2nd baby, home birth (water birth)
I would genuinely do it all again this second it was that amazing!!! Max is our second baby, my first pregnancy and labour was great, it was by no means terrible and it didn’t leave me scared but I knew I wanted a calmer more relaxed experience this time whatever that looked like. After Gemma’s Natal Hypnotherapy workshop learning about the ‘facts of life’ we decided to go for a home birth. We used the Natal hypnotherapy tracks usually daily right up and over my due date to 42 weeks before going into labour naturally.
Labour was a slow burner initially with what seemed to be just tightenings for a good 24 hrs, we got all excited and got the birth pool ready but it didn’t come to anything that night. However, when a midwife examined me in the morning I was already 4cms dilated; almost half way with no ‘pain’!
We went about the day as normal, I went to yoga, we went out for tea, had a long walk. By that evening I was getting a bit frustrated so got right into the hypnotherapy tracks to stay calm and let go. The whole time I just focused on the words ‘my body will not let me down now’ I’m still using that mantra when I start stressing about my milk supply! Eventually my waters broke at 9.30pm and the contractions were intense but nothing un-manageable I just focused on them as sensations, heat and power. We were so in the zone we didn’t call the midwives until my contractions were every 2 mins apart!
The water was amazing and just took the edge off the intensity. I felt it all happened so quickly but really I was in established labour for about 4hrs with contractions every 2-5 mins (no concept of time at all!!) I felt the need to started pushing. Comparing this to when I pushed the first time round with an epidural, it felt amazing, my body knew exactly what to do; some of the contractions were just small so I gave a little push, some were big so I used them, I could do exactly what my body was telling me because I was so calm and controlled. Sometimes I found it difficult to relax my body during contractions as much as I tried, so focused instead on really relaxing every muscle in between and using the time to rest and collect myself.
After 45 mins of pushing our big beautiful baby boy (9lbs 6oz) was born in our front room peacefully exactly as we wanted. The first hands to touch him and pull him from the water were mine, to see what sex, to hold him and kiss him. My husband’s laugh when we saw he was a boy is possibly the best part of the whole experience. We delayed cord clamping and I delivered my placenta naturally. I felt so amazing after having just birthed this amazing baby boy, pain relief crossed my mind once but was gone in one contraction.
The preparation we did through Gem’s workshop, listening to the hypnotherapy tracks and doing the preparation was enough to stay so calm and to let no fear or tension in. I found the birth affirmations really powerful and had a couple that really stuck with me, mainly that my body wouldn’t let me down and contractions are just sensations. Coconut water, ice lollies and a cold face cloth also added to the experience!!!
I’m going on now, but I loved giving birth so much I could just go on forever, last thing, my recovery time, I felt amazing after this birth I didn’t feel I really needed ‘recovery’ time. I needed time to adapt and let my emotions settle (and still settling!!) but didn’t feel the physical discomfort I did after my first labour. The lack of intervention and the instinctive birth I had has set me up for a far more comfortable, confident and instinctive first few days, weeks, months with baby. Now I just need to find the hypno track to set me up with a toddler and a newborn…?! I hope our experience can offer some positive encouragement to others to have an amazing birth wherever and however that may be!
These births are addictive! Katy & Colin xx