Cassia’s Birth Story

My previous birth was not the natural birth I had planned. During labour I gradually lost control, undergoing many interventions before finishing with an emergency caesarean. For this birth I was determined, as far as possible, to have a natural birth and remain in control throughout. I felt that Hypnobirthing would help me to achieve this.

We both found the Hypnobirthing course informative and enjoyable. It reinforced my belief in my body to birth our baby naturally. We had originally planned to wait as long as possible at home before going to the hospital but halfway through the classes we decided the more sensible option was to plan for a home birth.

I finally went into labour 18 days after my due date, still at home despite pressure to birth at hospital with its various ‘options’. Hypnobirthing gave me the confidence in my body to wait until our baby was ready. Two midwifes arrived after about an hour and wanted to check progress but thanks to our knowledge, I politely refused, in line with our request for a lack of knowledge of time or of progress. Active labour lasted about 6 hours during which time a midwife would only come in every so often to check the baby’s heartbeat.

I found that Hypnobirthing helped me to remain calm and in control throughout. I used gas and air for a couple of hours during the first stage. I regained my focus for the second stage and didn’t need gas and air. Our daughter was born at home in the pool still in her waters. She is the most relaxed and calm baby, and from what we read, a typical Hypnobirthing baby.

One midwife left after an hour and the other about an hour after that. As it was evening by then, we then went upstairs to bed to enjoy our new addition and cuddle her in for the night. In the morning her older brother arrived to see his new wee sister along with other family members.

I would recommend Kate’s class to all pregnant women. I would never of had the confidence to have a home birth if it wasn’t for the classes. I can honestly say that we had the most magical birth and I’m already thinking that I could do this again!




 Eva Cherry Birth Story.

Eva Cherry was born a perfect Valentine's baby at 5.37am on the 14th February and has immediately eclipsed anything I've ever seen, done and felt in my life. You were so right, there's literally nothing that could have prepared me for the feeling that first time she looked at me.
 
We got out of hospital on Saturday and are settling in happily in our wee nest. She's a typical hypnobirthing baby, completely chilled out and sleeping great (so far, touching all the wood!!!) From the moment she was born she has been completely alert and interested in everything going on around her and, despite being passed around like a parcel between family and friends for the last couple of days, remains totally calm and happy.
 
As to the birth, thanks to hypnobirthing and your teaching i managed a 30 hour labour using only gas and air and with no intervention at any stage. I stayed at home for the first 20 hours, until the surges were about 3 minutes apart, and I really think the ability to cope completely without fear up until then was what made it possible to have the natural birth that I wanted. Once in the hospital i must admit I felt that I lost control very quickly, and in fact if I were to do it again I would try to not use the gas, I think once I had allowed that chink to develop in my mental armour, admitted to myself that it was too hard to do on my own, other negative thoughts could get hold and I started feeling really panicked.  At about 6cms I'd guess I really didn't think I could do it, and I must admit at this stage I lost all hope and belief and asked for an epidural. Luckily, so so luckily for me, the sister who had first examined me on arrival had some knowledge of hypnobirthing and, having heard that I'd asked for this, came into the room and gave me a good kick up the mental backside (if you'll excuse the imagery!!!) I don't remember much of this stage but Andrew said I was effectively not there at all for an hour or so, and then back with a vengeance after her chat, determined and positive again, even if clearly struggling to cope.
 
Soooo, sorry this has turned into a rant, it's good to get it all out......anyway, an hour later my body started pushing. the midwife tried to convince me out of the birthing pool to get checked and I wonder looking back if I should have done so then, but something told me I wasn't ready, even though I was pushing strongly with every contraction. An hour later they finally convinced me out of the pool and I began what became just over 3 hours of really intense pushing. I had so little energy left at this point there was no way I could have done anything but exactly what I was told, so I have no idea whether in a different circumstance I would have been able to breathe her down rather than pushing. I just had my eye on the finish line and was clinging onto whatever reserves i had left. So, some time, and an amazing amount of encouragement and support later she made a rather dramatic and sudden entrance, nearly shooting off the end of the bed and life changed for the better.
 
I really believe that it was the positive and relaxed attitude i developed through the hypnobirthing course that made it possible for me to have such a long labour and slow 2nd stage without needing intervention. the Southern midwives were so supportive of my wishes, never mentioning time or progress unless I asked and keeping everything very calm and quiet in the room until they realised I needed their energy at the end to get the job done. All in all, this has been a completely life-affirming experience for me and has made me feel so incredibly strong and proud of being a woman.
 
Thank you so much for all your teaching and encouragement, I'll be singing your praises and recommending hypnobirthing to everyone i know.....and probably random pregnant women on buses too!!
 
If you want to use my story on your website etc please do, more people need to know about this. Give me a call when you get back from your holiday and come round for a cuppa, i'd love for you to meet Eva and Andrew would love to see you too.


 

Elsa Faye Birth Story.

