I am known for having a REALLY low pain tolerance!

Birth Story for Ethan:

We are so excited to announce the safe arrival of our baby boy, Ethan. Born on 22nd March a positive calm water birth at the Birth Centre.I am known for having a low pain tolerance. I mean- a REALLY low pain tolerance! 24 weeks into my pregnancy when leg cramps were at their finest, I quickly panicked about how on earth I would be able to birth our baby if I couldn’t handle a simple leg cramp.

When I came across Hypnobirthing, I quickly decided that the course was for us. My husband was sceptical at first but was more than happy to attend the course with me if I thought it would help.

4 days before Ethan joined us earthside, I began experiencing some cramping in my lower belly and lower back. These cramps would come and go and I thought maybe Ethan was beginning to engage in preparation for his journey. I saw our midwife 2 days later as the cramping was becoming more regular and I hadn’t felt the baby move much. After a quick examination, we were told the baby is safe and well, and she put the cramping down as ‘pre-labour cramps’ and told me that I would definitely know when we were in labour. I thought this was great as it would give me the chance to practice the tools and techniques we learnt in the Hypnobirthing course before labour began.

For the two nights before our birth, I didn’t get any sleep as my ‘cramps’ were more regular and much closer together. I was still waiting for something to ‘change’, like intense pain or a change in where I was feeling the cramps… but as it turns out I was already in labour…This was it! I had managed to breathe completely calmly through early labour. At 3.30am on Thursday morning, my waters broke and I woke my husband. An hour later, he told me that we were going to start timing my cramps because I hadn’t been to bed all night and had been playing the tracks playing rather loud – so he had noticed a difference that I didn’t notice. My Surges were already lasting 1 minute, 3 minutes apart!

Hubby quickly called the midwife and packed the car while I made my way down the stairs. During my last surge at home, I noticed a change in my breathing and the felt the urge to push. I thought for sure we would be having this baby on our lounge room floor!

We arrived at the Birth Centre at 5.20am, and Ethan joined us shortly after at 7.20am in the birthing pool. He was even very calm himself!

I had been listening to the Hypnobirthing tracks regularly at night, and would often listen to the Affirmations on my way to work. We continued to play the tracks at the Birth Centre, and I just zoned out completely and focused on my breathing, reminding myself that we are perfectly designed to birth our babies (among other affirmations but this was my favourite).

Born 6lb 14oz we welcomed our little bundle of perfection. We are so proud of what we were able to achieve by changing our mindset around birth.

We are so thankful for our Hypnobirthing Practioner here in Mackay. Kimberley was an incredible support throughout our pregnancy journey. Her calm nature and pure passion for what she does is something to truly admire.