Anyway I gave birth on Friday the 15th! All natural, no induction. Very funny story actually. I had contractions 3 nights in a row, then on the 15th had a bit of show all day.

I went and got the girls from school at 3pm, then went to the shops. I accidentally left my keys in target, then went on to thingz and woollies. I was getting quite a few surges which ramped up in woollies but I think I was still in denial. Anyway, I got to the checkout and realized I didn’t have my keys. I asked at thingz and target, no luck. I went back to the car thinking I left them there. No luck.

But the car was unlocked so I put the girls in. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting them back out of the car to go back inside to find the keys, I was having to pause by the side of the car for the surges. So I left the two little ones in the car and asked my 8 YO to go into target and look by the shoe aisle where we had been while I helped her across the road. She came out with nothing (it’s a very small shopping centre and I was parked right at Target so I wasn’t worried about her). I rang Karl, he couldn’t help for a few minutes. Got the girls out of the car, went back in to target and they had my keys at the counter! Phew!! So I drove home.

My gorgeous 8YO unloaded the groceries and got the younger 2 a snack while I went and put on my music, oil diffuser and sat on my exercise ball leaning on the bed. Then my daughter tried to close the garage door but I hadn’t pulled the car in far enough, and it jammed! The car was stuck IN the garage! I ran at the noise, looked and went right back to my room. I know I went right into hypnosis. I remember hearing my youngest Livvy crunching on chips while watching me and I remember hearing Karl come home but both things felt removed from me. Karl was banging around trying to fix the garage door so we could get the car out. I told Livvy to tell dad I needed him, he loaded up my speaker and diffuser, chucked the kids in the car and drove around to his mum and dads. He dropped the kids to a very shocked grandad, and then drove me to the hospital. That was about 5pm.

I got the best midwife! She was totally on the  same page as us. We got settled in our room, and she probably took 40 mins or so before she was ready to check me. It was my first internal the whole pregnancy. She was super gentle, and said I was 5cm dilated and very soft. I went back on the exercise ball while Karl did light touch massage and I listened to birth affirmations and surge of the sea.

Things were ramping up very quickly. I started making a bit of noise and Karl prompted me to relax.

The end was very very fast. The midwife was zoning out to Surge of the Sea (ha ha) but I didn’t even realize she was there. She talked to me about using the birth chair. Maybe another 10 mins passed and I asked if I could try all fours. I knew I was almost there, I was feeling the urge to push right at the end of the surges.My last couple of surges took away my concentration. They had 4 or 5 peaks each and were very long. I hopped up on the bed and the urge to push just hit me straight away.

I tried to breathe the baby down, and for 1 surge I did but my body seemed to have an eject button for this bubs! I still had my undies on and my waters broke. I mentioned I was crowning. I knew bubs was coming very fast. I put my hand down and could feel his head. The midwife asked me to slow things down but it wasn’t happening. She managed to get my undies off,and boom, his head was out. The cord was wrapped around his neck twice very tightly so I didn’t get that 3 mins to adjust for his shoulders.  The midwife told me I had to get him out so in one swift push I did. As I held him on my chest I sobbed. Partly in relief ( the end was so intense) and I was just so proud of myself. I didn’t ever say or think I couldn’t do it. I didn’t ask for pain relief. I so put that down to your training!! So I didn’t actually cry about him, more me the first few minutes. Selfish me!

Then I fed him and it was love. I delivered the placenta and the bleeding stopped immediately with no oxytocin. The cord wasn’t clamped till it stopped pulsing. Everything from our birth plan was followed.

The doctor wanted to be there for the delivery ( he looked after me from the beginning) but the midwife told him to call when my waters broke! Too late! Ha ha. It was so fast the midwife didn’t even have gloves on.

I had him at 7.18pm so I was in labour for 3 hours, at the hospital for 2. I had 2 tiny tears which didn’t need any stitches, and went home at 9.30pm.

So stats are: William Randall

7lbs 3oz.

34cm head

51.5 cm long. He is gorgeous!!

How’s that for a story?? Lol.

Rebekah & Karl, Esperance, Western Australia

(taught via Skype)

Now Rebekah is a trained Hypnobirthing Australia Practitioner herself 3 months after birthing!