I’d read a leaflet about Hypnobirthing before my Mum found Kate for us at the SECC Baby Show in April 2007 when I was five months pregnant.  After a quick chat with Kate who was cradling six week old baby Kyle in her arms I was really impressed by her friendly and reassuring manner.  I really wanted to prepare myself mentally for the birth and whole experience of having a baby and thought that the Hypnobirthing approach offered a way to do this as it didn’t just focus on the physical side of things. We really enjoyed attending Kate’s classes which were very informative and empowering as they gave us invaluable knowledge about how to stay in control and be confident throughout labour and birth. Kate’s midwifery expertise and knowledge of up to the minute research was also an added bonus.  Our lovely wee girl Elsa Faye arrived on 7th October, 12 days over her expected due date but in the end I had managed to avoid induction, get my chosen labour suite with a bath (!) and manage with a bit of gas and air and a lot of help from the slow breathing technique I had learnt and practised through Hypnobirthing. Although I wouldn’t say that my birth experience was easy (it was quite a marathon) I am sure that the Hypnobirthing techniques and knowledge we gained from Kate certainly helped make our pregnancy and birth journey less stressful for all three of us.  

                                                 

 

As a bloke/ husband I found this course really helpful. It can be difficult to know how best to support your other half through pregnancy and childbirth. As a GP I learned a lot I hadn’t already learned about normal childbirth. It certainly made me feel more helpful and in control during the birth of our daughter. It seems if you work at it together, preparing your mind a bit can make a huge difference with things like pain control and anxiety.





Kyles Birth. 


Kyle our own HypnoBirthing baby arrived on March 14th this year. He was my third baby but  first hypnobirthing baby and what a difference it makes! My labour was so relaxed and enjoyable my midwife JoAnna kept asking me if I was sure the baby was definately on his way. I felt only pressure with surges during this birth, and simply kept mobile listening to my cd throughout. My endorphins were definately doing their job and the whole experience was amazing. He is a typical HypnoBirthing baby very relaxed and happy.

Rebeccas' Birth Story.

It’s Jenna & Andrew here.  We had a baby Girl on 7th Feb (8 days after my “guess” date).  We named her Rebecca and she was a gorgeous 8lb11!!!  I bet all new mums say that!!

We just thought we’d write to thank you for all your help.  The classes really paid off.  Rebecca was born in Montrose Maternity Unit.  The Unit was great, really relaxing and the midwifes were all very calm and helpful – some were actually on a course about hypnobirthing recently. 

 Rebecca wasn’t ‘dopy’ at all and went straight to my chest for a great feed!!!  She still feeds really well and is 9lb 3 already.

Andrew was great.  I think he should change careers and become a midwife!  He helped with the breathing and managed to keep me going when I had decided that I’d had enough!  I’m so glad he made your classes as I think that he made all the difference.  

We got out of hospital the next day.  I had no stitches and Rebecca was fine so apart from the usual sore bits; we are enjoying our wee family.   

We can’t thank you enough for the help you provided – it really made a difference.  I’ve attached some pics for you.

 

Andrew, Jenna & Rebecca xxx


 Baby Pacey Biirth Story

Fiona (mother)

 
I new when I became pregnant that I wanted to begin my relationship with my baby as soon as possible. I had experienced a miscarriage previously and knew that I needed a little extra help to believe in the process that my body and my growing baby were going through.

The relaxation exercises were useful from the beginning. I felt calm and safe, growing in the confidence that my baby and my body were working together and naturally knew what to do. My husband and I enjoyed the classes, it was good to talk, it helped us to make time in an otherwise busy life for each other and our baby and we felt supported in our philosophy of life, where we wanted our child to know that he was loved, longed for and safe.

During my pregnancy I was without worry about Paceys birth and I felt as honoured that nature trusted me to allow this new life. When the time came for Pacey to be born my labour went smoothly until a complication meant that I needed some intervention. I still feel upset about this although I am very grateful that there is such excellent care when it is needed. The hospital staff respected our birth plan and took our wishes into account whenever they needed to explain what was happening. We had time to decide what to do and I attribute this confidence to the knowledge we gained from the hypnobirthing course.

When pacey was born he immediately fed well and from the beginning has been a calm, content baby. Although I feel a little sad that my labour was not quite straightforward, I actually think that for me the value in the hypnobirthing course was in the chapter about the forth trimester. When Pacey was in my arms I continued the relaxation and enjoyed the peacefulness and happiness of a contented baby just with the added joy of skin to skin.

Frank (Father)

As a father I found the hypno birthing course re-affirmed the importance of my role in the process of pregnancy and birth of my son. The classes taught me a lot about the physical and emotional journey towards childbirth. I felt valued and involved with my wife and my son from the beginning. I felt that the classes gave me confidence to make decisions for my family without being influenced by outside, sometimes common popular opinions. I knew that the growing bond was between three of us and it gave me pleasure to create an environment that was peaceful and protective for my wife and my son. It also helped me relax and I would recommend the relaxation tapes for anyone that needs a good sleep.

 

Rowans' Birth

Baby Rowan, born to Elaine and Kenny, this was Elaines second baby, first labour had ended in emergency cesarean section. Elaine attended my HypnoBirthing class from 33 weeks and practised the techniques daily. Elaine really wanted a normal delivery this time around and achieved  her aim, having Rowan after a two hour labour and needing no intervention at all either during or after the birth. Rowan is a typical HypnoBirthing baby calm and contented.

May 2006

Baby Kara Naomi, born to Elizabeth and Bobby, this was Elizabeths first labour, she attended my HypnoBirthing class from 33 weeks and regularly practised the techniques, Elizabeth did alot of baby positioning prior to the birth which is taught in the classes, to ensure Kara was in the best position possible prior to labour. All that work paid off as Elizabeth had a lovely normal delivery, her husband Bobby helped her to stay calm and relaxed with the techniques he had been taught! The new family felt well enough to attend a full Scottish wedding two days later. Baby Kara is thriving as are her parents.