"All that is needed for the majority of labors to go well is a healthy, pregnant woman who has loving support in labor, self-confidence, and attendants with infinite patience." -Sheila Kitzinger-

Dreambirth stories & photos

Dreambirth videos

Dreambirth stories

Alexa´s Dreambirth (November 2015)

It all began with an odd popping sensation at 2am, on 14/09, a full 4 weeks and 1 day too soon. My partner works away on a roster of 4 weeks on, 1 week off and for this exact reason, I decided to enlist Helena as my doula and Hypnobirthing teacher. I drove myself to the hospital, where they informed me that yes, our little baby girl was indeed on her way! The doctor advised me that the best thing would be to have an induction as soon as possible, in case of infection. This is something I wanted to avoid at all cost, but didn't realise at that point I had a choice in the matter. I called my partner and told him to get on the next flight (which he did, 4 hours later) and I called Helena and told her what was happening.
They transferred me to King Edward since our little girl was going to be preterm and dear Helena met me there. Again I was advised by every person who entered the room to have an induction. Helena explained to me that I had a choice, and if I stayed strong and stood my ground, I could have my way. I didn't realise that this would be the hardest part of it all! The doctors decided to put me on an antibiotics drip in case of infection. All my bloods were coming back negative for everything and I stood my ground, refusing induction.
My partner arrived just before lunch time and we were both so excited! By this time I was in a birth suite and was looking forward to what lay ahead. My little girl and I were permanently hooked up to a heart rate monitor. My heart rate is generally quite high, but this only spurred the doctors on even further to try and force me into an induction. At this point I was only experiencing very light surges and, sure enough, I was taken from the birth suite, and put upstairs in a labour ward with 3 other pregnant ladies.
As the afternoon went on, my surges became stronger. My partner and I walked and walked, around and around the labour floor, stopping every now and then for a strong surge, cracking silly jokes along the way. We were in high spirits, as it was obvious things were moving along. After dinner, my surges became stronger still and my wonderful partner was massaging my back while I sat on a gym ball. I was only experiencing pressure, and wasn't aware of any physical pain. I breathed with each surge, relaxed and let my body open up and do what it was supposed to do. Much later that evening, the midwife told my partner he had to leave. He fought as hard as he could to stay, but they wouldn't budge and basically chased him away. I told everyone I was doing Hypnobirthing and was probably much calmer than I should be, but I was dismissed and told that there was no way I could be in full labour yet. No-one checked, and I was too upset to ask someone to check. I cried for an hour after he had gone.
All alone, in a ward with 3 other sleeping ladies, I laboured, my surges becoming stronger and stronger while I tried to rest. After a while, I noticed my surges were changing. I found immense relief by sitting on the loo, and buzzed the midwife and told her that my surges were starting to feel very different. She told me that this was normal and that I wasn't far enough along yet. After about 15 minutes, I buzzed her again, insisting that she checked. She then went very quiet and said that we had to get down to the birth suite immediately as I was already 8cm dilated. I called my partner and Helena and told them to get to the hospital straight away. Helena thought it was very strange that I was able to hold a conversation at this point!
The midwife wheeled me downstairs and my partner and Helena arrived . I was finally able to listen to my Rainbow Relaxation and Positive Affirmations so I got out of the chair and into position. The relief of having support was immense, and I started to let go and go inwards to my baby. My surges became more intense, with more pressure, but still no physical pain. Breathing became purposeful, every one sending my girl further down to us. There was no concept of time, just me, my baby and my partner, whispering and kissing me.
I will never forget the feeling of her head emerging, an intense burning sensation, but bringing with it so much excitement! I knew the end was near and that we would meet our baby girl very soon! She slipped out into the world as the sun was coming up and greeted us with a hearty cry. Her heart rate remained stable throughout the birth process and the paediatrician just looked at her, and left us alone. Helena smiled her knowing smile at me and prepared some lovely tea. She knew how hard it had been to stay strong and I couldn't have done it without her support. I had fallen in love all over again with my amazing partner and was overwhelmed by a sense of absolute love and well being. Giving birth to Alexa, my way, is the single most fantastic thing I have ever done in my life.
Chelna - Alexa's mum

Henry´s Dreambirth - at Family Birth centre (December 2013)

