A forceps birth using Hypnobirthing techniques
I utilised all of my Hypnobirthing tools leading up to my birth. Hypnosis tracks, affirmations, aromatherapy, breathing, visualisations, music, soft touch massage, acupressure. I was prepared for labour and excited to meet our baby...
On Sat 28th November I went into the hospital because I felt like I was leaking a little more than I should. It turned out to be my mucus plug but I was also 1-2cm dilated.
I went home to await labour.
For the next few days I went for an afternoon walk each day, had inducing #acupuncture, went swimming, and walked around shopping centres and baby expos. I would get very irregular surges that would start and stop.
On Monday, after 2.5 hours of walking around the shopping centre, with rest stops which felt like every 3 shops, surges started and stayed constant. I called Justin around 5:30 pm as he was on night shift and thankfully he was finishing early and packing up. We headed into the hospital around 9:30pm. We were given the option to either go home or stay as I was 1-2cm dilated but fully effaced, and I chose to go home.
The drive home was challenging; surges were the same space apart but increased in intensity. I was comfortable for about an hour or so at home before I felt I needed to go back in... But there was no change. I was given a #morphine injection to help help me relax and get some sleep, and I managed to doze between surges for a few hours.
By 4:25am I was 5cm so I moved into a birth suite. From there I found my happy place in the water; it was truly heaven! I was so relaxed my surges slowed down. 2 hours later I was out and kneeling over an exercise ball for 2 hours and back in the water again for another 2 hours.
(It is often recommended to mobilise out of the birth pool after 2 hours, utilising upright and forward leaning positions during this time.)
At 7cm, my membranes were ruptured (ARM) and the midwives added me to a study so that I could avoid syntocinon as was my preference (my midwife and student midwife advocated for what I wanted).
I started struggling with pressure so I requested the gas and by slowing my breathing I progressed further to 10cm. At some point Justin pulled out our Hypnobirthing folio and was reading my Hypnobirthing scripts to me. Both Justin and my student midwife were fantastic the whole time using our Hypnobirthing techniques.
After an hour of bearing down, and being awake for so long, I was exhausted, and could feel bub moving forward but then going back between surges. It felt like he wasn't getting any further. They brought in doctors to review and came to the conclusion that bub was posterior and deflexed. They talked about an assisted birth with forceps but were concerned about his position so they prepped me for caesarean section in case the forceps was unsuccessful.
Our midwife, who again fought for my natural as possible birth plan, reminded the doctors that they told me they would try three times with forceps before resorting to caesarean as a last resort, as I requested in my birth plan.
Thankfully the forceps went well with only one attempt needed to rotate and guide bub down to my perineum. With the next surge he was born at 6:50 pm. 4.2kg, 53cm long with a head circumference of 35cm
Although the birth didn't go to plan A, I got everything I wanted out of my labour and firmly believe that if we hadn't done Hypnobirthing, or we had another midwife who wasn't understanding and supportive of my preferences, our experience would have been completely different.
As we had the forceps delivery, I was given an episiotomy which extended to a third degree tear. We were in hospital for 72 hours to receive antibiotics, physiotherapy support, and help with feeding before going home.
I was home for 4 days before feeling a pop as one of my sutures had split so went back to hospital and was in again for 2 days. On the second day, while the doctors were checking me they noticed a lump on bubs' shoulder and the Paediatrician sent him for x-rays. Bub had a broken clavicle that didn't seem to bother him much, but we were then very cautious with holding him so it could heal.
So that's it. 27 hours from the start of surges to his birth, but it never felt that long and I was truly in a hypnobirthing zone for a lot of the time.
We faced everything that came out way with a calm humour and having a laugh here and there.
I want to thank you for everything you taught us, as we used pretty much every technique we were taught and got everything we could have ever wanted out of the entire experience.
I felt empowered and although it really didn't go to plan and was long and tiring it was absolutely everything and more than I ever hoped it would be.
Breastfeeding was a challenge to start off with but I have no shortage of supply as I was expressing before birth and we're now in a rhythm. And even when it was hard, Hypnobirthing breathing got me through it. The breathing techniques had been so helpful in the weeks after birth; from gong to the toilet with a third degree repair, to having different doctors touching/pressing/checking the stitches, both internally and externally.
They really are techniques that will get me through the rest of my life and hopefully some day in the future another little one.