On my due date I was offered a stretch and sweep. Having attended hypnobirthing classes, I knew that these are estimated & that baby could safely arrive much later. I felt really calm & decided to consider my options, waiting a little while longer.

After becoming quite uncomfortable, on day 8, I accepted. The sweep was really effective & my surges began almost immediately. We had planned for our baby to be born in the pool at Dewsbury birth centre, however there were issues with her heart rate so I was transferred by ambulance to Pinderfields. These issues continued upon arrival & in the end our little girl was born using forceps.

The birth that we had couldn’t have been further from the one we had aimed for, however we both used hypnobirthing to stay calm throughout. I used the breathing techniques all the way through, with my husband counting these for nearly 10 hours! We faced every change together & felt we had a real understanding of our options & which questions to ask. It was empowering to be making decisions based on the knowledge that we had gained during the course.

The midwives read our birth plan & were apologetic that they were unable to fully follow it, I did however still manage to have minimal pain relief & immediate skin to skin. They commented on how well we worked together as a team to birth our baby. I honestly believe that without hypnobirthing we wouldn’t have been able to handle the changes with such positivity & we still talk about what an amazing experience it was!

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