I would just like to tell you our exciting news we welcomed our son Harley into our world naturally with no drugs at 3.30am weighing 7.7 pound.

I started to feel surges on the Saturday evening and Damien had gone to the AFL footy game that night. So I messaged him to let him know to come straight home after the game as I felt things were starting.

I went to bed and was able to rest most of the night and would only wake to breath through my surges. My surges will still quite far apart so by having my hypnobirthing tracks playing in my ear allowed me to sleep when there were no surges.

I continued to labour through the Sunday and I found myself just retreating to my room and the comfort of my bed as I continued to listen to my relaxation music and my hypnobirthing tracks.

Come the Sunday night things started to ramp up and my surges become closer together and more intense so at 10pm we called my midwife. (I was booked into the Gold Coast birth Centre) however when we called her, her phone was diverted to the next midwife in her team as it was her night off and then I was told that she had already been called out to another birth so I had to go to the normal labour ward… This did send me into a bit of a panic but Damien was amazing and calmed me down and then called the hospital back and asked if we could at least use the birth centre room… They were having a busy night so they agreed to this request (thank god) however I couldn’t have the water birth I wanted 🙁

I remember the car ride my surges intensified so much they felt like they were back to back but we arrived at the hospital and I was settled into the birth suite at 11:30pm

The breathing definitely helped me to get through and that was my main focus when I was having a surge. Damien couldn’t get the CD player in the room to work so unfortunately I was unable to listen to my tracks but he was amazing and helped keep me calm and relaxed.

I was able to use the pool while in labour but then I had the urge to get out and get onto the bed. I then had a very intense transition stage where I felt like I was going to be sick, I was hot one minute and then cold the next and started to get the shakes and I did express to Damien that maybe I should have some morphine.. This is where he really stepped up as my birth partner and helped kept me focus on what our goal was.. to have the most natural birth as possible.

I then felt the urge to push and my waters broke all over the bed. I then flipped myself over onto all fours and from there started to breathe him out.

It took a little while to get him out but he arrived at 3:30apm and  I remember that when he finally arrived Damien was the one to receive him and the first thought I had was “I DID IT”

It was so amazing that we left the hospital and went home only 3 hours after the birth!

I am  proud of myself for doing it all naturally because when I first found out I was pregnant I will filled with the Fear of birth and the fear of needles.

He is beautiful and he is feeding and sleeping well. We are both very blessed and lucky to have such a perfect little gift.

Thank you for all the information you provided us… it definitely helped taking your course changed my whole perception of birth.. I didn’t realise how much I actually didn’t know about birth and the options available to me.

I have already and will keep recommending you and the Hypnobirthing to all my friends as you definitely helped me in more ways than you can imagine, to believe in myself, that I could be strong and “trust my body to know what to do”.

Many thanks

Shari and Damien, Gold Coast