Hello Maureen
I hope you are well. We want to let you know that Florie arrived on Thursday 30th September at 2.49am, into water in our home! 7lbs 7.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you taught us, all the tools we were equipped with, the support and the confidence you instilled in the both of us. The three of us worked as a team and achieved everything as we hoped.
Here is our story, sorry it is quite long - labour, I think, would be classed as long, 30+ hours!
She started at 8pm on the 28th, but my suspicions were that the latent up stage actually started earlier and I did not know because when began that night was more than mild. I let the on call know and went to bed. Surges were exactly as you described when you said 'powerful'. Had to use my breathing each time and they were regular enough to mean barely any sleep! Started Wednesday with a big bowl of porridge and the day was a slow build of increasing intensity. I had expectations of what I 'should' be doing or what I had imagined I would be doing but the cues from my instincts were amazing to listen to and I knew I had to go with them. By the evening the intensity and pressure was quite something, longer and getting closer. I did manage to eat pasta as I was insistent I would be well fuelled! It was late evening when it really ramped up and I was feeling the exhaustion, I didn't feel it was time to call for our midwife but the surges were VERY strong and I did wonder how long of these I had. Ralph was amazing here because I was feeling a bit confused - and exhausted. I think it was the unknown i wasn't sure how to manage - I wasn't getting relief from back pain during the rests and I wasn't;sure this was normal and it also made it very hard and I maybe wasn't expecting this. The midwives said she may have turned (she actually hadn't). We got into bed and put the magic carpet on and we used our arm drop and my word, both of us has such an awareness of how much this had helped to calm me, really help me regulate my breathing and get through each surge with restored confidence too. Ralph and I feel looking back this was one of the very key moments of the hypnobirthing.
I suddenly felt the urge to get up and be all 4s and call the midwife! Looking back I realise this was probably transition as on the couch I did then feel confused and was saying I couldn't do it anymore. I was shaking a lot too.
I honestly didn't think I was THAT close so we had not yet blown the pool up. Shadae our midwife arrived and although I planned not to be examined, at this stage I felt I needed it. I was about 9cm!!!! Very shortly after I felt a change in the pressure. I had gas and air at this point and this really helped me with the 'rests'. The pool was being filled now!
The pool was incredible, Ralph got in with me too. I did stop my gas and air this point as I felt I needed more awareness of my body. At the point I was bearing down, again we had another key moment of our hypnobirthing. I wasn't quite getting it right as she was coming down and Ralph could tell Shadae was expecting more. With his hand on my abdomen and listening to my breath he could tell I was not putting force downwards I guess, with not using the power of the breath, I was letting breath out before putting any force downwards - so it was actually him that coached me on what to do here!
She came, Ralph caught her. Placenta came easily and naturally after 30 minutes.
It was long but it was the natural rhythm and flow of my body and the direction of my instincts all the way. All those words came to actuality.
She is wonderful and we are both doing so so well. She feeds very well (has only lost 1% of birth weight), and she's incredible calm and content.
Thank you 1000 times again!
Felicity, Ralph and Florie xxx