Helen’s Birth Story – The Birth of Finn

My birth story started in a way that I had envisioned; my waters broke at home and this was confirmed at the hospital shortly after. I was then instructed to call the hospital to arrange returning in 24 hours where my labour would be helped along if required. I spent those 24 hours harnessing and utilizing everything I’d learnt in Lizzie’s course. My husband and I watched comedy series and films, anything that made us laugh, he rubbed my back when I was having contractions, I read positive affirmations, listened to meditations, and I rotated and bounced on a gym ball. It was a great start…

When we arrived at hospital the next morning, we were taken to the ‘Home-From-Home’ room which I was delighted with as my first preference for the birth centre was no longer an option now it looked likely I would need assistance in progressing my labour. My husband and I made ourselves at home, we’d printed large positive birth affirmations to tack onto the wall, I had our family photographs in frames, put electric tea lights round the room, and even sprayed my favourite scent on the bedding. All these things were ideas we brainstormed during Lizzie’s course.

I then consented to a vaginal examination in which we were told I was 4cm dilated, and we were left alone for 4 hours to see how labour progressed. During this time we got some food delivered and watched more comedy.

After this time I was checked again and had not gone beyond 4cm dilated. I said I was happy to be put on an oxytocin drip, I’d read up about this as a method of getting labour moving so wanted to give it a try. Shortly after the drip was administered however, my contractions got incredibly strong and lasted longer in duration, it was then Finn’s heart rate went down.

Suddenly, 10 people were in our room and I was being wheeled away at speed for a ‘category 1’ c section which Luke couldn’t be with me for. I would also be given a general anaesthetic which I was devastated about as I really wanted that skin to skin contact with my baby and for Luke to be with me. At this point my calm breathing technique was only just about keeping me grounded but I was incredibly frightened. Just before they were about to put me to sleep though, Finn’s heart rate recovered and after observing for 20 minutes, the team let me go back to our room.

Luke and I started using the audio meditations and calm breathing techniques to start anchoring ourselves back after such a major stress. This didn’t completely calm me down, but it did prevent me from spiralling and brought me back to a more ‘neutral’ state of mind.

Shortly after returning to our room, the night team came and introduced themselves, including the anaesthetist who had been briefed about what had just happened. She was amazing and explained what they would do if I decided I  to go for a ‘category 2’ c section. I said I would be very much open to the idea to avoid another crisis situation and be able to have that skin to skin contact and Luke there to tell me the gender of our baby.

After some time, the midwives decided to try me on a smaller dose of oxytocin, and Finn’s heart rate started to change again. It was then that I declared that I wanted a c section I would be awake for! I felt like hypnobirthing reinforced my confidence in this decision big time.

The c-section process was a calm, controlled, peaceful process and I felt really at peace with the decision we made. We had the song from The Detectorist tv show playing on loop and Luke revealed Finn’s gender not long after we heard his first cries. The immediate skin to skin afterwards was pure bliss.

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