Matilda’s Birth Day
A beautifully crafted account of Matilda's birth by her māmā Kate, who narrated the story exactly as it unfolded. What a special letter to share and give to her; the story of her birth.
Initially envisioning a home birth, Kate meticulously planned and visualized the experience she had dreamed of. However, when circumstances shifted, her resilience and comprehensive understanding of the options available to her allowed her to adapt without losing her positive and empowering outlook. It was truly a pleasure to accompany Kate and Tom on their pregnancy journey.
Jaimee + Marli’s Positive Home Birth
Everyone left Arus and I for a moment. We agreed that she suited the name we had kept secret for months and told everyone in the room. We got out of the pool so she could be kept warm enough. I lay down on the floor and she latched on straight away. Arus, still there right by our side. The midwives offered me synthetic oxytocin to help deliver the placenta more quickly but I had thought about this and had it in my birth preferences, I said "let's see if my body can do that too", I was feeling very powerful! Plus, my baby was in my arms enjoying her first feed. Within ten minutes, I felt my final contraction and the placenta came out. Everyone was having a look at it and I loved hearing all the comments about how amazing it was - "the tree of life." We kept it for burial. The whole room was filled with love, all those hours and here she was! I'm still elated by the fact my birth dream came true!
Shamatay + Sofia’s Positive Birth
I started to move into ‘my zone’ and as a result it felt like I was not mentally or emotionally present in my surroundings, I was so focused on surrendering to each surge, knowing each one got me closer to meeting my baby. I listened to the hypnobirthing tracks on repeat and I kept repeating in my mind “I’ve got this”. This resulted in me not being able to communicate much at all to my partner but he knew what steps to take and how to help because our hypnobirthing course prepared him for this moment.
Andi + Alfie’s Hypnobirth
I could feel the stages my body was moving through and found this comforting because I knew if I kept it up it wouldn’t take long. I kept focusing on all my affirmations, repeating them in my head - ‘my mind leads my body’, ‘the sensations are never too strong for me because they are me’. I used my surge breathing - visualising my uterus working just like it should be; strong, rhythmic, efficient. The back pain I was experiencing was unbearable at times but I had trained my mind to stay calm and just embrace each surge like a wave; coming and going.
Andi + Belle’s Hypnobirth
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.