Our beautiful baby boy Henry Arthur arrived today 29/12/13. His birth was an absolute dream, I cannot stop smiling. Here's Henry's story:
Henry was estimated to arrive on 18/12/13. By Christmas he still wasn't here so we were starting to get a little bit worried about induction or the possibility of being transferred from the family birthing centre over to King Edward hospital. M. and I went for long walks every day and I kept bouncing on my fit ball. Deep down I knew he'd arrive before an induction and I kept telling him to arrive when he was ready.
Last night at 4:30pm M. and I went for a nice walk around East Perth. I hadn't had any painful surges but had a feeling he was on his way soon. At 5:30pm I had a shower. I got out of the shower and had my first strong surge. There was no build up and it was very intense. I sat on my fit ball and listened to my affirmations CD. The surges were coming every 3 minutes and lasting for 2 minutes each. Hardly any break in between each one. I called the family birth centre and they heard me have two surges on the phone in the space of 5 minutes. They told me to come in straight away.
The car ride was quite uncomfortable with five strong surges on the way. When we got to the family birth centre I got straight into the zone and focused on my breathing. I leant against a counter for a while swaying my hips and breathing. Then I moved to the shower. M. held the water on my belly and the other shower head was on my back. Bliss!! The surges had no build up and only about a minute break every half an hour. After a couple of hours of swaying in the shower my legs were getting tired so I got in the tub.
I was breathing through the surges with M. putting water on my back. After a while I needed to go to the toilet so I sat on there for a while which was good. Then I had an exam and 7-8 cm. Great news! I got back in the tub and after only a short while I felt like I needed to push. Then my waters broke with a big pop.
The midwife was amazing and told me to just let my body do what it wanted to do. I got a bit vocal with moaning sounds but as I got used to the feeling I quietened down. I felt Henry's head coming between my legs. I was so excited that he was coming!! He was handed up to me and was wide awake and staring at me. Henry was so alert and happy to feed too. It took around 20 mins for his cord to stop pulsing and then M. cut it. My mum, sister and M's mum all got to be there to see everything and welcome Henry into the world. I didn't even notice they were there and was so glad they got to witness his beautiful birth. The labour lasted seven hours from start to finish. Henry weighs 9 pounds and has been sooo calm today. Feeding beautifully and very happy to just look around at us.
Thank you so very much for all of your amazing advice and support. We feel so very very blessed to have had such an amazing experience and would do it all again in a heart beat. Much love from a very happy mummy!
Jessica

Anika Dreambirth story VBAC
Unexpected homebirth after caesarean birth (December 2012)

My VBAC journey came to a shining end 2 weeks ago, when I gave birth to my beautiful little girl. Like my first pregnancy, I sailed on through without any health ailments, except for morning sickness in the first few weeks. However, unlike my first pregnancy I was riddled with residual emotional issues from the birth of my son. I felt so ripped off for how that birth evolved and was still very bitter toward my obstetrician. Emotionally I had a lot to overcome, but underneath all of that I was always confident that I could birth my baby naturally and without pain relief.
So to make this dream come true I surrounded myself with people who supported me 100%. Firstly I hired my own midwife and swapped from the private to the public system. Hiring my own midwife ensured that I was well informed when it came to all medical decisions that had to be made along the way. As all VBAC ladies would know, you are considered high risk and as a result are told you have to follow many procedures ‘just in case’. My midwife always presented the benefits and risks of each procedure and as a result gave me the confidence to decline a procedure if I felt necessary. For example, I opted to decline monitoring during labour and instead have my midwife use the Doppler on regular intervals to check the baby’s heart rate. Knowing all the risks and benefits empowered my partner and I to make the decisions we felt right for our baby.
I was adamant I was going to birth my baby vaginally and without pain relief, so to assist in this I joined forces with my amazing HypnoBirthing teacher @. I started the course early in the pregnancy and over time I learnt ways to relax during labour and to release fear that I had toward the birth – I was so concerned I would end up in another caesarean. Relaxation techniques and fear release sessions became an integral part of my amazing birth and I believe without it I could have ended up in a completely different and undesirable scenario.
The last 7 weeks of the pregnancy became relatively stressful, or very consuming to say the least. At 35 weeks I was told my baby was breech and that ‘there is not a lot we can do for you in this situation’. I was left feeling flat and deflated but picked myself up and went on a baby turning mission where I tried moxa, acupuncture, yoga postures and acupressure to turn my baby. At 37 weeks I was told my baby had turned, I immediately rejoiced and started to daydream about the arrival of my baby.
The daydreaming went on and on as 40 weeks arrived and passed. 41 weeks arrived and so did the pressure to be induced. 42 weeks arrived and I was wondering if life was just too comfortable on the inside, my baby was well engaged but just hanging around. I wondered, will I be the first ever woman to be pregnant forever? I spent 2 weeks from 40 weeks onwards having where-to-from-here discussions with the doctors, my midwife and partner. There was pressure to be induce but we confidently declined, we ensured our baby was safe by having regular scans and CTG monitoring. At 16 days overdue I was told it was really best to be induced soon because the risk of the baby becoming distressed during labour was increasing. I finally agreed and the induction was booked for the following morning at 8am.
I felt confident about the induction appointment, mainly because I had a feeling I was not going to make the appointment at all. I left the hospital, the day before the planned induction, and went straight to an acupuncture appointment for some induction acupuncture. During the acupuncture I started to get contractions. On the way home I had 3 surges. I got home, tried to eat, but ended up in the shower with the hot water soothing my lower back. I had been told hours earlier that my baby was posterior. I was bracing myself for a longer and possibly more painful birth. However, I felt ready and calm.
I spent the next 3 hours or so listening to my hypnobirthing music and breathing through each surge. At 11ish my waters broke, I continued to relax, sleep even, through surges. At 1am the intensity in surges increased, I made my way to the birthing pool and my partner rang the midwife. Once I entered the water I knew our baby was not far. I was resisting the urge to push, the surges were more frequent and intense – I remained calm and decided not to tell my partner that I thought the baby was on its way. I did not want to stress him out, turns out he was pretty sure he knew what was happening and was bracing himself to become a temporary midwife. Fortunately however the midwife arrived shortly after and to my joy announced I was fully dialated. Because of this I was unable to transfer to hospital – thankfully because our beautiful little girl was born into my arms 20 minutes later. I even got to announce the sex myself. It was truly amazing.
So my advice to anyone who is looking forward to their VBAC with a little apprehension is to remember we are designed to do this – trust that your body and your baby know what to do. Make informed decisions by doing your research. Know what you want and stick to it. Get a supportive team on your side. I ended up with my partner (of course), my midwife, HypnoBirthing Teacher (and a whole bunch of HypnoBirhting Mummies), acupuncturist and homeopath all backing me and who all had the same philosophy as me, and that is – baby’s know when the time is right, if all is well and healthy, why push them? I wanted my baby to come when she was ready and that she did!

