My husband and I welcomed a beautiful baby boy on the 9th of September 2017 named Valentino.
We experienced an amazing HypnoBirthing birth at the St Vincent’s private hospital.
I had an amazingly healthy and pleasant pregnancy never really feeling pregnant as I really loved my growing belly and never experienced those third trimester issues of having a sore back etc. Being a yoga and pilates instructor health and fitness is a priority and I believe that practicing up until the night before going into hospital really helped me to achieve my amazing birth.
When I finished working and started maternity leave I dedicated every day to perineal massage, visualisation of my perfect birth meditation, listening to my positive affirmations numerous times a day, practicing yoga and walking. It was really important to me to also practice releasing the fear of birth meditation as I really feared the idea of having a natural birth and then needing an episiotomy.
On Thursday the 7th of September at 3am in the morning my waters broke however it was just little trickles so I thought it must be baby pressing on my bladder as the day progressed the constant trickles were becoming really uncomfortable as I had no control but still just thought it was a weak bladder.
The next day we visited my obstetrician for a routine check up where she confirmed that I had indeed broken my waters. I was 39 weeks and 5 days pregnant. We were advised to go straight to St Vincent’s private hospital where we would be scheduled for induction on the Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. We were admitted and told we would be induced on Saturday morning so we stayed in hospital giving us a chance to see if the contractions began on their own naturally.
During the night I did experience some slight mild contractions but as soon as I got up on Saturday morning they disappeared. At 9am Saturday morning my obstetrician started the oxytocin drip beginning my induction. I had my wireless earphones in and I was just listening to my hypnobirthing tracks rainbow relaxation, positive affirmations, releasing the fear of birth and visualising my perfect birth. I felt calm and centred and I completely surrendered to the birth telling myself that I had no control and I was going to just go with the flow and whatever was going to be would be.
The surges started to come slowly short and sharp like the wave rising and falling. They were very manageable and I was still very relaxed just in my zone of listening to my HypnoBirthing tracks and bouncing on my exercise ball, having my husband massage my back with clary sage coconut oil, soon enough the surges began to get stronger and stronger. I felt fine just in my zone slow dancing with my husband that was my favourite it was the best relief as the action of being supported and held by my husband was such a beautiful release of my natural oxytocin. Also the movement of swaying my hips was great to release the pressure of the surge.
I then moved to the shower where I marched on the spot having the hot water massage my back and then my pelvis where I was feeling the pressure, I was still in my HypnoBirthing zone. I then started to really feel the pressure and by this time it was around 3.30pm. After 6 and a half hours in labour it felt like my body was starting to fail me and I hit transition where I decided I could not go on. This was a complete 360 to how I was dealing with the birth and when I begged my husband for an epidural. He knew I must be transitioning after learning this from our HypnoBirthing class he went and called the midwife.
She was amazing coming in and speaking very calmly with me about how I was doing so well she encouraged me in such a positive calm way and told me I was nearly there which is all I needed to hear to get me back up and running. I was lying on my side and remember thinking I’m not breathing anymore I’m just trapped in fear so I got on all fours and started my surge breathing envisioning blowing up a big ballon and releasing it. I stayed on all fours for at least an hour I was extremely tired but just kept resting between each surge.
I kept envisioning the baby coming down the birth canal and soon enough I was 10cm open which was the best thing I could hear. I turned on my back and I was advised to pull my legs up to my chest and breath my baby out.
This was the most amazing part of my birth as I didn’t feel the pressure of the surge but instead I felt an amazing feeling of birthing my baby. There was no burning sensation of the baby coming out it was just an amazing euphoric feeling.
I loved working with the energy of my body to birth my baby.
The midwife kept showing me my progress through a mirror and it was the most beautiful vision seeing the transformation of my babies head coming out of the vagina. Soon enough the head was born then the body and just like that 8 hours from start to finish my son Valentino was on my chest it was the most amazing experience of my whole life.
I thank Candace Borg our HypnoBirthing Practitioner who educated us to birth our baby naturally even though my birth was induced it was still an empowering natural birth. My midwife Jez whom without her amazing encouragement I would not have kept going. My obstetrician Dr Marcia Bonazzi who knew my HypnoBirthing plan and kept encouraging me to breathe and birth my baby. Last but not least my amazing husband what a great support he encouraged me the whole time he was by my side and never feared the birth, he believed in me and that made me believe in myself. I am forever grateful for my HypnoBirthing birth it was euphoric, strengthening and pure bliss.
Chiara and Tony attended HypnoBirthing classes with Candace Borg from Northcote, Victoria.