Dear Melissa

James and I just wanted to say a personal thank you.  We found the course very helpful in preparing for Holly’s birth.

I started prelabour at 130am Sunday night and had very mild surges throughout the next day. Monday night the surges were little more intense but with the breathing and recordings I slept through fairly easily. Things started to heat up at around 9am Tuesday but I easily coped by using my breath and by 1pm my surges were becoming more regular and reasonable intense but again easily coped . At around 530pm I had that instinctual “its time to go” and yelled to James you’ve got half an hr! We made it to the Mater at 630 pm I was having fairly intense contractions every 3-5mins by that stage still using the breath!  At one stage I said to James maybe we’ve come in a bit early lets go home if I’m less than 4cms.

We met Cheryl (Doula Cheryl Sheriff ” Ideal Birth) and went to the assessment unit within 10 mins of being there it was like from 0 to 100 kms in a split second ” suddenly my surges changed to being extremely intense ” this is when I started to wobble with the Hypnobirthing and pain started to come in James and Cheryl were excellent reminding me to breath and massage etc . Seeing the intensity they decided not bother examining me and took me to the birth room.  The waves hit hard and fast and I found it very difficult to cope ” the bath seemed to take ages to fill and when finally there ” it was great but I was told by the midwife if she suspected any involuntary pushing she would make me get out! I could feel pressure and remembered not to say anything too soon! But suddenly I realised she was coming and said I have to get out of the bath ” I made it to side of bed and she was born (7.30pm), bag and all!

I had all the Hypnobirthing material laminated and ready to tack around the wall and my iPod and dock ” none of which even  came out of the bag! Cheryl just had time to stick in your cd ” which was great! I has listened to it so many times that it helped relax me even though by then I’d wobble with the breathing and reverted to sound (very loud)!

So wasn’t exactly the birth I’d planned but it was definitely intervention and drug free ” and holly is healthy strong and happy!

Thanks for everything

Love Elizabeth & James x

(note from Melissa ” Elizabeth’s ‘active’ stage of labour was only 1 hour long!)