1st baby, (emergency Caesarian birth)

We attended Gemma’s two day Natal Hypnotherapy workshop; it was fantastic. Gemma is a fountain of knowledge and makes you feel so at ease. She is so approachable and no question is too silly. My husband found the workshop beneficial in getting him prepared for what was to come. My husband and I listened to the Natal hypnotherapy CD leading up to my due date and beyond as our daughter was late. I had my affirmations stuck in our bathrooms and was very relaxed about giving birth at home.

“I feel the Natal hypnotherapy kept us calm and able to cope with every situation calmly”

A few days after my due date. I started to get, contractions, so thought this is it, but it turned out to be Braxton Hicks, which went on for 4 days. Even though they were regular and quite painful. I was very calm. My husband and I went to my midwife appointment on the 4th day and it turned out I was in early labour!

We got home and a few hours later. The midwife came to the house. I started off listening to the Natal hypnotherapy CD and walked round the garden, I was able to breathe through contractions like it instructed. I even could have a normal conversation. Then excuse myself to breathe through a contraction and then come back in and say ‘where was I?’ and continue my conversation where I was left off!

After 8 hours I was beginning to get tired so had the idea to use gas and air as well as the natal hypnotherapy. 4 hours on my midwife pointed out that I couldn’t have been using the gas and air as there was still a full tank! Labour wasn’t moving as it should, so it was decided that that the midwife would break my waters, which she did. Unfortunately there was meconium in the water, so we had to go to hospital. There was a 40 minute wait for an ambulance, so I said to my  husband that we could just drive, as  I felt able to just breath through my contractions using only the natal hypnotherapy techniques.

We got to the hospital and I waited in the foyer while my husband went and parked the car. Once in our rooms carried on using natal hypnotherapy, but due to my contractions slowing down and exhaustion I decided to get an epidural, as they were going to put me on a hormone drip to get my contractions started again and I needed to sleep. They woke me a couple of hours later to say that the hormone drip wasn’t working and that our daughter was getting distressed, so they offered us the option of an emergency C section, which we took and as it turned out our daughter was stuck in my pelvic, so would never have come out the conventional way. I feel the Natal hypnotherapy kept us calm and able to cope with every situation calmly even with a very long labour and regardless of how my daughter was born. It even worked to calm our daughter down, when she was upset after she was born.