Cathy had a 34-hour birth at home and shares with us which tools she used to make her feel as relaxed as possible.
Where & how was your baby born? Was it as you expected and did you have any support / tools?
My daughter was born at home in our living room (home birth) with just my husband, my midwife and a back up midwife who stayed very much in the background just typing up the notes. I used RealBirth, @gentlebirth app and tracks during pregnancy and during my labour just used movement and a hot water bottle as pain relief with a pool for the last 1hr 20mins.
What are your top tips for others going through birth?
Mindset – it’s literally all about the mindset. My labour was over 34 hours yet it felt so peaceful and beautiful and relaxed. Around 24hrs in I got a bit upset that things seemed very slow so my midwife came round and we had a little chat which was enough to reassure me and got me back into a positive head space. This made so much difference- I was actually able to nap between some of the contractions throughout the night which meant I had energy left when it came to pushing.
What aspects of your journey are you most proud of and / or did you enjoy?
That my husband and I managed together for about 32hrs before the midwife joined us. I’m proud that I put so much work into preparing for my labour and birth through RealBirth, Gentlebirth app, Spinning Babies daily yoga and antenatal swimming/daily walks. This allowed me to make informed decisions regarding my care during pregnancy and my decision to labour at home in my comfort zone which I believe massively contributed to my intervention free, calm, peaceful birth.
If you could do anything differently what would it be?
I genuinely wouldn’t do anything different. Perhaps set up a camera to video the pushing/birth stage? We did get lots of pictures throughout labour/post birth that my husband and midwife took though.
What helped you?
Mindset. Confidence in my bodies ability. Affirmations. Hot water bottle. My husband. Pool at the end- amazing pain relief! Trust in my midwife who in turn trusted me when I asked for a completely hands off birth. She never touched me- only the Doppler touched me every 15-30mins during the 3hrs or so she was with us before the birth. This was really important to me and I knew I could 100% trust her to give me the space I needed.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Birth can be beautiful and calm and empowering and private and a deeply connecting experience with your partner.
Thank you Cathy for sharing your birth experience with us. If you’d like to share your story for our #realbirthstoryproject you can hear, all voices are welcome.
Cathy mentioned the Real Birth Hypnobirthing Course, which is our online course, full of tools and resources for all births.