Sheraden’s Birth Story

I was 40 weeks and 6 days pregnant with our second daughter. My first labour was quick, intense and I used gas and air and resulted in a beautiful water birth, but I was not present and had no tools as I hadn’t done the HBA course! Fast forward baby number two, we completed the full program with a local practitioner who was just starting out. It was so great for Haydn to learn how to support me if and when I needed help, but mostly, it was important to me for him to advocate for my wishes. Like delayed cord clamping and physiological third stage, and no lights or disruptions in the room (I didn’t get this with my first even though I had requested it).

I went to a baby shower in the morning, then came home hand expressed an entire 5mls of very liquidy colostrum! And went to bed. I had lost my mucous plug over the past two weeks, but no other signs. I woke at 1:09am to my toddler and went to resettle her, as I was doing so I thought ‘was I contracting? Or was I dreaming’ (I think I was in labour, contracting in my sleep!!). I went to sit on the toilet thinking it was constipation pain like I’d been having all week, and it felt similar so I gave myself an enema (I know so silly lol!!), and went back to bed. Then very quickly the pain came back! I realised oh shit it wasn’t constipation IM IN LABOUR! YAY! 

Woke haydn up and he quickly put my tens on. And lit the candles and put the bags In the car. I labour fast, so I knew as it got intense very quickly, we needed to go. 1:30am we left for the hosptial, it was such a good drive! I was worried a little bit about the drive but with the tens and my hypnobirth breathing techniques it really was a breeze.

As I got to the hospital I quickly ran in and emptied my bowels whilst contacting! That was interesting lol…

Every single time I had a surge, Haydn would drop everything coke to me, and say ‘ride the wave babe, ride the wave’ it helped SO MUCH. The repetitive same affirmation that I truly understood. And he’d also press my boost button on the tens.

As we got to the birth unit I got straight into the bath. Not one light was turned on throughout my whole labour. I was instinctively swaying! Before we knew it transition arrived, I was vomiting and asked for pain relief. My midwife handed me the gas & air but I pushed it out of the way and thought ‘no I can do this’ I will do it! Then again before long I could feel Pania coming down, I was so present I could feel the descent and my body began bearing down. I was very vocal! And it helped! It was like a form of counter-action to the intense pressure in my pelvis.

Then again – before we knew it – she was crowning! Haydn and I were watching in the mirror, I was so aware and so present. I breathed her out, I even say to Haydn ‘I’m so excited’ as I’m waiting for my next surge to deliver her. 3:09am She was born, into my arms! She was in shock and took a little while to cry but my midwife knew how important  it was to me that she stay on me. So we did, and then we got that cry! Still no lights on and no distractions. It was like haydn and I did it ourselves! It was the best feeling ever.

I wanted to get out of the bath, as I stood up I said ‘I need to poo’ and my placenta immediately fell out! I scooped it up (which made everyone laugh) and popped it into a bowl. We had uninterrupted skin to skin and then I gave her to haydn because my after-birth contractions were very intense and I needed to be on my hands and knees and breathe through them. Haydn and I really are truely amazed at the difference in each other for this birth after learning our skills from HBA. It made such a difference and I truly had my dream birth because of it.

He was present and had a set of tools that really got me through!

Sheraden is a certified Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner, in Vineyard, Sydney, NSW. CLICK HERE for details.