Birth story - Victoria and baby Phoebe

I purchased the digital pack at 25 weeks after looking into a hypnobirthing course and finding it too expensive. My friend had found the course useful and recommended it and I watched all of the videos within the first few weeks and encouraged my husband to watch them as well. I had my son almost 4 years ago and the birth wasn't terrible but I hadn't really understood what was happening and watching the videos made me feel a lot better about having to do it all again. We discussed my preferences after watching the videos and I felt confident that he could advocate for me and knew exactly what I wanted.

Having had no previous issues during my pregnancy at my 34 week midwife appointment she measured static growth as my bump measurement had gone down from 90th centile to 50th. I had an appointment for scan at hospital on the Wednesday and the baby measured at 7lbs 2 so they booked me in for an induction. I wasn't sure if I'd go ahead with it but the doctor was really helpful and answered all of my questions. She also explained that I could just book it and show up and ask more questions but wouldn't have to have it. As my husband hadn't been able to attend the scan it made sense for me to make the appointment and discuss it with him and use my BRAIN to decide what I wanted to do.

I ended up having a sweep and pessary at 2.30 on the Tuesday. My husband and I then walked around the hospital grounds for about 5 miles then got back and I bounced for an hour on a birthing ball. When they checked after that I was only 2cm dialated so she did another pessary at 9.15pm. I thought it'd be a good idea if my husband got some sleep after that so I strongly encouraged him to go home. He managed to get home and have 3 hours sleep and I had some toast at the hospital (which really helped later as I hardly felt hungry)

In the meantime I tried to lie in bed but I couldn't sleep. I started to feel quite a lot of discomfort at about 11.30 and couldn't lie down any more so kept walking around and going to the toilet. I ended up having to upwards breathe through it and knew the surges had started. I told the midwife who gave me paracetamol and codeine and told me to find her in half an hour if they didn't help. They didn't touch the sides and I kept going to the toilet and walking around. At 1.40am I lost my mucus plug and told the midwife. She examined me 20 minutes later and I was 4cm dilated. She said she'd call down to delivery and call my husband. I texted him as well and he got to the hospital at 2.45am.

I had gas and air at this point and they let me keep it on me in the lift to get to delivery suite. We walked into the delivery room and I knew I wouldn't be able to sit or lie down. As I'd had the induction they kept the heart monitor on the the whole time. We'd asked for the pool and they'd said it was possible but it takes an hour and a half to fill so they'd start filling it. I then just stood and leaned over the bed and tried to breathe through my surges with my husband's help. I could take a couple of steps on each direction but was quite constrained by the monitor (but it was reassuring that the baby was ok) I was breathing through the surges for about 25 minutes. Then I felt the urge to push and my waters went standing up and leaning over the bed.

I quickly got on the bed after intense pushing her head came out and then on all fours on the bed managed to push the rest of her out. The midwife and my husband were brilliant.

My baby was 9lbs and on the 90th centile so the static growth was wrong but it felt like she was born at the right time. I had her at 3.45am and this time didn't need any stitches.

We had immediate skin to skin and delayed cord cutting and she fed, and my husband also did some skin to skin when I had a shower. The Positive Birth Company videos and the Facebook birth stories really helped me which is why I'm submitting mine now - hopefully it'll help somebody else.