The Obstetrician said she was surprised that I’d done a lot of thinning gradually, then dilated quickly!

Thankyou Vicki for sharing your knowledge and experience with us during our Hypnobirthing classes in Karratha.

We ended up having a great experience at the hospital especially after we contacted you while we were at the hospital, and you emailed with additional information and support when we were unsure of what to do.

It was very helpful in the process of making decisions.

I ended up being induced nine days past my estimated due date.

The medical staff broke my waters, and we waited a couple hours to see if things would kick off naturally.

They didn’t, so we started on the syntocinon drip.

I had a five-and-a-half-hour labour, mostly in the shower breathing through the surges and pressing on my ankle acupressure points that you demonstrated for us.

I figured out I needed three hypno-breaths per surge, which was really helpful in keeping me calm as when they got intense, I knew they would pass.

I only had two vaginal exams, one at two hours, and a second when I asked for one once I felt a need to start pushing.

In your classes you mentioned it was possible for women to go from 1cm dilated to fully dilated in a really short space of time if they are feeling calm, safe and supported and I went from 2cm at the 2-hour mark, to 8cm at 4 hours.

I was very happy, and I had asked for them not to tell me the progress of my dilation.

The Obstetrician said she was surprised that I’d done a lot of thinning gradually, then dilated quickly.

I ended up needing a bit of gas at the end and birthed lying on the bed, which felt the most comfortable for me.

A mirror was also set up for me, which was very helpful in motivating me to bear down, and my husband was able to deliver our baby Felix, who weighed 3180 grams and was 51cms long.

Once the shoulders were out the midwife encouraged me to reach down and we pulled him up onto me together – it was an incredibly special experience for us.

The staff at Nickol Bay Hospital in Karratha were amazing and they had all read and were on board with our birth preferences.

They respected our wishes throughout the whole process and let us make informed decisions along the way.

Our doula was also amazing.

I definitely think it helped going in fully prepared, informed and confident about what our choices were and also having tools and techniques to help us during the different stages and intensity of my birth.

This also enabled the staff to be more at ease and have confidence in us too.

Thank you again Vicki, your course and advice really set us up for success… and I know all new parents say this, but our baby boy is perfect!

Megan & David
Rural Western Australia
2017