Tom’s Dreambirth story
Natural Hypnobirth of the biggest Dreambirth baby – 4.95 kg (May 2012)

I was reluctantly booked in with an obstetrician at the same private hospital that I had my first son in at the suggestion of my GP but was searching for a more positive experience this time. It had taken me four years to feel that I could face my fears and trauma. “Natural birth” I used to say “can you call that natural?”. I found out about doulas on a website about pregnancy, looked up local ladies and was immediately taken with Helena’s smiling, relaxed photo and focus on the babies. Helena and I chatted a number of times at length and I was grateful for her insight into different care providers and changed to the family birth centre. I breathed a sigh of relief and placed my faith in Helena’s positive and knowledgeable hands.
That was one of the best decisions of my entire life. I started reading the Mongan Method, doing the relaxation and positive affirmations CD every day – mostly at bedtime with my earphones in. Strength, confidence and calm replaced massive fear, dread and negative thoughts. I thoroughly embraced the magic and joy of growing my baby and grew excited about holding him/her.
Unfortunately due to a small raised blood sugar level I was referred to King Edward Hospital and was unable to return to the FBC despite a second test being within normal range. This was distressing and at 35 weeks gestational diabetes was declared, insulin prescribed and 38 week induction recommended. Some dietary guidelines were provided to me and as I controlled my sugars well I declined the insulin and the induction. I was told that my baby would be far too big to deliver naturally beyond 38 weeks, would be grossly out of proportion and obese and at high risk during the rest of my pregnancy.
I felt fabulous and I knew with every inch of my parenting instinct that my baby was perfectly fine just another big baby boy. Helena was in constant contact with me offering suggestions, giving me confidence to respect my instincts and always positive and nurturing. I went off to an acupuncturist to start preparing my body for birth and he too encouraged me to ask questions of medical staff so I could make an informed, educated decision for me and my baby. My husband too was there encouraging me to stand firm. He too had gained strength and courage from Helena and Hypnobirthing and was so proud of my amazing healthy attitude. The birthing movies shown during the course were incredible and inspiring.
We had both faced our fears and were very confident in our ability to birth our baby and determined not to simply do as we were told regarding intervention as we did with our first birth.
So I was eating curries, walking with one foot on the curb, having lots of sex, taking homeopathics, having induction acupuncture, taking primrose oil, drinking tea, walking, squatting, visualising, doing my positive affirmations and relaxations and exercises to encourage my big beautiful boy to birth. He was engaged, I had numerous shows, surges at night and still at 40 weeks no sign of bubs. Helena was so generous with her time, we would chat constantly and text after appointments and giving encouragement and suggestions. It gave me such strength to know she had supported numerous births and just knew how incredible it would be for us.
Approaching 41 weeks I started to feel that my big baby really might be too big to birth and a trusted doctor felt it was time to start small amounts of intervention so I had a few sweeps and after repeatedly asking for another week, then another, conceded perhaps starting induction was the best idea for my baby. I was booked in. Horrified and disappointed that night I had a cry and thought oh goodness now I am going to birth again. Old fears were still holding me back; such was the trauma I had felt the first time. Then as all parents do I thought, oh well that’s that then, let’s get on with it. I dried my tears, took extra homeopathic remedies to bring on contractions and went to bed to be off to hospital the next day.
At midnight I woke and needed the toilet and was still there 30 minutes later. The cramps I thought were from a small bit of castor oil I had started to be regular and at first I didn’t want to disturb anyone but remembered Helena saying my baby will be quick. I was only a little uncomfortable but Helena came straight to my home and within minutes we all agreed we should head to the hospital which was an hour away. I didn’t want to get in the car until Helena showed me how to keep my head down and slow the contractions whilst in the car. A few red lights and a crazy ride saw my waters hanging out and me drapped over a wheelchair being dragged into emergency so they could "assess me". Apparently it wasn’t obvious that I was having a baby! I thought it was hilarious and was laughing inside as my husband and Helena got just a touch annoyed with the emergency staff for taking me instead of sending me to the birthing ward. The ward staff seemed quite surprised I was so far along and it was all action stations.
I was relieved I had made it to hospital and was entirely focused into myself and my baby just as the hypnobirthing had taught me. I was taken to a bed which I looked at as my arch enemy and swore I would never place my bottom on one so I kneeled on it and hung over the back. My eyes were closed and I would not tell you one thing about the room or who was in it. Helena had my hands and was grounding me. My husband and Helena answered all questions on my behalf as they very clearly knew all my wishes. The only time I felt slightly out of control was when I was asked a direct question and had to come out of focus to reply. So I chose not to reply as I felt none of it was of any consequence as my baby was well on his way and no internal exam was going to say otherwise! A very determined midwife monitored my baby constantly while I was in that position and I remember trying to push her off me. At one stage the surges slowed and I leant up to take a breath. Ah just a moment to breathe but then I was reminded about what Helena and a respected doctor had said to make each contraction count and take each one head on. So I leant down and was thinking well I don’t want to move from this position as the staff will probably want me to lay down and I am not laying down and can’t stay on my knees for much longer so best get on with it! I focused all my energy down and out and our beautiful big baby Tom 4.95kg was born 41 weeks 3 days at 4am after just 1.5 hours in hospital. We were overjoyed. Tom’s birth made me feel invincible, like I had climbed Mount Everest or won a gold medal. I feel I can do anything in life now. He was and still is the source of such growth for me. I truly feel blessed to have had such an amazing birthing experience the second time around. It has shown me the true beauty of nature and our boundless abilities as women. It gave me the power and love to give to my family. How wonderful I didn’t leave it at just one and imagine how many babies I would have had by now if I had met the magical Helena the first time! We are forever grateful to our birthing angel for her passionate and warm care. To give so much to so many truly is the work of an angel.

