“We wanted however to thank you for your support with the Hypnobirthing.  We all think it made a huge difference, and both Phil & my Mum have been touting its great success to everyone who will listen!”

XAVIER’S BIRTH STORY

I just wanted to let you know that little Xavier arrived spot on his due date weighing in at 9 pounds 1 ouce.  Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you but I’ve been flat out trying to get myself all organised and in some kind of routine.

We wanted however to thank you for your support with the hypno birthing.  We all think it made a huge difference, and both Phil & my Mum have been touting its great success to everyone that will listen.

It is amazing what a difference there was in comparison to the birth of my other 2 babies (who were both smaller), and I think the hypno birthing in conjunction with having such wonderful supportive midwives at the birthing centre is the reason I can look back at Xaviers birth with such fondness.  In hindsight I actually think I went into labour through the night, but the surges would wake me up I would do my breathing and visualisation and just drift back off to sleep, so I didn’t really start timing them until I got up at 7am.  And was just considering them braxton hicks style as they weren’t really bothering me by that stage.  I must admit because I was then busy trying to get the house cleaned and the boys fed, ready and dressed etc I wasn’t using the relaxation to the best of its ability, as I found it difficult to relax and visualise while standing up in the kitchen making a sandwich etc.  So by about 10.30 I started to think things were getting serious as I couldn’t get on top of the surges.  I however expected to be in labour for hours so rang Phil, my mum & best friend who were to be my birthing partners to give them a heads up that it would likely be in the next 24 hours so not to rush home as the contractions were a little all over the shop (5 mins, 10 mins then 3 mins, 10 mins etc).  I then decided it was time to try and get into a more relaxed frame of mind as it was starting to get on top of me so went to lie down.  Didn’t quite work as I soon discovered my boys in the spare bedroom with an asthma pump that I keep in my handbag ” which I had left in an accessible position in my distraction – not smart of me as I was then in a panic about whether they had OD’d on ventolin.  Thankfully Phil & Mum didn’t listen to me and had headed home.  They arrived at about 11.15am along with my brother who was looking after the boys.  Then my midwife turned up for a scheduled anti natal appointment at 11.30am.  She took one look at my face, listened to the babies heart beat etc and told Phil to get me in the car and to the hospital ASAP as I apparently had a serious looking face.  She says you can tell just by the look on a womans face if she is in serious labour or not.  So we got everything in the car.  I still wasn’t really rushing as I was expecting it to be a long time and headed for the hospital.  Again I found it hard in the car to relax but was still using the breathing and visualisation of the ribbons of the uterus pulling up etc.  We arrived at about 12.28 and Xavier was born at 1pm on the dot.  I had barely made it onto the bed in the room and Phil got a whole minute and a half of video (as he had dawdled downstairs thinking he had heaps of time).

So although i wasn’t the best example as I didn’t allow myself the time to use the deep relaxation to help with the breathing.  Even just using the slow breathing on its own and the birth breathing made it so much more bearable then my last births, and knowing not to tense against the surges and try to relax your muscles into it as well as my mothers use of the soft touch massage, was really helpful.  And afterwards I felt so invigorated and not like I had been hit by a bus like my last birth.  Which I think you can see in my photos.  So I wanted to say thank you very much.  I can’t believe what a difference it made even when I wasn’t really using the system as well as I should have.  So I can imagine if I had have allowed myself the time to use it properly it would have been spectacular.  But then I may have ended up delivering on my bed at home instead of the hospital because as it was I had a hard time believing I was in full blown labour.

I have been telling all my pregnant friends about the miracle that is hypno birthing so hopefully they will be in contact with you soon, so they can get in early and do the full class and lots and lots of practice and have as wonderul births as I have now had.  And Xavier is such a good, quiet little baby, it is almost shocking, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop and the screaming to start like with the other two.  But Phil & I both think it has a lot to do with the calm birth and environment he was born into.  It truly was amazing.

Thank you again for your wonderful support.

Jodi and Phil, Gold Coast