Andi + Belle’s Hypnobirth

Belle’s birth was the biggest challenge of my life and the most empowering. Let me tell you a tiny bit about the journey and my pregnancy before I get to the day of Belle’s birth.

After being on the contraceptive pill for 10 years I had this epiphany while on my yoga training and thought “what on earth am I doing supressing my own hormones for all this time? I stopped that day and it was the beginning of a long and testing time balancing my hormones. It wasn’t about fertility for me at this stage, more about supporting my overall health. It took 10 months before my period returned and then after about another year of naturopathy and restoring the balance. We started trying and I did fall pregnant pretty soon after. My first pregnancy was unfortunately an ectopic pregnancy which resulted in emergency surgery and losing my left fallopian tube. I feared that my chances would be less for future fertility and I would be less likely to fall pregnant again. I educated myself, read up and learnt that the body is simply incredible, I learnt that if my left ovary did release an egg my right fallopian tube can move and retrieve the egg from the cavity in my body and bring it to my uterus!! Talk about incredible!

Just three months later I fell pregnant again with Belle. It was amazing to hear her heartbeat at that 12-week scan. I felt comforted that the nausea, fatigue and unstoppable cravings for potato, bread and cheese where 100% acceptable. I learnt that my left ovary did miraculously release the egg (the corpus luteum could be seen in the ultrasound, and this indicates which ovary the egg was released from). Thankfully my nausea lifted around 15 weeks and from there on my pregnancy was relatively smooth sailing. I kept fit and active still practicing my regular yoga, teaching yoga, swimming, walking and lots of squatting right up until D day. 

Michael and I decided to hire a Doula (birthing support person) and invest in Hypnobirthing, we just knew we both needed to be equipped, supported and informed to have the best experience possible. Health care in Abu Dhabi is a lucrative business, with a privatised health care model. There are endless options for Obstetricians, hospitals (that are as flash as a 5-star hotels) and a smorgasbord of medical interventions to choose from. We registered with a public hospital, very much a no-frills environment, but what it did have was a midwifery model of care and the best clinicians in the City.  I know that my birth would have been completely different without doing hypnobirthing because we wouldn’t have been informed and made the smart choices that we did make. We also completed the antenatal course offered through the hospital, I couldn’t believe the difference in content and how unprepared I would have been if that was all I had done.

I went into labour on the 29th of November 2016 (4 days before my guess date) after experiencing 12 hours of pre labour. I managed to have a proper dinner and Michael and I got out for our typical evening walk before I thought “hmm these surges aren’t going away”. I hate to cry wolf, but after experiencing pre labour contractions I really doubted whether this was actually the real deal. So, from 7:30(ish) till 11:30pm I stayed at home with Michael and started to practice all my hypnobirthing strategies. As my surges started to become more frequent and intense, I just focused on my relaxation and surge breathing. I tried to watch a comedy movie but found it extremely unfunny!! Each surge felt like the most intense lower back discomfort (my period pain amplified). Michael phoned our Doula, Sally as things were getting more intense. I now couldn’t speak during my surges and they were coming regularly, she suggested we meet her at the hospital. We arrived at the Hospital around 12am. I immediately got support from Sally with counter pressure on my back during the surges, an absolute god send and turned out to be how I got through each wave till the birth of Belle. The midwife checked my cervix, I was 4cm dilated and was transferred straight to the labour ward. In some ways I felt a huge sense of worry.... “what the fuck I’m ONLY 4cm, what am I in for!”  

 Michael and Sally adapted my labour room from a medical environment into a hypnobirthing one; turned my yoga/birth playlist on, dimmed the lights, placed my affirmations all around the walls, put my pictures I used as visualisations up, placed the do not disturb sign on the door and handed my birth preferences to my midwife (who I hadn’t met before). I. Did. Hypnobirthing. Without it I know I would have panicked. I just repeated my affirmations in my mind... “my mind leads my body”, “each surge brings me closer to my baby”, “relax let go”, “if all the other woman (my mum, my nan) can do it, I can do it” “face and jaw soft”. I visualised my body opening like a peony rose (over and over again), softening, opening. The midwife was discreet and followed my wishes for a calm physiological birth. I felt her presence and safety but she really let me and my support team do what we needed to do. They held the space for me and kept my environment serene and calm. Offering me sips of water, cold face cloths and taking turns putting pressure on my hips, whilst I stayed calm and focused inwards.

I asked for gas earlier on but because I was so focused, I didn’t even think about using it. I focused on my breathing feeling the surge and my breath wash over my body. I came out of my “zone” at one point and voiced “I can’t do this anymore”. Sally confidently reminded me I am doing it and I’m nearly there. I went to the toilet with Michael supporting me and I felt a clot and what seemed like lots of blood. My body started shaking from adrenaline and fear. This was the hardest hour of my labour with Doctors coming in and out of my room, having to be restricted to the bed so that both baby and I could be monitored and then clinicians recommending to release my membranes (break my waters). I was so uncomfortable and hated that I couldn’t be upright, it felt like agony on my back all I wanted was to stand and feel the counter-pressure on my pelvis. My environment became very medical; lights were bright, extra staff where in the room, people were talking loudly and I was not doing hypnobirthing I was very much in my thinking brain. I remember thinking to myself if they even mention pain relief or a c-Section I will take it. I was in flight-fright-freeze-appease mode. My support team advocated for me and asked for time to think about my options; my doula suggested we could try a membrane sweep instead (something less invasive). The midwife went to do this but I was already 10cm dilated, the relief! On reflection we think that these changes in my body was because my cervix was dilating relatively fast nearing transition.

From 4am I transitioned and had a really big break in my surges, I got to experience the “rest and be thankful phase”. I began to get subtle feelings to bear down, I felt exhausted but knew what I had to do; stay calm and open, soften and work with my baby and my uterus. Leaning on the back of the Hospital bed I just wasn’t getting strong enough urges; I remember thinking that there was no way that sensation was going to get my baby out. Sally suggested moving position. I got into a squat on the floor and just like that I felt so much more power from my body. No one needed to coach me and it was simply incredible how the body just naturally knew what to do. It felt so primitive and raw. Mike sat on a chair and I squatted between his legs with my lower arms pressed into his thighs. After each surge I rested on my knees because my calves and thighs were burning. The sensations were intense - especially the crowning, but I had never felt stronger. There on my yoga mat in the deepest yoga squat I gave birth to Belle at 5:33am. It was magic. My midwife passed Belle to me and I held her on my chest saying “I did it” with tears streaming down my face.

I had an undisturbed physiological third stage with Belle on my naked chest, breast feeding and overflowing with oxytocin. I birthed my placenta after two or so contractions and we did delayed cord clamping before mike cut the cord. We saved the placenta for placenta encapsulation. Michael was my rock and used all the knowledge and tools we learnt from hypnobirthing to support me, holding space and trusting in me. I had a second-degree tear that required suturing, something that I hadn’t thought at all about and in all honesty did feel rather cruel to have to endure more down there!

I will forever be in awe of the strength of the female body and mind. I am so thankful that my husband and I did a Hypnobirthing course. The course ensured I was prepared for a positive birth. Words cannot describe how empowering my experience was. I had the most supportive team with me. My husband was a constant by my side showing me either through touch or words how much he loved me and was proud of me. My midwife followed my birth plan and was very respectful of my preferences and positive throughout my labour. My pregnancy, labour and birth ignited my passion and dream to support women and their partners through this transformative and powerful journey using Hypnobirthing. You can click here to find out more about The Positive Birth Course that I teach.