Dreambirth of Lucy Isobel
– a beautiful natural hypnobirth at FBC (March 2012)

I was 40+4, ready and waiting for my baby to be born. I had lost my mucus plug at 40+2 and kept it in the fridge in a container because I was so excited. It had been a very hot week with temperatures in the high 30’s and low 40’s and I was feeling it! I had not had a good night’s sleep for a couple of weeks as my hip was achy from lying on my left side all the time. I had tried all of the old wives tales to bring on my labour and had been to an acupuncture session a couple of days ago to prepare my cervix. At my last FBC appointment the midwife had offered ‘membrane sweeping’ and broached the topic of medical induction which I desperately wanted to avoid. She had also told me that my baby was posterior, so despite my best efforts to stay relaxed and positive, some doubt was creeping in.
Even though it was a Saturday, Leigh was busy working on the Waldecks job and I did not want to be alone all day, so I went to my parent’s place. They later told me that they had planned the day for me to try and get my labour started! We had a nice coffee and muffin at the Book Cafe in Swanbourne in the morning, then went to Swanbourne beach. It was a stinking hot day, around 41 degrees and I had barely slept the night before and here we were, trekking along the beach! We walked for quite a while, then had a lovely refreshing swim. I was very drawn to water and the ocean all through my pregnancy. We stayed at the beach for a few hours then headed back to my parent’s place to relax.
When I got home, I could not stop thinking about what the midwife had said about my baby being posterior so I rang Helena for reassurance. Her relaxing voice and words put my mind at ease. Helena said gently ‘your baby is not posterior! you will go into labour soon, my Dreambabies always come on the weekend!’. She told me to look up the spinning babies website and to map my belly, which I did. The belly mapping confirmed what I knew instinctively – my baby was in the perfect position! My confidence grew.
Exhausted but much happier, I flopped into bed just before 10pm. Leigh was asleep immediately. Five minutes after getting into bed, I felt a strange internal popping sensation around my cervix. I thought ‘that could not have been my waters breaking, could it??’ I went to the toilet to check and could not feel anything. I had a wee and after I had finished, the fluid kept coming! When I went to wipe myself I noticed it was clear and thick and gooey and draining very slowly. I realised that it was my waters and that this meant that labour would not be too far off! I would get to meet my baby soon. Excited but calm, I put a pad on, sent Helena a text to let her know and then went back to bed. She told me to Iet her know as soon as I wanted her to come over. I said that I would be fine for now. I did not wake Leigh yet as I thought it may be a long night ahead! I started listening to my rainbow relaxation though my headphones and tried to rest.
An hour and a half later at 11.30pm, I had my first surge. I had been having painless practice surges regularly but randomly for the past three weeks so it wasn’t an unusual sensation, just slightly stronger tightening and more rhythmic and wave-like somehow. I did my surge breathing and it felt really good, like it finally made sense! Five minutes later, another surge and then another. I was surging every 5 minutes for 45 seconds. I was so excited! I took some time to put on my special labour nighty, set up the lounge room with the oil burner, some candles and the fitball. I put on my Sacred Earth CD and gave my belly a rub with clary sage oil. I lay on the couch and breathed through the surges, going deeper and deeper. By 1am the surges were stronger, still 5 mins apart for 60 seconds. Time was going fast and I was feeling really good. At 2am, I rang Helena and woke up Leigh for some company. Helena arrived at 2.30am and led me through an amazing relaxation script which really deepened the surges and got things going. I was really relaxed and completely lost track of time. Helena suggested using the fitball and also the all-fours position so that I was more upright and Leigh did the light touch massage and applied the hot pack to my lower back. The only time I felt uneasy at home was when I stopped feeling my baby move for a while. Helena told me to lie down and drink some cold water and soon she was moving again!
I had no idea but Helena tells me that my surges were 2 mins apart and 90 secs long at about 5am. It was at this time that I stopped talking between surges and was making some noises during the surges. I stayed put on all fours, focusing on my surges while Leigh rang the birth centre and got things organised. Before I knew it, Helena and Leigh had me in my dressing gown and ugg boots and helped me climb the step ladder into the back of the car. They had put a mattress in the back of the car for me to kneel on and I started the journey on all fours, but it was too bumpy and the surges had become very uncomfortable. I had to lay down, which made the surges very painful. The trip to the hospital was a shock to my system and although very painful, my surges slowed right down. I only had three or four on the 20 minute drive to the hospital! We got to the birth centre just before sunrise (about 6.30am) and were greeted by the midwife Peta. I stopped for a strong surge at the reception desk and then Peta showed us to our room. She asked if she could check my dilation and I agreed but I told her not to tell me if it was less than 5 cm, (they recommend that you do not get in the birthing pool if you are under 6cm as it can slow your labour down). I lay on the bed and she checked my cervix. She started to say very gently ‘your cervix is very thin and your body has done a lot of work’ and I knew straight away that I was not very dilated! I said ‘tell me how many cms’ she said ‘under five’ and I said ‘I don’t care, I just want to know’. So she told me I was two cms but that my cervix was paper thin.
