Noelle & Justin - 2020 Birth Story
When we had our first hospital visit, the midwife informed us about the classes available, and she described Hypnobirthing as an "alternative" and said it is “meditating and self hypnotizing for birth". I immediately thought it was definitely not for us, my partner is too talkative, there would be no way that I would be able to meditate with him around!! However, a friend encouraged me to read a book she had found really helpful called "Your Baby, Your Birth; by Hollie de Cruz. I realised that it was about Hypnobirthing, so we decided to do more research on the class. We soon learned that Hypnobirthing isn't as 'hippy-dippy' as it
sounds.
To us, Hypnobirthing is all about learning how our bodies are designed to birth a baby, understanding and working with it. Hypnobirthing is about teamwork, it focuses on how the birthing partner is integral to the whole pregnancy. It’s not just about the birth, but also the journey of pregnancy, and what we can do to prepare ourselves for it. It’s your birth, your way. About being calm and prepared for whatever situation your birthing takes and knowing your rights and options.
Before the class, I was extremely nervous about labour. I imagined a panicked medical situation where you rush to the hospital screaming in pain, with doctors and nurses shouting PUSH! This is what we’re trained to believe will happen, because that’s what portrayed in movies. Hypnobirthing taught us that this is far from reality, and thankfully we ended up having the most beautiful experience bringing our daughter into this world. Together with the midwife who thought the class, we wrote a birth plan that helped us feel prepared for whatever direction our birthing took.
When early labour started, we stayed at home for as long as possible. By day three, I wasn’t sure if my waters had released, so we contacted the hospital and they advised me to come in. I was so calm that the midwives couldn’t believe it when they checked and I was already 6cm dilated. They referred to me as the “superstar mom!” as I leisurely strolled to the birthing suite. We set ourselves up in the room with music, incense and fairy lights to create a beautiful atmosphere. Later, when I was checked again by the doctor, she said she could not comprehend the calm way I was behaving, now at 7cm. We were so fortunate that Robina, the midwife who had taught our class, came on duty and was with us for the entire birth. At one stage, Robina asked if I just had another surge, I responded: “I’m not sure, I think I nodded off for a few minutes!” That’s how calm and relaxed I was. In the end, we required some help with the birth of our daughter, as she was a little bit stuck. The doctor came explained our options, and as we were so prepared, we could answer her with confidence and without hesitation.
During my labour, I did not require any pain medication and had the most wonderful and empowering experience of my entire life. So much so, that I would gladly do it again, 10 times over. To this day, I still use the calming techniques which I learned through Hypnobirthing. So many people comment on how calm and happy our little girl is. Even at four months old, during overseas long-haul flights, we had flight attendants and fellow passengers commend us on how amazing our little girl is. They say that we’re so lucky. We believe that it’s not just luck, we really believe that it is thanks to Hypnobirthing! Hypnobirthing is an incredible class, we couldn’t recommend more, and truly believe that it should be a mandatory birthing class.
