Birth Stories and what parents have said...

Here are birth stories and messages from

some of The Motherhood Hypnobirthing mums and dads.

Micah

My Positive Birth Story

After dipping my toes into hypnobirthing some years ago for my first daughter, I fully immersed myself in Abi's course late 2021 and what a difference it made to my birth prep and labour.

I was given all the knowledge, tools and resources to allow me to go into labour with a sound mind and the ability to make informed decisions whatever unpredictable route labour took me down and felt prepared to advocate for myself should I have needed to.

I had a beautiful, calm birth to end a tumultuous pregnancy. Happy baby Micah was born weighing 9lb 15oz with low dose oxytocin to speed a slow labour along with the minimal pain relief I planned. I credit The Motherhood hypnobirthing for getting me through my labour with a clear head and can honestly say I enjoyed ( the large majority of) it!

Both me and my partner loved Abi's presence in our home for the sessions.

I just wanted to send a message to you myself thanking you for everything that you did to assist Lucy with her pregnancy and Labour. As you know I was skeptical about the whole hypnobirthing thing and weren't overly fussed on doing the course. I can gladly and proudly say now that my opinion has changed and I was wrong. The tools and methods that you provided Lucy with made labour seem effortless ( from an outsiders point of view haha).

From being in the hospital at 12.00 and being 2-3cm dilated to going home and seeing how well Lucy coped as her body moved through the various stages of labour to going back at 19.40 and being 9cm dilated. You never would have known. Whilst Lucy pushed our baby out for over 2.5 hours she remained calm and collected and was able to focus her mind on what she had to do.

Lucy was amazing, and her breath and visualisations got her through the whole process from start to finish without a drop of even gas and air. I am confident she would not have coped as well as she did without your course and you as her instructor. You also provided me with the necessary tools to ask the right questions, weigh up every situation and keep Lucy calm and focused. Throughout delivery, we stayed on the breath and I was able in part to remind her of visualisations ( even though I was ad- libbing) together and ensured the safe delivery of our baby.

I described Lucy's labour as perfect, yes she needed Vonouse to assist and the Dr needed to make a cut to make space but knowing what we know now and that we have a boulder of a 9lb 3 baby (haha) the assistance was necessary and doesn't change my opinion that labour couldn't have went any better.

Thank you for everything.

What Bodhi's dad said

Bodhi

Lilah

Birth story to come...

Mum's messages to me

'She’s here! Lilah Jessica arrived at 08.46

and she’s 8lb 5oz of absolute perfection"

'Thank you so much for your wonderful session it really helped!!She’s so beautiful isn’t she?! I need to sleep but can’t stop looking at her. It was so different giving birth in the morning! Especially with the school run madness happening around us was amazing to have everyone there but the visualisations were essential!'

Baby Ivy

Our Labour

This was our first baby.. so we didn’t have a clue what to expect, I had always been intrigued with Hypnobirthing and wanted to give it a try, Martin wasn’t too sure.. soon changed his mind you would think he was the one giving birth he was that into it in the end.

As you know we had just bought our first home, in the process to moving in on 4th December LITERALLY moving the furniture in.. I was getting a few pains in my lower back and tightenings so we went up to Arrowe Park to get checked out, I was only 1cm and was starting slow labour. Fast forward 1 week of sleepless nights and long days uncomfortable days. I was adamant to have our girls room done before she was here so Martin decorated her room that weekend & got her furniture built. 8pm Sunday night I am hanging her clothes and get a few pains.. These carried on throughout the night but I got a little sleep between them, 6am I couldn’t lie in bed anymore Martin was passed the “your in labour” at this point as it had happened a few times that week but I could feel this was different. By 8am I started timing them and called up Arrowe Park who said to call back when I had 3 within 10 min. By 3pm I was really uncomfortable so we went up to be checked out, I was only 2cm at this point but baby had turned back to back which is why I was having pains so intense in my lower back, they advised me to go home relax (which wasn’t going to happen) and try some positions to move baby.

We returned home at 4:30pm Martin run me a bath with candles and our playlist playing.. he helped me through my breathing and I had a massive surge whilst in the bath which I finally breathed my way through, they started to get more intense so we moved to the bedroom which he had also made as relaxing as he could. I spent the next 2 hours on and off my ball as the only way I could breath through these was bent over my ball.. it got to 8pm when we called back up and I had 3 surges whilst on the phone so they asked me to come back up, I was examined and was 4 1/2 cm so off we went to the delivery suit.

We met our midwife who was unbelievable she also did hypnobirthing which was music to our ears as she knew what we wanted and was happy to leave us to it.

My dream labour was a water birth and gas and air but we all know you can’t “plan” labour.. my BP was very high which meant I couldn’t have a water birth, I was over that and happy with my gas & air whilst martin set up our room to how we wanted.. by 11:30 I was 7cm.. and yes it was painful but honestly me & martin were really enjoying ourselves he was helping me breath and making sure I kept hydrated.

2:30am my midwife could hear my surges had changed and asked if I felt the urge to push which I really did, hence the cow noises coming out my room.. I wasn’t due to be examined yet but she checked and I was 9 1/2cm, finally she is nearly here (we thought).

The next 4 1/2 hours become real by this point I was exhausted, wouldn’t let go of my gas & air. The midwives asked Martin to get it off me as they couldn’t & it was preventing me pushing, so we kept at it and it then got to 6:30am I was done I couldn’t push any more I had been at it for 2 1/2 hours pushing and she was in her sack popping in and out, so the doctor come in and said I could do this without any help.. but I was too exhausted I tried a few more times by 7am it was decided they would give me a little help with a Ventouse Delivery so was cut and and had to do one last push and she was here. Our Beautiful perfect girl Ivy Rai Clare was born at 7.33am weighing 6 pound 11 ounces.

Abi I can honestly say your hypnobirthing course was the best thing we ever did, not only did it prepare us it give us knowledge and showed us our options and but it made me and Martin the best team together, I couldn’t of done it without him he really was so prepared and knew how to calm, and help me through it all I would of given up a few times if he wasn’t there to remind me of everything.

We Love You!