I tried not to be discouraged and Helena reinforced that my cervix was paper thin and that I would not have long to go. However, after labouring all night and thinking I was more than 2cm, I have to say that I lost my groove for a while. I did not realise this but at this point (probably 7.00am) Helena had to spend a while convincing the midwife that I should be allowed to stay at the birth centre as they really wanted to send me home. Helena encouraged me to squat deeply while holding onto the end of the bed through the surges, which were now not regular at all and were very painful.
After a while, I think we were all exhausted and started to think that perhaps this labour would take a lot longer than expected. Helena said I should lie down and try to get some rest. Lying down was WAY too uncomfortable, my head was in the wrong space and things had slowed down to one surge every 15 mins. I was pacing the room and saying to Leigh ‘I just don’t know what to do next!’ A lady came in with my breakfast and Leigh made me try and eat something. I grabbed a boiled egg and nearly threw up trying to force it down. Needless to say, he ate the rest of my breakfast! Then he lay on the bed and fell asleep.
I was alone. This allowed me to search deep within, to look for my strength and resilience again. I stripped off all of my clothes and got in the double headed shower. I knelt down on my knees and turned the hot tap full bore and let the water pound my back and my belly. I began to remember all of my hypnobirthing training and started to relax, focusing on my surge breathing, visualising the rose bud opening, chanting ‘cervix open, baby down, cervix open, baby down’. I started using my energy to connect with the millions of women who have birthed before me, thinking of my grandmothers for inspiration. Surge by surge, the labour quickly started to build again as I went deeper and deeper. The pressure of the hot water was amazing and I was feeling good again. I vaguely remember the midwife checking on me what seemed like every five minutes but apparently it was every half hour. Each time, I wished she would not talk to me! I had no ability to think of words, the labour was all consuming. At some point, Leigh came into my shower sanctuary to ask me what I wanted to order for lunch and dinner. This was so impossible to conceive that it wasn’t funny and I snapped at him ‘I don’t care, just order something’ thinking that I would never want to eat again!
The surges were coming regularly and very strong now and it was a completely visceral experience. Each surge took every ounce of my focus. The sensation was so intense it was very nearly completely overwhelming but I took each for what it was and never thought of the next one. I praised myself each time the waved peaked and then started to subside.
After a while I felt like I may lose control again when the midwife came to check on me I think I said ‘can you get my doula?’ that’s all I could manage at that point. So Helena came to help me in the shower. She asked ‘what can I do for you’ and I said ‘my affirmations’ so she put on my hypnobirthing affirmation CD and took my shoulders and gently swayed me from side to side through the surges. This helped immensely and it was wonderful just having the presence of Helena in my birthing space.
Soon after, I felt pressure sensation and I managed to mutter to Helena ‘pressure, I feel pressure’. I did not trust this feeling as it was similar to what I had felt just before we left for home the birth centre and I was only 2cm dilated when we arrived at the hospital! Helena asked if she should start running the bath and I nodded. She left to get the bath running and I before I knew what was happening, I instinctively dropped to my knees from the chair I had been sitting on. I could feel something was about to happen. Was my baby coming? Before I could think about it, my body started to push with all its might and I let out the most primal, guttural scream that I had ever heard! It was incredible. Helena and two midwives came running (Kirsty and Donna) and Leigh woke up with a start. Helena said to Leigh, ‘don’t go anywhere, your baby is coming!’
I had no control over my body at all, I fully surrendered and I felt like I was merely watching on, amazed. I could feel my baby moving down as my body pushed through the first surge and it felt good. I felt very mammalian and very powerful – this is how we are supposed to birth – it felt like my right of passage as a woman!
There was a break between surges but I have no idea how long it was. Then the second push came and the scream. I don’t think scream describes the sound properly, I don’t think there is a word to describe this sound! It was an unbelievable sound, so intense, so powerful. It was strange though because the sound was not related to the sensation I felt - the pushing was actually not very painful – but my body had to make the sound anyway.
I forget whether it was two or three pushes but I started to feel that familiar burning sensation of the baby’s head crowning (I had practiced a lot with my Epi-no and regularly pushed out the 10cm balloon). My baby was coming, fast! Kirsty the midwife said ‘your baby is crowning’ so I reached up to touch her head and I will never forget that feeling! I am reminded of it now every time I wash her hair. At this point, Kirsty told me to pant and relax while my baby’s head gently stretched my perineum. With the next surge, my baby’s head was born. We had planned for Leigh to catch her, but it all happened so quickly and as her body was born, I reached down and caught her myself and pulled her up onto my chest! It was an absolutely unbelievable moment. She was so little and perfect, our Lucy Isobel. It was so surreal and wonderful to finally meet our daughter. I pulled her close and did not ever want to let go.

