After birthing my daughter in 2018 using the Hypnobirthing Australia meditation soundtracks and reading Hypnobirthing books I knew that for my second birth that I needed to do the official course and wished that I had sooner! I had feelings of anxiety leading up to my second birth, my first had been a wonderful drug free water birth but I didn’t really know what to expect and found that in the last moments of giving birth that I was starting to lose control and was pushing hard to get baby out. I haemorrhaged slightly and needed some internal stitching. This time I knew I needed to stay calm and in control.

I listened to the Hypnobirthing affirmations frequently and had them stuck up on my bathroom wall, I repeated them out loud in front of my 2 year old daughter and I went into birthing feeling more empowered than ever. We listened to the meditation soundtracks for nap times and quiet times. The first signs of labour started at 6:30pm on Saturday night as I breastfed my toddler to sleep. I immediately put on the Christopher Lloyd Clarke tracks, put lavender in our diffuser, dimmed the lights and swayed and bounced on my fit ball. I left for the hospital at 9:30pm when my parents arrived to care for my daughter. I was shown straight to the delivery suite where I got into the shower while the birthing pool filled up.

Unfortunately, I was informed that my case load midwife would not be able to attend my birth and that no water birth certified midwives were available. I used the affirmation ‘I am prepared for whatever turn my birthing may take’ to stay

positive even though I wouldn’t have the water birth i’d hoped for. I laboured in the birth pool from 11pm-1:45am when the midwife needed to drain the water. I could feel my baby getting closer and closer and

 knew that in these last moments I needed to remain in control, I wanted to push with all the strength I had left but my husband reminded me to breathe my baby down, he was a superstar at keeping me grounded and reading my affirmations to me. My daughter Layla was born en caul at 2am and my husband was able to catch her while I was still in the empty birthing pool. He quickly passed her to me to check the gender

and announce her name. We stayed in the bath having amazing skin to skin time until I was ready to hop out.

I then delivered the placenta in the birthing suite where we delayed cord clamping. This time I didn’t haemorrhage or need stitches like I did with my first birth. Layla had her first breastfeed, all of her testing, I ate and showered and we left hospital by 7am in time to have breakfast with our toddler who is absolutely smitten to be a big sister. I can’t thank Sarah Searle and Hypnobirthing Australia enough for giving me an incredible birth, I felt safe and supported throughout the entire experience