Our beautiful baby boy, Archie James was born on the 20th Feb at 9.50pm…two weeks early and weighing in at a healthy 6pound3. To say he is adorable is an understatement and Andy and I have truly been blessed with a beautiful, calm and alert baby. He brings joy and happiness to our lives every minute and I can’t imagine a life without him.

And now for the labour!! I finished work on the 19th of feb and was looking forward to spending two weeks of “me” time…Archie had other ideas though I had been getting practice surges throughout the final months of my pregnancy which had intensified from the Friday before Archie was born. Nothing too overwhelming, but just a lovely reminder that our baby was getting ready to enter this world! I had enjoyed a very healthy and happy pregnancy and maintained a level of calmness throughout. Completing the HypnoBirthing classes complimented the whole experience.

I had a rather unsettled night on the 19th and was up and down from about 2am. I woke on the Wednesday (20th) and must have been experiencing major “nesting” because I spent the day grocery shopping, cleaning the house, washing my packed hospital bag clothes and baking goodies for Andy. Looking back I should have realised that I was in actual labour as there were moments where my surges were taking my breathe away (to the point where I burnt some of my baked goods), however being my first child, I really didn’t know what to expect and figured my body would let me know when it was time to get serious.

At 5.30pm I knew my darling Archie was getting himself ready as I became rather scattered…to the point where I had to get on all fours in the shower to breathe through the surges. We phoned the hospital at this time (my mucus block had broken) and were told that this didn’t necessarily mean I was in labour as it can happen a few days to a few weeks before giving birth. I explained to the midwife that I could feel my baby making his way down but was still told to hold out and start timing the surges. I remember saying to Andy “our babies coming”…”I can feel him coming”. And then the uncontrollable ‘mooing’ sounds started!! Ha our poor neighbours! My surges were 3mins apart so Andy called the hospital for a second time and we were still told to wait it out at home as these can last hours and hours.

At one point I remember thinking to myself “Can I do this?…I haven’t practised our HypnoBirthing techniques as much as I had wanted to”…This thought was quickly dispelled as I knew that our baby was coming either way! Andy set up our room with dim lights and Melissa’s relaxation cd which instantly put me in a beautifully relaxed state (the “mooing” noises eased and I became rather silent). We then listened to an ocean sounds cd as Andy began to massage me and hold my hands. My eyes were closed the whole time but I was very aware of everything that was going on around me…it was amazing! I was visualising my baby coming down the birth canal and my uterus blossoming open like a rose. During one of the surges I felt down below and touched my babies little head… Andy looked down and, trying to keep his cool, raced out of the room to call the hospital for a third time.

Andy explained that he could see our babies head and proceeded to ask whether they could get the water baths ready (we were going to be having a water birth)…he was promptly told to “get off the bloody phone and call the ambulance). The ambulance officers arrived within minutes and after two more surges Archie was born…at HOME!!! They couldn’t believe how fresh I looked and kept asking whether I was in pain and needed any relief.

I can genuinely say that it wasn’t a “painful” experience for me…intense, yes but unbearable, no! I felt great afterwards and had no tearing at all!! The ambos cooperated with all of our requests and Andy did a brilliant job. Holding Archie in my arms was the most amazing feeling!! Words can’t describe how much I love him!!

Although it was unexpected to have our baby at home I truly wouldn’t have had it any other way. I was comfortable and relaxed and more importantly, was able to enjoy giving birth to our beautiful baby! We are planning on having home births for our future children (however will do it properly with a midwife at hand). I believe HypnoBirthing and the confidence Melissa instilled in our ability to birth, contributed to the success of our labour. I truly hope you all experience a birth as wonderful as we did…good luck and I look forward to hearing all about them!!

Lauren, Andy and Archie, Gold Coast