One of the many concerns of women we support is how they will cope if they have an induced labour. Even though an induction is not the bodies natural way to start labour, you can still use all the Natal Hypnotherapy techniques to stay calm, focused and positive throughout an induced labour.
“After being told I could not have children due to surgeries and medical conditions I never fathomed having a child or its implications. So you can imagine the shock when I found out I was carrying a child! I had no idea what to expect. I’d never paid an interest in children before due to my circumstances and was totally bewildered.
I did the usual of online research and tried to attend local prenatal classes; but they were difficult with working full time. A friend told me about Hypnobirth Classes and I’ve never been one for any kind of hypnosis but I thought I’d give it a go.
The first class I attended was so welcoming and it was great meeting other expectant mums. So I continued and also went to 2 blocks of the Pregnancy Relaxation classes during my pregnancy. I had a lot of aches and pains that were emphasised due to my Ehlers Danlos syndrome and found relaxing the most difficult thing in the world. The classes helped me realise that my body knows what it’s doing and if I’m tired it’s a good thing to rest, its not giving up its listening to myself. They also helped me work through a lot of fears, I was terrified I’d miscarry or not be able to deal with the birth, that something would go wrong. They helped me put everything into perspective and realise that my body will make sure my baby is healthy.
I reached full term and there were no signs of contractions but I was having pain and my baby’s movements were rapidly decreasing. I was advised to go for a scan to see if baby was ok and have a stretch and sweep. Of course I was a little nervous, but you know what? I was ready for anything! The scan showed I had lost half of my amniotic fluid and i was advised to have an induced labour.
An induced labour was the right thing for me and my baby
I agreed without hesitation and knew I was not leaving that hospital until my baby was out, how exciting! The induction and sweep was at 5pm on my due date 11/04/2016. I quickly started to over contract and this was when a wave of doubt came over me, I was afraid I would not be able to deal with the pain, that if the contractions were this strong straight away, what would the birth be like? But think about it like this, with an induced labour your body wasn’t expecting to contract today, it’s a shock to your body as well as you. I asked for some pain relief and was given pethidine which made me drowsy. It aslo made me vomit a few times but I felt calm and focused on relaxing ready for the birth. I had a 6 hour snooze and woke to need the toilet! So off I waddled down the corridor. When I went to get up off the toilet and was stuck halfway, I felt so embarrassed shouting for someone from the restroom! Arriving back on the labour ward, I was examined, finally at 5cm, time to go to the delivery suite.
I had just gotten into my delivery room when I felt this huge rush to push down, I called for the midwife and before she got to me I had burst my waters, while she went to get her apron on I pushed again and knew she was close. I was given gas and air and boy did I grab onto that! The next push, the head was here, and the fourth push was my final one! The birth took 10 minutes in total but it felt a lot longer! The only details I remember about the birth were closing my eyes, breathing and thinking all that matters is getting her here safely, just keep pushing! I listened to my body and my little girl got here so fast. So fast in fact she had to be taken away to be examined. It didn’t phase me, I knew she was fine.
Chase was born at 6 lb 3 1/2 oz (to be exact) and it was perfect. I would do it all again, exactly the same way, or a totally different way!
Trust me, as long as your little angel gets here safe you’ll wonder why you ever worried about the circumstances.”
Thank you Callie for your honest, open and inspiring story.
If you are interested in attending a Natal Hypnotherapy course you can find your local practitioner here
You can also get a free 15 minute pregnancy relaxation track
