It’s hard to believe that River, my beautiful ‘baby’ boy is 7 months old already.  I will always remember the day he was born as being both intense and blissful, just how nature intended. Although I had an amazing birth that went exactly how I visualised, I was reluctant to share my story as I felt guilty, I knew other women have had contrasting experiences. But when I do open up and share I have to roll my eyes when people say ‘Oh you’re just lucky with your birth’.
I want to reassure all mums-to-be that you don’t have to get lucky to enjoy your birth experience as much as I did **. I’m not lucky, I worked hard during pregnancy to prepare my mind, body and soul for my birth. I believe most women can have a blissful birth like me. My advice; be prepared to educate yourself on the journey ahead and use visualisation and breathing exercises such as hypnobirthing.

Throughout my pregnancy not only did I religiously practice hypnobirthing from 20 weeks until I went into labour at 41 weeks and 2 days but I also meditated daily and practiced yoga daily. I made this as routine as brushing my teeth twice a day. I also visited the acupuncturist, chiropractor, kinesiologist, massage therapist regularly, invested in a private midwife, read heaps of books and nourished my body by consuming a plant-based diet. I was guided to do everything in my power to be ready for my birth day. It wasn’t a chore for me, I loved it. My motto was that if I could do everything in my power to be ready and it still doesn’t go to plan then so be it. That is okay. I would accept that my baby decided to take a different path into this world. But it was in my power to do what I could and not leave it to luck or chance.

The only time I felt some anxiety or fear was when I went past the expected due date. I was adamant I didn’t want to be induced so I had acupuncturist sessions, massages with clary sage, made love, bounced on the fit ball, walked, practiced nipple stimulation, ate dates and watched heaps of hypnobirthing births on Youtube while crying my eyes out (I think the last one did the trick!).

Nine days after the expected due date I woke up at 2am with period like pains, I didn’t share this with my partner but listened to rainbow mist and went back to sleep. At 4am I woke and they had intensified so I called the Steph my midwife. She told me to sleep and rest, it would be a long day. I took a hot water bottle and went back to sleep until 5.30am at which point the surges intensified. I woke my partner up and we began practicing our hypnobirthing techniques, I listened to my rainbow mist visualisation track while breathing and smelling clary sage. The surges seemed very close together and although I was connected to my breath I just couldn’t get comfortable using the fit ball, on all fours or even in the bath. I wanted to constantly empty my bowels and was beginning to feel a little anxious. I thought I would have time to lie around watching movies, relaxing, eating, showering or going for walks! I had organised homeopathic supplements prior to labour and started taking the supplement for rapid labour. Around 6.30am I ended up on the toilet with my drink bottle and listening to the rainbow mist while Guy, my partner stood at the door timing my surges.

Alone on the toilet I totally let go, riding the waves of labour, totally surrendering and getting lost in my breathing. Every minute or so my entire body was overcome a surges, they were incredibly powerful but I can honestly say I felt no pain, they were intense but only mildly uncomfortable. They felt so natural.
I felt like I was on an amazing carpet ride, eyes closed, knees wide apart, circling my hips, circling my head, doing light touches on my belly and back, moaning and went totally within. My partner had contacted the midwife again, she said that the surges were too far apart and inconsistent but to contact her if I felt pressure in my bum. At about 10.30am my waters broke while I was on the toilet, my breathing changed and my surges forced me to begin bearing down so that I could now feel pressure in my bum. I started to get a little concerned because I didn’t want to have the baby in the toilet. After a phone call from Guy, my midwife came straight away. After checking me externally she advised that the birth was very close! She knew we wanted a water birth and reckoned we had just enough time to get to GCUH where we had booked a birthing suite. The most difficult part of the experience was walking down our 71 stairs, stopping midway to breathe through a surge. It was surreal to be lying down in the car, trying to moderate my surges as all my body wanted to do was bear down. I didn’t want a car birth! In the car I listened to rainbow mist and wore an eye mask so I could focus on my breathing.

We arrived at the hospital at 12.15pm, I walked to the birthing suite, refusing the wheel chair as I didn’t want to slow the surges down. I got into the warm bath straight away, the water was very soothing. I continued listening to the rainbow mist and focusing on my breathing, surrendering to my body’s surges and allowing them to guide me.  After parking the car my partner finally arrived, the midwife has just sent him a text to hurry up as River was well on his way. Guy was straight in the pool with me and we began working together on breathing and visualising just like we had practiced all those times before. Guy gently reminded me to relax my face, focus on my breathing, he talked me through a visualisation of lotus flower opening, just like my vagina was doing with River. In my mind I could see the petals unfolding and River’s head emerging, just as I had practised during my pregnancy.

The only time the midwife interacted with us was when she checked River’s heart beat and wiped my face with a rose water cloth. Within the pool my body instinctively knew what position to get into, I was up on my toes, knees apart in a squat holding onto the side of the pool, bearing down while my partner continued to remind me to relax my face, jaw, mouth and shoulders. I birthed River in one go, catching him in the water and pulling him up to my chest, which the midwife and my partner missed as they didn’t realise it would be so quick! He was born at 1pm, a day baby which I didn’t expect at all. I naturally birthed the placenta as I had arranged to encapsulate it for later consumption. I patiently watched River to the crawl to my breast and attach on his own without interruption.

We thought it was totally normal when our new family left the hospital at 6pm that night, 4 hours after giving birth. On the way home we even stopped to get vegan take-out to refuel my body and were sitting eating dinner with our new baby shortly after. What joy to be home as a family that evening.

Everyone’s birth is unique and I believe we have the power to choose our experience, even though it may not go to plan. Hypnobirthing is one of the most powerful ways to take ownership and create the birth you want. I believe so much in the power of hypnobirthing I’m going to become a practitioner to empower more women to have the birth they desire.

Kirsty, Gold Coast

** Note from Hypnobirthing Australia: Kirsty’s birth story is absolutely beautiful and she and her partner were able to utilise the tools, knowledge, support and preparation gained from the course – to help them achieve a very calm, gentle and positive birth. We completely appreciate though, that sometimes there are special circumstances that cause us to deviate from our birthing preferences – circumstances that we may not have control over. In hypnobirthing, we prepare for any turn our birthing takes – whether that be completely natural or a birth where intervention is needed.