Baby Myah
Her birthing story

I attended a hospital antenatal class with a girlfriend in 2014 and I gained the educational inbuilt fear the classes fill expectant parents with. The first class consisted of what will be wrong with your newborn child, i.e.: breathing problems, emergency C-section, when to call the hospital. The second class was about advertising your drug menu to ease the excruciating pain and how each drug is administrated.
 
I was terrified for each and every woman who attended the classes and vowed to myself, "I will not attend these classes. There has to be another alternative."
To add to the fear I learnt, this was my local hospital where I would birth in future. Each and every hospital has a different aspect of delivering these classes.
 
When I became pregnant I came to the realisation that at some point I I will have to birth my child and I wanted it to be like the positive stories I have heard from my family.
 
Two great birth stories, using the Hypno-birth technique from my very own sister who completed the Hypno-birth course in 2004 with now 3 children delivered drug-free and water births. Also my sister in-law had her first child as a home water birth in 2014.
 
I searched on Google and found Elke.  How grateful I am to have found her!

I'm not much of a reader; however the book you are provided with to read before commencing the classes was hard for me to put down. It was so informative and positively reassuring. Everything made sense.
 
Attending the 5 classes was fantastic! It was great for my partner and me to have time to speak openly addressing change, our fears of being parents, the birth and our relationship dynamics.
 
The relaxation visualisation hypnosis we did each class was so nice to do together for practice.

Each session we watched videos of births using the 'Hypno-birth technique.' We were amazed at how calm and relaxed each birth was without a fuss. Privately we would watch shows such as, 'The Midwives' and 'One born every minute.' I had to turn the T.V off as I thought it was ridiculous of the intense tension and fear women carried with them while labouring. It all makes sense how if relaxing the body, your muscles will relax and do the job efficiently.

Every day I would do my homework from Elke. My pelvic floor exercises, I would do my perineal massage, figure of 8 rotations on all fours, practice my calm breathing to go to sleep and if ever anxious.  When I started to panic and get anxious at bed time about birthing my baby, I made sure to listen to the affirmation CD every night from 35 weeks & used Hypno- calm breathing to fall asleep. As much as I didn't think I was using the technique correctly I fell asleep quickly from my relaxed state.

My home natural water birth didn't go to plan as I had Meconium liquid (poo in the waters).
I was still relaxed and calm about being told I had to be admitted to hospital and being induced - much to my surprise!  Everything started slowly but my body started naturally labouring as I was 2cm dilated with my midwife saying,
 
"We will have a baby today, best case scenario 12/1pm."
My husband said,
"I think 10.24am." The midwife gave a look of, your dreaming.
"I said best case scenario 12/1pm!"
 
I had my husband, sister in-law (midwife), and a birth photographer at my labour. Not one of them could tell what stage of labour I was in as I was so relaxed and in my own world. I was on a gym ball just breathing through the surges, smiling and very minimal chatting in between, listening to my affirmations. I could recite the whole CD without having to actively listen.
 
Each surge, I would breathe and visualise my blue satin ribbons and breathing the baby down.
 
After 3 hours on the gym ball and sitting on the toilet to have a few contractions to open my pelvis, I was asked to lie on the bed. My baby's heart beat wasn't being read by the CTG machine and my heart rate interrupted it with me bouncing on the ball!
A scalpel clip was inserted on the baby's head and I was told I was 6cm dilated.

An hour later, I felt the urge to push. No one believed me as I was just 6cm and not showing any signs of full active labour.  Before we knew it, the trolley came in and the midwife said,
"We are going to have a baby!"

I started to tense whilst birthing, being unaware of how quickly the process was happening. I stopped breathing to push instead. Luckily, my husband and midwife told me, "Breathe the baby down. Keep breathing the baby down”,  as I was pushing, and it was too fast. I relaxed immediately and it just happened smoothly and calmly with every breath I took.
 
My baby was birthed with me lying on my side. She came out with her arm resting against her head. Amazingly not one tear! I only had two small grazes.
 
The midwife was shocked at how quickly and relaxed I birthed. She wasn't a True Believer of Hypno-birth until me.  Not one scream or yell came from my mouth. I just assured my baby and body to do its purpose, and it did with the final help of my husband and midwife reminding me to breathe.
 
My Husband and the birth photographer were stunned with my labour. They say it was a great experience. The best birthing experience the birth photographer has worked with. She only got one photo of what she would call "pain" on my face. The rest I was smiling or concentrating on my breathing. They can't stop telling people about the great birth story using Hypno-birth. They call me the super star.  The birthing suite admin were all told about my amazing birth experience.  They were shocked as a birth has not been so quick and calm considering the circumstances of being induced, drug-free and no tearing.
 
I cannot stress how much I recommend Hypno-birth. It made my birthing experience one I cannot wait to experience again.  When I tell people of my fantastic birth story they look at me funny.  Telling me I'm weird, how painful and horrible their birth was or their fear for the first time.  They just want the drugs and get it over and done with.
 
My only answer to any birth fear..... Hypno-birth!
 
Elke is your master who will guide you to having the birth you visualise and dream of.
 
Roshelle Mathewson