Hi Karen,

Here is my birth story.

I couldn’t say exactly when my surges started as my waters broke on Monday but seemed to heal again however for the whole week I continued to have period type cramps.

I don’t know if it was because I had been advised by the mid wife that I ought to go into hospital on the 8th to have things checked (and I was adamant that I was not having my baby in hospital) but during the 7th things did start to feel a little different nothing specific just different I continued throughout the day as normal but as the evening progressed the “cramps” started to feel a little more powerful, so I laid on the bed put my ear phones on and drifted off into the marvellous place I had found in my mind whilst practicing hypnobirthing. Time had no meaning and I only came back to my fully conscious state when I felt ravenously hungry and desperate to eat quiche! Bizarrely I cooked and ate a quiche and then had a bath , the surges were getting a little stronger by this stage so I thought I would fill the birthing pool (a test run had taught me I needed two tanks of hot water to fill the pool). I watched Jonathan Ross on TV as I was filling the pool and although I felt a little uncomfortable I didn’t feel that anything was imminent.

At about midnight I called the midwife (Jenny was on call and already delivering) She asked if I needed any one immediately and I said no I didn’t think so. Early on in my pregnancy I had decided that I didn’t want anyone other than a midwife at the birth , at this point I was alone and put a key in door so the midwife could let herself in. I put my CD on and got into the birthing pool, easily slipping straight back into a state in extreme relaxation. At no point did I think I was about to give birth nor did I feel the need call anyone for company - I was in all honesty waiting for it to hurt. It wasn’t until about 2am that I called the midwives back and said that I thought they ought to come over as each surge was starting before the previous one had finished but I was still very calm and relaxed.

Rachel the midwife duly arrived and with in about a minute of her arriving things became very much more intense and my breathing became reactionary rather than controlled and I started to feel out of my depth. Rachael was excellent and reminded me of my breathing but by this stage - I guess I realised just how pig headed I had been when I said I didn’t need anyone and could do it all myself, there are times when you do need a calm voice and a helping hand. However that was very short lived as what seemed to be a few moments later I felt a need to bear down and within minutes my beautiful son Joseph was born into the world at 3:15, about an hour after I called the midwife. By 6am I was showered sitting on the sofa, drinking tea and Joseph and I were receiving our first visitors - elated grandparents!

The only downside about having hypno birthed Joseph is that I am excluded from the new mums club where everyone discusses their traumatic birth stories and vows never to go through “that” again - me I would give birth again tomorrow.

Love Hayley xx