Dreambirth of Jemina Ruth
A a beautiful gentle home-waterbirth after caesarean birth
– HBAC

The pool liner came in the mail on Tuesday.
Tuesday night we had one last all-together dinner with my family, as my oldest brother and his wife and two girls were flying out on Wednesday to live in the US.
We also gave away our lounge suite on Tuesday night (without yet having a replacement), which was again perfect timing because I woke up in early labour at 2am Wed, and later that morning we discovered the pool hose wouldn't reach the bedroom where I'd planned to birth so we had to move to the (now nice and empty) lounge room! (We put a single mattress down next to the pool, with tarps and old sheets etc).
So, labour....
Had a few mild surges in bed, then thought 'yeh this might be it', so got up quietly and made myself some scrambled eggs and toast, did a bit of sewing (trying to finish off the quilt I started for my firstborn when pregnant with her!), eventually went back to bed but couldn't sleep, so woke my husband at 5am.
Doulas came at 9:30, Midwife at 10:30 - examined me and I was 4cm (which is as far as I got last time!!) and fully effaced with bulging membranes.
My midwife left for a postnatal appt, I did a 1hr relaxation session with our doula/HypnoBirthing teacher - Helena, surges got stronger so I got in the pool and stayed there for a couple of hours I guess. It got really painful, mostly in my back, so during surges I had my husband madly massaging my lower back, one doula pouring water over me, and the other doula holding my hands helping me to stay calm, and I was moaning on every out breath. Eventually I started begging for the Midwife, wondering why she wasn't back yet.
When she eventually came (I think about 1pm), she checked baby's heart (perfect) and after a while got me out of the pool to examine me and possibly rupture the membranes. I was fully dilated (YAY!) and membranes still bulging. While I was lying on the mattress I got another strong surge, and as I'd started getting a bit 'pushy' the MW encouraged me to pull my legs back and give a push, so I did and the waters broke all over her skirt! All clear (she told me later she'd seen a bit of something greeny/browny which was why she'd got me out and umm'd and ah'd about doing ARM to check it wasn't mec; if it had been she said she would have then got me pushing madly on the mattress!).... so back in the pool, and I can't remember all the details but I think the urge to push was pretty strong then, and any hopes of 'breathing' the baby out went out the window because it just felt so much better to really bear down, and I just wanted to feel that head!
So I think about 20 mins of pushing, with pretty decent breaks between surges, and finally baby crowned with me squatting holding onto the edge of the pool. The head sat there crowning for a couple of minutes and the MW got the mirror so we could see. Amazingly that bit wasn't painful!
Then came THE surge, and I PUSHED MY BABY OUT! First the head, then I collapsed back on my husband and the surge stopped, but MW explained to me today that baby's head was hitting the bottom of the pool, she was trying to come but couldn't, so MW encouraged me to give one last push - then out she slipped and up onto my chest. FAST ASLEEP! Pink, breathing and perfect, but sound asleep!
The darling girl must have worn herself out because she didn't wake up enough to suck for at least 1.5 hours! We were in the pool for 55 minutes before I finally got the placenta out, then cut the cord etc.
All I can do is thank God for SO generously answering our prayers and giving me the desire of my heart. Can't count how many times I'd imagined that moment of pulling bub's slippery little body onto my chest.
And now it's REALLY HAPPENED!

