JESSICA'S POSITIVE INDUCTION STORY

...and baby Osian!

"We signed up for Positive Birth Jersey’s Hynobirthing with a totally natural home birth in mind. This was my second pregnancy and, with a very natural hospital birth last time, I felt confident that with Hypnobirthing, we’d be able to have a home birth this time. 

As my pregnancy went by, it became increasingly clear that was not going to be possible as I was having issues with high blood pressure. The goal became to reach 37 weeks without developing pre-eclampsia. I regularly practised the Hypnobirthing techniques at home (usually in the bath) which I truly believe helped keep my blood pressure at a safe level for longer. 

At 39+4 weeks, I went for my routine blood pressure check at antenatal clinic. Within minutes, it was obvious this appointment was different and I was quickly whisked up to maternity and told I had unfortunately developed preeclampsia and needed to be induced as quickly as possible. The induction process meant I had frequent contractions of varying intensity over 24 hours. This would have been tough to deal with but I used my Hypnobirthing throughout so I managed without any other pain relief. 

I continued to use my Hypnobirthing techniques while the midwife broke my waters. From then on, the contractions intensified quickly and my hypnobirthing allowed me to cope well without the need for any pain relief, other than a little gas and air during transition stage, until my baby was in my arms. 

More drama ensued after birth when my placenta refused to budge. I continued to use my Hypnobirthing techniques during the manual removal of my placenta in theatre and was able to remain calm and focused throughout. 

Obviously, the complications pre and post birth were not the ideal natural, home birth we’d hoped for. However, as well as the Hypnobirthing techniques, the course fully prepared us for dealing with interventions. We felt informed and empowered to discuss benefits and risks of both the induction process and the manual placenta removal and make informed decisions about my care. 

Despite it not following our original birth preferences (as we learned, no birth can be truly planned), the guidance and information we received from May and Jan meant that we still felt we had a very positive birth experience and welcomed our baby boy into the world in a calm and relaxed environment. 

The course has also meant that we have made some lovely friends and our son has a lovely group of babies to play with as he grows up. We have already recommended Positive Birth Jersey to friends and would not hesitate to recommend it to everyone expecting a baby, whether it’s your first pregnancy or not, the course will be invaluable. 

Thank you May and Jan. You’re both absolutely amazing."