so really not a big baby after all) and 49cm long.

We are exclusively breastfeeding, and he has put on just over 100g from his birth weight in a week! He is absolutely thriving, and we are loving watching him grow and learn each day. We have managed some walks outside with our two dogs and I’m feeling pretty good after having major surgery, which has been surprisingly great.

Adam and I both really enjoyed our Hypnobirthing classes with you and learnt a lot, which was our main goal when we signed up. We wanted to be as informed as possible going into the pregnancy and then birth. Thank you again for providing us with all the information we needed to feel informed and ready for the birth of our son. Even though the day (or couple of days in my case) didn’t quite go to plan, we knew what every term meant, we understood the risks and benefits of many of the suggestions they spoke about at the time, and we are just so pleased to have a happy and healthy baby at home with us.

Jess and Adam
February 2020

 

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My name is Vicki Hobbs and I am a Childbirth Educator (Back to Basics Birthing), Hypnobirthing Practitioner, Certified VBAC Educator, Remedial Massage Therapist specialising in Pregnancy & Postpartum Massage, Birth & Postpartum Doula, Certified Placenta Encapsulator, Hypnotherapist, Aromatherapist, Reiki Practitioner and Life Coach. I am a serial workshopper and learner, so that I keep up to date with new research and information so that I can provide you with up to date resources. My focus has always been on the mind, the body and the emotions and how they all need to be in balance for harmony. You can subscribe to my newsletter by adding your details in the box on the right-hand side and when you do I will send you a free relaxation meditation to help you feel calm and relaxed. I am based in the northern suburbs of Perth and can be contacted by email at [email protected] or phone (08) 9303 9111 or click here to go back to my Resources Page for more great articles and information.