Dreambirth of Griffin Rafferty - An amazing hypnowaterbirth at FBC – Dec. 2011

My Birth story
Vanessa Leevers

My name is Vanessa & I gave birth to my adorable son Griffin on Sunday 11th Dec 2011. He was born at the Family Birth Centre at KEMH in an amazing Hypno Water Birth. Firstly some background:
I was lucky enough to have a perfect labour & birth and think it’s important to share to other expectant mums, as you often only hear about the nightmares, as was my case.
My husband and I decided to give Hypnobirthing a go as I wanted as close to a natural birth as possible. We found a local practitioner, Helena, who we engaged to teach us all about Hypnobirthing but also to be our Doula when the time came. We were taught all about the physiology of birth & given tools to prepare my mind & body, mainly breathing exercises and visualisations. I practised for many weeks leading up to my birth, which in turn gave me all the confidence I needed to face labour with excitement, not an ounce of fear.
My Labour & Birth: I woke one the morning of my due date, around 7am as usual & started my day, my husband was sleeping in so I let him. As I pottered around I felt a few crampy sensations similar to period pain and thought nothing of it. I hadn’t experienced any Braxton Hicks at all so I thought that’s what it was.
At around 10am I was still having period like pains & thought to myself…hmm this might be the start of things. So I woke my husband up & casually told him of my cramps. He got up and we both felt very relaxed, even still unsure of what the feelings were. We went about our day, even ventured to Big W to do some last minute baby things, all the while I was having regular surges & they were building in intensity but still very bearable. I started my breathing exercises.
At around 6pm I was convinced that this was the real thing and that labour had begun. I went and had a nap then started to record my surges before calling Helena. She came over at about 9pm & read me a long relaxation script & I fell asleep on the couch for an hour or so. At this stage my surges where about 8 minutes apart & 1 minute long.
I then went to lie down on the bed and continue my breathing exercises, we called the Birthing Centre to let them know we’d be in at some stage but still happy at home, I wanted to stay at home as long as possible ensuring I was far enough along to get into the birthing pool.
At around 1am I got up to change positions & move onto my fit ball & got the all over body shakes, it was at this stage I decided it was time to head to the BC. We arrived there at about 2am.
I continued to lie on the fit ball & deep breath through each surge. They were getting stronger and closer together. The midwife ( who was fabulous) asked if she could examine me to ensure I was dilated enough to get into the birthing pool. Turns out I was 6 cm and ready to get in the pool. It was 4am but I had no recollection of the time passing at this stage, I was on a high of endorphins and feeling fantastic.
The room was very dimly lit and we had soft relaxation music playing. The water was hot but felt so good, it really took the edge off and allowed me to focus deeper and really go inside & connect with my baby.
Things started to speed up but still I felt in control and breathed through each surge. My husband joined me in the pool at around 5am & encouraged me to keep breathing and relax. The next hour was the most incredible hour of my life as together we breathed our baby down in unison.
I could feel every millimetre he moved down, such an intense but amazing feeling. I was sure when his head was about to appear but alas after having a look our midwife shook her head at my husband , thankfully I had my eyes closed the entire time & was none the wiser.
With the next surge I was positive the head was crowning & after saying two words “Head Now” the midwife changed her tone after a quick look and instructed me to do whatever it was my body wanted too & in one surge and a push out popped a lovely round slightly hairy head. I was able to reach down and touch my baby’s head before it wriggled around and decided which way to turn for his entrance into the world. One more surge and out he came & was immediately scooped up & placed onto my chest.
I was awe struck, both of us just stared at this amazing little human on my chest. He didn’t cry much, just a quick whimper, eyes wide open, looked up at us & then snuggled in for a nap. I’ll never forget that moment.
After about 20 minutes we finally thought we’d better find out the sex & my husband had the privilege of looking & announcing it.
After we got out of the pool we waited until his cord had stopped pulsating before it was cut, baby & I were wrapped in warm blankets to cuddle.
Then we moved to our room, my husband held our son, I showered quickly & then we all jumped into bed for a private cuddle.
So you see it is possible for woman these days to enjoy natural birth & I owe a lot to hypnobirthing & staying relaxed.

