Cole's Beautiful Birth Story of Baby Luka
Cole’s Birth Story
So recently I caught up with Hypnobirthing Mum Cole and her beautiful Hypnobub Luka for coffee and cuddles. Cole's attended my April Hypnobirthing Group Class with her husband Ilia. Cole has kindly shared her birth story with me and has given me permission to write it down for her and share it. Which I happily did (just apologise for how long it took me!) but she has read it and given it her approval, so I am honoured to share it with you now…
Cole’s beautiful birth story all started on Wednesday the 23rd of May at 40+2 weeks pregnant, when I began feeling the beginning of early labour tightening’s but didn’t think too much of it but by Thursday the 24th things started to change. I went about my day like any other normal day really, spending it with Hubby watching movies until they got annoying and giving him a haircut (I am a Hairdresser) but all while having these irregular but frequent and noticeable tightening’s that continued to build in intensity thorough out the day, I had lavender baths, showers while laying down with my head on a towel, used my TENS machine while smelling Clary Sage oil, all while listening to the Hypnobirthing Australia™ Hypnosis tracks.
I called my midwife from the Midwifery Group Practice that afternoon/evening who advised me to take some panadeine forte and try get some sleep and I was able to get a couple of hours that night but by 6am Friday morning things were progressing. My husband, Ilia was a bit unsure about if he should go to work or not decided he felt at that stage there wasn’t really much he could do so off to work he went, knowing he was just a phone call away and could come home when needed.
By 9:30am my surges were regular, so I called my midwife, who arrived to my home at 10:30am, giving me lots of reassurance but it was still a little too early to go to hospital with my surges being 1 in 10minutes although regular, she suggested I try the bath again. So I called hubby home for support and he arrived at 12:30pm to find me in my zone in the bath listening to my hypnobirthing tracks, which really helped, being able to fall in and out of sleep and kept me really calm.
At 2:30pm we left home for the hospital, arriving at 3pm, meeting our midwife and going straight up to the birthing centre. My surges by then were every 4-5 minutes and strong. I entered the bath and enjoyed the warmth of the water while listening to some music, being supported by Ilia, my mum and sister, midwifery student and midwife.
Cole mentioned that looking back the only thing she would do different next time is continued to listen to her Hypnosis tracks in hospital instead of just music.
From the bath I moved into the shower, getting to that point where I felt I couldn’t do it anymore and at 7pm with my consent my midwife did an internal vaginal examination and all I had an anterior lip, a little bit of cervix left at the top and my waters (membranes) were still intact. After discussing with my midwife what would help get through that transitional phase we decided to do an ARM (artificial rupture of the membranes), have my waters released and to get back into the bath.
In the bath I did lots of changing of positions just trying to get comfortable. Finding transition very uncomfortable and because of this and to help bring the baby’s head down I got out of the bath and found most comfortable position to be in was on my side lying down on the bed. At this point I was uncontrollable bearing down using my breath and pushing my baby down. Time passed with progress but still no baby yet and I was starting to get tired so at 9pm we made the decision to transfer to delivery suite after 2 and half hours of pushing in the birthing centre. At 9:15pm the Doctor came in to assess me and see my pushing efforts and work out what it was that was taking baby so long to birth. We found baby was in a deflexed position (so baby didn’t have chin tucked into his chest), so the plan was made with me, my midwife and Doctor as a team to do a Ventouse birth, with the support from my husband, mum and sister. It was explained to me they would take the time to put an IV Jelco in my hand and use a pudendal block (local anaesthetic used to provide nerve block and pain relief within the pelvis) because up to that point I had a drug free labour.
Cole thought it through, discussed it with her husband, mum and sister. I just felt so tired and just really wanted to meet my baby, so I made the informed decision and consented to do a Ventouse with episiotomy if needed with the support from my husband, mum and sister.
At 9:40pm was that moment where I reached my hands down to bring my baby up to my chest, surrounded by love and support from my husband, my mum and sister who got to share in that special moment with me. I had a full hour of skin to skin with my beautiful baby boy. We had delayed cord clamping with active management for the birth of the placenta due to the intervention for the birth part and required some stitchers for the episiotomy and a small labial tear.
Cole said she is just so proud of herself and it was just radiating from her face as she told her story while cuddling her beautiful baby. She is loving motherhood and cuddling her little Koala she calls him. Luka is breastfeeding beautifully, gained 1kg in just 4 weeks and is such a calm Hypnobub sleeping 3+hours overnight.
Cole said, “I don’t know what would of happen without the hypnobirthing.” I wasn’t scared at all, felt fully informed so I was able to ask questions and give consent. I felt supported by my birthing team, midwives and doctors the whole time. I feel if I didn’t have this knowledge or support it could have been a whole different experience. Being able to work with my midwife, have that important relationship meant my midwife knew and was concerned when I got tired but knowing what kind of birth I wanted to achieve and was able to support that even with a change in circumstances.