In our first hypnobirthing class, I'll always remember Hannah telling us "I bet by the end of this course, at least one of you will be considering a home birth" - well I was that one. Having been adamant I was having a hospital birth, my outlook completely changed over the 4 week course. I loved the blend of medical and practical advice, the positive birthing videos and the relaxation techniques but for me, the main thing that I took away from the course was a confidence about labour and delivery which I hadn't possessed before. It gave me confidence to have a home birth with my first baby.
My labour was long - about 30 hours overall - and although I didn't feel calm, the midwives and my birthing partners assured me I was very calm and quiet throughout - one midwife even told me it wasn't like I was even in labour! I used a blend of pain relief techniques: a TENS machine, a birthing pool, relaxation tracks (although I was so tired, I must admit I forgot about the breathing as the labour progressed) and finally gas & air. The pool actually relaxed me so much that I had to smell Clary Sage to get my contractions going again...
Having had my first contraction on Wednesday evening, I finally gave birth to our little girl, Olivia Grace Thomas, on our sofa at home on Friday morning with my husband, my mum and two midwives by my side. Those first skin-to-skin cuddles with her were incredible. She's now two weeks old and although we're tired, we wouldn't have it any other way
Thank you Hannah for giving me the confidence to have the relaxed home birth that I hadn't even considered as a possibility!
Beth, Mark and Olivia xxx