Sophie's Dreambirth
Shortly after midnight on my due date, I noticed my first surge – and then another. After weeks of wondering if I’d know when it was time, there was no doubt. I’d be meeting my baby today. I went to bed, thinking I’d need all the sleep I could get.
A surge woke me up around 5am and I tried to go back to sleep, but my body was having none of it. I just couldn’t get comfortable. I was having surges around every 7 minutes at this stage. I got up and pottered around the house for a while. For some reason it seemed important at the time that the kitchen be tidy for when everyone arrived!
After a couple of hours things were getting a bit more intense and my surges were only 3 or 4 minutes apart, so I woke up my husband and called my midwife, my doula and my mum. Everyone had arrived by about 10am and I was around 3 cm dilated. I was pretty focused on my surges and wasn’t really aware of the other five people in my house. My two midwives figured that baby was still many hours away, so they went home for a break with a plan to come back in the afternoon.
By midday I was very ready to get into my birth pool. It was such a wonderful feeling sinking into the warm water. I totally lost track of time and just concentrated on my breathing. A bit before 2pm I’m told that my water broke and there was a fair bit of blood in the pool. My doula called the midwives and they said I needed to get out of the pool so they could see how much bleeding there was. They returned about half an hour later and said that they might need to transfer me to hospital, but they’d see how things went for a little while. They said I was at 6 cm at this time. My body was really trying to push my baby out! The midwife who checked me told me that I should try not to push, but I really couldn’t do anything about it. I just tried to relax and stayed focused on my breathing. Around quarter to four, I felt the head crowning – which surprised everyone, including me. I had no idea things had moved along that far. I remember being so relieved, as I certainly wasn’t going to be transferred to hospital now!
It took three or four surges to get the head out and then everything slowed down a bit. It felt like ages waiting for a final surge to push the shoulders out. I’m told that during this time my baby was looking around under the water, probably wondering what this new place was! One of the midwives was behind me waiting to receive the baby, as I had hold of my husband’s hand and wasn’t letting him go anywhere! As it turned out, the little one did a bit of a tumble turn and ended up coming forward underneath me so I was lucky enough to be the first one to hold this tiny new person. We weren’t entirely sure of the sex of our baby before the birth (the ultrasound was never particularly clear) and it surprised me afterwards how totally unimportant it was to me when our little one was finally here. I didn’t want to move this tiny body away from mine long enough to check, so I think it was probably 15 minutes before we knew we had a little girl. She looked to me to be the most perfect little human being I’d ever seen. She still does.
It was an amazing, empowering experience and while it was intense, I never felt like I couldn’t cope. I had a fantastic support team and I credit hypnobirthing for giving me the ability to trust my body and stay calm and focused throughout my birth experience.

Dreambirth of Dominik Antonio
Around 7.30pm my surges started, but it was so mild that I hardly noticed and just ignored it. I took a shower and decided to lie down and listen to my Rainbow relaxation CD. I was so relaxed that when my surges came every 3mins I was checking for an hour between 9pm and 10pm if it’s really it or not.
I asked my husband to call the hospital and when the midwives heard I have contractions every 3min for 60sec, I could still communicate that this is my second baby so I should know if this is it or not and whether to come to the hospital. They advised that if I am not sure I should try to walk out the pain.
I was a bit surprised by this answer but thinking it mustn’t be it because I am fine, I can cope with this and decided to stay in the bed and practice my breathing.
Forty-five minutes later I got up (which I shouldn’t have) and the surges were much stronger and they started coming every minute. I asked my husband to call the hospital but deep down I knew I should just stay at home.
It was 11pm; I could hardly walk by that stage. I got in the car. The seat was 90degrees up and couldn’t be moved because just a day before I fitted a capsule for my baby. I couldn’t get comfortable.
Half way to the hospital I asked to stop the car, the baby was coming. My husband decided to continue to the hospital. It was like the longest drive ever for me (the hospital is about 28min from us). Just a few minutes before we got to the hospital my water broke and I could feel the head coming.
My husband stopped at the car park of the hospital and helped me to take of my pants and the baby’s head was out. He quickly ran to get some help but no one was around and he couldn’t get into the hospital. He came back to me and I was holding the baby’s head. I asked my husband to support the head and telling him what to do. He had to leave me again to try and get someone from the hospital.
A gentleman came quickly from the hospital doors and ran to me. By that time the shoulders were, but because my sitting position the baby couldn’t come out. He lifted me up and as he did that the baby just came out so easily. It is 11.28pm and my baby was born.
After that the midwives came and took my baby, wrapped it in the blanket, clipped the cord, told me it’s a boy and took him away, which was the worst feeling for me but I understand that they had to get him warm as it was only 5 degrees that night. All I could think was why we didn’t just stay at home.
It was the most natural way to give birth to my baby that I could have dreamed of. No drugs, no interruptions by any monitors or anyone.

Thank you & Hypnobirthing!

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