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29 Aug 2022
Our truly incredible andpositive experience!
We had a long and arduous IVF journey over 3 years with multiple failed IVF rounds before Jess became pregnant with Quinn. It was going to be our last IVF round before we moved onto adoption; so she really is our little miracle.
Once I got past the agonising initial 12 weeks worrying about miscarrying, I knew I wanted to do a hypnobirthing course as I’d been recommended to hypnobirthing by a few friends. The reviews for Rock Your Birth were brilliant so we signed up for the group in-person course. It was honestly the BEST decision we made. The tools Anna’s course gave us along with the techniques I’d learnt in my antenatal yoga class were invaluable.
I’d been having growth scans throughout the pregnancy as Quinn was measuring on the smaller side and the advice throughout was that it was likely an induction would be recommended due to her small size. Induction was the one thing I really didn’t want, so it took me a while to get my head around it; especially as no one could really explain why induction was the best course of action when there were no signs that anything was wrong other than Quinn being small. When I was 40 weeks + 5 days pregnant, I was advised that an induction was best because Quinn’s stomach growth had dropped off. I was pushed very hard by a doctor to have an induction on the day of that scan but we used the BRAIN tool that Anna taught us to consider our options and I decided I wanted more time to think about what to do. After 24 hours and a further conversation with a lovely midwife who answered all of the questions we’d written down, we decided to go ahead with the induction. Once we made the decision, we relaxed, went to the pub for a drink and had takeaway pizza.
We were called by Birmingham Women’s Hospital at around 9.30pm to come in that evening. We’d already got most things ready; Freya packed things up into the car while I sat in the garden doing some breathing exercises to calm down my nerves. We arrived at 11pm, I had a sweep and a 24hr slow release pessary put in. The midwife explained the induction process in full. My sweep showed my cervix was still very much closed and far back at this point. The midwife was lovely and advised that first time mums often need the 24hr pessary and two further 6hr pessaries so I felt like I knew what to expect. Freya set up our little cubicle with our affirmation cards, tealights, essential oil pillow spray and after a couple of hours she went home. I tried to get some sleep and when I couldn’t, I relaxed and watched downloaded programmes on my tablet. Anna’s course had given us a lot of these ideas for tools to use to stay calm and be patient. Being on the induction ward really showed me just how useful Anna’s course was; I felt calm and used my affirmations to stay patient, whereas I could hear other women crying and becoming very upset and frustrated. I felt so grateful for the tools I had.
Freya arrived in the morning to be with me. I’d had some cramps overnight and then started getting some mild contractions so I felt hopeful things were progressing. I made sure that I ate at each meal and had a shower to keep my energy levels up. We went for a walk around a local playing fields to get some fresh air; seeing the dogs in the park definitely increased my oxytocin! I also had a nap. They monitored Quinn regularly for her heart rate and her movements. I felt pretty calm throughout the day, and excited to meet our little girl.
I was examined around midnight; there had been no progress so I was given a 6 hr pessary. Freya had gone home by this point; she kept sending me videos of our dogs to keep me smiling. I had a second 6 hr pessary at around 6am; my cervix was only 1cm dilated at this point and still very far back. The midwife gave me a sweep as well to try to get things going; this was very uncomfortable but I was offered gas and air for my sweeps if I wanted them which I didn’t realised would be available.
A Doctor came around to see me and advised that if I wasn’t dilated enough for them to break my waters after the 6 hrs then they would be advising a c-section. I found this useful as it enabled me to prepare for this eventuality which seemed to becoming more likely.
During the second 6hrs I started to get very strong contractions, I’d put on my tens machine in the morning which I felt really helped me. I hadn’t known about tens machines until Anna’s course. Freya and I went for another walk in the playing fields; being outside and moving felt good and Freya helped me breathe through each contraction. We met a lady who was walking her dog with her family who told me that I was incredible and she was in awe of me and she was so genuinely excited for us it was lovely. I used my birthing ball consistently when I wasn’t up and walking around, it helped me to keep moving while I was sat down and helped with my breathing.
When I was examined after the second pessary the doctor said my cervix was still closed and that he was recommending a c-section. I was very disappointed as my contractions had been coming every 4-5 minutes so I really thought something would have happened. But the doctor was so lovely and kind; he told us he was so sorry that we weren’t going to have the birth that we hoped for.
At this point I had prepared myself for this possibility and Freya and I had written a c-section birth plan as Anna had advised which really helped as we didn’t have to think about what we wanted - we’d already planned it.
I had to wait 6 hours before the c-section and not eat during this time. I was still having contractions so continued to breathe through these with Freya’s help. The wait was difficult and exciting in equal measure; we spent time outside talking and both of us had a cry. Freya was worried about me having the c-section; during one of Anna’s sessions we’d talked as a group about our fears and Freya’s was that something bad would happen to me or to Quinn. We knew this though and talked about it together during this wait and crying let some of these emotions out. My tears were mainly due to all of the overwhelming emotions that came from knowing we were about to meet our daughter.
We had a friend who is a midwife who was working while we were there; she offered to stay over her shift with us and take pictures during the c-section. This was amazing as we have pictures ‘behind the curtain’ of Quinn being born and of Freya cutting the cord.
I found the whole experience of the c-section very positive. We were lucky because it wasn’t a rushed procedure due to an emergency. Everything was explained to us and we were able to play our own music and have skin-to-skin which were the two most important things for us. I also took in a scrunchie with essential oils on which helped me. I used deep breathing to stay calm. Freya was incredible and the professionals were so kind and patient. It was an absolutely magical experience meeting our daughter for the first time; no words can quite do it justice.
We had a rocky week or so after the birth as Quinn had an infection and I had postpartum hypertension which meant we stayed in hospital for 9 days. During this time I continued to use my hypnobirthing tools. Our affirmation cards stayed up on the wall in hospital for the whole time! We used the BRAIN tool for decision making, and I did a lot of breathing techniques for relaxation!
The tools we gathered by taking Anna’s class and my antenatal yoga class genuinely turned a potentially stressful birth into a truly incredible experience. We cannot thank Anna enough.